Brecksville is a city in southern

Cuyahoga County, Ohio Cuyahoga County ( or , see ) is a large urban County (United States), county located in the Northeast Ohio, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat and most populous city is Cleveland. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

, United States. The city's population was 13,635 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

and is included in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Combined statistical area.

History

Brecksville was founded in 1811, four years after several men—including Colonel John Breck—purchased the surrounding area. After the land was surveyed, Seth Payne, one of the surveyors, brought his family and settled in the area in June 1811, and he was soon followed by many other families. Although Colonel Breck never lived in Brecksville, his three sons did, and members of his family continued to live in Brecksville until 1934, when his great-grandson Dr. Theodore Breck died. An early historical account of Brecksville was written by William R. Coates and published by ''The American Historical Society'' in 1924. Brecksville was incorporated as a village in 1921, and it gained the status of city in 1960.

Geography

Brecksville is defined by its wooded bluffs and ravines which are a result of the geological confluence of the

Glaciated Allegheny Plateau The Glaciated Allegheny Plateau is that portion of the Allegheny Plateau that lies within the area covered by the last glaciation. As a result, this area of the Allegheny Plateau has lower relief and gentler slopes than the relatively rugged Un ...

and the Great Lakes Basin. Brecksville's eastern border is traversed by the

Cuyahoga River The Cuyahoga River (see ) is a river located in Northeast Ohio that bisects the City of Cleveland and feeds into Lake Erie. As Cleveland emerged as a major manufacturing center, the river became heavily affected by industrial pollution, so mu ...

and borders Sagamore Hills Township and Boston Township, southern border Richfield Township (all three townships in Summit County), western border Broadview Heights and northern border

Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

Demographics

As of the latest 2023 census updates, the

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

income in the city was $122,546 and the

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the average family of three was $186,093. Of the city's population over the age of 25, 61% hold a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

or higher. According to the most recent

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...

, the racial composition of Brecksville was:

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

: 90.52%, Asian: 5.05%, Two or more races: 3.12%,

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

: 1.26%, Native American: 0.04%.

2020 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2020, there were 13,635 people, 5,539 households, and 3,897 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . The racial makeup of the city was 90.0%

, 4.2%

, 4.0% Asian, and 1.5% from two or more races,

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

of any race were .3% of the population. There were 5,539 households, of which 26.74% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.15% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the city was 49.3 years. 21.1% of residents were under the age of 18; and 22.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.34% male and 49.66% female.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 13,656 people, 5,349 households, and 3,883 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 5,623 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.3%

, 1.7%

, 0.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 5,349 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were

living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.4% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the city was 47.4 years. 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 18.1% were from 25 to 44; 36.2% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female.

Economy

Companies such as Lubrizol Corporation, Duck Creek Energy, Inc., MedData, Inc., True North Energy, LLC, Applied Medical Technology, Inc., The Ahola Corporation, Clinical Technology, Inc.,

NEC is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered at the NEC Supertower in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It provides IT and network solutions, including cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), Inte ...

Corporation,

Curtiss-Wright The Curtiss-Wright Corporation is an American manufacturer and services provider headquartered in Davidson, North Carolina, with factories and operations in and outside the United States. Created in 1929 from the consolidation (business), consoli ...

Corporation and

PNC Financial Services The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is an American bank holding company and financial services corporation based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its banking subsidiary, PNC Bank, operates in 27 states and the District of Columbia, with 2,629 ...

are either headquartered or have sizable operations in the city. The

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Academic health science center, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an O ...

Data Center is located in Brecksville. In 2018, Brecksville accepted the deed from the

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

for the land previously occupied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Hospital. The site is located at the intersection of Interstate 77 and Miller Road. The site is currently being developed as a mixed use development called Valor Acres. When completed, the development will include the new DiGeronimo Co. headquarters, the Sherwin Williams research center, offices, apartments and condominiums, a 120-room hotel, and 150k square feet of retail and entertainment.

