Cities

History

Indians occupied the territory that Broadview Heights rests on today until 1811, when the first white man, Seth Paine, settled on the territory. He was sent by Colonel John Breck as a surveyor of the land and was given a compensation of 200 acres (0.81 km²). The land that Colonel Breck sought over was called “Brecksville Township,” and today the cities of Broadview Heights, Brecksville, and North Royalton make up the land. The township consisted of 21.28 square miles (55.1 km²), and it was sold for $1.52 an acre.

In 1829, a plank road was constructed from Wallings Corners to the Cleveland city limits. In 1840, there were several gristmills, one cheese factory, four saw mills, one tannery, and three distilleries along Chippewa Creek. Early telephone service was handled through a manual switchboard at the Harris home.

On November 30, 1926, a vote was held to recognize the village of Broadview Heights. The results were 101 people for and 7 against the new village. A few years after they built a city hall and established a part-time Fire Department.

The Broadview Developmental Center was a psychiatric hospital built in 1939 and demolished in 2006, except for the newest portion, which was preserved as city hall and the recreation center.

Geography

Broadview Heights is located at 41°19′19″N 81°40′36″W? / ?41.32194°N 81.67667°W? / 41.32194; -81.67667 (41.321827, -81.676595) According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.1 square miles (33.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,967 people, 6,411 households, and 4,378 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,222.7 people per square mile (472.0/km²). There were 6,803 housing units at an average density of 521.0/sq mi (201.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.01% White, 0.79% African American, 0.08% Native American, 3.01% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.33% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population.

There were 6,411 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,989, and the median income for a family was $69,343. Males had a median income of $53,045 versus $33,597 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,440. About 2.4% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

The 2006 population estimate of Broadview Heights was 17,563, making it one of the few areas in Cuyahoga County to steadily gain population, and one of the fastest-growing cities among those.

Education

see Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School

Broadview Heights students attend two school districts: Brecksville-Broadview Heights (shared with its neighboring city, Brecksville, Ohio) and North Royalton (shared with neighbor North Royalton, Ohio). There are three elementary schools, an intermediate school, a junior high school, and a high school in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights system. There is a kindergarten center (actually located within Broadview Heights corporation limits), three elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school in the North Royalton system. The division is roughly the north half of the city going to Brecksville-Broadview Heights and the south to North Royalton.

Both districts are very well regarded, achieving "excellent" ratings from the state for several consecutive years.

The city is also the home of Assumption Academy, a Catholic elementary school, and Lawrence School, a school for children with learning differences.

Churches

Broadview Heights is home to a number of churches, including Assumption, Orchard Path Church, and St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church.