Shaker Heights, Ohio

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Shaker Heights, Ohio
Location of Shaker Heights in Ohio
Location of Shaker Heights in Ohio
Location of Shaker Heights in Cuyahoga County
Location of Shaker Heights in Cuyahoga County
Coordinates: 41°28′35″N 81°33′6″W / 41.47639, -81.55167
Country United States
State Ohio
County Cuyahoga
Area
 - Total 6.3 sq mi (16.4 km²)
 - Land 6.3 sq mi (16.3 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation GR3 1,050 ft (320 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 29,405
 - Density 4,685.0/sq mi (1,808.9/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 44118, 44120, 44122
Area code(s) 216
FIPS code 39-71682GR2
GNIS feature ID 1065308GR3

Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the city population was 29,405. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Shaker Heights is located at 41°28′35″N, 81°33′6″W (41.476502, -81.551620).GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.4 km² (6.3 mi²). 16.3 km² (6.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.63%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 29,405 people, 12,220 households, and 8,040 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,807.9/km² (4,685.0/mi²). There were 12,982 housing units at an average density of 798.1/km² (2,068.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.94% White, 34.11% African American, 0.06% Native American, 3.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.50% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 12,220 households out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 83.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $63,983, and the median income for a family was $85,893. Males had a median income of $61,768 versus $38,606 for females. The per capita income for the city was $41,354. About 5.3% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.1% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

A Blue Line rapid transit car at the Lynnfield station
A Blue Line rapid transit car at the Lynnfield station

Shaker Heights, Ohio was incorporated as a village in 1912. The name "Shaker Heights" has origins in two local sources. The community was laid out on land formerly owned by the North Union Community of the United Society of Believers, more commonly known by the vernacular Shakers, so named for the appearance that the worshipers "shook" during religious dance. "Heights" refers to the plateau east of Cleveland that rises sharply in elevation from 582 feet above sea level at the base of the Cedar Glen Parkway rising to 950 feet above sea level in nearby Cleveland Heights; Shaker Heights' elevation is 1000 feet above sea level.

The North Union Settlement was established in 1822 with just over 80 individuals. The colony peaked around 1850 with about 300 settlers. As the Shakers practiced celibacy, the colony faded away and was closed in 1889. The land was bought by brothers M.J. and O.P. Van Sweringen who envisioned the first garden styled suburb in Ohio for the site. Originally referred to as Shaker Village, the community was incorporated in 1912 and reached city status in the 1930s. Shaker Heights is known for its stringent building codes and zoning laws, which have helped to maintain the community's housing stock and identity throughout the years. Approximately seventy percent of the city of Shaker Heights is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Van Sweringens acquired the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (Nickel Plate Road) in order to secure the right of way needed to establish a rapid transit interurban streetcar system that would carry residents of Shaker Heights to and from downtown Cleveland. The resulting system was known as the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit. The Rapid Transit system was transferred into the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) in the 1970s, which combined the operation of all bus systems in the county with the operation of the Shaker and Cleveland Transit System west side rapid lines. Shaker Heights and Greater Cleveland refer to the system and to the trains as "The Rapid Transit", "Rapid" or "Shaker Rapid". While originally envisioned to extend from downtown Cleveland fourteen miles to the community of Hunting Valley, Ohio (then called Shaker Estates), the system expansion ended at Green Road in eastern Shaker Heights following the collapse of the Van Sweringen rail empire during the Great Depression.

Shaker Heights is nationally recognized for its school system, rated since the 1950s in the top ten nationally, as well as its efforts to increase neighborhood integration. Efforts toward integration began in the late 1950s with neighbors in the Ludlow Elementary School area working together to make integration successful. As a result, Shaker Heights avoided many of the problems created from practices such as blockbusting and white flight. With interest rate incentives to create multi-ethnic neighborhoods, the city actively encouraged whites to move into black neighborhoods and blacks to move into white neighborhoods. Today, the city maintains a housing assistance office that works with home buyers to achieve and maintain neighborhood integration. In August 2004, the story of early integration efforts in Shaker Heights was subject of The Reunion,[1] an ABC News special produced by Paul Mason. Mason, now a senior vice president of ABC News, was a student at Ludlow Elementary School when residents, including his parents, moved forward with their efforts to make neighborhood integration a community project.

Shaker Heights was a finalist for the All-America City Award in 1989.[2]

[edit] Famous natives and residents

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[edit] Media

The main branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library
The main branch of the Shaker Heights Public Library

Shaker Heights is the city of license for CBS affiliate WOIO, channel 19, which has its offices in Cleveland. Shaker Heights news appears in the Cleveland daily newspaper, The Plain Dealer. The Sun Press, a weekly, provides local coverage of Shaker Heights and its adjacent communities.

[edit] See also


[edit] References

  1. ^ Norris, Michele. 'The Reunion:' The Integration of Shaker Heights, All Things Considered, 2004-08-18.
  2. ^ Past Winners of the All-America City Award. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
  3. ^ http://www.shaker.org/about/schools/woodbury/newsletters/documents/woodnet04jan12.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.susanorlean.com/about/index.html

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
County seat: Cleveland
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