Upper Arlington's homeownership rate has reached 79%, exceeding Ohio's statewide average by nearly 10 points, according to CityScene Magazine.

The figures come as the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio (BIA) prepares to host its Parade of Homes, a free event running Sept. 17 through Sept. 27. Properties across central Ohio will be open for self-guided tours from noon to 6 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays. The BIA has hosted the event for nearly 75 years.

Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff trail Upper Arlington on homeownership. Grandview Heights' rate is 56%, while Marble Cliff's is 64%, per 2024 census data cited by CityScene. The national average is 65.3%, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures for the first quarter of 2026. The Ohio Housing Finance Agency puts the state rate at roughly 70%.

Upper Arlington also claims about 490 century homes, properties built in 1926 or earlier. The Upper Arlington Historical Society is running its sixth Homes of History event through Aug. 31, planting yard signs at homes that retain much of their original front facade. About 25 homeowners out of 50 eligible registered in 2026 to have a free "100" sign placed in their yard, marking homes built in 1926.

One featured property is 1761 Roxbury Road, built in 1915 from limestone quarried in nearby Marble Cliff. It was the fifth house built in Upper Arlington.

Michael Martens, the home's current owner, described what drew his family to the property in the Historical Society's Homes of History feature: "We were immediately drawn to the craftsmanship. The tiles placed around all the exterior windows, the character in the floors, and the way light moves through the home all stood out."

Martens said in the same feature that a visit from a descendant of the original owners shifted his perspective. He described feeling less like an owner and more like a caretaker with a responsibility to preserve what makes the home special.

Century homeowners in Upper Arlington can purchase a permanent metal marker to affix to their home, in addition to the August yard-sign program.

The BIA Parade of Homes is free. The event website is biaparade.com.