Location. District 5 sits on Cleveland’s east side, between the Central and Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhoods to the west and Glenville, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights to the east. It stretches from Lake Erie south to the Shaker Square area. It is composed of five neighborhoods (or “Statistical Planning Areas”): Fairfax, Hough, St. Clair-Superior, Buckeye-Shaker, and University, each of which brings its own unique style and character to the fabric of the city. In terms of political representation, District 5 comprises City Council Wards 4, 6 & 7 and parts of Wards 8 & 13. The only highway to traverse the District is Interstate 90 along the lakefront. A trio of main streets, Euclid, Chester and Carnegie Avenues form a major east-west commuter corridor between Downtown Cleveland and University Circle and the eastern suburbs. The eastern portion of the district is well served by rapid transit lines which also provide access to Downtown.
Population. In 2000 the District’s total population was approximately 60,600 residents, the majority of whom were African-American (about 78%). The white population comprised 17% of the residents and 2% identified themselves as Hispanic. Despite its racial breakdown, however, District 5’s cultural composition is actually very diverse, as many Slovenians, Hungarians, Italians, Ethiopians and other nationality groups that immigrated to Cleveland years ago have remained in their original neighborhoods.
Development Patterns. Within the boundaries of District 5 is University Circle, an unsurpassed cluster of distinguished medical, cultural and educational establishments, covering more than one square mile which draws students, medical patients and visitors from around the nation and the world. The Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve
University and University Hospitals are among the institutions located in Cleveland’s second largest employment center. Doan Brook, which flows from the Shaker Lakes to Lake Erie serves as the centerpiece for a series of parks (Rockefeller, Wade, Ambler) that provide University Circle a green entryway and setting. As a busy crossroads of the east side, District 5 is home to a large number of key commercial corridors such as St. Clair Avenue, Buckeye Road, Larchmere Avenue, Euclid Avenue, Mayfield Road and Shaker Square. Shaker Square and the nearby Larchmere antiques district attract shoppers and collectors from the far corners of Greater Cleveland. Developed around a rapid transit line, the apartments and retail at Shaker Square is an early example of transit-oriented development. Concentrations of multi-family housing are also concentrated near University Circle. In Hough the availability and inexpensive cost of vacant City lots has resulted in the construction of many large new single-family homes that have kept or attracted wealthy African-American households to the City.
District 5 Neighborhood links:
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