Ridgewood's name refers to the wooded terrain on the Swan Coastal Plain. The suburb was formerly a part of Merriwa until 1998, when Merriwa was split in two along Connolly Drive. The eastern half of Merriwa was gazetted as Ridgewood. At the time, only south Ridgewood was populated, containing the "Carnegie Private Estate" that was built in the mid-1990s. The estate had a small population of 968. There were campaigns for Ridgewood's separation from Merriwa as far back as 1994, not long after the Carnegie Estate had been built by developers Town and Country Holdings. The developers lodged a request with the City of Wanneroo to bifurcate the area from Merriwa and rename the new locality "Carnegie", after the estate, which in turn was named in honour of David Carnegie, one of the earliest explorers of Western Australia. Although the request was rejected, the City supported the excision of the estate from Merriwa, leading to the creation of Ridgewood four years later. The northern half of Ridgewood, "The Vistas", is a new development by Satterley, marketed as a part of the "Brighton Estate" that covers the adjoining suburbs of Butler and Jindalee.
Demographics
Ridgewood had a population of 1,292 at the 2006 census, an increase of 324 persons since the 2001 census. The population is predicted to grow exponentially, peaking at 5,903 in 2016. The demographics of Ridgewood's residents are similar to Merriwa, with the same average age of 33 and income levels slightly below the national average. Like all surrounding suburbs, Christianity is the predominant religious affiliation of Ridgewood's residents, accounting for 48.5% of the population across various Christian denominations. However, the suburb contains no churches but does have a Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. 27.4% declared no religion.
Amenities and facilities
Ridgewood is primarily a residential suburb, with a BPservice station in its south-west and almost no other facilities or retail establishments. However, it is positioned directly in between the suburbs of Butler, Merriwa and Clarkson, which all contain a sizeable number of shops and services that Ridgewood residents rely on, including the large Ocean Keys Shopping Centre in Clarkson. Like other neighbouring suburbs, Ridgewood contains several parks. Ridgewood Park in the south-west is the largest by area, and contains a sports pitch and a large pond. Telephone services are provided by the Quinns Rocks telephone exchange.
Education
The West Coast Language Development Centre is the only education establishment in Ridgewood, one of five schools in Western Australia that serve language-disabled children. The nearest K-6 primary school to Ridgewood is Merriwa Primary School. Senior Ridgewood students fall into the Clarkson Community High Schoolcatchment area.
Ridgewood's political leanings are unclear due to its diminutive population and lack of specified polling booth. The nearest booth in Merriwa tends to favour the Australian Labor Party at State level, while voting Liberal Party at federal level. Like Merriwa, the suburb is part of the Electoral district of Butler at state level, and the Division of Pearce at federal level.
