The village of Linndale was initially part of the Brooklyn Township. Towards the end of the 19th century, George Linn, a real-estate developer, sought independent status for the community. In 1902, it was incorporated as a village but in 1904, all but six blocks of Linndale was annexed to Cleveland. When the Cleveland Union Terminal (now the Tower City Center) opened in 1930, the village became the western station where trains changed their steam locomotives for electric engines before entering the city. Over time, the village became a traditional spot for African American train porters who worked at the nearby station (blacks were not allowed to live on the West Side of Cleveland due to racial discrimination).
The post-World War II years saw the demise of steam locomotives, making the switchyards obsolete. In 1959, construction on Interstate 71 was completed. A heavily traversed section of I-71 roughly bisects the village, which provided ample opportunity for the Linndale police to ticket speeding motorists. These tickets quickly became the major source of revenue for the village. In 1994, the situation became so bad that the Ohio house passed legislation curtailing such traffic enforcement although there is some enforcement to this day. Also, the small size of the village, the mayor also serves as the police chief and fire chief.
As of the census of 2000, there were 117 people, 57 households, and 29 families residing in the village. The population density was 501.9/km² (1,332.8/mi²). There were 71 housing units at an average density of 304.6/km² (808.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 68.38% White, 18.80% African American, 0.85% Native American, 4.27% from other races, and 7.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.69% of the population.
There were 57 households out of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.8% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.1% were non-families. 43.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 42.7% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $21,500, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $25,893 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,912. There were 21.7% of families and 15.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including 19.2% of under eighteens and 10.0% of those over 64.
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