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Taylor Michigan

Taylor is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 65,868 at the 2000 census. Taylor was originally known as Taylor Township and residents of the township voted to incorporate as the City of Taylor in May 1968.

Taylor Township was named in honor of Zachary Taylor, a national military hero in the 1840s, who would go on to be elected the twelfth President of the United States in 1849. Taylor Township was organized on March 16, 1847 from 24 square miles (62 km ) that were originally part of Ecorse Township, Michigan.

Taylor is home to one of two Gibraltar Trade Center locations in the Metro Detroit area, and is a member of the Downriver Community. Taylor is home to the Southland Shopping Center, the Wallside Windows Factory, the Taylor Sportsplex, the Taylor Meadows Golf Course, the Lakes of Taylor Golf Course, the Oakwood Heritage Hospital, the Michigan State Police Metro South Post and the Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus. The City of Taylor has a large park named Heritage Park that features: ball diamonds, soccer fields, pavilions, grills, picnic tables, restrooms, swimming pool, playground, historic buildings, shops, catch and release fishing pond, 1/3 mile walking path, path system, old growth nature area, park benches, picnic area, playground, plus a petting farm. The park is home to the Taylor South Little League, the Junior League World Series and the Taylor Soccer Club.

Allen Park

Allen Park is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 29,376. It is part of the collection of communities known as Downriver.

Ford Motor Company is an integral part of the community, many of the company's offices and facilities lie within city limits. Since 2002, Allen Park has also been the practice home of the Detroit Lions, and is the site of the team headquarters.

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,376 people, 11,974 households, and 8,202 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,189.7 per square mile (1,618.0/km ). There were 12,254 housing units at an average density of 1,747.7/sq mi (674.9/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 95.60% White, 0.73% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.73% of the population.

Dearborn

Dearborn is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the Detroit metropolitan area and Wayne County, and is the tenth largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 97,775. The city is the hometown of Henry Ford and the world headquarters of the Ford Motor Company, and the site of a University of Michigan campus as well as Henry Ford Community College. Dearborn is the home of Michigan's leading tourist attraction, The Henry Ford (also known as the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village), the nation's largest indoor-outdoor American history museum and entertainment complex. Notable buildings in the city skyline include the Hyatt Regency Dearborn located across from Fairlane Town Center mall.

The Dearborn area was first settled by Europeans in 1786.  The village of Dearborn was established in 1836, named after patriot Henry Dearborn, a General in the American Revolution and Secretary of War under President Thomas Jefferson. Its origins as a city trace back to a January 1929 consolidation vote which established its present-day borders by merging Dearborn and neighboring Fordson (previously known as Springwells) which feared being absorbed into Detroit. The area between the two towns was, and still remains in part undeveloped. This, once farm land, was bought by Henry Ford who built his estate, Fair Lane, and Ford Motor Company World Headquarters on it. Later developments in this corridor were the Ford airport, (later converted to the Dearborn Proving Grounds), other Ford administrative and development facilities, The Henry Ford village and museum, the Henry Ford Centennial Library, Fairlane Town Center and the Dearborn Civic Center. Some of the land remains open as of 2005 and is planted with sunflowers and often in Henry Ford's favorite soybeans, presumably for property tax reduction purposes. The crops are never harvested.

Dearborn was known nationally for its de facto racial segregation under Mayor Orville L. Hubbard, whose 36 year tenure ended in 1978. Hubbard became the most famous segregationist north of the Mason-Dixon line and openly admitted to allowing the use of intimidation tactics against African-American families looking to move to Dearborn.

This unsubtle policy is, in part, responsible for the minute black population in Dearborn today. Hubbard was known for running a highly effective government, so residents overlooked or laughed at his politically incorrect statements, which also targeted Irish and Italians (who make up much of the city's population). Hubbard was never as powerful or influential as Henry Ford or the Ford Motor Company. Ford was known to treat African-Americans well, which attracted them to Detroit to work at his factories. Even into the late 20th Century, many felt municipal "residents only" policies in Dearborn parks were racially motivated.

In the early 1960s, Dearborn began to see a rapidly growing Arab population, the vast majority of them being Lebanese. Most had been newly arrived immigrants, but many others were second and third generation Arabs fleeing Detroit, which was beginning to see massive White Flight and decline. Today, Arabs are over a third of Dearborn's population, and although some groups such as the Lebanese have stabilized, others such as the Iraqis have been coming in larger numbers. The vast majority of these Arabs are Muslims, different from the predominately Christian Arabs who populated Metro Detroit in the first half of the twentieth century.

Since 2000 the number of African-Americans in the city of Dearborn has grown by over 100%, showing that the legacy of Hubbard is no longer as dominant on Dearborn as it once was.

Southgate

Southgate is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 30,136 at the 2000 census.

Southgate was the last city to incorporate from the former Ecorse Township, gaining city status in October 1958. The city is bounded by Goddard Road to the north; M-85/Fort Street on the east, Pennsylvania Road to the south, and Allen Road to the west.

Southgate currently houses the headquarters and processing plant of The News-Herald , a local Downriver newspaper which covers over twenty surrounding communities. During the late 1950s and 1960s, The Southgate Sentinel, a Mellus newspaper, was published.

Southgate also houses Splash Park and the Downriver YMCA. Southgate also has the headquarters for ASC or American Speciality Cars.Southgate is the Heart of Downriver.

There are two accounts of the city's name: Southgate is described in local guides as being the "South Gate" or entrance to the Metro Detroit area. "A metropolitan daily picture story" in late 1956 also gave this explanation.

Southgate's first mayor, Thomas J. Anderson, also stated in 1956 that the name originated from the newly-built Southgate Shopping Center in the middle of the city. "We were trying to get a separate post office for our community, and were advised that it would help our cause if the township board passed a resolution creating an unincorporated village," Anderson explained. "The name Southgate was chosen because of the shopping center then under consideration, and the board agreed that it was an appropriate name. The resolution was adopted at a regular meeting in the early summer of 1953."

Thomas Anderson became the city's first mayor in 1958 after having been Ecorse Township's supervisor for the previous five years. Anderson also has the High School named after him.