Highland Park

City of Highland Park
—  City  —
Location in Wayne County and the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 42°24′13″N 83°6′6″W / 42.40361°N 83.10167°W / 42.40361; -83.10167
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Wayne
Incorporated (village)	1889
Incorporated (city)	1918
Government
- Type	Council-Mayor
- Mayor	Hubert Yopp
Area
- Total	2.9 sq mi (7.5 km2)
- Land	2.9 sq mi (7.7 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	636 ft (194 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	16,746
- Density	5,622.9/sq mi (2,171.0/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48203
Area code(s)	313
FIPS code	26-38180[1]
GNIS feature ID	0628251[2]
Website	http://www.highlandparkcity.us/

Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,746 at the 2000 census. The city is completely surrounded by Detroit except a small portion that touches the city of Hamtramck, which is also surrounded by Detroit.

History

Highland Park Presbyterian Church

Highland Park Ford Plant

Soul Harvest Ministries

The area that was to become Highland Park started off as a small farming community, on a large ridge, six miles north of Detroit in the early 1800s. In 1818, prominent Detroit judge Augustus B. Woodward bought the ridge, and platted the village of Woodwardville in 1825. The development of the village failed. Another Detroit judge, Benjamin F.H. Witherell, son of Michigan Supreme Court justice James Witherell, attempted to found a village on this site in 1836, but this plan also failed.

By 1873, the settlement was given a post office under the name of Whitewood. After a succession of closures and reopenings of the rural post office, the settlement was finally incorporated as a village within Greenfield Township and Hamtramck Township under the name of Highland Park in 1889.^[3]

Upon the completion of Highland Park Ford Plant in 1909, the area's population dramatically increased just a few years later in 1913, when Henry Ford opened the first assembly line at the Highland Park Ford Plant. The village of Highland Park was incorporated as a city in 1918 ^[4] to protect its tax base, including its successful Ford plant, from Detroit's expanding boundaries.

In 1910 Highland Park, then a village, had 4,120 residents. Between 1910 and 1920 Highland Park's population grew by 1,081 percent. The growth of Highland Park and neighboring Hamtramck broke records for increases of population; both municipalities withstood annexation efforts from Detroit.^[5]

In 1944, the Davison Freeway, the world's first modern limited access urban expressway (freeway),^{[dubious – discuss]} was opened, running through the center of the city. The freeway was completely reconstructed and widened to improve its safety in 1996 to 1997.^[6]

Ford Motor Company closed the Highland Park plant in the late 1950s, and in the late decades of the 20th century the city experienced many of the same difficulties as Detroit - declines in population and tax base accompanied by an increase in street crime. White flight from the city accelerated after the 1967 Detroit 12th Street Riot. The city became heavily black and impoverished by the 1980s.

Once known as "The City of Trees," the town was thickly forested until the 1970s, when Dutch elm disease caused many old trees to be cut down.

In June 2001, because of the city's mounting fiscal crisis, the city was appointed an emergency financial manager under the supervision of the state of Michigan. In April 2009, state officials fired Arthur Blackwell as Highland Park's emergency financial manager over overpayments Blackwell received. ^[7]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2009)

Geography

Craftsman-style house in Highland Park

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.6 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 16,746 people, 6,199 households, and 3,521 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,622.9 per square mile (2,169.7/km²). There were 7,249 housing units at an average density of 2,434.1/sq mi (939.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.44% African American, 4.11% White, 0.27% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.57% of the population. Most of the White population is of Chaldean descent.^{[citation needed]}

There were 6,199 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 17.0% were married couples living together, 33.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. 38.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.43.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $17,737, and the median income for a family was $26,484. Males had a median income of $31,014 versus $26,186 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,121. About 32.1% of families and 38.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.1% of those under age 18 and 30.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Highland Park Police Department was re-established on July 1, 2007.^[8]

The United States Postal Service operates the Highland Park Post Office at 13215 Woodward Avenue.^[9]

Economy

Chrysler was headquartered in Highland Park until the early 1990s, when it moved to Auburn Hills. In 2009 Magna International announced plans to start an automotive seat production operation in the former Chrysler headquarters.^[10]

Education

McGregor Library in Highland Park was once the city's public library.

Highland Park is served by Highland Park Schools, which includes three elementary schools, Highland Park Community High School, and an adult education/vocational school.

Highland Park Community College was located in Highland Park before its 1996 closing.^[11] It had previously been known as Highland Park Junior College.

In 1918 Katherine and Tracy McGregor, wealthy individuals, deeded the property of a facility for "homeless, crippled, and backward children."^[12] The McGregor Public Library opened on that site in 1924.^[13] The library closed in 2002. Around 2007 the city began efforts to re-open the library.^[14]

In film

• The 2008 movie Gran Torino, starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, is primarily set in Highland Park.
• 122 Beresford Street in Highland Park served as the filming location for a scene in the 2000 film 8 Mile where several of the movie's characters burn down an abandoned home.
• October 2009 - A movie entitled "Highland Park" is in production stages and is currently being filmed in the city of Highland Park starring Danny Glover.

References

External links

• Official Website of the City of Highland Park

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