South Euclid, Ohio

South Euclid, Ohio
—  City  —
Euclid Creek as it flows through the Cleveland Metroparks reservation, part of which was once the site of South Euclid's bluestone quarries.
Seal
Location of South Euclid in Ohio
Location of South Euclid in Cuyahoga County
Coordinates: 41°31′19″N 81°31′40″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Cuyahoga
Euclid Township formed	1809
Village incorporation	1917
City incorporation	1941
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Georgine Welo
Area
• Total	4.7 sq mi (12.1 km2)
• Land	4.7 sq mi (12.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	958 ft (292 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	22,295
• Density	5,019.2/sq mi (1,937.7/km2)
	census
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code	44121
Area code(s)	216
FIPS code	39-73264
GNIS feature ID	1049189
Website	http://www.cityofsoutheuclid.com

South Euclid is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner-ring suburb of Cleveland.

Geography

Acting almost as a central point for the east side of Cleveland, South Euclid is bordered by Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, University Heights, Beachwood, Lyndhurst, Richmond Heights, and Euclid.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.7 sq mi (12 km²), all land.

History

The land currently comprising South Euclid was part of the Western Reserve, obtained via treaty with the Iroqois tribe in 1796 by the Connecticut Land Company. In 1797, Moses Cleaveland named the area east of the Cuyahoga River Euclid, after the Greek Mathemetician and Patron Saint of surveyors. Euclid Township was officially formed in 1809. In 1828 Euclid Township was divided into nine districts, with South Euclid becoming district two.

The earliest industry was farming. But, by the 1860s, quarrying of the area's rich Bluestone deposits replaced agriculture as the town's economic mainstay. Two separate locations – one along Nine Mile Creek near present day Quarry Park at South Belvoir and Monticello Boulevards, and the other along what is today part of the Euclid Creek reservation – were consolidated by Forest City Stone Company in the 1870s, creating one of the region's largest producers of the stone. By the end of the 19th Century, the northern section of the town had become known as Bluestone village.

Residents of South Euclid eventually wanted autonomy from the larger Euclid Township, and voted on October 13, 1917, to be incorporated as a village, with Edward C. Foote being elected the first mayor a few weeks on November 6. At the same time, with the decline of the Bluestone industry brought on by the invention of cement, Bluestone village was absorbed into South Euclid.

South Euclid's rapid economic and population growth continued in the early decades of the 20th Century, partly driven by industry in nearby Cleveland. Due in part to funding by the WPA, which helped keep people employed through the Great Depression, the village continued to grow and was officially incorporated as a city in 1941.

Population growth, which tapered during the Depression era, skyrocketed during the postwar period, driven by both the baby boom and white flight from the urban center of Cleveland. South Euclid's population peaked in the early 1970s. By 1980, lacking large tracts of available land for development, and with a population shift to exurban communities, the population of South Euclid began to shrink.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	1,605		—
1930	4,399		174.1%
1940	6,146		39.7%
1950	15,432		151.1%
1960	27,659		79.2%
1970	29,579		6.9%
1980	25,713		−13.1%
1990	23,866		−7.2%
2000	23,537		−1.4%
2010	21,209		−9.9%

As of the 2010 census, South Euclid had a population of 22,295. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 53.2% non-Hispanic white, 40.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.3% non-Hispanic reporting some other race, 2.5% reporting two or more races and 2.0% Hispanic or Latino.

Like Cleveland Heights to the west and University Heights to the south, South Euclid is racially integrated. A large portion of the city's population consists of African-Americans, Italian-Americans, Jews, and immigrants from Russia and other former Soviet republics.

There were 9,542 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.03.

The age demographic of South Euclid is relatively spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,346, and the median income for a family was $58,958. Males had a median income of $41,125 versus $31,693 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,383. About 2.8% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The South Euclid-Lyndhurst City School District consists of:

• 3 elementary schools: Adrian, Rowland, and Sunview;
• 1 upper elementary school (grades 4–6): Greenview;
• 1 junior high school (Grades 7–8): Memorial;
• 1 high school, Charles F. Brush.

Non-public schools:

• There are two parochial elementary schools in South Euclid: the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is formerly known as St. Gregory the Great, after it merged with the now defunct St. Margaret Mary parish in June 2010; and St. John's Lutheran school.

