Northville, Michigan

Northville is a city in Wayne and Oakland counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Northville is located roughly northwest of Detroit, and northeast of Ann Arbor. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 6,119. It is entirely surrounded by Northville Township to the south, and Novi to the north.

History

Settlement

thumb|left|View of NE side of Main St, frame building built in 1830 by John Miller

European Americans first settled Northville in 1825 and was incorporated as a Village in 1867. It was not incorporated as a City until 1955. Originally one of two communities within Plymouth Township, Northville Township split off in 1898 to form its own township.

The first land patent in the Northville area was granted to Gideon Benton in 1823; the current Cass Benton Park is located here. The first settlers did not arrive, however, until 1825. Many of these first settlers were originally from central and western New York State, with ancestors in New England. Others came from the nearby, already settled Plymouth community to Northville.

Among these early settlers were Alanson Aldrich, followed by Alvale Smith, who sold his property to John Miller. Miller built the first mill in Plymouth Township, sometime between 1825 and 1828. Mill Race Historical Village is now preserved at this site. Many employees of the mill began to build their houses near it. Northville was named for its relation north of Plymouth.

In 1827, Northville was home to a post office, and Gideon Benton was the US postmaster. Also in 1827, J.F. Davis, became the first resident doctor in Northville. A tailor, a tavern, a shoe shop, and two blacksmiths also started business in the village. Many of Northville's first settlers' surnames became namesakes for contemporary street names today. These include Rufus Thayer Jr. (Thayer Blvd.), Joseph Yerkes (Yerkes St.), Daniel and Samuel Cady (Cady St.), William Dunlap (Dunlap St.), and other settlers. The first church was constructed in 1836 by a Methodist congregation.

Victorian era

Northville continued to grow throughout the Victorian era. This is evident in the architecture around downtown where many homes are in the Queen Anne style. Northville's Victorian heritage is celebrated every September in the Victorian Festival, which was recently rechristened the "Heritage Festival".

The first schoolhouse in Northville opened in 1853 and was taught by Jacob Ramsdell. Northville was incorporated as a village in 1867 from a portion of Plymouth Township. When Northville was more rural, skiing was popular and tournaments were held often. In 1944, Northville Downs opened as the first nighttime harness racing track in Michigan. The Downs were built on the site of the former Wayne County Fair, where Joe Louis trained in 1939 for his World Championship later that same year. Northville Downs stayed in continuous operation from 1944 to 2024 and was located at the corner of Center Street and 7 Mile Road.

Mill Race Village

In 1972, the historic Mill Race Village was opened on the site of John Miller's gristmill, made possible by a donation from Ford Motor Company. Historic buildings were colocated here to represent a typical gathering of early buildings and uses. Located on Griswold Avenue, the complex includes the following:

The New School Church, formerly used as the Northville District Library, which is still operating as a church
Farmers Market - May through October - Farmers market held each Thursday at temporary location of Highland Lakes Shopping Center, 43039 W. Seven Mile, Northville
Northville Grub Crawl - July - Ticketholders are shuttled to various area restaurants for samplings of their offerings.
Heritage Festival (renamed from "Victorian Festival" in 2016) - September - Large event with games, magic shows, music, rides, and art in Downtown Northville where booth operators and parade participants wear traditional Victorian outfits to celebrate the city's heritage, since 1989
Summer Friday Night Concerts - June to August - Concerts on Friday nights in Town Square, since 1986
Holiday Lighted Parade - Held on a Friday night in November every year

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Northville city, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020

!% 2000

!% 2010

!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020

|White alone (NH)

|6,145

|5,498

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,395

|95.14%

|92.09%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |88.17%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|24

|98

|style='background: #ffffe6; |44

|0.37%

|1.64%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.72%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |7

|0.08%

|0.05%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|Asian alone (NH)

|118

|157

|style='background: #ffffe6; |308

|1.83%

|2.63%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.03%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6

|0.09%

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.10%

|Other race alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |18

|0.12%

|0.10%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|47

|75

|style='background: #ffffe6; |169

|0.73%

|1.26%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.76%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|106

|133

|style='background: #ffffe6; |172

|1.64%

|2.23%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.81%

|Total

|6,459

|5,970

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,119

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Northville had a population of 6,119. The median age was 47.8 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over.

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

There were 2,622 households in Northville, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 56.1% were married-couple households, 15.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Males had a median income of $75,126 versus $41,343 for females. The per capita income for the city was $43,454. About 1.0% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

thumb|left|Downtown Northville

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,970 people, 2,596 households, and 1,643 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,767 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.7% White, 1.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 2.2% of the population.

There were 2,596 households, of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 32.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 45.3 years. 22% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.1% were from 25 to 44; 34.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census in proximity to Northville City.

The largest employment sectors in the city are Manufacturing (663 people), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (656 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (374 people). Other significant areas of employment include management, business/financial operations, and sales-related jobs.

Education

Northville Public Schools is the local school district. Amerman Elementary School and Hillside Middle School are in the Northville city limits. Additionally, portions of Northville are zoned to Moraine Elementary School and Silver Springs Elementary School, both in Northville Township. Additionally some sections of Northville are zoned to Meads Mill Middle School in Northville Township. Northville High School in Northville Township is the zoned high school for all of the Northville District.

Our Lady of Victory School, a Catholic K-8 school, is in Northville. The church established the school in 1950. The first facility, which opened in 1952, had four rooms. An addition with four classrooms and an office was installed for $85,000 (~$ in ) in 1961. An additional two classrooms and a connecting structure to the worship facility were added in 1985. The current 19 classroom facility opened in 2006. the school has over 450 students.

Religion

Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church originated when a priest came to give mass on May 25, 1887. The first church site was acquired in 1905, and a frame building occupied the site. The Northville and Plymouth parishes split in 1922. A $226,000 (~$ in ) church facility opened in the fall of 1956. In 1961 an addition worth $35,000 (~$ in ) was put in the convent. Another rectory was installed in the period from 1967 through 1968.

Notable people

Mike Babcock - former head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
Cooper Barnes - actor raised in Northville
Mary Barra - CEO of General Motors
Martha E. Cram Bates (1839–1905) - writer, journalist, newspaper editor
Gunnar Birkerts (1925–2017) - architect
Dré Bly - NFL cornerback
Daunte Culpepper - NFL quarterback, Detroit Lions
Jennifer Granholm - governor of Michigan, lived in Northville prior to being elected and moving to Lansing.
Mike Henneman - lived in Northville while he was an MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers in the late 1980s and early 1990s
Calvin Johnson - NFL wide receiver, Detroit Lions
Jon Kitna - NFL quarterback
Nicklas Lidström - NHL player, lived in Northville while playing for the Red Wings
Don Massey (1928–2011) - car dealer
Ronna Romney McDaniel - chair of the Republican National Committee from 2017 to 2024
Joe Messina - Motown guitarist, part of The Funk Brothers (1928–2024)
Daniel Milstein - CEO of Gold Star Mortgage Financial Group
Jason Robertson - NHL player
Nick Robertson - NHL player
Jack Roush - CEO of Roush Industries, NASCAR team owner
Larry Santos - singer, actor and composer
Scot Shields - MLB pitcher
Drew Stanton - NFL quarterback
Pete Stoyanovich - NFL kicker, Miami Dolphins
Amy Yakima - winner of So You Think You Can Dance Season 10
Greg Zuerlein - professional figure skater

References

External links

City of Northville
Northville Chamber of Commerce
Northville District Library