Garfield Heights, Ohio

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Garfield Heights, Ohio
settlement_type = City
nickname = City of Homes
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption =


image_

---

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Garfield Heights in Ohio

---

mapsize1 = 250px
map_caption1 = Location of Garfield Heights in Cuyahoga County

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Ohio
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Cuyahoga

government_footnotes =
government_type = Mayor-council
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Thomas Longo
leader_title1 = City Council
leader_name1 = Frank J. Wagner (Council President)
Michael Dudley Sr. (Ward One)
Nancy J. Marincic (Ward Two)
Vincent Liotta (Ward Three)
Debra Sarnowski (Ward Four)
Joseph M. Suster (Ward Five)
Tracy E. Mahoney (Ward Six)
Michael J. Abella, Jr. (Ward Seven)
established_title = Settled
established_date = 1786
established_title2 = Founded
established_date2 = 1904
established_title3 = Established
established_date3 = 1919

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 18.9
area_land_km2 = 18.7
area_water_km2 = 0.2
area_total_sq_mi = 7.3
area_land_sq_mi = 7.2
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 30734
population_density_km2 = 1642.1
population_density_sq_mi = 4253.0

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes = GR|3
elevation_m = 291
elevation_ft = 955
latd = 41 |latm = 25 |lats = 17 |latNS = N
longd = 81 |longm = 36 |longs = 10 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP codes
postal_code = 44105, 44125, 44128
area_code = 216
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 39-29428GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1064703GR|3
website = http://www.garfieldhts.org/
footnotes =

Garfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 30,734 at the 2000 census. In 2003 the population was estimated at 29,881. [http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/39/3929428.html]

Geography

Garfield Heights is located at coor dms|41|25|17|N|81|36|10|W|city (41.421423, -81.602682)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²).18.6(7.2 sq mi) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.09%) is water. The city has 4, convert|446|acre|km2. Garfield Heights elevation is convert|831|ft|m above sea level at the Garfield Heights-Cleveland border, but the elevation gets higher at convert|972|ft|m above sea level, this measurement is taken at Garfield Heights Justice Center.

Garfield Heights is about convert|11|mi|km southeast of Downtown Cleveland and is on the buslines. The John Glenn Freeway cuts through the city. Most of Cleveland attractions are within a 10-15 mile radius of Garfield Heights.

Attractions within 10-25 miles from Garfield Hts.

Downtown Cleveland 8-11 milesPlayhouse Square, Progressive Field, Quicken Loans Arena(the-Q), Rock Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center, Tower City, the financial center of Cleveland, and Cleveland State University.

University Circle 9-10 milesCleveland Clinic Foundation, University Hospitals, Case Western University, Botanical Gardens, Natural History Museum, Art Museum, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland Institute of the Arts, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Severance Hall

Hopkins Airport 12-15 milesHopkins Airport, I-X Center

Cuyahoga Valley National Park almost in the neighborhood. A short convert|2|mi|km|sing=on ride down Rockside Road.

Brandywine and Boston Mills Ski Centers 15-20 miles in Northfield Center Township

Geauga Lake Waterpark convert|20|mi|km in Aurora

Cedar Point is a 2 hour ride in Sandusky, Ohio

Economy

Marymount Hospital is the city's largest employer. CitiView Center, a $200,000,000 shopping complex, was recently built on old landfill space. This project encompasses a new shopping center, hotel, and office space built within five years. There will be another shopping complex called Bridgeview Center. The city also has light industry, technology, and a few service firms.

ODOT-or Ohio Department of Transportation has its District 12 Headquarters in the city.

Largest employers:
*Marymount Hospital part of the Cleveland Clinic 1,200
*ODOT 500
*City of Garfield Heights 370
*Garfield Hts City Schools 350

In 2007, Garfield Heights and its neighbor Maple Heights, Ohio were mentioned by CNN/Money as two of America's affordable communities. [ [http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_most_affordable.moneymag/23.html Where homes are affordable - Garfield Heights, Ohio (23) - Money Magazine ] ]

The Garfield Heights Chamber of Commerce was established in the 1960s and includes over 250 business members from the area.

Law and government

Garfield Heights has seven wards and a Mayor-Council form of Government. The city's charter went into effect in 1956. The City also has a municipal court.

The City of Garfield Heights seal was created in 1971. The seal colors are a royal blue, white and royal gold color. The seal starts with a Native American arrowhead, this is symbolic because the Iroquios Indians were the first settlers in Ohio. Then there is silihoutte of the city's map. Then embedded in the map is an image of Garfield Heights's first city hall in 1904. On the sides reads Garfield Heights's nickname as the City of Homes a phrase coined in the 1950s. The seals are affixed to all Garfield Heights City owned vehicles to building permits.

City OfficialsMayor: Thomas J. Longo(D) elected 1983
*Council President: Frank J. Wagner(D) elected 2007Council president is also vice-mayor according to city charter.

