Garfield Heights, Ohio

"Garfield Heights" redirects here. For the neighborhood in Washington, D.C., see Garfield Heights (Washington, D.C.).

Garfield Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 29,781 at the time of the 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is a part of the Cleveland metropolitan area.

Garfield Heights, Ohio
City
Garfield Heights Civic Center
Seal Logo
Location in Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio.
Coordinates: 41°25′17″N 81°36′10″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Cuyahoga
Settled	1786
Founded	1907
Incorporated	1930
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	Matt Burke (D)[1]
Area [2]
• Total	7.29 sq mi (18.87 km2)
• Land	7.23 sq mi (18.72 km2)
• Water	0.06 sq mi (0.14 km2)
Elevation [3]	955 ft (291 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	29,781
• Estimate  (2023)[4]	28,900
• Density	4,119.09/sq mi (1,590.49/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	44105, 44125, 44128
Area code	216
FIPS code	39-29428[5]
GNIS feature ID	1064703[3]
Website	garfieldhts.org

In 2025, the City of Garfield Heights was named as a Top 25 Best Suburbs of Cleveland, OH. ^[6]

History

Marymount Congregational Home, St. Joseph Convent and Academy Complex

The area was originally part of Newburgh Township. The Village of South Newburgh was formed in 1907, and it was incorporated as Garfield Heights in 1930. The city is named after Garfield Park, which in turn was named in honor of President James A. Garfield, a native of nearby Orange Township.^[7]

Geography

Garfield Heights is located at 41°25′17″N 81°36′10″W (41.421423, -81.602682).^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.29 square miles (18.88 km²), of which 7.23 square miles (18.73 km²) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km²) is water.^[9] The elevation of Garfield Heights is 831 feet (253 m) above sea level where it borders Cleveland, and its highest elevation is 972 feet (296 m) above sea level at the Garfield Heights Justice Center.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	2,530		—
1930	15,589		516.2%
1940	16,989		9.0%
1950	21,662		27.5%
1960	38,455		77.5%
1970	41,417		7.7%
1980	34,938		−15.6%
1990	31,739		−9.2%
2000	30,734		−3.2%
2010	28,849		−6.1%
2020	29,781		3.2%
2023 (est.)	28,900	[4]	−3.0%
Sources:[5][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

The ethnic groups of Garfield Heights include Poles, Slovenes, Italians, Irish, and African-Americans.

93.4% spoke English, 2.8% Polish, 1.2% Italian, and 1.2% Spanish.^[17]

2020 census

Garfield Heights city, Ohio – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[18]	Pop 2010[19]	Pop 2020[20]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	24,577	17,019	10,502	79.97%	58.99%	35.26%
Black or African American alone (NH)	5,143	10,184	16,618	16.73%	35.30%	55.80%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	44	35	37	0.14%	0.12%	0.12%
Asian alone (NH)	286	387	266	0.93%	1.34%	0.89%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	3	6	3	0.01%	0.02%	0.01%
Other race alone (NH)	33	34	88	0.11%	0.12%	0.30%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	260	528	1,097	0.85%	1.83%	3.68%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	388	656	1,170	1.26%	2.27%	3.93%
Total	30,734	28,849	29,781	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

2010 census

As of the census^[21] of 2010, there were 28,849 people, 11,691 households, and 7,393 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,990.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,540.6/km²). There were 13,125 housing units at an average density of 1,815.4 per square mile (700.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 60.2% White, 35.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 11,691 households, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.5% were married couples living together, 21.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.8% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age in the city was 38.5 years. 25% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.1% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 15.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.0% male and 54.0% female.

Economy

Marymount Hospital, part of the Cleveland Clinic system, is the city's largest employer.

The Ohio Department of Transportation has its District 12 headquarters in the city.

In 2007, Garfield Heights and its neighbor Maple Heights were mentioned by CNN/Money as two of America's most affordable communities.^[22]

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

Chart Industries, a gas tank manufacturer, has its world headquarters located in Garfield Heights.

The Ohio Catholic Federal Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in Ohio, is based in Garfield Heights. As of 2011, it had 17,456 members and $155 million in assets.

