Ridgeland, Mississippi: Pedaling Toward Prosperity and Wellness
Key Results & Accomplishments
- Ridgeland, Mississippi (population 24,576) received a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community award in 2010, which they renewed in 2024 and hope to elevate to Silver by 2028.
- Every May, the city passes a Bicycle Safety Month Proclamation, encouraging residents to “respect cycling and encourage [transportation] safety throughout our community.”
- Ben McDonald, Special Events Coordinator at Ridgeland’s Recreation and Parks Department, spoke on the League’s “National Bike Month: Inspiration from Bicycle Friendly Communities” webinar in May to share about Ridgeland’s mayoral Bicycle Safety Month proclamation and Bike Month events like the Natchez Trace Century and Family Fun Rides.
- The city is strengthening partnerships with community groups and health organizations to create momentum for bicycle-friendly initiatives, including ongoing support from the League through the CDC’s Active People, Healthy NationSM initiative.
- The city adopted an Active People, Healthy NationSM Proclamation in 2022 to show their support for increasing physical activity through community design.
- Ridgeland is actively expanding its bicycle network. Citizens recently voted to fund the expansion of Freedom Ridge Park, a project that will add multi-use trails connecting to Ridgeland’s existing trail system.
Ridgeland, Mississippi, is putting itself on the map—not just for its scenic charm, but as a growing destination for bicycling enthusiasts and families seeking active, healthy lifestyles. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of city leaders like longtime bicyclist Mayor Gene McGee, local businesses and bicycle shops, and community organizations like Explore Ridgeland, the city is building a culture around bicycles that benefits both residents and visitors.
This year, Ridgeland celebrated Bicycle Safety Month in May with an official mayoral proclamation, highlighting the community’s commitment to investing in safer, better places to ride. This effort lends strength to the city’s designation as Mississippi’s Healthiest Hometown and its status as one of only two communities in the state with an Active People, Healthy Nation℠ proclamation. Ben McDonald, Special Events Coordinator for Recreation and Parks, joined the League’s “National Bike Month: Inspiration for Bicycle Friendly Communities” webinar to share how, through collaboration, the city uses proclamations and community events to encourage a bicycle-friendly culture. Joining a panel of representatives from Honolulu, HI (pop. 350,964); Princeton, NJ (pop. 31,445); and Grand Junction, CO (pop. 70,554), McDonald’s presentation offered insights into how Ridgeland can be an example for smaller, more rural communities nationwide.
Above: A group of bicycling champions from the local community gathers to celebrate the signing of the Bicycle Safety Month Proclamation.
Ridgeland has continued to strengthen its bicycle-friendly initiatives through a partnership with the League of American Bicyclists, meeting regularly with our Bicycle Friendly America team throughout the past year for technical assistance, guidance, and collaborative problem-solving. Some highlights included: supporting the unofficial Bicycle Advisory Committee by sharing strategies to consider formalizing the Committee’s role and other best practices from similar committees in other communities; encouraging a future bicycle parking audit and possible Bicycle Friendly University application at a local community college; working with the Explore Ridgeland, the community’s tourism and visitors’ bureau, to encourage local employers to become Bicycle Friendly Businesses; and providing technical resources to help annual bicycling events like the Natchez Trace Century Ride roll smoothly. This work is supported through the CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation℠ initiative, and is intended to help communities build capacity for activity-friendly community design efforts that support physical activity and can benefit both residents and visitors alike.
This capacity-building work can be valuable in states like Mississippi, which currently rank at the bottom of the League’s Bicycle Friendly State (BFS) rankings. Per the 2024 BFS analysis, Mississippi is consistently the most dangerous state for bicyclists based on fatalities per capita and is one of only five states that have never adopted a statewide bicycle plan.
Ridgeland is one of two current Bicycle Friendly Communities in the state, and its efforts have been greatly influenced by Mayor Gene McGee’s steady leadership — so much so that a popular local ride and festival, the McGee Lungbuster, bears his name. Ben McDonald says, “[Ridgeland] is around 25,000 people, so not a big city, but it is a great place to have a mayor that rides a bike and believes in the importance of it and wants other people to do the same.”
Recently, citizens voted to raise local taxes to fund the expansion of Freedom Ridge Park, which will add multi-use trails connecting to Ridgeland’s existing trail system. Mayor McGee and city leaders hope these improvements will make Ridgeland a hub for sports tourism in Mississippi, attracting visitors to spend money locally while promoting health, wellness, and community engagement.
“We know that this will be a boon for the community,” McGee says (per the Clarion Ledger). “Youth sports is such an economic driver. We know that people will come and spend money in our restaurants and hotels. They will also come and spend money in our local retail shops and stores… We are excited to make this happen here.”
Looking ahead, the League seeks to continue supporting Ridgeland as a Bicycle Friendly Community and collaborating with local businesses to help them support their employees and customers through the Bicycle Friendly Business program. From conducting a bicycle parking audit at the local community college to offering examples from peer cities to strengthen Ridgeland’s unofficial Bicycle Advisory Committee, the League’s Bicycle Friendly Community program offers a variety of tools and resources for communities like Ridgeland to find inspiration and a roadmap to improve.
Ridgeland’s story shows how a smaller city can steadily grow its bicycling culture through local leadership, community support, and thoughtful planning. From expanding trails and parks to celebrating Bicycle Safety Month, the city is taking steps that reflect its values of health, wellness, and active living. While there’s still work ahead, Ridgeland is charting a path forward that other communities in Mississippi—and beyond—can look to for inspiration.
This publication was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Contract #47QRAA20D003W). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. These efforts are part of the CDC’s Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative that is working to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027.