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Farmington Hills, Michigan

Coordinates: 42°29′07″N 83°22′37″W / 42.48528°N 83.37694°W / 42.48528; -83.37694
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Farmington Hills, Michigan
City
City of Farmington Hills
Farmington Hills City Hall in 2012
Farmington Hills City Hall in 2012
Flag of Farmington Hills, Michigan
Flag
Official logo of Farmington Hills, Michigan
Logo
Location within Oakland County
Location within Oakland County
Farmington Hills is located in Michigan
Farmington Hills
Farmington Hills
Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 42°29′07″N 83°22′37″W / 42.48528°N 83.37694°W / 42.48528; -83.37694
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyOakland
Settled1824
Organized1827 (township)
Incorporated1973 (city)
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorTheresa Rich
 • ManagerGary Mekjian
Area
[1]
 • City33.30 sq mi (86.24 km2)
 • Land33.27 sq mi (86.16 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.07 km2)
Elevation
860 ft (262 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City83,986
 • Density2,524.53/sq mi (974.72/km2)
 • Metro
4,285,832 (Metro Detroit)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)
48331, 48334–48336
Area code(s)248
FIPS code26-27440
GNIS feature ID1616988[2]
Websitefhgov.com

Farmington Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Farmington Hills is located roughly 22 miles (35.4 km) from downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 83,986, making it the second-largest community in Oakland County.[3]

Farmington Hills consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States, as well as in the state of Michigan. The area ranked as the 30th safest city in the U.S. in 2010 and as the 2nd safest city in Michigan in 2020.[4][5][6] Farmington Hills also ranks as the 36th highest-income place in the United States with a population of 50,000 or more and ranked as 14th America's best cities to live by 24/7 Wall St. in 2016.[7]

Although the two cities have separate services and addresses, Farmington and Farmington Hills are often thought of as the same community. These two cities combined were part of Farmington Township in the time of the Northwest Territory. Features of the community include a recently renovated downtown, boutiques, a vintage cinema, numerous restaurants, exotic car dealerships, art galleries, and public parks including Heritage Park. There are several historical sites including the Longacre House and the Governor Warner Mansion. Both cities are served by Farmington Public Schools and the Farmington Community Library.

Farmington Hills is the home of the Holocaust Memorial Center, the only Holocaust memorial in the State of Michigan. The center's mission is to educate the public about the tragedy and evils of the Holocaust. The Holocaust Memorial Center was originally located in neighboring West Bloomfield Township, but has since expanded and moved to its current facility.[8]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.31 square miles (86.27 km2), of which 33.28 square miles (86.19 km2) is land and 0.03 square miles (0.08 km2) is water.[9]

History

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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 families and associates to clear the land. The settlement became known as Quakertown. A post office was established in February 1826 with the name of Farmington. The original post office is still standing today, and is a designated historical site. The township of Farmington was organized in 1827, and the settlement was incorporated as the village of Farmington in the winter of 1866–67. A fire on October 9, 1872, destroyed many buildings in the village center. Farmington was incorporated as a city in 1926.

A small settlement was 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 a 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 1839, a post office named East Farmington was opened, but it closed in 1842.[10]

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 functioned until September 1902.[11]

Before the remainder of Farmington Township was incorporated as the city of Farmington Hills, there were two other incorporated entities within its boundaries. The first began as a subdivision named Quaker Valley Farms that was 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, who named it after a New England estate. It was incorporated as a village in 1957.[11] The villages, together with the remainder of Farmington Township, were incorporated into the City of Farmington Hills in 1973. The City grew rapidly throughout the mid-20th century.

Economy

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See also: Economy of metropolitan Detroit

Farmington Hills is home to the headquarters of numerous major companies, including Gale, Mango Languages, 5-Hour Energy, and The Sharper Image,[12] as well as the United States headquarters of Bosch,[13] Mercedes-Benz Financial Services,[14] and TD Auto Finance.[15]

The city was also previously home to the headquarters of Compuware,[16] White Motor Company,[17] A&W Restaurants,[18] and Michigan National Bank.[19]

Nissan's North American technical center is located in Farmington Hills.[20] The Nissan technical center handled project engineering of vehicle bodies used in North America and Latin America. It also has a small laboratory, where as of 2012, research is being conducted with hydrogen fuel cells. The company planned to add electrical battery and recharging of electrical vehicle research to the laboratory. As of January 2012 the technical center had 800 full-time employees. At that time Nissan planned to hire 150 more engineers to work in the technical center.[21] The technical center opened in November 1991 at a cost of $80 million.[22] In 2005, Nissan added a $14 million design studio at their Farmington Hills campus, and the Nissan AZEAL was the first car to be designed there.[23]

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc. maintains an office in Farmington Hills,[24] as does Panasonic Automotive Systems.[25] Lordstown Motors operates a research and development center in Farmington Hills.[26]

