Westland (Michigan)
Wayne County
26-86000
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Westland had with stand 2000, about 86,000 inhabitants. The city was formed in 1966 from the Nankin Township, and was considered a bedroom community for the nearby factories in Detroit, Wayne and Ypsilanti.
Geography
The city is located 25 km west of Detroit. Through the southern half of the city area runs the Michigan State Route 153 U.S. Highway 12 leads south past Westland. The Middle Rouge River meanders through Westland. Its course is accompanied by a parkway named Edward N. Hines Drive.
History
After the end of the Revolutionary War, the Michigan Territory was created in 1805. The colonization of Michigan began the construction of the Erie Canal. The area was ceded Westlands in the Treaty of Detroit along with the southeastern part of Michigan and Northwest Ohio in 1807 by Native American tribes to the United States. In the present city limits of Westland in 1818, the first settlers settled. At the Rouge River lived a guided chief of Tonquish Potawatomi tribe. Tonguish had one of the signatories of the Treaty of Detroit, of his tribe a reservation of two miles in length along the Rouge River zusprach. Also the hunting rights in the ceded territories kept the Indians, as long as the land was still owned by the federal government. About hunting rights or enter any populated area, there were repeated clashes between Indians and whites. In such an incident Tonquish was shot in 1819 along with his son by settlers within the present city limits. His grave at the mouth of Tonquish Creek in the River Rouge is obtained.
1827, named after William Bucklin Bucklin Township was established on the territory of today are Westland, Wayne, Garden City, Inkster, Livonia, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Redford. Because of the Bevölkerungszuwaches Bucklin Township in 1829 was divided again. Originally they were called two new townships Lima and Richland, but townships such a name already existed: a Lima and Richland example, there was in New York since 1808 and in 1807. therefore chose to honor the then very popular American missionaries in China for the names of Nankin Township ( Nanking ) and Pekin Township ( to Beijing ). Today's West Country is in the area of the former Nankin Township. 1835 Nankin Township split into the northern part (the present Livonia ) and in the southern part, which retained the name Nankin. 1869 Wayne split off from Nankin Township, 1927, followed by Garden City and Inkster.
1953 Julius and William Schwartz shared the suburb of Annapolis park in today's Westland in 354 plots on which they sold specifically at black Americans. The population of Detroit had risen to 300,000 as a result of the boom, the rapid recovery of the defense and automotive industry had herviorgerufen. Black could live through various forms of discrimination only in a few districts. In 2006, the district was recorded with 351 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1963 the cornerstone was laid for the Westland Mall, one of the first completely covered malls in the region. 1966 Westland was self-employed as City.
Municipal organizations and schools
The City Council is composed of seven members who are elected at large. Westland has a professional fire department. The local police has about 100 salaried officers, the majority of which is used on patrol.
Westland and the neighboring town of Wayne have a common school district formed, in which there are four high schools, three of them in Westland and one in Wayne. The Wayne Memorial High School is frequented by students from Wayne and from adjacent areas in the cities of Belleville, Romulus and Inkster as well as the southern parts of Westlands. Students who live in the north of the city, attend schools in neighboring school district of Livonia.
Memorable people
- Gregory Jbara (* 1961), actor, born in Nankin Township in what is now West Country
- Josh Gracin ( born 1980 ), country musician made famous by American Idol, born in Westland
- Chris Conner ( b. 1983 ), ice hockey player, born in Westland