Farmington Hills, Michigan

Farmington Hills is a community in Southeastern Michigan. It is the largest city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 82,111 at the 2000 census. It is a northwestern suburb that lies on the border of Metropolitan Detroit, which in turn is also 33 mi northeast of Downtown Ann Arbor.

Oakland County is touted as one of the wealthiest counties in the Midwestern United States, with Farmington Hills being one of the county's top family income areas. In 2007, CNNMoney.com listed the Farmington Hills area its 55th "Best Place to Live." Farmington Hills consistently ranks as one of the safest cities in the United States, as well as in the state of Michigan. In 2010, the area ranked as the 30th safest city in America.

Although the two cities have separate services and addresses, Farmington and Farmington Hills are often thought of as the same community. Features of the community include a recently renovated downtown, boutiques, a vintage cinema, numerous restaurants, exotic car dealerships, art galleries, and one of Oakland County's largest public parks, Heritage Park. There are many historical sites, such as 'The Longacre House' of Farmington Hills, and 'The Governor Warner Mansion'. Both cities are served by Farmington Public Schools, which is one of the top rated public school systems in the state. Farmington Hills serves as a major business center for the greater Detroit area, and possesses the biggest business campus in the county outside of Troy. Due to its shared city borders with some of the wealthiest communities in the region such as West Bloomfield, Franklin Village, Orchard Lake, and Novi, the community's real estate values tend to be higher than those in the city of Farmington.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.3 square miles (86.2 km²), all land.

History
The first white settler in what became Farmington Township, was a Quaker from Farmington, New York, named Arthur Power. He purchased land in 1823 and returned in 1824 with a group of family and associates to clear the land. The settlement became known as Quakertown. A post office was established in January 1826 with the name of Farmington. The township of Farmington was organized in 1827. The settlement incorporated as the village of Farmington in the winter of 1866-67. A fire on October 9, 1872 destroyed many buildings in the center of the village. Farmington incorporated as a city in 1926.

A small settlement also developed in Clarenceville, in the extreme southeast corner of the township on the boundary with Livonia in Wayne County. Stephen Jennings built a tavern and general store to accommodate travelers on the plank road between Detroit and Howell. The name remains in the Clarenceville School District. Even though the school buildings for Clarenceville are in Livonia in Wayne County, the school district serves a portion of Farmington Hills.

In 1847, a post office named North Farmington was established a mile south of the township line as Wolcott's Corners. After the death of postmaster Chauncey D. Walcott in 1865, the office moved to the township line in the northeast quarter of section 4 (near the intersection of 14 Mile Road and Farmington Road). The post office operated until September 1902.

Before the remainder of Farmington Township incorporated as the city of Farmington Hills, there were two other incorporated entities within the boundaries. The first began as a subdivision named Quaker Valley Farms that incorporated as the village of Quakertown in 1959. The other was Wood Creek Farms, developed in 1937 as a subdivision by George Wellington of Franklin, Michigan, who named it after a New England estate. It incorporated as a village in 1957. The villages together with the remainder of Farmington Township incorporated into the City of Farmington Hills in 1973.

In 1964 the city of Farmington started a tradition that became known as the | Founders Festival, celebrating 47 years this Summer. The festival is always held in mid July each Summer and is a fair gathering held in the downtown Farmington area. It's filled with arts and crafts, entertainment shows, good food, friends and family, and a fun atmosphere.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 82,111 people, 33,559 households, and 21,813 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,466.4 per square mile (952.3/km²). There were 34,858 housing units at an average density of 1,047.0 per square mile (404.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.95% White, 6.94% African American, 0.17% Native American, 7.54% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population. 12.6% were of German, 9.1% Polish, 8.3% Irish, 7.1% English and 5.5% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 33,559 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $73,274, and the median income for a family was $93,136. Males had a median income of $61,757 versus $39,540 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,134. About 2.4% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

In 2010 Farmington Hills had a population of 79,740. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 68.3% non-Hispanic white, 17.4% black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 10.1% Asian, 0.2% non-Hispanic reporting some other race, 2.2% reporting two or more races and 1.9% Hispanic or Latino.

Government
Farmington Hills utilizes the Council-Manager form of government, and thus is governed by a City Council consisting of a Mayor (currently: Jerry Ellis) and six council members. The city council appoints a City Manager (currently: Steve Brock), who manages the day-to-day operations of the city.

Farmington Hills is neighbor to Farmington, Michigan. Together, the two cities form a district represented in Michigan's State Government by Democrat Vicki Barnett, who is a former mayor of Farmington Hills. Farmington Hills is part of state senate District 14, and is represented by Democrat Vincent Gregory.