City Council; Ward 1:Michael Dudley Sr.; Ward 2:Nancy Marincic; Ward 3:Vincent Liotta; Ward 4:Debra Sarnowski; Ward 5:Joseph Suster; Ward 6:Tracy Mahoney; Ward 7:Michael Abella Jr.

Mayors of Garfield Heights

Public safety

The city maintains its own police and fire departments.

Police Chief: Thomas J. Murphy since 1992; Police Strength: 66 patrol officers and 30 auxiliary officers

Fire Chief: Thomas Nemetz June 20, 2007 ; Fire Strength: 45 firefighters/EMTS

Mayor Thomas J. Longo is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, [cite web| url=http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml| title=Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Education

Garfield Heights has its own public school system comprised of 2 elementary schools, 1 Intermediate, 1 Junior high ("Middle School"), and 1 High School. There are 3 private schools in the city, 2 Catholic and one Lutheran. The City also has its own school board.

In 1996 The Garfield Heights City Schools were named a BEST district.

In 2001, Garfield Heights imposed a levy to build a new high school. Construction of the school soon began, and was completed in mid-2003. High school students were transferred to the new high school in January 2004, junior high students were transferred to what was the high school, and what was the junior high school was torn down in June 2004, to make room for the yet-to-be-constructed arts and drama building, which will be connected to the high school.

In 2006, ground was broken for the construction of the high school arts and drama complex, a $5 million building. Construction of the 750-seat Garfield Heights Matousek Center for the Performing Arts started in November 2006. Currently the foundation and some of the walls are being built. The goal is to open the center by the 2007-08 school year. The performing arts center was scheduled to open on November 3, 2007.

The high schools' mascots are:
*Trinity High School: Trojans
*Garfield Heights High School: Bulldogs

History (timeline)

; 1786 : Moravian settlers settle in the city.; 1852 : St. John Lutheran becomes the First Church established in the City. ; 1904 : The Village of South Newburgh is Established; 1910 : School Board is Established; 1919 : The Village of South Newburgh is renamed Garfield Heights Village; 1923 : The First Catholic Church St. Timothy is established.; 1925 : Maple Leaf School opens and the First streetcars go into downtown; 1926 : Sisters of St. Joseph establish their motherhouse; 1927 : Garfield Hts gains two new churches (Sts Peter and Paul/St. Therese)Garfield Central school (now demolished) is opened; 1930 : Garfield Heights achieves City status; 1946 : Jennings Hall, the local home for the elderly, is established; 1947 : Turney-Town Shopping Center opens; 1948 : The Garfield-Bedford Busline starts service between Bedford and Garfield Heights into Downtown Cleveland.; 1949 : Marymount Hospital opens.; 1950s-1960s : New housing emerges as the city grows by leaps and bounds; 1952 : St. Monica Church established and Elmwood school opens; Garfield Heights Baseball League Founded; 1957 : William Foster opens and Marymount High school opens.; 1965 : Garfield Hts Recreational Center is opened, the main focal point being the new library. In January, sixteen year old Beverly Jarosz is found murdered in her Thornton Ave home. The killer is never found, this being one of the strangest cases in criminal history. [ [http://www.sunnews.com/news/2004/part1/0520/SJAROSZ.htm] ] ; 1966 : A major fire at TurneyTown shopping center destroys several stores, Municipal swimming pool is opened at Rec Center; 1969 : Cardinal Karol Woltya(Pope John Paul II) of Krakow, Poland Visits Garfield Heights.; 1970 : Sam Boyas purchases and expands the Rockside Rd dump.; 1972 : Automotive enthusiasm grows as local groups such as the "Park Hts Gang" promote street drag racing; 1973 : Marymount High goes coed and Trinity High School is Established ; 1974 : Garfield Mall opens. Construction of I-480, The "John Glenn Freeway" begins.; 1975 : The Garfield Hts-Bedford Busline gets absorbed into the newly created Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. The busline becomes the 76x/f route. ; 1976 : 8 people die in a car crash on Granger Road hill, caused by drunken driver in semi.; 1978 : The I-480 Bridge opens to Traffic. The bridge is a twin span bridge. It is convert|4025|ft|m long and it is convert|212|ft|m tall. Its footing begins in Garfield Heights and ends in Independence. This Bridge has been the scene of many suicides. In 1994 an auto plunged into the valley below.; 1979 : The Garfield Heights Branch Library experiences a fire in its building, the cost of fire damage totals $210,000. Also in 1979, Marymount Hospital completes a $30,000,000 renovation of its campus. The infamous dump finally closes. ; 1981 : Alfred Antenucci jumps on John Hinckley, Jr. during the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. Antenucci, a labor union official, was outside the Washington Hilton Hotel where he noticed Hinckley with a handgun. Antenucci is honored and a street is named after him. [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Antenucci+Blvd%2C+Garfield+Hts%2C+OH+44125&btnG=Search]

