Why are we called “Upper Arlington?”

“Upper” would infer that there is an Arlington below our southern border. In fact, Arlington, Ohio is to our north, just south of Findlay. How did our city get its name?

In the late 1800s, John E. Price and Charles Griswold purchased property along the Scioto River from what is now Fifth Avenue to just north of what is now First Avenue. In 1888, they gave this plat of land directly below our current southern border the name "Arlington." This designation persisted as the name of the settlement as it developed over the years.

In 1901 the entire area bounded by Fifth Avenue, the two rivers, and roughly King Avenue incorporated as “Marble Cliff.” At the time, many residents wanted to retain the name Arlington for the new hamlet. This was not possible, as there already was an incorporated Arlington in Ohio about 10 miles south of Findlay with a post office. However, the local press continued to use the name Arlington to refer to that area of Marble Cliff for years.

In 1913 brothers King and Ben Thompson purchased over 800 acres of land stretching between today’s Lane and Fifth avenues to create a residential community. In a 1914 marketing brochure, they are already using the name Upper Arlington on the front and back flyleaves.

Although it was officially Marble Cliff to the south, that area was still referred to unofficially as Arlington. The descriptive “Upper”made logically sense to the population at the time.

* Thank you to our friends at Grandview Heights Marble Cliff Historical Society for providing information and the newspaper image from their archives.