The Mayor's Youth Council is an active teen committee/council who work under the city to help address teen problems and issues. This council is run by the youth, for the youth, and is helping to build the Riley Skate Park (the largest skate park in the midwest), sends delegates to the National League of Cities (NLC) conferences, has articles published in the local newspaper, helps run city wide events, organizes battle of the bands, and hosts their own talk show.

The Commission for Children, Youth and Families - operated in partnership with neighboring Farmington - is dedicated to creating a welcoming community for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. With a special emphasis on volunteerism, community service and education, the Commission partners with the Multi-Racial Multi-Cultural Commission (MRMC), the Commission on Aging, Farmington Public School District and the Farmington Public Library to inform residents on a variety of quality-of-life issues designed to promote wellness, access and knowledge. Currently chaired by Robert Blumenfeld, the Commission has promoted efforts that include depression awareness for teens, "Take Your Kids to Vote," and TV Turn-off Week, and is currently engaging in a revitalization of the community volunteer center.

On Monday, December 18, 2006, a public meeting was held in Farmington Hills to discuss the possible merger of the two cities. This has been an ongoing discussion for years but there had not been any recent formal meetings on the subject. Officials are touting it mainly as a money saving venture, and also as a way to keep the two communities vibrant. Farmington and Farmington Hills already share several services, such as a school district, a library system and a district court, however, both cities utilize their own fire departments, and Farmington has a public safety department rather than a police station.

Economy
At one time Compuware had its headquarters in Farmington Hills. Compuware moved its headquarters and 4,000 employees to Downtown Detroit in 2003. Gale, an educational publishing company owned by Cengage Learning, and the auto loan company Chrysler Financial are located in Farmington Hills. There are also many branches of large corporations in the office campuses recently built. The Nissan Technical Center North America is located in Farmington Hills. Mango Languages, a language learning software company, is also headquartered here.

Top employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Education
The city and Farmington, Michigan also share a school system, Farmington Public Schools. Farmington Hills also encompasses parts of the West Bloomfield School District; the Clarenceville School District; and the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. The city also includes several private schools, including two parochial Catholic schools, Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Fabian, run by the Archdiocese of Detroit, an all-girls Catholic high school, Mercy High School, and a non-denominational Jewish day school Hillel Day School. The city also contains a branch of the Oakland Community College system, as well as a suburban center for Wayne State University, which is based in Detroit, Michigan. It is also home to Farmington High School, North Farmington High School, and Harrison High School. Harrison High School's football team, the Hawks, are also known for excelling at football led by Coach John Herrington who has been the coach since the opening of the school in 1970. Additionally, North Farmington High School hosted presidential candidate Barack Obama for a speech during the 2008 presidential campaign. On May 1, 2010, Barack Obama returned to Michigan as President of the United States to deliver the commencement address for the University of Michigan class of 2010.

Transportation
Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus transit. The major thoroughfares in the city are: Grand River (M-5), Orchard Lake Road, 12 Mile Road, 8 Mile Road, Northwestern Highway, I-696 and I-275. The city contains several freeway interchanges connecting local roads to the two interstates.

Notable residents
Notable current and former residents include:
 * Cam Fowler, NHL hockey player for the Anaheim Ducks
 * Keith Benson, Oakland University basketball player and projected NBA draft pick
 * Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft and currently 32nd richest man in the world.
 * Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems.
 * Elizabeth Berkley, known for her roles on Saved By The Bell (Jessie) and Showgirls.
 * Angela Corsi, winner of Miss Michigan 2006
 * Pam Dawber, known for her role as Mindy on Mork and Mindy.
 * Kirsten Haglund, winner of Miss Michigan (2007) and Miss America (2008)
 * Al Jean, known for his work on The Simpsons
 * Jaime Ray Newman, known for her work on Related and Stargate Atlantis.
 * Drew Stanton, NFL Quarterback for the Detroit Lions, and previous Michigan State player.
 * Neal Rubin, columnist for The Detroit News
 * Governor Fred Warner
 * Fred Toucher Boston Radio DJ for 98.5 The Sports Hub
 * Chris Edwards, meteorologist on WXYZ-TV News
 * Jack Mingo, author and co-founder of the Couch Potatoes, the satirical organization that originated the term
 * Lee Allen, popular mid-1960s disc jockey for WXYZ-Radio
 * Marta Kristen, who played teenage daughter Judy Robinson on television's Lost in Space
 * Ernie Harwell, former radio announcer for the Detroit Tigers
 * James Wolk, Actor