; 1991 : New City Hall opens.; 1994 : Three police officers were killed in the line of duty. One officer died in a shootout on 15 August, and 2 were killed in car chase on 8 December.; 2003 : 29 December, Garfield Alloys, a magnesium processing plant, catches fire. [ [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Midwest/12/29/oh.magnesium.fire.reut/index.html CNN.com - Magnesium ablaze at Ohio recycling plant - Dec. 29, 2003 ] ] ; 2004 : Garfield Hts opens its new high school and ground is broken on the new City View Shopping center. ; 2005 : Marymount Hospital breaks ground on a $25,000,000 addition; 2006 : City View Shopping Center opens for business. In September 2006 it is offered for sale. New York grocer Thomas Klein purchased the retail complex for $100 million. City View has a Wal-Mart, OfficeMax, Circuit City, JoAnn Fabrics, Bed Bath and Beyond, AJ Wright, Dicks Sporting Goods, Giant Eagle (grocery store), Petsmart, and a future Home Depot. Wal-Mart closes on three occasions due to suspected Methane gas leaks, though later attributed to cleaning equipment exhaust. [ [http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-0/116551409830000.xml&coll=3 Story not found - Cleveland.com ] ] ; 2007 : Marymount Hospital Emergency Room addition opens. Construction of Bridgeview Commons Shopping Center commences. This shopping center will feature a Target Store, a Lowes and other new stores. An article in a local free newspaper chronicles the high mortality rate due to cancer in the residents of Valley View, Ohio and cites the former landfill (now City View) as the cause (see Controversy, below.) [http://www.clevescene.com/Issues/2007-01-10/news/feature.html Cleveland - News - Tomb With a View ] ] City council introduces a ban on pit-bull dogs.; 2008 : The Ohio E.P.A. and Attorney General file a multi million dollar lawsuit against the city and owners/developers of Cityview due to improper maintenance and methane gas leaks. Construction of "Bridgeview" is haulted as a direct result.

Controversy

Recently much controversy has been raised around the issue of the City View Shopping Center being built on the site of a former landfill. Such accusations include the period when the landfill was being moved, when local residents complained of the smell that would cloud over the area, to the extreme of a sudden rise of rare cancers in Valley View, just downhill from the site.

Buildings

Name/Year Built/Floors

Garfield Heights has a restrictive height of convert|90|ft|m for most of its buildings. This height restriction was made into law on 25 March 1962. Cellular or wireless towers are the exceptions.

Marymount Hospital Campus 1949-present
*Hospital(1949/1979)7
*Medical Building(1995)5
*Emergency tower(2007)3

Jennings Hall Campus
*Jennings Hall One(1999)4
*Jennings Hall Two(2002)4
*Jennings Manor(2005)4

Marymount Place Campus
*Marymount Place(1989)4
*Villa St. Joseph(2007)4

*Garfield Heights High School(2004)3
*Trinity High School(1957/1992)3
*Garfield Heights City Hall(1991)3
*Garfield Heights Middle School(1962/2004)3
*Derby Professional Building(1978)3
*Infinity Corporate Center(2002)3
*St. Monica School(1954/1957)3

Marymount Hospital

Garfield Heights is home to Marymount Hospital. Marymount Hospital was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis in 1949. The hospital was built at a cost of $2.1 million between 1946-49. It was dedicated in October 1949. In the 1950s with Garfield Heights and its neighbors expanding, Marymount expanded too. In 1966 Marymount grew by adding the first ambulance to base radio system and using a MRI system. In the 1970s, Marymount added mental health services and renovated the hospital tower. This renovation lasted from 1972-79 at a cost of $30 million. In the 1990s, Marymount again grew by adding a new medical office tower and new services.

In the 2000s, Marymount grew due to the closure of St. Alexis/St. Michael's. The hospital has added more ICU beds and more emergency room capacity in a new state-of-the-art tower which opened in 2007. In 2003, Marymount joined the world renowned Cleveland Clinic as part of its system. JCAHO or the Joint Commission of American Healthcare Organizations has certified Marymount as a primary stroke center. Marymount is the largest employers in Garfield Heights with 1,200 workers. Marymount has 310 beds and 200 doctors.

Marymount has several offices in Garfield Heights, Marymount South in Broadview Heights, and Bainbridge Township.

Churches

*Sts Peter and Paul(1927/1960)1,000
*St. Therese(1927/1960)1,100
*St. Monica(1952/1964)1,500
*St. Timothy(1923/1927)800 renamed Holy Spirit Parish 1/2008
*St. John Lutheran(1852/1964)600
*Garfield Heights Church of the Nazerin
*The Rock Community Church

Media

Garfield Hts is served by the Cleveland television stations. Numerous cable and satellite providers also serve the city. The "Cleveland Plain Dealer", the "Garfield-Maple Hts Sun" (Thursdays), and the "Neighborhood News-Garfield Heights Tribune" (Wednesday) are the main newspapers.

References

* Garfield Hts History c 1976 Garfield Hts Historical Society
* More information at [http://www.city-data.com/city/Garfield-Heights-Ohio.html Garfield Heights city data] at City-data.com
* [http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/StdBackPage.aspx?id=1053 Cuyahoga Public Library - History of Garfield Heights Library]

External links

* [http://www.garfieldhts.org/ City of Garfield Heights, official site]