• Notre Dame College is located in South Euclid. After being an all-female institution for nearly 80 years, the college became coed in January 2001.

Former Schools:

After the demolition of Victory Park Elementary School in 1983, the South Euclid War Memorial (shown here) was re-dedicated at its current location: the intersection of South Green and Anderson Roads.

• Andrew J. Anderson Elementary School: Built in 1952 on Anderson Road in Lyndhurst. In the 1980s, it was leased to Ratner-Montessouri private schools. The building was torn down in 2007 and the land is currently being used as an athletic field.

• Victory Park Elementary School: Built in 1921 and located on the corner of Victory Drive and Mayfield Road. Demolished in 1983. Current site of a Giant Eagle Supermarket.

• Lowden Elementary: Opened September 9, 1954 and closed June 8, 2007. In 2009 the building was torn down and the land converted to green space.

• Green Road School (Middle School): located on the corner of Mayfield Road and Green Road, current site of Maymore shopping Plaza.

• Southlyn Elementary: Currently used for a preschool program and community room.

• South Euclid High School: Located on Green Road. Closed when replaced by Brush High School in 1927.

• Regina High School: Opened in 1954, Regina was a parochial high school for girls. Regina's basketball team was the Ohio State Girl's Basketball Champions from 2000–03, and also took the title in 2005. In October 2009, citing a 'steady decline in enrollment' over the years, it was announced that Regina High School would close following the graduation of the 2010 class. The building was purchased by nearby Notre Dame College.

Preschools:

• South Euclid Cooperative Preschool.[3]

A small portion of South Euclid is located within the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District. Campuses zoned to this area include the Early Childhood Center (Preschool), Gearity Professional Development School (Grades K-5), Wiley Middle School (Grades 6–8), and Cleveland Heights High School (Grades 9–12).

Parks and recreation

Canine friends enjoy Winter play at South Euclid's dog park.

Euclid Creek winding towards Lake Erie.

The city has three public parks: Bexley, Victory and Quarry (the latter is divided into two distinct North and South sections).

All three parks have swimming pools, playground equipment, and permit picnicking (although grilling facilities only remain at Bexley's pavilion and at Quarry North). Quarry and Bexley both have baseball diamonds utilized by the city's public baseball and softball leagues. Quarry Park North features a fenced off dog park, where canines can play unleashed.

The southern portion of the Euclid Creek reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks is located in South Euclid. Nearby, the South Euclid War Memorial lists the names of those who died while serving in wartime.

South Euclid has partnered with nearby Lyndhurst to form several recreational groups:

• SELREC-South Euclid Lyndhurst Recreation. Founded in June 1946. Offers programs to community residents to meet the needs of the recreational needs.

• SELSC- South Euclid Lyndhurst Soccer Club. Offers recreational soccer and a competitive league. The recreational league runs its program in the spring and fall. The competitive league is a travel program that runs throughout the year.

• SELYFL-South Euclid Lyndhurst Youth Football League. Formed In Fall 1997. Recruits children from 1st to 6th grade. It is meant to be a feeder system for the Brush Arcs football team.

South Euclid ranked 10th out of the 114 largest cities in Ohio in terms of walkability.

Library

The historic William E. Telling mansion on Mayfield Road serves as home to the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the nationally renowned Cuyahoga County Public Library system. A wing of this same building, which once served as the gardener's quarters, also houses the South Euclid - Lyndhurst Historical Society. The Telling mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Famous natives

• Joe Posnanski – Senior writer at Sports Illustrated and award-winning sports columnist for the Kansas City Star.
• Steve Stone – former MLB All-Star pitcher and broadcaster. The 1980 American League Cy Young Award winner grew up in South Euclid. Stone spent his prep years pitching at Charles F. Brush High School.
• David S. Ward – screenwriter and director, lived in South Euclid as a youth, most famous for The Sting in 1973, and Major League in 1989. Ward wrote the latter film as a tribute to his favorite childhood baseball team, the Cleveland Indians.
• Steve Mehlman—Musician. Attended Brush High School (Class of 1990), drummer in rock band Pere Ubu.
• Carl E. Walz - Astronaut. Flew on four shuttle missions and spent over six months conducting experiments on the International Space Station.

External links

• City of South Euclid