Westland Michigan History & Facts

Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about 16 miles (26 km) west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094. It is the 10th largest city and 12th largest municipality in Michigan.

During the 18th century, the area was inhabited by the people of a Potawatomi Native American village. Other tribes, particularly three Algonquian tribes, used the area as hunting territory. Though white settlers did not begin to settle the area until about 1824, they began passing through at the beginning of the 19th century.

Before becoming Westland, the area had several other names. In 1827, the area became known as Bucklin Township, which included what is now the cities of Westland, Livonia, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Redford Township. In 1829, it was proposed that Bucklin Township be divided into Lima and Richland; the former is what eventually became Westland. Due to name conflicts under territorial law prohibiting duplication of post office names, Lima was renamed Nankin Township, after the Chinese city of Nanking.

Nankin Township was mostly rural until World War II. Norwayne subdivision is one of the oldest areas of the city, having existed for over 65 years. The area was built immediately after World War II to provide temporary housing for returning soldiers who worked in nearby factories.

By 1960, Nankin Township's population had increased to 70,000, giving the area the distinction of being the state's largest township. During the early 1960s, the city of Livonia wanted to annex the part of Nankin in which a large shopping mall, Westland Shopping Center, was to be built. The shopping center eventually opened in 1965, joining Northland and Eastland malls in Southfield and Harper Woods, respectively. In reaction to Livonia's annexation attempts, the people of Nankin voted on May 16, 1966, to change the remainder of the township to the City of Westland. At that time, it was the fourth largest city in Wayne County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 20.45 square miles (52.97 km2), of which 20.43 square miles (52.91 km2) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km2) is water.

Famous Peoples From Westland Michigan

Josh Gracin

Joshua Mario Gracin (born October 18, 1980) is an American country music singer. A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of American Idol.

After his elimination from the show, Gracin completed his service in the Marine Corps, and after his honorable discharge, he signed a record deal with Lyric Street Records. His self-titled debut album was released in 2004. It produced a number one hit, "Nothin' to Lose", and two more top five hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. His second album, We Weren't Crazy, followed in 2008. This album produced five more chart singles, including a top ten in its title track. After signing with Average Joe's in 2010 he released "Cover Girl."

Gracin was born on October 18, 1980, to Mario and Brenda Gracin, and was raised in Westland, Michigan. He has four sisters: Stacy, April, Melissa and Kristen. He grew up listening to Elvis, the Beatles and to vintage rock and pop on a favorite local station. When he was 11 the station changed its format to country, and he was introduced to artists such as Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, George Strait and Randy Travis. These artist's songs immediately caught his interest. "There’s not another genre that better reflects situations in my life," Gracin said. His vocal debut was in an Easter musical presented by his local church. His first public appearance was at an eighth grade talent competition where he sang Brooks' 1993 hit "Standing Outside the Fire" and easily won over an audience full of more traditional dance music-loving cohorts.

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