Arts and culture

The 2023

Tom Hanks Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...

' film A Man Called Otto was partially filmed at the

Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad is a Class III railroad operating diesel-electric and steam-powered excursion trains between Akron, Ohio and the greater Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland area, through the scenic Cuyahoga Valley National Park. History ...

's Brecksville Station on Riverview Road. Brecksville was cited by

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

filmmaker

Lev Kuleshov Lev Vladimirovich Kuleshov (; – 29 March 1970) was a Russian and Soviet filmmaker and Film theory, film theorist, one of the founders of the world's first film school, the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, Moscow Film School. He was g ...

as the hometown of his protagonist, Mr. West in his 1924 comedy '' The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks''. The Brecksville Theatre, with performances held in the Old Town Hall, was conceived on July 1, 2017, as a product of the merger of two longstanding Brecksville theatre groups: * Brecksville Little Theatre (BLT) formed in 1941 and incorporated as a non-profit community organization in 1949 under charter by the State of Ohio. With a rich history of community theatre, BLT showcased many performances including the 1951 comedy "Here Today" directed by nearby

Shaker Heights Shaker or Shakers may refer to: Religious groups * Shakers, a historically significant Christian sect * Indian Shakers, a smaller Christian denomination Objects and instruments * Shaker (musical instrument), an indirect struck idiophone * Cockta ...

native

Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and activist. He was the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Paul Newman, numerous awards ...

. * Brecksville Theater on the Square (BTOTS) was founded in 1975. Besides family theater, it arranged drama classes and programs for students, pre-school through adults. The Brecksville Center for the Arts is a non-profit, multidisciplinary art center.

Parks and recreation

Many neighborhoods in Brecksville are adjacent to the Brecksville Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks and the

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in Ohio that reclaims and preserves the industrial, commercial, and rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron, Ohio, ...

, one of the most visited National Parks in the country. The Brecksville Reservation consists of over 3,000 acres. Sleepy Hollow Golf Course is located in Brecksville and owned and operated by the Cleveland Metroparks. Along with the Cleveland Metroparks and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Brecksville has a Human Resources and Community Center.

Education

Public library

There is a branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library in Brecksville, which opened in 1950, near the Brecksville Community Center and Kids Quarters play area.

Early education program

In 1972, the Brecksville Police Department began the Safety Town Program. Safety Town is an early education program designed for children entering kindergarten. Children attend Safety Town 2 hours per day for two weeks. During that time they learn about a variety of safety topics taught by Brecksville Police Department staff and a wide variety of guest speakers including but not limited to firemen, nurses, park rangers, and lifeguards. A miniature town complete with streets, houses, traffic signs and a working traffic light is set up outside the classroom. Children learn traffic signs and rules as they drive peddle cars around the town. They can also park their cars and practice pedestrian safety on the town's sidewalks and crosswalks.

Public schools

Brecksville is part of the Brecksville–Broadview Heights City School District along with neighboring Broadview Heights. Brecksville–Broadview Heights Elementary School (Pre-K-5) is located at the Blossom Hill education and recreation complex in Brecksville. Brecksville–Broadview Heights Middle School, for grades 6–8, and Brecksville–Broadview Heights High School (BBHHS), for grades 9–12, are located on a campus that spans the border between Brecksville and Broadview Heights. The school district, which serves approximately 4,000 students, is highly rated by the

Ohio Department of Education The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for primary and secondary public education in the state. The Ohio State Board of Education is the governing body o ...

, U.S. News & World Report and was awarded the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Award for academic excellence. Additionally, BBHHS has won several state championships in athletics, particularly in the sport of gymnastics.

Private schools

Julie Billiart Julie Billiart, SNDdeN (12 July 1751 – 8 April 1816) was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic nun, educator, and cofounder of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was born in Cuvilly, a village in Picardy, in northern France. She ...

