A sleepy, small town like Ridgely isn't everybody's dream, even if it's mine. If you're local to the area, you might have seen these car magnets and wondered why it claims Ridgely is a "Dream City." First of all, it's not even a city--it's a town which according to the 2010 census, is home to 1,639 people, 604 households, and 412 families. And what makes it such a "dream"?
I'm glad you asked...
I'm glad you asked...
"Unlike most towns, Ridgely didn’t “just grow” –it was planned before a single house was built. It was planned not as a country town, but as a city, a large, beautiful, prosperous city, with a railroad to the north and the Choptank River to the south, laid out with wide streets and avenues, parks and boulevards, factories and stores and a busy riverfront with docks and shipyards. It was a dream… a noble one." (https://ridgelymd.org/about-ridgely/)
The town was established on May 13, 1867 by the Maryland and Baltimore Land Association. The land around present day Ridgely was purchased by the Maryland and Baltimore Land Association from Thomas Bell and the Reverend Greenbury W. Ridgely. The town was named after the Rev. Greenbury W. Ridgely.
A railroad boom in the 1860s on the Delmarva Peninsula was fueling land speculation. Civil engineer J.J. Sickler from Philadelphia was commissioned to design the town's layout. The Land Association began construction and built four buildings, including a railroad station, hotel, and two private residences during the first year. James K. Saulsbury constructed a combined store and residence, known as the Ridgely House. It now serves at the Town Hall Building.
During the Land's Association's first year, it went bankrupt; Ridgely was left unfinished and sparsely populated.
A railroad boom in the 1860s on the Delmarva Peninsula was fueling land speculation. Civil engineer J.J. Sickler from Philadelphia was commissioned to design the town's layout. The Land Association began construction and built four buildings, including a railroad station, hotel, and two private residences during the first year. James K. Saulsbury constructed a combined store and residence, known as the Ridgely House. It now serves at the Town Hall Building.
During the Land's Association's first year, it went bankrupt; Ridgely was left unfinished and sparsely populated.
Most properties were sold at public auction, and Ridgely began to grow gradually as a result of its location on the railroad line now called the Maryland and Delaware.
Ridgely's economy boomed as a result of its flourishing local crop production, including strawberries, huckleberries, vegetables, eggs, and poultry. Most crops were processed in Ridgely or sent to various locations on the railroad. Ridgely became known as the "Strawberry Capital of the World" as a result of its prosperous agricultural business.
As the nation began to rely on highways instead of railroads for transportation and industry began to concentrate in larger urban areas, Ridgely's economy declined.
Every May, Ridgely hosts the Strawberry Festival to celebrate its past.
Ridgely's economy boomed as a result of its flourishing local crop production, including strawberries, huckleberries, vegetables, eggs, and poultry. Most crops were processed in Ridgely or sent to various locations on the railroad. Ridgely became known as the "Strawberry Capital of the World" as a result of its prosperous agricultural business.
As the nation began to rely on highways instead of railroads for transportation and industry began to concentrate in larger urban areas, Ridgely's economy declined.
Every May, Ridgely hosts the Strawberry Festival to celebrate its past.
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