# Why do schools often have "Heights" in their names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199 "2003-03-18T04:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/1 "2003-03-18T04:03:22Z")
My daughter’s school is a “heights”, as are many other schools in the area. She noticed this and asked me why? I really don’t have a clue. Why _are_ so many schools named \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Heights? Please tell me it’s not because the children therein reach new, academic heights. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/2 "2003-03-18T04:36:07Z")
I don’t know about your area, but a lot of the schools around here have “Heights” in their name, because the towns have “Heights” in the name (Arlington Heights, Prospect Heights) and the schools are named after the towns. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/3 "2003-03-18T05:22:53Z")
I always thought it was because “Depths” was a little too depression. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/4 "2003-03-18T05:28:12Z")
It sounds pretty. With the exception of Siena Heights University (it was College until 1998), all the “Heights” schools that I know are in towns named \_\_\_\_ Heights, but most of those are named for the cachet that accompanies the name. Generally, the “working” town is down on the flatland or in the valley while the rich folks get to live on the hills above (where they have a better view and where, in the days of wood and coal-fired heating, they were not stick in the miasma of smoke). While some early towns were named \_\_\_\_\_\_ Heights simply because they sat on hills, many of _those_ attracted the richer people for the reasons given above. Following that (I would guess) some schools decided to tag the word Heights onto their name to give the appearance that they were associated with the upper crust. (Siena Heights was named for St. Catherine of Siena. My guess that the “Heights” was (ostensibly) recognizing that it was on a (sort of) hill on the outskirts of Adrian.) ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/5 "2003-03-18T08:35:41Z")
“Heights” must be an east coast thing. In these parts (So-Cal), the snooty towns add “Hills” to their name instead – i.e. Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills, Granada Hills, etc. Most egregious use = the town of Sepulveda, best known for its dive bars and strip clubs, decided to revamp their image by changing their name to “North Hills” – ignoring the fact that the town’s located in the exact CENTER of the San Fernando Valley and is miles away from anything resembling a “hill”! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/6 "2003-03-18T10:30:50Z")
A lot of mid-fifties and sixties Ontario suburbs were named with ‘Heights’. In Peterborough, there are 'Edmison Heights" and ‘Kawartha Heights’, for instance, and they are located on hills, so you get the classic well-off suburban sloping street with a view. Around here I don’t know of any _towns_ named with ‘Heights’ though. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/7 "2003-03-18T14:50:10Z")
I know why " **S** pringfield **H** eights **I** nstitute of **T** echnology (Apu Nahasapeemapetilon’s alma mater) has Heights in its name, but I can’t help you with other schools. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/8 "2003-03-18T15:22:10Z")
For what its worth, none of the schools where I live are named \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ Heights. There are names for local politicans, presidents, the general area, historic places and ideas, the containing town or city, rivers, mountains, and other geography, but no \_\_\_\_\_ Heights. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/9 "2003-03-18T15:58:36Z")
Thanks all. Perhaps it’s just a local thing. Many schools around here are “Heights” and there are no obvious corresponding hills, mountains, etc. Maybe it is the “snob” factor, too. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/10 "2003-03-18T16:00:32Z")
I should have mentioned that if you do a search for (heights AND school), you’ll get _lots_ of hits, and not just from Canada. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/11 "2003-03-18T16:30:11Z")
The general rule for naming suburban housing developments is to name them for what is no longer there… Woodland Meadows Pinewood Manor Deer Run Farms Falcon Ridge Arlington Heights etc… ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/12 "2003-03-18T16:43:35Z")
…maybe our grandparents _weren’t_ lying about walking **uphill** to school 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/13 "2003-03-18T17:27:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Casey1505 \* > \*\*…maybe our grandparents _weren’t_ lying about walking **uphill** to school 😉 \*\* But both ways? ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/14 "2003-03-18T17:33:04Z")
…those lying sacks… ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-schools-often-have-heights-in-their-names/162199/15 "2003-03-18T18:03:05Z")
One other factor to consider for the Eastern and Midwestern US. Even when there are no obvious large hills or ridges around, in the ninteenth century, many schools and hospitals were located on whatever bits of higher ground was available. Before tuberculosis was TB, it was “consumption.” At that time, one of the prevailing beliefs about consumption was that it was caused by “unhealthy air”. Hence, building hospitals and schools on hills to get the patients or children up and out of the “bad” air. See, for example, [St. Elizabeth’s Hospital](http://www2.shore.net/~colon/history.htm) in Boston.