Farmington is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Farmington is located roughly from downtown Detroit and is surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Farmington Hills. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 11,594.

The area is known for its historic downtown and Victorian-style homes. Farmington and Farmington Hills are served by Farmington Public Schools and the Farmington Community Library.

History

thumb|Farmington Historic District

Farmington was the site of three Native American trails - the Orchard Lake Trail, the Grand River Trail, and the Shiawassee Trail.

Farmington was founded in 1824 by Arthur Power. Like many Oakland County pioneers, he hailed from the state of New York. Power was a Quaker, as were the settlers who joined him, and the town was first known as Quakertown. In 1826 the name Farmington was officially chosen because it was the name of Power's hometown, Farmington, New York.

The name Farmington, which properly refers to the municipality incorporated in the early 19th century, is sometimes erroneously used to refer to the neighboring city of Farmington Hills (Farmington Township until 1973), which surrounds it.

In 1976 the National Register of Historic Places declared part of the city the Farmington Historic District.

Since 2009, the city's downtown has been the center of an extensive renovation and remodeling featuring a refacing or rebuilding of many buildings on Grand River Avenue, as well as brick paver sidewalks, the Farmington Pavilion, new lighting, and landscaping. In 2007 CNNMoney.com listed Farmington as number 55 in its Best Places to Live survey. Farmington was also ranked 27th on the list for Best to Live in 2013, citing nearly US$3 million in additional city renovations and development, bumping its rank up.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Climate

<!-- Infobox ends -->

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Farmington had a population of 11,597. The median age was 38.3 years. 18.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 5,306 households in Farmington, of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.8% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 36.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Government

Farmington utilizes the council-manager form of government. It is governed by a 5-member city council, whose members serve at-large. Council elections are held on a nonpartisan basis in odd-numbered years, in which the top two vote-getters are elected to council for four-year terms, and the third-place finisher is elected for a two-year term. Following elections, the council elects one of its members to serve as mayor, and another as mayor pro tempore, for a two-year term.

{| class="wikitable"

|+Current councilmembers

!Councilmember

!Serving since

!Term expires

|-

|Joe LaRussa (mayor 2023–2025)

|2017

|2027

|-

|Johnna Balk (mayor pro tempore 2023–2025)

|2021

|2027

|-

|Kevin Parkins

|2023

|2025

|-

|Steven Schneemann

|2015

|2025

|-

|Maria Taylor

|2017

|2025

|}

The city council appoints a city manager, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the city, as well as a city attorney, clerk, treasurer, and assessor. Other department officers are appointed by the city manager.

!District

!Representative

!Party

!Since

|-

|11th

|Haley Stevens

| |Democratic

|2019

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Michigan Senate

!District

!Senator

!Party

!Since

|-

|6th

|Mary Cavanagh

| |Democratic

|2023

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Michigan House of Representatives

!District

!Representative

!Party

!Since

|-

|18th

|Jason Hoskins

| |Democratic

|2023

|-

|21st

|Kelly Breen

| |Democratic

|2023

|}

{| class="wikitable"

|+Oakland County Board of Commissioners

!District

!Commissioner

!Party

!Since

|-

|16th

|William Miller

| |Democratic

|2019

|}

Education

thumb|[[Farmington High School (Michigan)|Farmington High School]]

Farmington is located in the Farmington Public Schools district. Farmington High School and Longacre Elementary School, as well as the district's administrative offices, are located within Farmington, while the rest of the district's schools are in neighboring Farmington Hills. Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School, established in 1935, is also located in Farmington.

Library

Farmington is served by the Farmington Community Library, which has a branch in downtown Farmington alongside its main location in Farmington Hills.

Notable sites

The former Farmington Winery building is located on Grand River Avenue just west of Orchard Lake Road and houses the "Haunted Winery" during the Halloween season.

Media

In addition to The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, regional newspapers serving all of southeast Michigan, the city is served by two community newspapers. The Farmington Observer is published twice a week, on Sunday and Thursday. The Farmington Press is published weekly. The Oakland Press covers all of Oakland County.

Recognition

In 2007, CNNMoney.com listed Farmington as number 55 in their Best Places to Live survey.

Notable people

  • Rex Cawley, gold medalist in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
  • Michael Fougere, mayor of Regina, Saskatchewan
  • Devin Funchess, wide-receiver for the Carolina Panthers
  • Mickey Harris, baseball pitcher
  • Bob Johnson, ice hockey goaltender
  • Brent Johnson, ice hockey player of the Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Khalid Kareem, defensive end for Cincinnati Bengals
  • Robert Patrick, Hollywood actor
  • Martha Smith, actress, notably in Animal House as "Babs" and co-starring in Scarecrow and Mrs. King
  • Drew Stanton, former NFL quarterback

See also

  • Farmington Community Library

References

Specific

General

  • City of Farmington official website
  • Downtown Farmington