RICHMOND HEIGHTS - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

RICHMOND HEIGHTS was the last portion of Euclid Twp. to be incorporated as a village in 1917. Originally called Claribel, it became Richmond Hts. in 1918 and incorporated as a city in 1960. The city of 4.7 sq. mi. is located 15 miles east of downtown Cleveland and is bounded on the north and west by EUCLID, on the east by HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, on the south by LYNDHURST, and on the southwest by SOUTH EUCLID. The area developed slowly. Principally a farming community (see AGRICULTURE), the first major INDUSTRY was a series of charcoal pits that provided fuel for the growing iron industry in Cleveland. Its population was 265 in 1920, growing to only 891 in 1950. Major expansion followed the installation of gas and water mains in 1953. The population reached 5,000 in 1960 and doubled to 10,200 by 1995. The population was 10,944 in 2000. The city has been governed by a mayor-council system. The Richmond Hts. Local School District had 883 students enrolled in an elementary, middle, and high school on one campus in 1986. The GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. Lamp Glass Department, located on Highland Rd., was the city's only substantial industry. Richmond Hts. is primarily residential, with the RICHMOND HEIGHTS GENERAL HOSPITAL, 8 churches, and 2 major retail areas, the Hillcrest Square Shopping Center and the Richmond Mall, both located at Richmond and Wilson Mills roads. It maintains 2 parks providing 32 acres of recreational facilities. The CUYAHOGA COUNTY AIRPORT is partially situated in the city. In 1988 the CUYAHOGA COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM (CCPL) opened the area's first library in a shopping mall, the Richmond Branch in the Richmond Mall.

Keidel, Helen, ed. Richmond Heights, Ohio, 1917-1967 (1967).

See also SUBURBS.

Related Article(s)

• SUBURBS