Farmington Hills is an affluent community in
Southeastern Michigan.
It is the
largest city in Oakland County
in the U.S. state of
Michigan
. Its
population was 82,111 at the
2000 census.
It is an upscale,
northwestern suburb of the Detroit
, Michigan
Metropolitan Statistical
Area.
Although
the two cities have separate services and addresses, Farmington
and Farmington Hills are often thought of as the
same community. Features of the community include a recently
renovated downtown, shops, a vintage cinema, numerous restaurants,
upscale car dealerships, art galleries, and one of
Oakland County's largest public parks,
Heritage Park. There are many historical sites, such as 'The
Longacre House' of Farmington Hills, and 'The Governor Warner
Mansion'.
Geography
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.3 square
miles (86.2 km²), all land.
History
The first
white settler in what became Farmington Township, was a Quaker from Farmington, New York
, named Arthur Power. He purchased land in
1823 and returned in 1824 with a group of family and associates to
clear the land. The settlement became known as
Quakertown. A post office was established in
January 1826 with the name of Farmington. The township of
Farmington was organized in 1827.
The settlement incorporated as the village
of Farmington in the winter of 1866-67. A fire on
October 9,
1872 destroyed many
buildings in the center of the village. Farmington incorporated as
a city in 1926.
A small
settlement also developed in Clarenceville, in the
extreme southeast corner of the township on the boundary with
Livonia
in Wayne
County
. Stephen Jennings built a tavern and general
store to accommodate travelers on the plank road between Detroit
and Howell. The name remains in the
Clarenceville School District.
Even though the school buildings for Clarenceville are in Livonia
in Wayne County, the school district serves a portion of Farmington
Hills.
In 1847, a post office named North Farmington was established a
mile south of the township line as Wolcott's Corners. After the
death of postmaster Chauncey D. Walcott in 1865, the office moved
to the township line in the northeast quarter of
section 4 (near the intersection of 14 Mile
Road and Farmington Road). The post office operated until September
1902.
Before the remainder of Farmington Township incorporated as the
city of Farmington Hills, there were two other incorporated
entities within the boundaries. The first began as a subdivision
named Quaker Valley Farms that incorporated as the village of
Quakertown in 1959.
The other was Wood Creek Farms, developed in
1937 as a subdivision by George Wellington of Franklin,
Michigan
, who named it after a New England
estate. It incorporated as a village in
1957. The villages together with the remainder of Farmington
Township incorporated into the City of Farmington Hills.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 82,111
people, 33,559 households, and 21,813 families residing in the
city. The
population density was
2,466.4 per square mile (952.3/km²). There were 34,858 housing
units at an average density of 1,047.0/sq mi (404.3/km²). The
racial makeup of the city was 82.95%
White, 6.94%
African American, 0.17%
Native American, 7.54%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.46% from
other races, and 1.93%
from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.47% of the
population. 12.6% were of
German, 9.1%
Polish, 8.3%
Irish, 7.1%
English and 5.5%
Italian ancestry according to
Census 2000.
There were 33,559 households out of which 29.5% had children under
the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were
married couples living together, 6.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families.
29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age
of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to
64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.According to a
2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was
$73,274, and the median income for a family was $93,136. Males had
a median income of $61,757 versus $39,540 for females. The
per capita income for the city was
$36,134. About 2.4% of families and 4.1% of the population were
below the
poverty line, including 3.2%
of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Farmington Hills utilizes the
Council-Manager form of government, and thus
is governed by a
City Council
consisting of a
Mayor (currently: Jerry Ellis)
and six council members. The city council appoints a
City Manager (currently: Steve Brock), who
manages the day-to-day operations of the city.
Farmington
Hills is neighbor to Farmington, Michigan.
Together, the two cities form a district represented in Michigan's
State Government by Democrat
Vicki Barnett, who is a former mayor of
Farmington Hills. Farmington Hills is part of state senate District
14, and is represented by Democrat Gilda Z. Jacobs.
The Mayor's Youth Council is an active teen committee/council who
work under the city to help address teen problems and issues. This
council is run by the youth, for the youth, and is helping to build
the Riley Skate Park (the largest skate park in the midwest), sends
delegates to the
National
League of Cities (NLC) conferences, has articles published in
the local newspaper, helps run city wide events, organizes battle
of the bands, and hosts their own talk show.
The Commission for Children, Youth and Families - operated in
partnership with neighboring Farmington - is dedicated to creating
a welcoming community for individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
With a special emphasis on volunteerism, community service and
education, the Commission partners with the Multi-Racial
Multi-Cultural Commission (MRMC), the Commission on Aging,
Farmington Public School District and the Farmington Public Library
to inform residents on a variety of quality-of-life issues designed
to promote wellness, access and knowledge. Currently chaired by
Robert Blumenfeld, the Commission has promoted efforts that include
depression awareness for teens, "Take Your Kids to Vote," and TV
Turn-off Week, and is currently engaging in a revitalization of the
community volunteer center.
On Monday, December 18, 2006, a public meeting was held in
Farmington Hills to discuss the possible merger of the two cities.
This has been an ongoing discussion for years but there had not
been any recent formal meetings on the subject. Officials are
touting it mainly as a money saving venture, and also as a way to
keep the two communities vibrant. Farmington and Farmington Hills
already share several services, such as a school district, a
library system and a district court, however, both cities utilize
their own fire departments, and Farmington has a public safety
department rather than a police station.
Education
The city
and Farmington, Michigan also share a
school system, Farmington
Public Schools. Farmington Hills also encompasses parts
of the
West Bloomfield
School District; the
Clarenceville School District;
and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District.
The city also
includes several private schools,
including two parochial Catholic schools
run by the Archdiocese of
Detroit, an all-girls Catholic high
school, Mercy High School
, and a day school affiliated with Conservative Judaism, Hillel Day School. The city also
contains a branch of the Oakland Community College system,
as well as a suburban center for Wayne State University
, which is based in Detroit, Michigan. It is also home to North Farmington High
School and Harrison High School
from which Al Jean, famous
for his work on the animated comedy The
Simpsons, graduated. Harrison High School's football
team, the Hawks, are also known for excelling at football led by
Coach John Herrington who has been the coach since the opening of
the school in 1970. Additionally,
North Farmington High School
hosted
President
Barack Obama for a speech during the
2008 presidential
campaign.
Transportation
Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART)
operates local and regional bus transit.The major thoroughfares in
the city are: Grand River (
M-5), Orchard Lake Road, 12 Mile
Road, 8 Mile Road, Northwestern Highway,
I-696 and
I-275. The city contains several
freeway interchanges connecting local roads to the two
interstates.
Notable residents
- Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft
and currently 32nd richest man in the world.
- Elizabeth Berkley, known for
her roles on Saved By The
Bell (Jessie) and Showgirls.
- Angela Corsi, winner of Miss
Michigan 2006
- Pam Dawber, known for her role as
Mindy on Mork and
Mindy.
- Kirsten Haglund, winner of
Miss Michigan (2007) and Miss America (2008)
- Al Jean, known for his work on
The Simpsons
- Jaime Ray Newman, known for her
work on Related and Stargate Atlantis.
- Drew Stanton,
NFL Quarterback for the Detroit Lions,
and previous Michigan
State
player.
- Neal Rubin, columnist for
The Detroit News
References
- Farmington Hills city, Michigan - Fact Sheet -
American FactFinder
-
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612190406
External links
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Misc
Search
