About Garfield Heights

Garfield Heights is a city of nearly thirty thousand people in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, set on the heights southeast of Cleveland — a city it borders directly. It began as part of Newburgh Township, split off as the village of South Newburgh in 1907, took its present name in 1919, and was incorporated as a city in 1930. The name comes from Garfield Park, renamed in 1897 in memory of President James A. Garfield.

• Garfield Heights was originally part of the village of Newburgh. It split off in 1907 as the village of South Newburgh, took the name Garfield Heights in 1919, and was incorporated as a city in 1930.
• The city takes its name from Garfield Park — formerly Newburgh Park — which was renamed in 1897 in memory of President James Abram Garfield.
• Garfield Heights is bounded on the north by Cleveland, on the east by Maple Heights, on the south by Valley View, and on the west by Cuyahoga Heights.
• In the 19th century the heights above the Cuyahoga Valley were more desirable to settlers than the swampy land along the river below.
• Early local farmers supplemented their income by producing "black salt," a mixture of lye and potash made from burned timber that proved more profitable than grain.
• Real-estate developers began promoting the area as a residential community in the 1920s, and the population jumped from 2,530 in 1920 to 15,589 by 1930.
• Many of the earliest residents were German; residential immigration after 1920 brought working-class Polish, other Slavic, and Italian families to the city.
• Overbuilding during the 1920s left Garfield Heights with an 80 percent mortgage delinquency rate during the Great Depression.
• Growth resumed rapidly after World War II — during the 1950s the city recorded a net gain of nearly 17,000 residents, the largest absolute growth in its history.
• The population of Garfield Heights peaked at 41,417 in 1970.
• In 1986 Cleveland Metroparks agreed to administer and revitalize the city's namesake park, which was renamed Garfield Park Reservation.
• For many years the major industries in Garfield Heights were the Round Chain Company and General Chemical.
• The Garfield Heights city charter took effect in 1956. The city uses a mayor–council form of government with seven wards.
• At the 2020 census Garfield Heights was home to 29,781 people, with a median age of 38.7 years.
• The city covers about 7.3 square miles. Its elevation is 831 feet above sea level where it borders Cleveland, rising to a high point of 972 feet at the Garfield Heights Justice Center.
• The Dan Kostel Recreation Center on Turney Road, at the Civic Center complex, includes a seasonal outdoor swimming pool and an indoor ice skating rink.
• In 2023 the 45-acre Wargo Farms property was sold to Cleveland Metroparks to preserve green space and create walking trails and recreation.
• Highland Park — built in the mid-2000s on a former landfill as City View Center — was purchased out of receivership in 2020 and redeveloped by Industrial Commercial Properties.
• Garfield Heights City Schools operates three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school under a five-member elected board.

The facts on this page are drawn from public, verifiable sources:

• Encyclopedia of Cleveland History — Garfield Heights
• City of Garfield Heights — Official Website
• Garfield Heights, Ohio — Wikipedia