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West Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, West Bloomfield is located roughly 27 miles (43.5 km) from downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 65,888.[3]
West Bloomfield Township, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Charter Township of West Bloomfield | |
 West Bloomfield Township Sign at 14 Mile Road and M-10 | |
 Location within Oakland County | |
  West Bloomfield Township Location within the state of Michigan | |
| Coordinates: 42°34′16″N 83°22′29″W / 42.57111°N 83.37472°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Oakland |
| Established | 1833 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Supervisor-Board of trustees |
| • Supervisor | Steven Kaplan |
| • Clerk | Debbie Binder |
| • Treasurer | Teri Weingarden |
| • Trustees | Jim Manna, Diane Rosenfeld Swimmer, Jonathan Warshay, Howard Rosenberg |
| Area | |
| • Charter township | 31.2 sq mi (80.9 km2) |
| • Land | 27.3 sq mi (70.8 km2) |
| • Water | 3.9 sq mi (10.1 km2) 12.49% |
| Elevation | 984 ft (300 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Charter township | 65,888 |
| • Density | 2,369.5/sq mi (914.9/km2) |
| • Metro | 4,296,250 (Metro Detroit) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | 48302, 48320, 48322–48325, 48328 |
| Area code(s) | 248 |
| FIPS code | 26-85480[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1627244[2] |
| Website | Official website |
Communities
edit- Westacres is an unincorporated community in the township at Keith and Commerce Roads (42°36′00″N 83°25′30″W / 42.60000°N 83.42500°W Elevation: 925 ft (282 m).).[4]
Geography
editWest Bloomfield is sometimes referred to by its residents as the "lake township of Oakland County",[5] due to it being heavily dotted with small and medium-sized lakes. Cass Lake, the largest lake in the county, is in part of West Bloomfield, and Pine Lake, which has a private country club on its shore, is only a few miles away from Cass and lies completely within West Bloomfield. In addition, directly west of Pine Lake is Orchard Lake, which also has a private country club on its shore. Orchard Lake is surrounded by the city of Orchard Lake Village. Several smaller lakes are scattered around these larger ones.
Orchard Lake Road runs north–south through the middle of the township and is the main artery of West Bloomfield's economy along with West Maple Road (15 Mile Rd.), flanked on each side by long strip malls and shopping complexes. There are many high-end boutique stores and expensive restaurants to visit. Most of the township's population growth has occurred since the 1960s, as many residents moved there from the inner ring Detroit suburbs. West Bloomfield is located in south-central Oakland County about 10 miles (20 km) to the northwest from the Detroit city limits and has borders with Bloomfield Township to its east, Farmington Hills to its south, Commerce Township to its west, and four communities to its north: Waterford Township, Orchard Lake Village, Keego Harbor, and Sylvan Lake. The communities of West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake Village, Keego Harbor, and Sylvan Lake make up what is known as Greater West Bloomfield.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 31.2 square miles (81 km2), of which 27.3 square miles (71 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2), or 12.49%, is water.
Education
edit
West Bloomfield Township is serviced by seven school districts, more than any other municipality in Oakland County. The school districts that serve the township are the West Bloomfield School District, Waterford School District, Farmington Public Schools, Birmingham City School District, Pontiac School District, Walled Lake School District, and the Bloomfield Hills School District.[6]
West Bloomfield High School and the Frankel Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit are in West Bloomfield proper, and St. Mary's Preparatory is in Orchard Lake Village.
Catholic schools are under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. St. William Catholic Church, which includes portions of West Bloomfield in its service area, operates St. William Catholic School, a K–8 school in Walled Lake.[7]
The West Bloomfield Township Public Library serves West Bloomfield. In 1999 this library and the Awaji City Library in Awaji, Hyogo, Japan were paired as sister institutions.[8]
Religion
editWest Bloomfield is home to the largest Jewish population in Michigan. Catholic Churches are under the Archdiocese of Detroit. Prince of Peace Church is in West Bloomfield.[9] St. William Church in Walled Lake includes portions of West Bloomfield in its service area.[7]
Demographics
editAs of the census[1] of 2010, there were 64,690 people, 24,411 households, and 18,040 families living in the township. The population density was 2,374.3 inhabitants per square mile (916.7/km2). There were 24,410 housing units at an average density of 893.6 units per square mile (345.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 77.6% White, 11.4% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.4% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.[10]
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 64,860 people, 23,414 households, and 18,192 families living in the township. The population density was 2,374.3 inhabitants per square mile (916.7/km2). There were 24,410 housing units at an average density of 893.6 units per square mile (345.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 84.25% White, 5.18% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 7.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 2.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population.
