Walled Lake is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Walled Lake is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,246.
History
The town's name is said to have been given by the first American settler, Walter Hewitt, in 1825. Upon his arrival, he noticed what appeared to be a stone wall along the western bank of a nearby lake, possibly constructed by earlier Potawatomi Indian tribes.
Walled Lake was a village inhabited by Ojibwa and Potowatamie people until about 1830. It appears that these people had relocated from an earlier village in the area that is today Southfield.
Resting spots along the Underground Railroad, where runaway slaves could sleep and eat, were called "depots". One of these was the Foster Farmhouse (built in 1833) in Walled Lake, which served as a refuge for those making their way to freedom in Canada. The Foster Farmhouse was located on Pontiac Trail near 15 mile road until 1997, when it was moved to Riley Park in downtown Walled Lake to avoid demolition.
In the 1920s Herman chankush ordered the Walled Lake amusement park to be built. He died in 1928, but the park finally opened on memorial Day of 1929. It prospered for 39 years until competition with Edgewater Park and Boblo island led to its closure in 1968.
In September 2022, a QAnon adherent and local resident shot multiple members of his family before being killed by police.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Walled Lake is north of the City of Novi and east of the City of Wixom.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Walled Lake had a population of 7,250. The median age was 43.1 years. 16.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.1 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 3,571 households in Walled Lake, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 32.1% were married-couple households, 25.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 42.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 6,999 people, 3,347 households, and 1,771 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,689 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.7% White, 4.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, 2.8% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.9% of the population.
There were 3,347 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.4% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 47.1% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.82.
The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 19.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.2% were from 45 to 64; and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.6% male and 53.4% female.
2000 census
As of the census
!District
!Representative
!Party
!Since
|-
|11th
|Haley Stevens
| |Democratic
|2019
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Michigan Senate
!District
!Senator
!Party
!Since
|-
|13th
|Rosemary Bayer
| |Democratic
|2023
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Michigan House of Representatives
!District
!Representative
!Party
!Since
|-
|49th
|Ann Bollin
| |Republican
|2023
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Oakland County Board of Commissioners
!District
!Commissioner
!Party
!Since
|-
|14th
|Ajay Raman
| |Democratic
|2023
|}
Police services
In February 2007 Walled Lake and Wolverine Lake agreed to share police services; Walled Lake took responsibility for dispatch services, and all police operations in Wolverine Lake were moved to Walled Lake. Since then Wolverine Lake has separated, having its own police station once again. The district's Community Education Center is also in Walled Lake. Most of the city is zoned to these schools. Portions are zoned to Meadowbrook Elementary School and Hickory Woods Elementary School.
Portions are zoned to James R. Geisler Middle School, and portions are zoned to Sarah Banks Middle School. Most of Walled Lake is zoned to Walled Lake Western High School, while a portion of Walled Lake is zoned to Walled Lake Central High School.
Roman Catholic schools are under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. St. William Catholic School (K–8) is in Walled Lake.
Religion
St. William Church in Walled Lake includes Walled Lake in its service area.