Willoughby Hills dates to 1954, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #912 of 993 in Ohio. What drives it
Most of Willoughby Hills was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Its Register listing is the Louis A. Penfield House. Its Register listing is the Louis A. Penfield House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1960.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Willoughby Hills is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #912 of 993 in Ohio. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Willoughby Hills’ overall grade.
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 Willoughby Hills’ 1.0 sits near the middle of its state (49% of Ohio towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.1 points). Two sources give 1954.
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 Willoughby Hills’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Willoughby Hills. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1905Mentor 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 Willoughby Hills.
The story so far
Willoughby Hills, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Willoughby Hills yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Willoughby Hills is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along the Chagrin River. The population was 10,019 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area.
Willoughby Hills was established in 1954. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 9,485 to 10,019 (+6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Willoughby Hills, 1905 to 1954
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1954, according to Wikidata. the census of 1960 counted 4,241 people here.
How does Willoughby Hills rank for history?
Willoughby Hills is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #912 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 Willoughby Hills?
One place: the Louis A. Penfield House (listed 1997).
How old are the homes in Willoughby Hills?
7% of Willoughby Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.1 points), against a typical 15% for an Ohio town; the median home was built in 1973.
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 (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.
