EUCLID - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

EUCLID, originally part of EUCLID TOWNSHIP, incorporated as a village on 14 Feb. 1903 and as a city in 1930. A center for INDUSTRY in Cuyahoga County, it is located on Lake Erie east of Cleveland, bounded on the east by Lake County and on the south by RICHMOND HEIGHTS In the 19th century, the area was largely agricultural. Over 200 acres were given over to vineyards in the 1880s. However, the area's flat landscape and location on major rail lines (today's CONRAIL and NORFOLK SOUTHERN CORP.) made it a prime area for industrial expansion. Much of this occurred during and after World War II. Thompson Product's (see TRW) TAPCO Plant was one of the wartime industries constructed in Euclid. Over 140 firms, including EUCLID, INC., PMX Corp. of Ohio, the LINCOLN ELECTRIC CO., FISHER BODY DIVISION OF GENERAL MOTORS CORP., and the RELIANCE ELECTRIC CO., were located in the city in the early 1980s. Euclid's population at incorporation was 1,640. In 1914 a portion of the village's western edge was annexed to Cleveland, reducing its size to 10 sq. mi. Euclid's population reached 12,751 in 1930; in 2000 it had a population of 52,717. The local school system, independent of the county since 1922, had an enrollment of 6,400 students in 8 elementary, 3 junior high, and 1 high school in 1986. The school district scaled back, by 2000, to only 1 junior high and 6 elementary schools in addition to the high school but added a new early childhood development center. There were 26 churches of 16 denominations in the city, 7 Catholic schools, and 1 Lutheran school, in the 1980s. Among the city's many ethnic groups, SLOVENES long predominated. In 1980 AFRICAN AMERICANS comprised 9% of the population but the figure increased to over 30% by 2000. The city has been governed by a mayor-council system. All city offices, as well as the police station, library, school board, and recreational facilities, are located in Memorial Park on E. 222nd St., with Briardale Greens, a public golf course, nearby. The Nottingham Filtration Plant was constructed in Euclid in 1951 (see WATER SYSTEM).

Voorhees, Leonard B. Euclid, Ohio, 1797-1847 (rev. ed., 1977).

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