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[27] the top local employers are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Beaumont Hospital 2,500
2 Robert Bosch Corporation 1,400
3 Nissan Technical Center North America 1,200
4 Hitachi 1,200
5 Farmington Public Schools 1,100
6 TRW Automotive Electronics 650
7 Mercedes-Benz Financial Services 650
8 Concentrix 550
9 Gale 500
10 Mahle 500

Government

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Farmington Hills utilizes the Council-Manager form of government, and thus is governed by a City Council consisting of a Mayor who can serve two 2-year terms (Theresa Rich, elected in 2023) and six council members[28] serving an unlimited number of 4-year terms (Jackie Boleware, elected in 2023; Valerie Knol, elected in 2021; Michael Bridges, elected in 2021; Randy Bruce, elected in 2021; Bill Dwyer, elected in 2023; and Jon Aldred, elected in 2023). The city council appoints a City Manager (currently: Gary Mekjian), who manages the day-to-day operations of the city; a City Clerk who maintains all City Codes, Ordinances, Resolutions and other legal documents (currently Pam Smith); and a City Attorney who acts as legal advisor and representative for all City matters (currently Steve Joppich).

Farmington Hills is part of Michigan's State House Districts 18, 19 and 21.  It is represented in the State Senate as part of Districts 6 and 13.

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 helped to build the Riley Skate Park (the largest skate park in the Midwest), and sends delegates to the National League of Cities (NLC) conferences, has articles published in the local newspaper, helps run citywide 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.

In 2006, a public meeting was held in Farmington Hills to discuss the possible merger of the two cities 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 department.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
198058,056—
199074,61128.5%
200082,11110.1%
201079,740−2.9%
202083,9865.3%
2018 Estimate[29]

According to a 2015 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $93,274, and the median income for a family was $198,136. Males had a median income of $61,757 versus $39,540 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,134. Farmington Hills is well known for its luxury estates, its rolling hills, and is also listed on Forbes as one of the most prosperous suburbs in the US, with a household net worth of $725,120.[citation needed] 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.

2020 census

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As of the census[3] of 2020, there were 83,986 people residing in the city, and 33,972 households. The population density was 2,396.0 inhabitants per square mile (925.1/km2). The racial makeup (including Hispanics in the racial categories) of the city was 62.7% White, 19.9% Black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 14.1% Asian, and 2.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

Farmington Hills, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[30] Pop 2010[31] Pop 2020[32] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 67,250 54,466 49,603 81.90% 68.30% 59.06%
Black or African American alone (NH) 5,681 13,768 15,268 6.92% 17.27% 18.18%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 132 139 110 0.16% 0.17% 0.13%
Asian alone (NH) 6,184 8,063 12,867 7.53% 10.11% 15.32%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 14 12 20 0.02% 0.02% 0.02%
Other race alone (NH) 145 144 374 0.18% 0.18% 0.45%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) 1,494 1,604 3,104 1.82% 2.01% 3.70%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 1,211 1,544 2,640 1.47% 1.94% 3.14%
Total 82,111 79,740 83,986 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2010 census

[edit]

As of the census[33] of 2010, there were 79,740 people, 33,559 households, and 21,412 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,396.0 inhabitants per square mile (925.1/km2). There were 36,178 housing units at an average density of 1,087.1 per square mile (419.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 69.7% White, 17.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 10.1% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

There were 33,559 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.00.

The median age in the city was 42.1 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.2% were from 25 to 44; 30.2% were from 45 to 64; and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.

In April 2013, Farmington Hills had the fourth largest Japanese national population in the state of Michigan, at 589.[34]

Road in Residential area, Farmington Hills MI

2000 census

[edit]

As of the census[35] 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 inhabitants per square mile (952.3/km2). There were 34,858 housing units at an average density of 1,047.0 per square mile (404.2/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 90.2 males.

Education

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Primary and secondary schools

[edit]
Oakland Community College, Orchard Ridge Campus

Most of Farmington Hills is served by Farmington Public Schools, which is shared with nearby Farmington. Farmington Hills is home to North Farmington High School, while Farmington High School in Farmington also serves portions of Farmington Hills. Farmington Hills is also served by an alternative high school, Farmington Central. From 1970 until its closing in 2019, Harrison High School also operated in the city, before being converted into a community center, named The Hawk.[36]

Farmington Hills also encompasses parts of the Clarenceville School District, and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District.

Mercy High School

Farmington Hills is also home to multiple elementary and middle schools. The elementary schools consist of grades Kindergarten through 5th and the middle schools take grades 6 through 8. The elementary schools include Beechview Elementary School, Forest Elementary School, Gill Elementary School, Hillside Elementary School, Kenbrook Elementary School, Lanigan Elementary School, Longacre Elementary School, and Wood Creek Elementary School. The three middle schools are East Middle School, Power Middle School and Warner Middle School. O.E. Dunckel Middle School was closed in the spring of 2016 with a view to being relaunched as a K-8 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) school.

