HIGHLAND HEIGHTS - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, located 18 miles northeast of Cleveland, became a village in 1920 and a city in 1967. Occupying 5.7 sq. mi., it is bounded by MAYFIELD VILLAGE on the east, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS and LYNDHURST on the south, and RICHMOND HEIGHTS on the west. Highland Hts., together with GATES MILLS, Mayfield Village, Mayfield Hts., and a portion of Lyndhurst, were originally part of Mayfield Twp., formed in 1819. Settlement began in 1805, when several families migrated from New York, including the first settler, Rufus Mapes. Development was slow until 1877, when a plank road was built from EAST CLEVELAND through Euclid and Mayfield townships along what is now Mayfield Rd. Another factor in the growth of Highland Hts. was the construction of the Cleveland & Eastern interurban railway between Cleveland and Chardon in 1899 (see INTERURBANS). By the 1920s, the automobile made the township even more accessible. Since becoming a city, Highland Hts. has operated under the mayor-council form of government. In the 1980s, as part of the Mayfield City School District, it had one elementary, junior high, and senior high school. Businesses and industries located in Highland Hts. in 1995 included PICKER INTL., INC., and the COLE NATIONAL CORP. From 1974-93 the city was home to the FRONT ROW THEATER. It provides 40 acres of parklands for recreation. Highland Hts.' slow growth has enabled it to maintain its residential character. It was the first community in Cuyahoga County to require all new subdivisions to have underground wiring and ornamental street lighting. Its population in 1990 was 6,249 and by 2000 increased to 8,062.

Nolfi, Peg, ed. History of Highland Hts. (1976).

See also SUBURBS.

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• SUBURBS