Farmington Hills, Michigan

Farmington Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 79,740 at the 2010 census.[5] It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is the second most-populated city in Oakland County after the city of Troy.

Farmington Hills, Michigan
City
City of Farmington Hills
Farmington Hills City Hall in 2012
Location within Oakland County
Farmington Hills
Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 42°29′07″N 83°22′37″W
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyOakland
Settled1824
Organized1827 (township)
Incorporated1973 (city)
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorVicki Barnett
 • ManagerDave Boyer
Area
 • City33.30 sq mi (86.24 km2)
 • Land33.27 sq mi (86.16 km2)
 • Water0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation
860 ft (262 m)
Population
 • City79,740
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
80,612
 • Density2,423.11/sq mi (935.58/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[4]
WebsiteOfficial website

Farmington Hills consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States, as well as in the state of Michigan. In 2010, the area ranked as the 30th safest city in the U.S.[6][7] Farmington Hills also ranks as the 36th highest-income place in the United States with a population of 50,000 or more and ranks as 14th America's best cities to live by 24/7 Wall St.[8]

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.

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.[9]

Geography

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.[10]

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 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 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]

In 1839, a post office named East Farmington was opened, but it closed in 1842.[12]

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.

Economy
See also: Economy of metropolitan Detroit
Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas Offices - as of 2019, Hitachi was the 4th largest employer in the city.

Gale, an educational publishing company owned by Cengage Learning, and the auto loan company TD Auto Finance, are located in Farmington Hills.[13]

The Nissan Technical Center North America and Nissan Trading Corp. are located in Farmington Hills.[14] 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, several scientists were doing research on 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.[15] The technical center opened in November 1991 at a cost of $80 million.[16] In 2005 Nissan opened a $14 million design studio in Farmington Hills, and the Nissan AZEAL was the first car to be designed there.[17]

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc. operates the Farmington Hills Office in Farmington Hills.[18] Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc. has its headquarters in Farmington Hills.[19] The office is a sales and service office of Hino Motors, a truck subsidiary of Toyota. In 2005 Governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm celebrated the office's opening.[20]

A business park in the 12 Mile and Halsted area houses offices of Panasonic, Greenpath, and Mercedes Benz. Panasonic moved into 90,000 square feet (8,400 m2) of leased space there in 2012, with plans to hire 60 full-time employees for a research and design center. That space was unoccupied for four years and was previously leased by Motorola.[21] Mango Languages, a language learning software company, is also headquartered here.

According to the city's 2019 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[22] 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 Cengage Learning Gale 500
10 Mahle 500

Government

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 (Dr. Ken Massey, elected in 2015) and six council members serving an unlimited number of 4-year terms (Dr. Randy Bruce, Richard Lerner, Michael Bridges, Valerie Knol, Samantha Steckloff elected in 2013 and Dr. Theresa Rich elected in 2015). The city council appoints a City Manager (currently: Dave Boyer), 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 neighbor to Farmington. Together, the cities form a district represented in Michigan's State House District 37 by Democrat Christine Greig. Farmington Hills is part of State Senate District 14, represented by Democrat Brenda Lawrence.

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
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
198058,056—
199074,61128.5%
200082,11110.1%
201079,740−2.9%
Est. 201980,612[3]1.1%
2018 Estimate[23]

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 the most prosperous suburbs in the nation with a household net worth of $725,120. 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.

2010 census

As of the census[2] 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.[24]

2000 census

As of the census[25] 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 per square mile (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 90.2 males.

Education

Primary and secondary schools
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.[26]

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, Highmeadow Common Campus, 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 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,[27] and Our Lady of Sorrows School is in Farmington.[28] 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

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

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.

Facilities

Hunters Square (formerly the Tally Hall food court) is a Shopping Center on Orchard Lake and 14 Mile. Orchard 12 Plaza is a Shopping Center on Orchard Lake and 12 Mile.

Notable people

Notable current and former residents include:

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See also

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "Farmington Hills". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  5. "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Farmington Hills city, Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  6. Profile, muniweb.fhgov.com; accessed June 26, 2015.
  7. Ashford, Kate; Bartz, Andrea; Cox, Jeff; Fitch, Asa; Gandel, Stephen; Hyatt, Josh; Kelley, Rob; Knight, Kathleen; et al. "55. Farmington, Mich". CNN.
  8. "America's 50 Best Cities to Live". 247wallst.com. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  9. Farmington Hills Holocaust Memorial Center website, holocaustcenter.org; accessed June 26, 2015.
  10. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-25.
  11. Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
  12. Romig, Michigan Place Names, p. 169
  13. "Contact and Support". Gale. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  14. "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"
  15. Szczesny, Joseph. "Nissan to hire 150 engineers in Farmington Hills." The Oakland Press. Tuesday January 10, 2012. Retrieved on November 20, 2012.
  16. 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.
  17. "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,[...]"
  18. "Contact Us." Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc. Retrieved on September 30, 2013. "Farmington Hills Office 34500 Grand River Avenue Farmington Hills, MI 48335"
  19. "Contact Us Archived 2013-10-01 at WebCite." Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A., Inc.. Retrieved on November 6, 2012. "37777 Interchange Drive Farmington Hills, MI 48335"
  20. "Gov. Granholm courts Japanese truckmaker." The Detroit News. July 24, 2005. Retrieved on November 6, 2013. ID: det21954883.
  21. "Panasonic sets up R&D center - and 60 jobs - in Farmington Hills." Metro D Media. Issue Media Group, LLC. Thursday April 19, 2012. Retrieved on November 6, 2013.
  22. "City of Farmington Hills - Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2019". June 30, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  23. "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  24. Stone, Cal. "State's Japanese employees increasing." (Archive) Observer & Eccentric. Gannett Company. April 11, 2013. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
  25. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  26. Runkle, Anne. "Construction on new recreation center at Harrison High to begin in fall". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  27. "Home". St. Fabian School. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  28. "About Us". Our Lady of Sorrows School. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  29. "Forbes profile: Donald Foss". Forbes. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  30. Pierre, Meaghan St (11 August 2016). "Olympic gymnast opens studio, dreams of winning gold again as coach". WDIV. Retrieved 2 December 2016.

Sources
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