Sagamore Hills began with a 1930 vote to leave Northfield
Sagamore Hills exists because a group of wealthy estate owners did not want to pay for Northfield’s waterworks. In 1912, Northfield became a village whose boundary took in today’s Sagamore Hills and Northfield Center. By 1930, estate owners including C.W. Seiberling, Cyrus Eaton and W.G. Marshall were fighting the mayor over a waterworks bond issue of more than $200,000.
Residents petitioned to detach almost 6,000 acres, including the Northfield Park dog track. On October 21, 1930, voters approved the detachment 123 to 78, and the Village of Sagamore Hills was formed.
The village did not last. After financial trouble in early 1947, a special election turned it into the Township of Sagamore Hills. On April 15, 1947, the Summit County Probate Court appointed the first trustees, Cyrus S. Eaton, Harry Miller and Curtis Polcen.
Earlier history runs deeper. Isaac Bacon of Boston bought 160 acres near today’s North Boyden and Valley View Roads in 1806, and the Brandywine settlement on the southern edge grew around a distillery, mills and a tannery.
Condos and townhomes are a big part of the housing
Sagamore Hills is one of the few Summit County townships where detached houses are barely a majority. About 59% of its roughly 5,100 homes are single-family detached, by the Census Bureau’s 2020-2024 estimates, so about four in ten are condos, townhomes or apartments.
The housing is also relatively new. The median build year is 1980, and only about 4% of homes predate 1940. The median home value, as owners estimate it, is about $277,100, and about 85% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
A condo or townhome sale has extra steps compared with a detached house:
- The association has to provide a payoff or a statement of dues, and any special assessments, to the title company.
- Some associations have rules on leasing or transfer that a buyer will ask about.
- Interior updates are your cost, but roofs and exteriors may be the association’s.
A clean, updated Sagamore Hills condo will usually sell well with an agent. Where a direct sale helps is the unit that needs a full refresh, the estate unit that has sat empty, or the owner who wants to skip showings. Our guide to selling a house as-is in Ohio explains what “as-is” covers.
No city inside the township lines
Sagamore Hills has no incorporated municipality inside its borders, so the township provides local services itself. It maintains about 78 lane miles of roads, runs a police department (formed in 1981, after years of contracting with the Summit County Sheriff), and has received fire and EMS service through a partnership with Macedonia since September 2016.
Schools are part of the Nordonia Hills City School District, which also serves Northfield, Northfield Center, Macedonia and part of Boston Heights. Its name is a blend of Northfield, Macedonia and Sagamore Hills. Rushwood Elementary is in the township.
Mailing addresses use ZIP code 44067, shared with Northfield and Northfield Center. Confirm your township on your tax bill rather than the envelope.
Township Park, I-271 and the valley edge
Sagamore Hills Township Park started with about 5 acres from the Ohio Department of Mental Health. Trustees bought 35 more acres in 1997, the park opened in 1998, and 10.5 acres plus a paved trail of nearly a mile were added in 2008.
The township sits on the north rim of the Cuyahoga Valley, with Boston Township and the national park to the south and Brecksville across the river to the west. The high-level bridge between Sagamore Hills and Brecksville opened in 1933, and in 1970 the old Brandywine Cemetery was moved for the construction of Interstate 271.
Neighbors that share a lot of history include Northfield and Northfield Center and Macedonia. County-wide steps like probate are covered on the Summit County page, and you can request an offer for your Sagamore Hills home whenever you’re ready.