Most of my life has been lived in Chautauqua County, and, if there has been one common denominator or barrier throughout–it has been what we call the “ridge,” the Chautauqua Ridge which separates the South County from the North County.

It is a division originating in mother nature. It separates two major watersheds–that of the Mississippi and St. Lawrence Rivers. But, over the years, it became more than that. The people of Dunkirk, Westfield, or Fredonia could seem like distant neighbors to those who lived in Jamestown, Lakewood or Frewsburg.

It was no accident then that Mayville was chosen as the County Seat. It sits atop this ridge, somewhat in a neutral position, at the end of a famous portage which linked the two major watersheds. It also sits on the border between North and South County. It was closer to Lake Erie than to Jamestown, thus acceptable to the North. Yet, acceptable also to those in Jamestown in the South…after all, it was only a trolley or steamboat ride away for them to get to the courthouse.

Agriculture also defines these regions. With a longer growing season due to its lower elevation and closeness to Lake Erie, grapes and fruit dominate the North. Dairy and upland farming define the South.

The weather is also different. The Ridge causes updrafts of the westerly winds, cooling them as they rise more than 1,000 ft. in moving from Lake Erie into the hills of the Southern Tier. In the winter, this usually means more snow along the Ridge.

Politics has always tracked these differences between north and south. If, for example, the candidate for judge, in a given year, came from the South County–then, the next time around, it would be the North County’s turn to have the judgeship. Politics also reflects population–which has meant that the greater population south of the Ridge was a concern for those who lived north of it. The “big city” of Jamestown could seem overpowering to the smaller city of Dunkirk.

On the other hand, transportation advantages have always been in the North. Routes 5 and 20 followed by construction of the Thruway, along with having the mainline of two railroads, have kept communities along the Lake Erie shore in the transportation mainstream. Mainline rail service today doesn’t exist in the South County, and it wasn’t until the 1990’s that I-86 was finally finished, thus completing a transportation corridor across the Southern Tier.

Then there were communication issues. For years, phone conversations between Jamestown and Dunkirk were long-distance calls which cost extra money. There were (and still are) different radio stations in North and South. Yet, the newspapers have changed–they are now owned by the same company and today are sharing, more-and-more, news items between them.

The good news doesn’t end there. Several years ago, the Chambers of Commerce in South and North merged, and recently, the United Way organizations announced that they were merging.

Yes, the Ridge is never going to go away. But, slowly, surely, things are coming together–and that is a good thing. The barrier is breaking down. After all, we do live in the same county!

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.