There were 23,414 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.5% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the township, 26.4% of the population was under the age of 18, 5.2% was between 18 and 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the township was $98,832, and the median income for a family was $113,191.[11] Males had a median income of $74,557 versus $45,339 for females. The per capita income for the township was $44,885. About 1.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 and over.
Ethnic groups
editWest Bloomfield has a large Jewish population.[12] It is home to the Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit and the Frankel Jewish Academy, a Jewish community high school.
West Bloomfield also has a large Chaldo-Assyrian population. In 2004 the Chaldean Cultural Center, the largest of its kind in the United States, was established in the township.[13]
As of April 2013, West Bloomfield had the third largest Japanese national population in the state of Michigan, at 1,047.[14]
Notable people
edit- Rucka Rucka Ali, rapper, radio personality, singer, comedian, and satirist most noted for his song parodies on YouTube
- Justin Bartha, actor, most notable for The Hangover Trilogy and the National Treasure series
- Jack Berry, sports journalist for The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press[15]
- Meryl Davis, Olympic ice dancer who won the gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia
- Pamela Eldred, Miss America 1970
- Dan Gheesling, winner of Big Brother 10 and runner-up of Big Brother 14
- Joe Ginsberg, former baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers
- Adam Grant, psychologist
- Brandon T. Jackson, actor, appears in Tropic Thunder, and Percy Jackson
- Kyle Mack, Olympic snowboarder, who won silver medal in Men's Big Air at Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics
- Dana Nessel, Michigan Attorney General
- Adetokunbo Ogundeji, outside linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons
- Jesse Palter, modern jazz singer
- Karen Clark Sheard, gospel singer
- Bruce Ableson, social media pioneer
- Donovan Edwards, University of Michigan running back
- Jack Kevorkian, Assisted Suicide advocate, lived in West Bloomfield Township from 1994 until his conviction in 1999 in a home owned by his lawyer.[16]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "West Bloomfield Township". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), West Bloomfield charter township, Oakland County, Michigan". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Westacres, Michigan & GNIS in Google Map
- ^ "West Bloomfield Described," Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society, Accessed June 23, 2007 Archive accessed September 11, 2013.
- ^ "School District Map 2013" (Archive). West Bloomfield Township. Retrieved on June 30, 2015.
- ^ a b "Home". St. William Catholic Church. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
Our parish boundaries incorporate approximately 45 square miles, including [...] parts of West Bloomfield[...]
- ^ Hubred-Golden, Joni. "Students from Japan Visit West Bloomfield Library." (Archive) West Bloomfield Patch. July 31, 2013. Retrieved on November 10, 2013.
- ^ "Prince of Peace Parish". Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ System Unavailable
- ^ [1] Archived February 12, 2020, at archive.today
- ^ Levin, Doron P. "WEST BLOOMFIELD JOURNAL; Jews and Ethnic Iraqis: A Neighborhood's Story." The New York Times. December 17, 1990. Retrieved on September 11, 2013.
- ^ "Arab, Chaldean, and Middle Eastern Children and Families in the Tri-County Area." (Archive) From a Child's Perspective: Detroit Metropolitan Census 2000 Fact Sheets Series. Wayne State University. Volume 4, Issue 2, February 2004. p. 2/32. Retrieved on November 8, 2013.
- ^ Stone, Cal. "State's Japanese employees increasing." (Archive) Observer & Eccentric. Gannett Company. April 11, 2013. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
- ^ "Veteran Detroit-Area Sportswriter Jack Berry Named Recipient of PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism Award - The Golf Wire". The Golf Wire. February 15, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ Death Becomes Him, Vanity Fair July 1994. Retrieved on 19 January 2024 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kevorkian/aboutk/vanityfair.html
External links
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