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B−History
History · Westlake

Westlake dates to 1810, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns · #615 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it

Most of Westlake was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Its Register listings are the Clague House and the Lilly House. Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1920.

1810founded
2on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Westlake began

When was Westlake founded?

1810

Westlake dates its founding to 1810 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1920.

First census: 1,754 in 19202020 census: 34,228216 years

How historic is Westlake?

B−

More historic than 53% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1812.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Westlake’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Westlake is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #615 of 993 in Ohio. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Westlake’s overall grade.
Founding era1810, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19403.7% of homes (±1.2) · typical OH town 14.5% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register2 listings, 0.6 per 10,000 residents · typical OH town 2.9 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 53%
NewerOlder
Ohio towns of 2,500+ (993)Ahead of 38%

Ohio towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Ohio town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Westlake’s 0.6 sits near the middle of its state (47% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1810.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Westlake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Westlake, and 76 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Westlake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19026 editions of the USGS map, 1902 to 1994. Watch Westlake change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1810: 216 years of Westlake.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Westlake had its own post office from 1940 to 1967. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Dover
1812–1915
West Dover
1883–1941
Bement
1884–1904
Dover Center
1915–1940
Westlake
1940–1967
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Ashford EstatesAvalon EstatesBalmoralBel Aire EstatesBementBent TreeBerkeleyBradley AcresBradley WoodsBreckenridgeBretton WoodsBrigadoonCanterbury ColonyCanterbury EstatesCanterbury ManorCapel ValeCarriage Park EstatesChairmans RoweCirclewoodCobblestone ChaseCotswold ManorCountry Club EstatesCourtland MeadowsCreekwood Meadows
Gone or out of use
Bement Post Officepost officeWest Dover Post Officepost officeWestlake Post Officepost office
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Westlake
EvergreenMaple RidgeSaint Paul Lutheran

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Westlake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Westlake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Westlake on the map, 1902 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Westlake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Westlake on the 1902 USGS mapWestlake on the 1953 USGS mapWestlake on the 1963 USGS mapWestlake on the 1970 USGS mapWestlake on the 1985 USGS mapWestlake on the 1994 USGS map1902Berea sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Westlake.

The story

How Westlake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westlake.

Read it all →

The area now known as the city of Westlake was first settled by European Americans on October 10, 1810. At the time, it was part of Dover Township.

In 1901, the northern part of the township seceded to form Bay Village. In 1912, a southern portion left to join North Olmsted. The remaining township residents formed Dover Village in 1913, taking with it a portion of Olmsted Township.

In order to avoid confusion with the city of Dover in Tuscarawas County, Dover Village was renamed Westlake in 1940. The village of Westlake became a city in 1957.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Westlake, 1810 to 1995

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1810
    FoundingWestlake is established
  3. 1812Post officeThe Dover post office opens
  4. 1865Born hereJack Miner is born here
  5. 1883Post officeThe West Dover post office opens
  6. 1884Post officeThe Bement post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1904Post officeThe Bement post office closes
  10. 1915Post officeThe Dover post office closes
  11. 1941Post officeThe West Dover post office closes
  12. 1970Born hereJenni Meno is born here
  13. 1989Born hereTravis Kelce is born here
  14. 1995Born hereLogan Paul is born here
By decade

Westlake, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Westlake Aquatic Center2021Westlake Aquatic CenterWestlake City Hall2020Westlake City HallGiant Chess2015Giant ChessClague Park-N-Ride location sign2010Clague Park-N-Ride location signClague Park-N-Ride bus shelter2010Clague Park-N-Ride bus shelterClague Park-N-Ride Parking Sign2010Clague Park-N-Ride Parking SignClague Park-N-Ride Parking Sign - Center Stalls Only2010Clague Park-N-Ride Parking Sign - Center Stalls Only
On the National Register

2 historic places in Westlake

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Clague House
Clague HouseLilly House
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

High Victorian Italianate1
Greek Revival1
Clague HouseHigh Victorian Italianate
Lilly HouseGreek Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Westlake, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00019201940196019802000202034,228

Grew from 1,754 people in 1920 to 34,228 in 2020, more than tenfold.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Westlake’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Westlake

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Logan PaulAmerican YouTuber and Internet personality · b. 1995
Travis KelceAmerican football player · b. 1989
J
Jenni MenoFigure skater · b. 1970
Jack MinerCanadian conservationist · b. 1865
H
Harold BalazsSculptor · b. 1928
Kim SaighAmerican tattoo artist · b. 1973
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

North Olmsted4 historic placesB−Avon5 historic placesB−Rocky RiverIts storyBBay Village4 historic placesCFairview Park2 historic placesC+

Questions about Westlake’s history

What year was Westlake founded?

In 1810, according to Wikidata. Westlake’s post office opened in 1812, and the census of 1920 counted 1,754 people here.

How does Westlake rank for history?

Westlake is more historic than 53% of U.S. towns, #615 of 993 in Ohio. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Westlake?

Two places: the Clague House (listed 1976) and the Lilly House (2006).

How old are the homes in Westlake?

4% of Westlake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1983.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.