RIDGETOWN ONTARIO PAST AND PRESENT

Ridgetown is a community located in south-east Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada.It has a population of roughly 3,500 and is one of many small farming communities in Chatham-Kent. Ridgetown was incorporated as a village in 1875 with just over 2,000 citizens. In 1975, with well over 3,220 residents, Ridgetown celebrated its centennial. Residents celebrated by dressing in 1875 costumes, conducting beard-growing contests, barbecues, and other activities.
Today, with over 3.500 residents, Ridgetown proudly shares the outlying areas that produce major crops such as soybeans, corn, wheat, grains, apples and peaches. There is also a large percentage of dairy farms that are operated mostly by eastern European settlers.
The railway tracks of the Canada Southern/Michigan Central/New York Central and Detroit River and Lake Erie/Pere Marquette/C&O railways used to run through Ridgetown, though these are both gone now - the last steam train through Ridgetown was in 2005. In 2007, plans to install a line of electricity-generating wind turbines several kilometres to the south of town, along Highway 3 between Morpeth and Blenheim, were in development. This was one of four wind turbine projects approved for Chatham-Kent in 2007.
The high school in Ridgetown, Ridgetown District High School (RDHS), has just under 300 students in grades 7-12
The former Ridgetown College has been part of the University of Guelph since 1997 and is now University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. It is a venue for OAC- the Ontario Agricultural College. About 900 students presently attend 2 and 3-year courses on agriculture, veterinary technology, graphical information systems, horticulture and environmental management.
Ridgetown has a thriving manufacturing industry, mainly serving the automotive market, which employ hundreds of local and area people. Thyssen-Krupp, KSR International, Waltron Trailers, Trak Tool Machines, and Challenger Pallet are the larger plants.
Hundreds of smaller service businesses thrive in the area, including many long-established and unique stores in the downtown area. Wikipedia Source

[@kathrynparchelo2519]

Thank you for this video, Donald. I grew up in one of the homes shown and I love seeing it on here. Ridgetown will always be "home" to me.

[@ianduckworth7429]

I know them, Awesome Family!

[@ruthcrispell9768]

Seems I "grew up" in Ridgetown although I arrived when I was 20. So sorry we have lost Marg and her siblings. Don did such a fine job of his honouring Ken and Marg.

[@hendricusvanvugt4243]

Enjoyed the video of the town where I went to high school. One small correction: Ridgetown is not halfway between Windsor and Toronto. Windsor is 60 miles to the west. Sixty miles to the east takes you to London. Thus, Ridgetown is halfway between Windsor and London.

[@wuwkiwan3447]

Thankyou for this video.Altho my Watson family settled in Mull in kent county they are buried in Greenwood Cemetary in Ridgetown starting with my great great grandfather James Watson in 1878. Watching your video is the closest I.ve come so far in experiencing some sort of video context,,,so thank you again

[@chjoed]

I don't want to sound offensive, but why are there shots of Blenheim ?

[@DonaldPugh]

Christine Reynolds sorry