Westland (Michigan)
| Westland | |
|---|---|
 Westland City Hall |
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| Location in county and Michigan | |
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| Basic data | |
| Foundation : | 1966 |
| State : | United States |
| State : | Michigan |
| County : | Wayne County |
| Coordinates : | 42 ° 19 ′ N , 83 ° 24 ′ W |
| Time zone : | Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 ) |
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Inhabitants : - Metropolitan Area : |
84,504 (status: 2006) 4,488,335 (status: 2006) |
| Population density : | 1,594.4 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Area : | 53.0 km 2 (approx. 20 mi 2 ) of which 53.0 km 2 (approx. 20 mi 2 ) are land |
| Height : | 199 m |
| Postcodes : | 48185, 48186 |
| Area code : | +1 734 |
| FIPS : | 26-86000 |
| GNIS ID : | 1616212 |
| Website : | www.cityofwestland.com |
| Mayor : | William R. Wild |
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the US state of Michigan . As of 2000, Westland had about 86,000 inhabitants. The city was formed from Nankin Township in 1966 and was then considered a bedroom community for the surrounding factories in Detroit , Wayne and Ypsilanti .
geography
The city is 25 km west of Detroit. Michigan State Route 153 runs through the southern half of the city . The US Highway 12 runs south past Westland. The Middle Rouge River meanders through Westland. His run is accompanied by a parkway called Edward N. Hines Drive .
history
After the end of the Revolutionary War , the Michigan Territory was created in 1805 . The settlement of Michigan began with the construction of the Erie Canal . The area of Westlands was ceded to the United States by Indian tribes in the Treaty of Detroit in 1807, along with the southeastern part of Michigan and northwest Ohio. The first settlers settled in the present city limits of Westland in 1818. A Potawatomi tribe led by Chief Tonquish lived on the Rouge River . Tonguish had been a signatory to the Detroit Treaty, which gave his tribe a two-mile reservation along the Rouge River. The Indians also retained the hunting rights in the ceded areas as long as the land was still owned by the American federal government. There have been repeated clashes between Indians and whites over hunting rights and entering populated areas. In one such incident, Tonquish and his son were shot dead by settlers within what is now the city limits in 1819. His grave at the confluence of Tonquish Creek and River Rouge has been preserved.
Bucklin Township , named after William Bucklin, was founded in 1827, and today it includes Westland, Wayne , Garden City , Inkster , Livonia , Dearborn , Dearborn Heights and Redford . Because of the increase in population, Bucklin Township was divided again in 1829. Originally they were to be called two new townships Lima and Richland, but townships with such names already existed: a Lima and a Richland existed, for example. B. in New York since 1808 or 1807. Therefore, in honor of the then very popular American missionaries in China, the names Nankin Township (after Nanking ) and Pekin Township (after Beijing ) were chosen . Today's Westland is in the area of what was then Nankin Township . In 1835 Nankin Township split into the northern part (today's Livonia ) and the southern part, which kept the name Nankin . In 1869 Wayne split off from Nankin Township , followed by Garden City and Inkster in 1927 .
In 1953, Julius and William Schwartz divided the suburb of Annapolis Park in what is now Westland into 354 lots, which they sold specifically to black Americans. Detroit's population had risen to 300,000 as a result of the boom caused by the boom in the arms and auto industries. Due to various forms of discrimination, blacks could only live in a few parts of the city. In 2006, the neighborhood with 351 buildings was added to the National Register of Historic Places .
In 1963 the foundation stone was laid for the Westland Mall , one of the first completely covered malls in the region. In 1966 Westland became independent as City .
Municipal institutions and schools
The City Council is made up of seven members who are elected at large . Westland has a professional fire department. The municipal police have around 100 employed police officers, the majority of whom are on patrol duty.
Westland and the neighboring city of Wayne have formed a joint school district that has four high schools , three in Westland and one in Wayne. The Wayne Memorial High School is mainly of students from Wayne and from adjacent areas in the cities of Belleville, Inkster and Romulus visited and the southern parts of Westlands. Students who live in the north of the city attend schools in the neighboring school district of Livonia .
Known residents
- Gregory Jbara , born (* 1961) actor in Nankin Township in today's West Country
- Josh Gracin (* 1980), country musician, made famous by American Idol , was born in Westland
- Chris Conner (* 1983), ice hockey player, born in Westland
literature
- Daryl Bailey, Sherrye Bailey: Westland: Images of America . Arcadia Publishing, Charleston SC 2004, ISBN 0-7385-3268-1 . ( Preview in Google Book Search)
Web links
- Westland official website
- More Westland History ( Memento from July 20, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Daryl Bailey, Sherrye Bailey: Westland: Images of America . Arcadia Publishing, Charleston SC 2004, pp. 7-8.
- ↑ State of Michigan historic marker (PDF; 315 kB) at State of Michigan (accessed June 21, 2011)