Westland, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Westland is a city in Wayne County
Wayne County, Michigan
-History:Wayne County was one of the first counties formed when the Northwest Territory was organized. It was named for the American general "Mad Anthony" Wayne. It originally encompassed the entire area of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, as well as small sections that are now part of northern...

 in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. It is located about 16 miles (26 km) west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094.

Politics

The current mayor of Westland is William (Bill) Wild. During his first term as President of the Westland City Council, Mr. Wild was appointed as mayor after Mayor Sandra A. Cicirelli was elected as judge of the 18th District Court in November 2006. Mr. Wild took office in January 2007 and continues to serve as mayor.

In the judicial branch of government, the Honorable Sandra A. Ference Cicirelli and the Honorable Mark A. McConnell. Cicirelli has served all three branches of government in the City of Westland. She has not only been a lawyer, but has helped lead the city as Council President, Mayor, and currently Judge.

The legislative body of Westland is the City Council, which contains seven members. The current President of the City Council is James Godbout.

In addition to Mr. Godbout, Michael Kherer, William (Bill) Johnson and Dewey Reeves, the three newest members are Christine Cicirelli Bryant, Mariem Kadi, and Adam Hammons, recently elected as of November, 2009. Several members' terms were ending, and therefore Charles Pikering, Robert Stottlemeyer, & Cheryl Graunstadt stepped down from their positions. Ranking in the following order for the election, Cicirelli Bryant, Reeves,Kadi, then Hammons, they will all serve a four year term duration with the exception of Hammons, with a two year term.

Early history

During the 18th century, the area was inhabited by the people of a Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...

 Indian village. Other tribes, particularly three Algonquian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...

 tribes, used the area as hunting territory.

Before becoming Westland, the area had several other names. Though white settlers did not begin to settle the area until about 1824, they began passing through at the beginning of the 19th century.

Bucklin Township was first organized in 1827 and included what is now the cities of Westland, Livonia
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...

, Garden City
Garden City, Michigan
Garden City is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,692. The city is part of the Metro Detroit region.- History :...

, Inkster
Inkster, Michigan
Inkster is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. It is one of several suburbs in Metro Detroit whose population is majority or plurality African American.- History :...

, Wayne
Wayne, Michigan
Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, southwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 17,593...

, Dearborn
Dearborn, Michigan
-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

, Dearborn Heights
Dearborn Heights, Michigan
Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County, in the Detroit metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 57,774 at the 2010 census.-History:...

 and Redford Township
Redford Township, Michigan
The U.S. Census Bureau also defined Redford Township as a census-designated place in the 2000 Census so that the community would appear on the list of places as well on the list of county subdivisions...

.

By an act of the Michigan Territorial Legislature, October 20, 1829, Bucklin was divided into Lima and Richland townships. However, due to a naming conflict under postal regulations at that time, Lima was renamed Nankin Township
Nankin Township, Michigan
Nankin Township, Michigan, is a former township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan.The township was first organized in 1827 as "Bucklin Township" and included what is now the cities of Westland, Livonia, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Redford Township. In...

, after the Chinese city Nanking
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...

, and Richland as Pekin Township, named after Peking
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, though Pekin became Redford Township in 1833.

In 1835, Livonia Township
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...

 was split off from Nankin. Wayne
Wayne, Michigan
Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, southwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 17,593...

 incorporated as a village in 1869 and as a city in 1960. Garden City
Garden City, Michigan
Garden City is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,692. The city is part of the Metro Detroit region.- History :...

 incorporated as a village in 1927 and as a city in 1933. Inkster
Inkster, Michigan
Inkster is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2010 census, the city population was 25,369. It is one of several suburbs in Metro Detroit whose population is majority or plurality African American.- History :...

 incorporated as a village in 1926 and as a city in 1964.

Nankin Mills
Nankin Mills Nature Center
The Nankin Mills Nature Center is a historic and nature interpretive center located at 33175 Ann Arbor Trail in Westland, Michigan. It was originally built as a grist mill, and was one of Henry Ford's "village industries." The mill was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in...

 (located at 33175 Ann Arbor Trail) was built in 1842 as a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...

 and used by area farmers who once farmed this area. In 1916, Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...

 purchased the mill and restored it as part of his Village Industries
Village industries
Henry Ford's Village Industries were small factories located in rural areas of Michigan. Ford developed his Village Industries in part to provide farm workers a stable source of income during the winter months.-Philosophy:...

 project devised as a way to allow farmers to work in the growing auto industry without having to move off their farms. Once restored, the mill was used to make stencil
Stencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...

s for Ford Motor Company. The automaker eventually sold the mill to Wayne County, and the historic building is now home to Wayne County Parks, which houses an interpretive center with exhibits on the natural and cultural history of the area and also hosts community events.