The area includes several private schools, including two parochial Catholic schools, Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Fabian, run by the Archdiocese of Detroit. St. Fabian is in Farmington Hills,[37] and Our Lady of Sorrows School is in Farmington.[38] Farmington Hills also includes an all-girls Catholic high school, Mercy High School, one Lutheran school, Concordia Lutheran School/St. Paul's Lutheran Preschool, and a non-denominational Jewish day school, Hillel Day School.

Colleges and universities

[edit]

The city also contains branches of Oakland Community College and Wayne State University, and is the home of the Michigan School of Professional Psychology.

Transportation

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Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus transit.

The major thoroughfares in the city are 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 people

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Notable current and former residents include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  2. ^ "Farmington Hills". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  3. ^ a b "QuickFacts: Farmington Hills city, Michigan". U.S. Census Bureau.
  4. ^ Profile, muniweb.fhgov.com; accessed June 26, 2015.
  5. ^ Ashford, Kate; Bartz, Andrea; Cox, Jeff; Fitch, Asa; Gandel, Stephen; Hyatt, Josh; Kelley, Rob; Knight, Kathleen; et al. "55. Farmington, Mich". CNN.
  6. ^ "Munetrix Releases List of Safest Cities in Michigan". Munetrix. November 17, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  7. ^ "America's 50 Best Cities to Live". 247wallst.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  8. ^ Farmington Hills Holocaust Memorial Center website, holocaustcenter.org; accessed June 26, 2015.
  9. ^ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  10. ^ Romig, Michigan Place Names, p. 169
  11. ^ a b Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
  12. ^ "Contact and Support". Gale. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  13. ^ "Corporate information". Bosch in the USA. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  14. ^ "Locations". Mercedes-Benz Financial Services. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  15. ^ "TD Auto Finance LLC – Company Profile and News". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  16. ^ "Contact Us". Compuware. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  17. ^ "Daily Kent Stater 29 January 1980 — Kent State University". dks.library.kent.edu. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  18. ^ "Seafood Chain's Plan Approved". The New York Times. August 20, 1999. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  19. ^ Eliasohn, Michael. "Michigan National Bank name to disappear in takeover by Standard Federal Bank owner". The Herald Palladium. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  20. ^ "Nissan in North America Archived 2012-11-16 at the Wayback Machine." Nissan. Retrieved on November 6, 2012. "Nissan Technical Center North America 39001 Sunrise Drive P.O. Box 9200 Farmington Hills, MI 48333-9200" and "Nissan Trading Corp., U.S.A. 38505 Country Club Drive, Suite 200 Farmington Hills, MI 48331"
  21. ^ Szczesny, Joseph. "Nissan to hire 150 engineers in Farmington Hills[permanent dead link]." The Oakland Press. Tuesday January 10, 2012. Retrieved on November 20, 2012.
  22. ^ Cohen, Sharon. "Metamorphosis in Motown." Associated Press at The Ledger. Thursday December 26, 1991. p. 7C. Retrieved from Google News (95 of 121) on November 19, 2013.
  23. ^ "Michigan studio to drive new Nissan look." The Detroit News. March 18, 2005. Retrieved on November 6, 2013. ID: det21098142. "The Azeal was the first model designed at Nissan's Farmington Hills studio,[...]"
  24. ^ "Contact Us." Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc. Retrieved on September 30, 2013. "Farmington Hills Office 34500 Grand River Avenue Farmington Hills, MI 48335"
  25. ^ "About Automotive Solutions | Panasonic Automotive Solutions". na.panasonic.com. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  26. ^ Hall, Kalea (November 17, 2020). "Lordstown Motors puts R&D center in Farmington Hills". The Detroit News. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  27. ^ "City of Farmington Hills - Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2019". Farmington Hills, MI. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  28. ^ "Mayor and City Council". Farmington Hills, MI. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023.
  29. ^ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  30. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Farmington Hills city, Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  31. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Farmington Hills city, Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Farmington Hills city, Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  33. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  34. ^ Stone, Cal. "State's Japanese employees increasing." (Archive) Observer & Eccentric. Gannett Company. April 11, 2013. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  35. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  36. ^ Runkle, Anne. "Construction on new recreation center at Harrison High to begin in fall". The Oakland Press. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  37. ^ "Home". St. Fabian School. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  38. ^ "About Us". Our Lady of Sorrows School. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  39. ^ "Forbes profile: Donald Foss". Forbes. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  40. ^ Pierre, Meaghan St (August 11, 2016). "Olympic gymnast opens studio, dreams of winning gold again as coach". WDIV. Retrieved December 2, 2016.

Sources

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