| Upper Arlington, Ohio | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| The Upper Arlington Municipal Services Center functions as the seat of city government as well as police headquarters | |
| Location of Upper Arlington within Franklin County | |
| Location of Upper Arlington within Ohio | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Franklin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.8 sq mi (25.3 km2) |
| • Land | 9.8 sq mi (25.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation[1] | 810 ft (247 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 33,686 |
| • Density | 3,450.2/sq mi (1,332.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | 43212, 43220, 43221 |
| Area code(s) | 614 |
| FIPS code | 39-79002[2] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1075125[1] |
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.
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Upper Arlington is located at (40.020613, -83.066520)[3]. It is bordered on the west by the Scioto River, 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 farmland 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, has been dammed in the Ohio State course and runs through concrete pipes at two points. The soil is glacial till, like the rest of Columbus, and is suitable for agriculture, supporting a research farm operated by The Ohio State University.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25 km2), of which, 9.76 square miles (25.3 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.20%) is water.
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 following the contours of the land to form 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 1916. Development resumed shortly afterwards, and on March 20, 1918, Upper Arlington incorporated as a village, with a population of 200 and James Miller, the original landowner, serving as the first mayor. The Mallway business district, which was constructed in the 1920s, was the first commercial district in Upper Arlington. 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 annexations 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 did allow "colored servants" to be domiciled within owner's homes). The covenants also prevented Jewish people from purchasing homes. While today’s population remains predominantly Caucasian, the community is proud to be home to individuals representing many different nationalities.
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, this area is called River Ridge. 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. The city is sister cities with St. Andrews, Scotland.
Materials related to Upper Arlington's history and culture can be viewed online at the UA Archives local history website. The site is part of the UA Archives program, the Upper Arlington Public Library's digital library initiative, which works with the Upper Arlington Historical Society, City of Upper Arlington, Upper Arlington School District, and other community groups to digitize, preserve, and provide free online access to historically and culturally significant materials related to Upper Arlington. This is an ongoing community effort, and organizations, businesses, and individuals can participate by allowing the UA Archives program to digitize their items of historical interest. By working with the Historical Society and other community groups, the UA Archives digital library initiative supports the goal of preserving Upper Arlington's history as well as the Upper Arlington Historic District's listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 33,686 people, 13,985 households, and 9,509 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,450.2 people per square mile (1,332.6/km²). There were 14,432 housing units at an average density of 1,478.2 per square mile (570.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.74% White, 3.52% Asian, 0.98% Hispanic or Latino, 0.52% 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 $110,208 (According to a 2007 estimate, these values were $88,365 and $112,575 respectively).[4] 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.
As of the 2010 census, the population was 33,771 persons, 16,157 male (47.84%) and 17,614 female (52.16%). The following table summarizes census findings for age with the media being 42.8.[5]
| Age Group | Number of Persons | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 0-18 | 8467 | 25.07% |
| 18+ | 25304 | 74.93% |
| 20-24 | 1100 | 3.26% |
| 25-34 | 3177 | 9.41% |
| 35-49 | 7199 | 21.32% |
| 50-64 | 7574 | 22.43% |
| 65+ | 5636 | 16.69% |
| Race | Number of Persons | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White | 31118 | 92.14% |
| Asian | 1665 | 4.93% |
| Two or More Races | 546 | 1.62 |
| African American | 269 | .80% |
| Other Race | 130 | .38% |
| Native American or Alaskan Native | 36 | .11% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 7 | - |
| Non-Hispanic (all races) | 33224 | 98.38% |
| Hispanic of Latino (all races) | 547 | 1.62% |
| Housing Category | Number of Homes | Misc |
|---|---|---|
| Total Homes | 14544 | - |
| Occupied Homes | 13754 | 2.46 residents per occupied home |
| Owner Occupied Homes | 11117 | 80.83% of homes (83.27% of residents) are owner occupied |
| Rented Homes | 2637 | 19.17% of homes (16.73% or residents) are rented |
| Homes with Minors | 4486 | 32.62% of homes had minors, at 1.89 minors/home |
| Vacant Homes | 790 | 5.43% of homes were vacant, including 260 for sale, 201 for rent, and 44 occasional use |
One notable feature of the Upper Arlington demographic is a "bottleneck" population pyramid, with large numbers of children (under 18), few young adults, and more older adults. The most prevalent population group is 50-64, higher than the national average. This population bottleneck can be explained by young residents moving outside the city upon adulthood and families with children moving to the city at a relatively late age. Such an explanation would also reflect the relatively high price of homes in the city (compared to neighboring areas), which are not affordable for younger adults. Another feature of the Upper Arlington demographic is the overwhelming white majority and the relative lack of other groups except Asians, whose population proportion is similar to the national average and above the Ohio average. In general, Upper Arlington has above average rates of home ownership and relatively few unoccupied homes.
The independent Upper Arlington City School District serves the entire municipality. 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/progressive style of education, which is also offered at Barrington. Greensview, Tremont, and Windermere only offer the contemporary program. 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. The high school is notable for its extensive offering of higher-level courses and membership in the International Baccalaureate program. 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. There is also one private pre-K-12 school, the Wellington School, located in the city. There are also two Catholic grade schools, St. Agatha and St. Andrew. These schools offer K-8 programs and preschool childcare centers.
The high school sports teams are named the Golden Bears, a nickname shared by golf pro and Upper Arlington High School alumnus Jack Nicklaus. Upper Arlington has won 41 Ohio High School Athletic Association team state championships, the most in state history. 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 golf, football, tennis, water polo, cross country, lacrosse (boys and girls), field hockey, swimming, and fencing. The Upper Arlington golf team has won 17 state championships. 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.
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 (0.69 km2). 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 Upper Arlington; 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.
Upper Arlington annually hosts a Fourth of July parade and fireworks display, thanks to the efforts of members of the Upper Arlington Civic Association. The Upper Arlington Labor Day Arts Festival at Northam Park (see no. 3 on the map) and the annual Halloween festival at Tremont Elementary School, where visitors can buy crafts, treats, pumpkins and other items are other notable community events. The City's Parks & Recreation Department hosts numerous events including the Winter Festival and Tree Lighting, Spring Fling, Summer Celebration and Fall Fest. Other events include the Chamber's Taste of UA festival, and during the summer months Upper Arlington also hosts a program called "Movie in the Park" where (usually free of charge) a movie is shown in Upper Arlington's various parks. A farmer's market is held at the Mallway during the summer. The City’s Cultural Arts Division hosts a summer Music in the Park series and showcases juried exhibitions featuring two- and three-dimensional art in the Concourse Gallery at the Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Road.
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