The City of Westlake Ohio

The Early Years

These homesteaders cleared the township’s dense forests to plant crops and provide pasture for raising horses, cattle and sheep. Waterpower from area creeks ran sawmills and gristmills. The area that is now the intersection of Dover Center and Center Ridge Roads was the geographical and historical center of activity. Located in this area was the Dover Blast Furnace, which made pig iron from bog ore and operated for more than 10 years until it burned down in 1844.

Agriculture in Dover Township evolved into the raising of grain, small fruit and grapes. The Nickel Plate Railroad was established in 1881, and toward the latter part of the 19th century, the township was the second largest shipping point for grapes in the United States.

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By 1900, Dover Township had a permanent population of 2,233 and an annual influx of people who owned cottages on Lake Erie. These summer residents decided they wanted their own community, and, in a bitter fight, they broke away from Dover Township to form the community of Bay Village, taking the railroad with them. In 1908, residents of the southern part of Dover Township also seceded and became part of North Olmsted. Because township residents were concerned that a township form of government was inherently unstable, the remaining 15.9 square mile area was incorporated as Dover Village in 1911.

For the next three decades, Dover Village grew, with truck and fruit farming as the backbone of the rural village. During this time, the Clague family donated their home and land to the village for a museum, and Hilliard Boulevard was cut through farmland. Both projects were aided by laborers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a program launched during the Great Depression that provided work for the unemployed.

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In 1940, Dover was renamed the Village of Westlake to avoid confusion with another community in Ohio named Dover.

As suburbs grew after World War II, Westlake became part of this population shift. By 1950, the population of the village stood at 4,912 – twice what it had been at the turn of the century. Ten years later, in 1960, it had jumped to 12,906, a 162 percent increase over 1950.

This phenomenal growth rate led to an interest in planning to shape the future of Westlake, which became a city in 1957. During the early 1960s, city officials enacted the city’s first guide plan and municipal zoning ordinances. These plans separated industry to the northern parts of the city and set aside specific areas along principal streets for commercial activity and multifamily development.

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During the 1960s and 70s, the city saw the first contemporary winding subdivisions introduced, as well as the building of King James, its first office park. Interstate 90 was completed in 1976, linking the city with downtown Cleveland. By 1980, the population was 19,483. Soon after, Crocker Road was extended to Center Ridge Road, and Ranney Parkway was developed as an industrial and office park area. After five years of planning and two years of construction, St. John West Shore Hospital opened in 1981.

By 1987 more than 10,000 people worked in Westlake and by 1990, 27,018 residents called the city home, some occupying new executive homes or new luxury apartments or condominiums, and others moving into well-maintained, existing housing stock. The period also included the opening of a new public library and a new post office.

The early 1990s saw the construction of several new city facilities including a police station and two new fire stations, as well as the acquisition of a city golf course, now called Meadowood, and the opening of a new westside nature park off Bradley Road. The Promenade of Westlake shopping center brought a new array of shopping options to the west side of the city. In 1998, the city built an 80,000 square foot recreation center that sits in the midst of an 86 acre park.

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By 2000, the population of Westlake had reached 31,719 and it passed the 33,000 mark just five years later, with a comparable daytime population consisting of students, workers and retirees. In 2003, Porter Public Library expanded to 75,000 square feet, and a new city hall opened. That same year, Cleveland State University located its first ever satellite campus in Westlake and Cuyahoga Community College debuted its first Corporate College.

Other major facilities developed in the last decade include Five Seasons Country Club, LACENTRE conference facility, Dave & Busters, University Hospital Health System and Crocker Park.

Crocker Park, a cutting-edge, mixed-use town center with retail, office and housing space, opened Phase 1 in November 2004 adjacent to the Promenade. When completed, it will consist of 1.7 million square feet of development including a Main Street of first floor shops with apartments and offices above. The core of the development will be a median park with fountains, chess boards and areas for community events. The city’s newly remodeled and enlarged Senior Center reopened in January 2004 with a new name: Westlake Center for Community Services.

Today Westlake continues to be a prestigious destination point for individuals as well as corporations. It is a special mix of open space and show-stopping homes, trees and office buildings, industry and community facilities. Once a prime farming settlement, it is now a thriving suburban community.

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The Westlake Porter Library website houses an extensive Westlake Historical Image Collection. To access, click here.

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