Garfield Heights is the site of the Highland Park, formerly City View Center that once was a planned regional power center built upon a former landfill in the mid-2000s. In 2020, the development was purchased from receivership and revitalized by Industrial Commercial Properties, Inc. In 2021, Mayor Matt Burke along with former Mayors Vic Collova and Thomas J. Longo, stood with Industrial Commercial Properties to cut the ribbon for the first new corporations to open in Highland Park including MPAC Switchback, MTech, Innoplast and Thermoprene.^[23]

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 that serves several jurisdictions. The council president is selected by members of city council. If the mayor's seat is vacated, the council president would assume the duties, according to the city charter.

Mayors of Garfield Heights

Term of service	Name	Life dates	Party
1920–1929	Oliver D. Jackson	1874-1953
1930–1931	Raymond Ring
1932–1937	Martin O'Donnell
1937–1939	Don Cameron
1940–1947	Raymond Ring
1947–1949	Grant Weber	1884–1949
1950–1955	Charles F. Wing
1956–1961	Neil E. Bowler	1902–1995	Republican
1962–1964	Jack Donovan	1922-1988
1965–1969	Frank Petrancek
1970–1979	Ray Stachewicz
1979–1983	Theodore S. Holtz
1983–2009	Thomas J. Longo		Democrat
2009-2021	Vic Collova	1947-	Democrat
2021-	Matt Burke		Democrat

Public safety

The city maintains its own police and fire departments. The city has a network of emergency warning sirens. The sirens are routinely tested at noon on the first Saturday of every month. A Community Emergency Response Team is in place. Garfield Heights uses traffic signal preemption.

In 2021, at the direction of Mayor Matt Burke and newly appointed Chief Mark Kaye, the city began a comprehensive Crime Reduction Plan. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine awarded $1.3 Million to the Garfield Heights Police Department through the Ohio Violent Crime Grant Reduction Program. The Garfield Heights Police Department installed a city-wide camera surveillance system, the Flock system, a comprehensive Drone Unit and most effectively, a Target Enforcement Unit. By 2023, the Garfield Heights Police Department reported a reduction of 33%.^[24]

Parks and recreation

The Dan Kostel Recreation Center is located on Turney Road at the Civic Center complex and includes an outdoor swimming pool open during summer season only and an indoor ice skating rink.^[25] Garfield Park Reservation, part of the regional Cleveland Metroparks system, is located in the Northeast corner of Garfield Heights on its border with Cleveland.

Wargo Farms,^[23] a 45 acre area of land was sold to the Cleveland Metroparks in 2023 to preserve green space and create walking trails and recreation.^[25]

In 2024, Garfield Park Reservation's newly restored Boathouse and Pond was unveiled at a ceremony with Mayor Matt Burke and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne.

Education

Garfield Heights High School

Garfield Heights has its own public school system comprising three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. It is governed by a five-member elected board. There are two Catholic schools in the city; St. Benedict and Trinity High School.

In 2001, Garfield Heights voters approved a levy to build a new high school. Construction of the school began soon thereafter and was completed in mid-2003. 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. The performing arts center opened on November 3, 2007.

In 2010–11 school year both Elmwood Elementary and Maple Leaf Intermediate were renovated and Maple Leaf School gained more classrooms and a bigger gym. Maple Leaf School is the Garfield Heights City School District's oldest building built in 1925 and was the smallest until the current reconstruction.

Media

Garfield Heights is served by the Cleveland television stations and numerous cable and satellite providers. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the Neighborhood News-Garfield Heights Tribune (published each Wednesday) are the main newspapers.

Notable people

• Steve Bartek, American guitarist, film composer, conductor
• James Jude Courtney, American actor and stunt performer
• William A. Foster, earned the Medal of Honor
• Dennis Fryzel, last football coach at the University of Tampa
• DeJuan Groce, cornerback in the NFL
• Dale Miller, former Ohio State Senator
• Gene Mruczkowski, former NFL offensive lineman and Super Bowl champ with the New England Patriots
• Scott Mruczkowski, former football center for the San Diego Chargers
• Phil Pozderac, former NFL offensive lineman and Super Bowl champ with the Dallas Cowboys
• Jerry Schuplinski, former NFL QB and quality control coach for New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and New York Giants
• David J. Skal, American cultural historian, critic, writer
• Wilma Smith, former Cleveland news anchor
• James Glenwright Unger, American hockey player

Surrounding communities