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Pepper Pike
In 1815, sixteen pioneers settled in the area called Orange which included
the present cities of Pepper Pike, Orange Moreland Hills, Hunting Valley,
Woodmere. A township was established in 1820 with 36 voters. By the late
1800's there was a village hall at Orange Center, now the intersection of
Pinetree and SOM Center Roads. There were nine one-room elementary schools
in the area. For high school, students went to nearby towns at a cost of
50 cents per year per pupil.
Developed primarily as a farming community, by the
late 1880s cheese making had become the primary industry of the area.
Although the community was still heavily rural at the turn of the century,
the operation of the Chagrin Falls-Cleveland interurban railway made it
accessible to many suburban residents. Most of the automobile roads in the
area remained unimproved until the 1930s.
As the population increased, so did the need for more
local government representation. In 1924, residents of northern Orange
Township voted to separate, and the village of Pepper Pike was
incorporated. That was the first separation action of what was eventually
to lead to the creation of five different communities. An emphasis on the
rural and residential character of the community led to the development of
Pepper Pike as a city of upper middle income residents. Incorporated as a
city in 1970, Pepper Pike operates under the mayor-council form of
government. The population was 5,933 in 1970, increasing to only 6,177 in
1980. Pepper Pike is home to Ursuline College and Brentwood, Suburban, and
St. Luke's hospitals. |
