The land we know today as Upper Arlington was, like most places, farmland prior to being developed. In 1913, the plot was purchased by real estate developers Ben and King Thompson and developed into a garden city by landscape architect William Pitkin. Upper Arlington was going to be called The Country Club District, after a similar Country Club development in Kansas City. In 1917 however, the community decided on the name Upper Arlington, in reference to its southern neighbor of Arlington, now known as Marble Cliff. The city of Upper Arlington was incorporated on March 20, 1918.