Beachwood, Ohio

History

The area which became Beachwood dates back to the formation of the Connecticut Western Reserve. Before becoming an independent city, the area was a part of Warrensville Township. In 1915, Beachwood seceded from Warrensville after the Township voted to close a nearby Beachwood-area school. A petition was organized, and on June 26, 1915, Beachwood was incorporated into an independent village. Beachwood attained full city status in 1960.

Beachwood was named for the numerous Beech trees that grew throughout the village. The origin of the spelling of the City is disputed. Upon incorporation, the City's name was originally spelled, "Beechwood". One popular theory is that an early village hall clerk misspelled the name on some official documents, giving rise to the current spelling of "Beachwood".

Geography

Beachwood is located at 41°28′56″N 81°30′14″W (41.482226, −81.504001).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.34 square miles (13.83 km²), of which 5.33 square miles (13.80 km²) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km²) is water.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,186 people, 5,074 households, and 3,181 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,307.5 people per square mile (891.1/km²). There were 5,447 housing units at an average density of 1,031.4 per square mile (398.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city is 86.50% White, 9.08% African American, 0.08% Native American, 3.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.78% of the population.

There were 5,074 households out of which 24.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 56.0% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the village the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 35.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 78.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $65,406, and the median income for a family was $86,632. Males had a median income of $71,829 versus $35,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $40,509. About 2.5% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older.

Of the city's population over the age of 25, 57.3% held a bachelor's degree or higher. Cleveland Jewish News claimed that 89.5 percent of Beachwood's population is Jewish.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 11,953 people, 5,064 households, and 3,005 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,242.6 inhabitants per square mile (865.9/km²). There were 5,483 housing units at an average density of 1,028.7 per square mile (397.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.3% White, 13.7% African American, 7.4% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 5,064 households of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 23.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 52.5 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 3.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.2% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 32.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.3% male and 55.7% female.

Education

Beachwood is served publicly by the Beachwood City Schools, which includes Beachwood Middle School and Beachwood High School. The latter is a Blue Ribbon awarded school, ranked among the top fifty schools in Ohio. There are also two private Jewish schools in Beachwood. There is Fuchs Mizrachi, an Orthodox Jewish school that begins in preschool and ends after high school, the Beatrice J. Stone Yavne High School, a Bais Yaakov Orthodox Jewish school that educates Jewish girls from 7th to 12th grade, as well as a Jewish day school, and Mandel (Previously known as Agnon), which educates Jewish children from preschool through 8th grade.

Business

The city is home to University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center, which opened in 2011.

Beachwood is the home of Eaton Corporation's Eaton Center, which opened in February 2013.

Corporate headquarters in the city include DDR Corp., Aleris, and TOA Technologies.

Beachwood Place, an upscale shopping mall featuring stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom, is located in Beachwood.

The Cleveland Jewish News is a weekly Jewish newspaper headquartered in Beachwood.

Recreation and museums

Beachwood is home to Preston's H.O.P.E. - the largest fully accessible playground in Northeast Ohio.

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is located in Beachwood and is dedicated to furthering an understanding of Jewish immigrant history & culture in the U.S.

Notable people