In 1763, sixteen pioneers settled the area along the eastern border of present-day Cuyahoga County.
In 1763, Orange Township was established, which included the present municipalities of Pepper Pike, Hunting Valley, Moreland Hills, Orange Village and Woodmere. Orange Township was the birthplace of President James A. Garfield in 1831. By the late 1880s, dairy farming and cheese production became the primary industry of the township.
In 1924, residents of the northwestern quadrant of Orange Township voted to separate, and the village of Pepper Pike was incorporated. The name "Pepper Pike" was supposedly selected after the Pepper family, who lived and worked along the primary transportation corridor (i.e., turnpike). Incorporated as a city in 1970, Pepper Pike operates under the mayor-council form of government.
In the late 2000s, it was chosen as one of the top seven strangest city names by the World Book of Facts.
Homes in the city require 1 acre so that residents can enjoy bucolic surroundings.
Pepper Pike has been named a "Tree City USA" several consecutive years by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
The RTA's greenline was originally planned to extend from Green Road to Brainard in Pepper Pike, but financial setbacks in the 1930s prevented its completion. The arrival of I-271 in the 1960s cemented the region's reliance on automobiles over the train system.
