UPPER ARLINGTON, OHIO

'Upper Arlington' is a suburban city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The population was 33,686 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Schools and other public services

Community events

External links

Geography

Upper Arlington is located at (40.020613, -83.066520). It is bordered on the west by the Scioto River (immediately across which is Hilliard), on the north and east by Columbus, and on the south by Marble Cliff and Grandview Heights. The Olentangy River and the main campus of the Ohio State University are a short distance to the east of Upper Arlington. Downtown Columbus lies to the southeast, its skyline visible across the OSU farm land research facilities extending along Upper Arlington's eastern border.
The city is located on relatively high ground located between the Olentangy and Scioto rivers. Two ravines cut through the city. The slate run in the Northwest corner flows into the Scioto River. Turkey Run is longer. It originates in the north then runs southwards until it makes an eastward bend around Reed Rd. Then, it flows eastwards through the OSU Golf Course. The run is used as a storm drain at points and has been dammed in the OSU golf and runs through concrete pipes at two points. The soil is glacial till, like the rest of Columbus and is suitable for agriculture (OSU Farm is nearby),
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.4 km² (9.8 mi²). 25.3 km² (9.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.20%) is water.

History

Upper Arlington was founded by the real estate developers Ben and King Thompson, who purchased most of the farmland that was to become Upper Arlington from James Miller in 1913. This land was directly adjacent to the Marble Cliff Quarry Co. They originally wanted to call it the "Country Club District" after the Country Club development in Kansas City, but by 1917, the community became known as "Upper Arlington," in reference to its southern neighbor of Arlington (now known as Marble Cliff). The Upper Arlington Company was incorporated that year and operated out of a field office built on the former Miller farm; that building is presently the Miller Park branch of the Upper Arlington Library (see no. 4 on the map).
The development proceeded according to the Garden City-inspired plan by landscape architect William Pitkin, Jr., which called for curving streets copiously lined with trees rather than a gridded street layout. This development style gave the oldest district in Upper Arlington (at its southern-most end) its distinctively pleasant, park-like feel, though the lack of roadway predictability can lead to some frustrating driving experiences even for those familiar with the neighborhood. The area features numerous small green spaces.

In 1916, the development was interrupted (and largely undone) when the National Guard used the area as a temporary training camp called Camp Willis, after Ohio's governor at the time, Frank B. Willis. 8,000 servicemen were trained at Camp Willis and then dispatched against Pancho Villa on the Mexican border. The camp was dismantled by September of 1916. Development resumed shortly afterwards, and on June 17, 1918, Upper Arlington incorporated as a village, with a population of 20 and James Miller, the original landowner, serving as the first mayor. The Mallway business district, which was constructed in the 1920s, was the first deviation from Pitkin's plan. Upper Arlington became a city on February 8, 1941, and annexed surrounding land as its population grew. Most annexation occurred in the late 1940s through 1960. The two largest annexation occurred in 1954 and 1955, by which the city more than doubled its surface area.

As was typical in many developing northern communities of the time, the Thompsons included restrictive covenants in their housing deeds that prevented African-Americans from purchasing homes in Upper Arlington (though the deeds were careful to point out that "colored servants" could still be employed). The covenants also prevented Jews from purchasing homes. The effects of this practice have carried through to the present demographics of Upper Arlington, still almost exclusively populated by whites.
The post-World War II housing boom led to the development of many new housing tracts north of Lane Avenue. The newer developments took on a much different character from the older core of the city, being mostly organized along normal street grids, and with the usually ranch-style houses being smaller and of more economical construction than the historic stone and brick mini-mansions to the south. Many Upper Arlington residents sometimes refer to section of this area of Upper Arlington as "the golden ghetto", a joking reference to the comparatively lower quality yet still high property values. By the 1960s, as the city grew north, the houses were larger and the neighborhoods more consistent with the intent, if not style, of the original section south of Lane Avenue. The southern half of the city, designated as the "Upper Arlington Historic District" (though simply referred to as "Old Arlington"), was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Upper Arlington is the birthplace of professional golfer Jack Nicklaus.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 33,686 people, 13,985 households, and 9,509 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,332.6/km² (3,450.2/mi²). There were 14,432 housing units at an average density of 570.9/km² (1,478.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.72% White, 3.52% Asian, 0.98% Hispanic or Latino, 0.59% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races.
There were 13,985 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.9% 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 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $72,116, and the median income for a family was $90,208. Males had a median income of $66,846 versus $41,581 for females. The per capita income for the city was $42,025. About 1.7% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.

