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Livonia

Livonia, Michigan, is a safe, well-planned 36 square mile community of residential, industrial, commercial, and civic development. The City's motto proclaims "Families First" in Livonia. With a population over 96,000, Livonia is the third-largest city in Wayne County and the ninth largest city in Michigan. Even with its large population, Livonia has successfully nurtured a welcoming, hometown atmosphere while maintaining a strong emphasis on public safety and public services. Livonia also offers the lowest total tax rate of any city in Wayne County!

Livonia's students benefit from two quality public school systems - Livonia Public Schools and the Clarenceville School District - as well as numerous parochial schools. Livonia is also home to Madonna University and Schoolcraft College, plus satellite-campus facilities for four other universities. A superior education system produces a skilled workforce. There are some 4,000 businesses in Livonia. Major local employers include Ford Motor Company, Amazon, United Parcel Services (UPS), Roush Enterprises, NYX Inc., ZF TRW, McLaren Performance Technologies, Trinity Health, and St. Mary Mercy Hospital. City residents appreciate a wide variety of retail, dining, and entertainment options, including Laurel Park Place Mall, College Park, Wonderland Village, and the Livonia Marketplace Mall. Livonia enjoys a strategic location second-to-none in the region, with easy access via the Jeffries Expressway (I-96) and the I-275 Expressway. Residents can drive to nearly all of Metro Detroit's major venues in less than 30-minutes, including Downtown Detroit, Detroit Metro Airport, and Ann Arbor. Livonia's industrial and manufacturing heart is largely concentrated in a 6-square-mile corridor, which offers major railroad and highway access to all of the metropolitan region.

Music, arts ,and historical charm are celebrated and embraced. The Livonia Symphony Orchestra, Livonia Civic Chorus, Music from the Heart outdoor summer concert series, Brown Bag Lunch Concerts, three city libraries, Trinity House, Motor City Youth Theatre, Greenmead Historical Village, and Wilson Barn are just a few examples of Livonia's thriving cultural fiber.

History & Demographics

First settled by pioneers from New England and New York, an act by the Legislature of the Territory of Michigan established the borders of Livonia Township on March 17, 1835. The settlers brought with them the name "Livonia", a name that had already been given to Livonia, New York, Livonia, Pennsylvania and a region of the Baltic Sea named Livonia in present-day Estonia and Latvia, from which many early settlers came. During the days of the city being a township, many small communities have existed. One of these was Elmwood, initially known as McKinley's Station. It was a stop on the Detroit, Lansing, and Northern Railroad. It had a post office from 1858 until 1906. There was a post office in the township named Giltedge from 1899 until 1902.

Livonia was incorporated into a city on May 23, 1950, by vote of the citizens of the township.

As of the census of 2010, there were 96,942 people, 38,714 households, and 26,856 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,715.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 40,401 housing units at an average density of 1,131.7 per square mile (437.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.0% White, 3.4% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population.

Related Links

Detailed Community ProfileCity Of Livonia Web Site Livonia Retail Study

Senior Business Development Manager

David Schreiber, MUP
dschreiber@waynecounty.com
313.967.6421
David leads business retention and expansion in Western Wayne County, as well as initiatives related to sustainability, the Aerotropolis, and business attraction.