Schools, Brecksville is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

founded education program that serves students from

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

through 8th grade with mild to moderate

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

anxiety Anxiety is an emotion characterised by an unpleasant state of inner wikt:turmoil, turmoil and includes feelings of dread over Anticipation, anticipated events. Anxiety is different from fear in that fear is defined as the emotional response ...

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

dyslexia Dyslexia (), previously known as word blindness, is a learning disability that affects either reading or writing. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, reading quickly, wri ...

, and other learning differences. South Suburban Montessori School, located in Brecksville's Blossom Hill Complex, provides a

Montessori education The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...

to children between 18 months and 14 years of age.

Colleges

Stautzenberger College has a campus in Brecksville. Associate degrees and Board certifications are offered in: * Veterinary Technology, Animal Welfare, Animal Grooming * Paralegal Studies * Diagnostic Cardiovascular Sonography, Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Cuyahoga Community College Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Founded in 1963, it is the oldest and largest public community college within the state. Not unti ...

affiliate Cuyahoga Valley Career Center – School of Nursing offers full and part-time degree programs.

Transportation

Highways

Brecksville's major thoroughfares are State Route 21 (Brecksville Road) north and south, and State Route 82 (Royalton Road west of SR 21, Chippewa Road east of SR 21). Interstate 77 and

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

, which carries the Ohio Turnpike, all pass through the city. I-77 has two exits in Brecksville and is the main connection to Cleveland and

Akron Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

. The Ohio Turnpike and I-80 are accessible from the I-77/SR 21 interchange with the Turnpike just south of the Brecksville city limits in neighboring Richfield.

Mass transit systems

The city is served by the 77 bus route from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, which runs between Brecksville and

downtown Cleveland Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The economic and cultural center of the city and the Cleveland metropolitan area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its Public Square, Cleveland, Publi ...

. It is also on the 101 bus route from Akron's METRO Regional Transit Authority, which goes to downtown Akron. A transfer point between the two lines is located in Brecksville at the intersection of Miller Road and Southpoint Boulevard.

Healthcare

Cleveland's MetroHealth System has a 63,200-square-foot, emergency room-medical center in Brecksville. Akron Children's Hospital has a branch in Brecksville. A

Express - Urgent Care and Outpatient Center has a facility in Brecksville. Brecksville Surgery Center, specializing in Ophthalmology surgery, is based in the city.

Notable people

Authors, poets and writers

* Eunice Gibbs Allyn – late 19th, early 20th century American correspondent, author, and artist * Florence Morse Kingsley – late 19th, early 20th-century writer of popular and religious fiction * Constance Laux – mystery and romance novelist * John O'Brien- American author * Kathryn Reiss – author of award-winning children's and young adult fiction; graduate of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * Joshua Stacher – political scientist and scholar of

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

politics, authoritarianism, and social movements

Cinema, radio, television and theater

* Ryan Dunn – American stunt performer, television personality, comedian, actor, writer, musician – buried in Brecksville, Ohio Cemetery * Gus Heege – 19th-century playwright and actor * Ann Liguori – sports radio and television broadcaster, graduated from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * George Veras –

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

Award winning television producer

Government

* Pamela Barker – United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

Sports

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

–

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

sports superfan * Tom Brown –

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

football player * Matt Cross – wrestler * Carol Dewey – college volleyball coach at

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

* Steve Gillespie –

Professional Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...

player and graduate of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * John Johnson (safety) - NFL football player * Eric Musselman –

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

and college coach and graduate of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * Mike Rose – professional football player and graduate of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * Scott Roth – basketball player in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) and graduate of Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * Mark Schulte – soccer player in

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...

* Charlie Sifford – golfer * Ed Sustersic – NFL football player * Tom Tupa –

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

winning football player in the NFL who lives in Brecksville and graduated from Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School * Christen Westphal – soccer player in the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

References

External links

City of Brecksville

"Brecksville" at The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
*
A Reminiscent History of Brecksville
' (Brecksville Historical Association, 1961, ) {{authority control 1811 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio Cities in Cuyahoga County, Ohio Cleveland metropolitan area Populated places established in 1811