Schools and other public services

Upper Arlington is an independent school district, and its reputation for quality has made Upper Arlington a desirable (and expensive) place to live. As of 2000, the Upper Arlington Board of Education was the city's largest employer. There is one early childhood school named Burbank, which was built as an elementary but was converted due to a less-than-expected number of students. There are five elementary schools, Barrington, Greensview, Tremont, Wickliffe, and Windermere. Wickliffe exclusively teaches the Informal Style of education, which is also offered at Barrington. Greensview, Tremont, and Windermere only offer the Contemporary program. Generally, more parents prefer the Contemporary program to the informal one, which reflects in the number of schools teaching Contemporary. Hastings and Jones are the two middle schools. Hastings was built in the 1960s and Jones is located in the former high school building. There is only one high school in the Upper Arlington School District (see no. 2 on the map). It is appropriately named Upper Arlington High School. There are also 2 Catholic grade schools, St. Agatha and St. Andrew. The Catholic schools do not offer advanced classes, whereas the public school system starts advanced math in fourth grade. Jones Middle School offers advanced English; the class is called Concilium, and Hastings Middle School offers advanced history, also called Concilium. The high school teaches regularly math one year ahead of State requirements, along with offering Honors and AP courses two to three years ahead of requirements. Recently, the school has also joined the International Baccalaureate program. There is also one private pre-K-12 school, the Wellington School. Upper Arlington High School has received a number of accolades, including the highest number of National Merit Semi-Finalists in Ohio's public schools for three of the last four years, a nationally award-winning student newsmagazine, ''Arlingtonian'', and the National Cup for the top orchestra in the country. It was the only school district in the nation to receive three White House honors as Service Learning Leaders.
The high school sports teams are named the Golden Bears, a nickname shared by golf pro and UA alumnus Jack Nicklaus. Golden Bear teams are consistently ranked among the top Division One schools in Ohio and are traditionally considered state power-houses, particularly in the sports of football, tennis, water polo, cross country, lacrosse (boys and girls), field hockey, swimming, and fencing. The Upper Arlington football team captured the Division One state title in football in 2000, and were led by Jeff Backes, who earned the Mr. Football Award for Ohio, and Simon Fraser, who went on to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns. Also noteworthy were the successes of Connor Kinsey who played pitcher for the 2000 baseball team. Through the leadership of Kinsey the team won the district for the first time in 10 years. The high school sports teams are named the Golden Bears, a nickname shared by golf pro and UA alumnus Jack Nicklaus. Golden Bear teams are consistently ranked among the top Division One schools in Ohio and are traditionally considered state power-houses, particularly in the sports of football, tennis, water polo, cross country, lacrosse (boys and girls), field hockey, swimming, and fencing. The Upper Arlington football team captured the Division One state title in football in 2000, and were led by Jeff Backes, who earned the Mr. Football Award for Ohio, and Simon Fraser, who went on to play for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns.
Another famous alumni is actress Beverly D'Angelo, who appeared with Chevy Chase in National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequels.
Upper Arlington maintains its own police and fire departments. The Upper Arlington Police Department is headquartered in the Municipal Service Center and has 49 officers. The Fire Department has 61 fire fighters that operate from three fire houses. The city's public library system has three branches (see nos. 3, 4, and 5 on the map).
The city manages 33 public parks, which cover a total of 170 acres. The larger parks have extensive athletic facilities, while some of the smaller parks have local historical significance or function as wooded nature preserves. Miller Park is located in the center of the old Miller Farm; Mallway Park is centered in the city's original business district and contains the memorial to U.S. military veterans from U.A.; and Wyandot Park bears the gravesite and stone monument to Bill Moose (1837 -1937), cited as the "last of the Wyandots." Other large parks include Thompson, Fancyburg, and Northam, where the city offers tennis courts. The city also owns and operates three public swimming pools, located at Jones, Hastings, and Tremont schools.

Community events

Upper Arlington annually hosts a Fourth of July parade and fireworks display. The Labor Day Arts Festival at Northam Park (see no. 3 on the map)and the annual Halloween festival at Tremont Elementary School are other notable community events. The Jones Middle School Fall production and the Highschool's annual musicals are always a big hit. The City's Parks & Recreation Department hosts numerous events including the Winter Festival and Tree Lighting, various church festivals, Spring Fling, Summer Celebration and Fall Fest. Other events include the Taste of UA festival, and during the summer mounts Upper Arlington also host a program called "Moive in the Park" where (usually free of charge) a movie is shown in Upper Arlington's various parks.

External links

★ City of Upper Arlington official site

★ City of Upper Arlington Fire Department Website

★ Upper Arlington Public Library

★ UA Archives - Historical Images & Documents from Upper Arlington

★ Upper Arlington City Schools

★ ''Arlingtonian'' - Upper Arlington High School's Student Newsmagazine Website