Ryderwood, Washington

How Ryderwood is governed

Ryderwood appears to be an unincorporated community or a census-designated place, so it may have no city government of its own — services usually come from Cowlitz County and its elected officials. The chart below is a generic template; readers can correct it if Ryderwood does have local officials.

Form of government not yet listed.

0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

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  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

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Population over time

From 395 in 2010 to 383 in 2020 (−3.0%).

History

20th century

Ryderwood, originally named Cougar Flats, was established as a logging camp by the Long-Bell Lumber Company in 1923. The town was constructed at a cost of $1.5 million and was the largest community to be built by private funding. Simultaneously, the town of Longview was created to mill and ship the lumber coming out of Ryderwood. Ryderwood was named for W. F. ("Uncle Bill") Ryder, the logging operations manager for Long-Bell, who came to the northwest to locate a timber source. The community was envisioned beyond that of a temporary logging camp, as a permanent center that would contain a school, church and theater. Billed as a place for families to live rather than bachelor workers, Ryderwood was considered a "modern logging town", as an article in The Log of Long-Bell proclaimed. At Ryderwood's peak, the town became the third largest in Cowlitz County with a population of 2,000 and the community contained a high school.

By 1953, due to advances in timber harvesting technology and the loss of old growth timber, Long-Bell sold the town to Harry H. Kem, a real estate specialist from Los Angeles, under Senior Estates, Inc. for $96,000 with the goal of creating a retirement community for pensioners. Homeowners were required to be retired and the functions of the town, such as the fire department, library, and water utilities system, were undertaken through volunteer efforts of Ryderwood residents. The town built Ryderwood Lake in 1956, encompassing 6 acres inside an existing gravel pit.

In the 1980s, Ryderwood was home to the beginning of the Winlock Pickersfest, originally a bluegrass festival. The event relocated to Winlock in 2000. As of 2022, the festival continues to be held.

Ryderwood held a town-wide centennial celebration in 2023. Featuring a pioneer costumed parade, the event included the opening of a time capsule.

21st century

Limited water sources have led the town to experience water shortages and rationing during times of drought. The community created the Ryderwood Drought Resiliency project to help create a water storage system and in early 2024, it was granted $1.6 million from the federal government to begin operations for a reservoir.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Washington

• Seattle 737,015
• Spokane 228,989
• Tacoma 219,346
• Vancouver 190,915
• Bellevue 151,854
• Kent 136,588
• Everett 110,629
• Renton 106,785

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