Upper Arlington is a suburban city located in Franklin County, Ohio, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 33,686.
Upper Arlington is located at 40°1'14" North, 83°3'59" West (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.
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 is water. The total area is 0.20% water.
As of the census of 2000, there are 33,686 people, 13,985 households, and 9,509 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,332.6/km2 (3,450.2/mi2). There are 14,432 housing units at an average density of 570.9/km2 (1,478.2/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 94.72% White, 0.59% African American, 0.10% Native American, 3.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 0.98% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 13,985 households out of which 31.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% are married couples living together, 6.9% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% are non-families. 28.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 2.95.
In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 43 years. For every 100 females there are 89.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $72,116, and the median income for a family is $90,208. Males have a median income of $66,846 versus $41,581 for females. The per capita income for the city is $42,025. 2.4% of the population and 1.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.9% of those under the age of 18 and 2.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
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 (the name at the time of 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 could lead to some frustrating driving experiences even for those familiar with the neighborhood.
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.
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 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 in the northern half of Upper Arlington. 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 cheaper construction than the historic stone and brick mini-mansions to the south. Many Upper Arlington residents sometimes refer to this area of Upper Arlington as "the golden ghetto", a joking reference to the comparatively lower quality yet still high property values. This part of Upper Arlington today is mostly populated by retirees and newly married couples. By the 1960s, as the city grew north, the houses were larger and the neighborhoods more in keeping with 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.
Source:
UpperArlingtonOhio.com
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