Editing Shaker Heights, Ohio (section)

==History==
[[File:Mill Family House, North Union Settlement.jpg|thumb|left|A house at the [[North Union Shaker Site]].]]
Shaker Heights is home to the oldest house in Cuyahoga County, built in 1817 by Moses Warren.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shakerhistoricalsociety.org/2011/12/%E2%80%9Cthe-famous-architects-of-shaker-heights%E2%80%9D/ |title=The Famous Architects of Shaker Heights &#124; Shaker Historical Society |website=www.shakerhistoricalsociety.org |access-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315171957/http://www.shakerhistoricalsociety.org/2011/12/%E2%80%9Cthe-famous-architects-of-shaker-heights%E2%80%9D/ |archive-date=15 March 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The name "Shaker Heights" has origins in two local sources. The community was laid out on land formerly owned by the North Union Community of the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, more commonly known as [[Shakers]].  "Heights" refers to the [[plateau]] east of Cleveland that rises sharply in elevation from 582 feet above sea level at the base of the Cedar Glen Parkway rising to 950 feet above sea level in nearby [[Cleveland Heights, Ohio|Cleveland Heights]]; Shaker Heights' elevation is 1050 feet above sea level.

Ralph Russell established the [[North Union Shaker Site|North Union Shaker Settlement]] in 1822 with just over 80 individuals. Between 1826 and 1854, the group dammed Doan Brook, which made Upper and Lower Lake, and established three [[gristmill|grist]] and a [[sawmill]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/shaker/nor.htm|title=North Union Shaker Site|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|access-date=2008-03-21}}</ref> The colony peaked around 1850 with about 300 settlers, but subsequently faded away and was closed in 1889.<ref name="shaker">{{cite web |title=The North Union Shakers |url=http://www.shakerworkshops.com/shaker-villages-and-museums/shaker-historical-society-and-museum.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629002223/http://www.shakerworkshops.com/shaker-villages-and-museums/shaker-historical-society-and-museum.htm |archive-date=June 29, 2019 |access-date=2008-01-20}}</ref>

In 1905, the land was bought by brothers M.J. and O.P. [[Van Sweringen brothers|Van Sweringen]] who envisioned the first [[garden city movement|garden styled suburb]] in Ohio for the site.<ref name=shaker /> The brothers constructed homes, set aside land for [[church (building)|church]]es and schools, and planted trees. Originally referred to as Shaker Village, the community was incorporated in 1912 and reached city status in 1931.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=SH3|title=Shaker Heights|year=2003|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Cleveland History|publisher=CWRU|access-date=4 June 2011}}</ref>

Shaker Heights is known for its stringent [[building code]]s and [[zoning]] laws, which have helped to maintain the community's housing stock and identity throughout the years.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1228210343218530.xml&coll=2|title=Demolition crew uncovers long-hidden Philco sign in Shaker Heights|last=Segall|first=Grant|date=2008-12-02|newspaper=The Plain Dealer|access-date=2008-12-13}}</ref> Approximately seventy-five percent of the city of Shaker Heights is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as the [[Shaker Village Historic District (Ohio)|Shaker Village Historic District]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Shaker Heights Landmark Commission|url=http://shakeronline.com/assets/downloads/landmark-commission/lc_shaker%20village%20district.pdf|title=Historical Development of Shaker Heights|access-date=2014-06-07}}</ref>

Efforts toward racial integration began in the late 1950s, with neighbors in the Ludlow Elementary School area working together to make integration successful.<ref name=NYT/> As a result, Shaker Heights avoided many of the problems created from practices such as [[blockbusting]] and [[white flight]]. In 1986, the city began the Fund for the Future of Shaker Heights, which offered loans for down payments for residents buying homes in segregated neighborhoods, which helped to create multi-ethnic neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web|last=Keating |first=W. Dennis |url=http://www.planning.org/25anniversary/planning/1988sep.htm |title=Suburban Cleveland's 20-Year Integration Struggle |publisher=American Planning Association |date=September 1988 |access-date=2008-06-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509163956/http://www.planning.org/25anniversary/planning/1988sep.htm |archive-date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref> Today, the city maintains a housing assistance office that works with home buyers to achieve and maintain neighborhood integration.

Shaker Heights was a finalist for the [[All-America City Award]] in 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncl.org/aac/past_winners/past_winners_1980s.html|title=Past Winners of the All-America City Award|access-date=2007-10-08 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814061126/http://www.ncl.org/aac/past_winners/past_winners_1980s.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-08-14}}</ref>