The Norwayne subdivision is one of the oldest areas of the city, having existed for over 65 years. The area was built immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 to provide temporary housing for returning soldiers who worked in nearby factories. Presently, Norwayne is an area that has long been neglected and includes substandard multi-unit duplexes
Duplex (building)
The term duplex can be used to describe several different dwelling unit configurations:A duplex house is defined as a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two families. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a...

 and four-plexes in various degrees of disarray. Please see the Norwayne Google Map for a list of primary rental owners along with the district border and schools. In late 2009 the City of Westland received $2.061 million to radically clean up, restore and rehabilitate this historic district. This is through Stimulus/Recovery funds and was allocated under the NSP - Neighborhood Stabilization Program of 2008. Please see the City of Westland Development for additional details. This project is expected to be completed by 2013 and was highlighted in the 2009 State of the City mayoral address.

Later history

By 1960, Nankin's population had increased to 70,000, giving the area the distinction of being the world's largest township. During the early 1960s, the city of Livonia wanted to annex the part of Nankin in which a large shopping mall, Westland Shopping Center
Westland Center
Westland Center is an enclosed shopping mall located in the city of Westland, Michigan, an inner-ring suburb of Detroit. The mall features more than 100 inline stores, with JCPenney, Sears, Macy's and Kohl's serving as anchor stores.-History:...

, was to be built. The shopping center eventually opened in 1965, joining Northland, Southland and Eastland malls in other Detroit Metro cities. In reaction to Livonia's annexation attempts, the people of Nankin voted on May 16, 1966, to change the remainder of the township to the City of Westland. At that time, it was the fourth largest city in Wayne County.

Education

Westland and the city of Wayne form the Wayne-Westland Community School District. There are four high schools, John Glenn
John Glenn High School (Westland, Michigan)
John Glenn High School is a public high school in Westland, Michigan. It is a part of the Wayne-Westland Community Schools district. The school mascot is a rocket.-History:...

, Tinkham Center, and William D. Ford Career Tech Center in Westland, and Wayne Memorial in Wayne. Nearly all students that live in the city of Wayne go to Wayne Memorial, along with some residents of the cities of Belleville, Inkster, Romulus and southern Westland. Students in central Westland and portions of northern Westland, as well as isolated areas of neighboring Inkster and Canton, attend John Glenn High School. The northernmost portions of Westland are in the Livonia Public Schools
Livonia Public Schools
Livonia Public Schools is a public school district in southeastern Michigan Metro Detroit area, serving most of the city of Livonia and the northernmost portions of Westland. It is one of the top 5 ranked school districts in Michigan, as it has been since the 1960s...

 district.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 20.5 square miles (53.1 km²), of which 0.05% is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 86,602 people, 36,533 households, and 22,248 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 4,234.9 per square mile (1,635.1/km²). There were 38,077 housing units at an average density of 1,862.0 per square mile (718.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.21% White, 6.77% African American, 0.46% Native American, 2.81% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.47% of the population.

There were 36,533 households out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 33.9% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,308, and the median income for a family was $55,323. Males had a median income of $45,111 versus $30,143 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $22,615. About 4.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

As of census 2010 the population of Westland was 84,094. The ethnic and racial composition was 73.5% Non-Hispanic white, 17.2% African-American, 0.5% Native American, 3.0% Asian, 0.2% Non-Hispanic some other race, 2.4% Two or more races and 3.8% Hispanic or Latino.

City services

Westland has a full-time police department and fire department. The fire department offers advanced EMS
Emergency medical services
Emergency medical services are a type of emergency service dedicated to providing out-of-hospital acute medical care and/or transport to definitive care, to patients with illnesses and injuries which the patient, or the medical practitioner, believes constitutes a medical emergency...

, fire protection and prevention, and several specialized rescue teams.

The Westland Public Library
Westland Public Library
The William P. Faust Westland Public Library serves the community of Westland, MI, a community in Southeastern Michigan with a population of 86,602. The building opened in November 1996 and is located at 6123 Central City Pkwy, Westland, MI 48185. The library is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays...

offers books, magazines, CDs, playaways, videos, DVDs and electronic materials through access to subscription databases.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK