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Southfield, Michigan

Coordinates:42°28′47″N83°14′42″W/ 42.47972°N 83.24500°W/42.47972; -83.24500
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Southfield, Michigan
City
Left to right from top:Southfield Town Center,American Center,Southfield Public Library,One Towne Square, andLawrence Technological University.
Flag of Southfield, Michigan
Flag
Official seal of Southfield, Michigan
Seal
Nicknames:
SFLD
Motto:
The Center of it All
Location within Oakland County
Location withinOakland County
Southfield is located in Michigan
Southfield
Southfield
Location within the state of Michigan
Southfield is located in the United States
Southfield
Southfield
Location within the United States
Coordinates:42°28′47″N83°14′42″W/ 42.47972°N 83.24500°W/42.47972; -83.24500
CountryUnited StatesUnited States
StateMichiganMichigan
CountyOakland
Organized1830 (asSouthfield Township)
Incorporated1958
Government
• TypeMayor–council
•MayorKenson J. Siver(I)[1]
•ManagerFrederick E. Zorn
Area
[2]
•City26.26 sq mi (68.01 km2)
• Land26.25 sq mi (67.99 km2)
• Water0.01 sq mi (0.01 km2)
Elevation
682 ft (208 m)
Population
(2020)
•City76,618
• Density2,918.45/sq mi (1,126.83/km2)
•Metro
4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zoneUTC−5(EST)
• Summer (DST)UTC−4(EDT)
ZIP Codes
48033–48034, 48037, 48075–48076, 48086
Area code(s)248 and 947
FIPS code26-74900[3]
GNISfeature ID0638439[4]
WebsiteOfficial website

Southfieldis a city inOakland Countyin theU.S. stateofMichigan.An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Southfield borders Detroit to the north, lying roughly 15 miles (24.1 km) northwest of downtownDetroit.As of the2020 census,the city had a population of 76,618.[5]

Southfield is notable as the home of multiple business districts, including theSouthfield City Centre(anedge citywhich contains the tallest building in Detroit's suburbs) and the area surrounding the formerNorthland Centershopping mall. It is also home toLawrence Technological University.The city was originally part ofSouthfield Townshipbefore incorporating in 1958. The autonomous city ofLathrup Villageis an enclave within Southfield.

History

[edit]

Southfield was surveyed in 1817 according to the plan by Michigan territorial governorLewis Cass.[6]The first settlers came from nearbyBirminghamandRoyal Oak, Michigan,as well as New York andVermont.The area that became Southfield was settled by John Daniels in 1823. Among thefounderswere the Heth, Stephens, Harmon, McClelland and Thompson families.

Town 1 north, 10 east was first organized asOssewa Townshipon July 12, 1830, but the name was changed toSouthfield Township17 days later.[6]Thetownshiptook its name from its location in the "south fields" ofBloomfield Township.A US post office was established in 1833 and the first town hall built in 1873.

Travelers Tower 1

The Southfield Fire Department was formed on April 6, 1942, and the Southfield Police Department in 1953.[7]In the 1950s, cities and villages began to incorporate within the township, includingLathrup Villagein 1950, andBeverly Hillsin 1957. Most of what was left of the township was formally incorporated as a city on April 28, 1958, to protect it from annexation attempts by Detroit; whites who had migrated to the suburbs did not want to be associated with Detroit's expanding black community.[8]

City Hall was built in 1964 as part of the new Civic Center complex, which also became home to Southfield's police headquarters. The Civic Center was expanded in 1971 to include a sports arena with swimming pool. Evergreen Hills Golf Course was added in 1972, and in 1978, a new public safety building, theSouthfield Pavilion,and a new court building were added. In 2003, an expanded and redesignedSouthfield Public Libraryopened to the public on the Civic Center grounds, featuring state-of-the-art facilities.[9]Outside the Civic Center complex, Southfield has municipal parks and recreation facilities, largely developed in the 1970s, including Beech Woods Recreation Center and John Grace Community Center.

Duns Scotus Collegeis now the home of Word of Faith Christian Center.[10]In 2016, the site was the center of local controversy over a proposed oil drilling site. Due to sustained opposition and environmental concerns, the plan was cancelled.[11]

Economy

[edit]
Further information:Economy of metropolitan Detroit
Southfield Town Centeracross fromLawrence Technological University
Word of Faith International Christian Center in Southfield, formerlyDuns Scotus College

Southfield is a commercial and business center for the metropolitan Detroit area, with 27,000,000 square feet (2,508,400 m2) of office space, second in the Detroit metro area to Detroit's central business district of 33,251,000 square feet (3,089,100 square meters). Several internationally recognized corporations have major offices and headquarters in Southfield, includingVeoneer,Huf Hülsbeck and Fürst,Denso,Peterson Spring,Federal-Mogul,Lear,R.L. Polk & Co.,International Automotive Components,Stefanini, Inc.,andGuardian Alarm.More than 100Fortune 500companies have offices in Southfield.

On October 28, 2014,Fifth Third Bankannounced plans to move its Michigan regional headquarters from Southfield todowntown Detroitin what will be named theFifth Third Bank Building at One Woodward.[12]The office had 150 employees.[13]

Northland Center,one of the nation's first shopping malls, opened in Southfield in 1954 and closed in 2015. As of 2022, the property is being redeveloped as a mixed-use residential and commercial complex.[14]Southfield is home to over 780 acres (3.2 km2) of parkland and a nationally recognized public school district.[who?]

Architecture

[edit]

Southfield is home to a large number of notable buildings in theMid-century modernstyle of architecture.[15]Notable examples includePercival Goodman'sbrutalistCongregation Shaarey Zedekand many early works byMinoru Yamasaki,including hisReynolds Aluminumbuilding.

Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, designed by Percival Goodman and opened in 1962.
Minoru Yamasaki's Reynolds Aluminum Sales Office.

Southfield City Centre

[edit]

Prominent in Southfield isSouthfield City Centre,a mixed-use area consisting of a major business center, private university, and residential neighborhoods, near the intersection ofInterstate 696(I-696, Walter P. Reuther Freeway) and theM-10(Lodge Freeway).

Southfield City Centre was created in 1992 as a special assessment district, and was originally planned to improve pedestrian amenities and facilitate economic development.

Diplomatic missions

[edit]

TheConsulate of Macedonia in Detroitand Consulate of Lebanon in Detroit are located in theSouthfield Town Center,[16]and theConsulate of Iraq in Detroitis in Southfield.[17]

Conventions

[edit]

Penguiconhas been held in Southfield regularly since 2014.[18][relevant?]

Geography

[edit]
St. John Armenian Church in Southfield, founded byAlex Manoogian

According to theUnited States Census Bureau,the city has an area of 26.28 square miles (68.06 km2), of which 26.27 square miles (68.04 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (0.04%) is water.[19]

The main branch of theRiver Rougeruns through Southfield. The city is bounded to the south byEight Mile Road,its western border is Inkster Road, and to the east it is bounded by Greenfield Road. Southfield's northern border does not follow a single road, but lies approximately along Thirteen Mile Road. The city is bordered by Detroit andRedford Townshipto the south,Farmington Hillsto the west,Franklin,Bingham Farms,andBeverly Hillsto the north andRoyal Oak,BerkleyandOak Parkto the east. The separate city ofLathrup Villagesits as anenclavein the eastern part of the city, completely surrounded by Southfield.

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
196031,531—
197069,298119.8%
198075,6089.1%
199075,7450.2%
200078,3223.4%
201071,758−8.4%
202076,6186.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]
2010[21]2020[22]

2020 Census

[edit]
Southfield city, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2010[21] Pop 2020[22] % 2010 % 2020
Whitealone (NH) 17,537 16,126 24.45% 21.05%
Black or African Americanalone (NH) 50,181 53,713 69.95% 70.10%
Native AmericanorAlaska Nativealone (NH) 135 132 0.19% 0.17%
Asianalone (NH) 1,217 1,790 1.70% 2.34%
Pacific Islanderalone (NH) 16 33 0.02% 0.04%
Some Other Racealone (NH) 154 535 0.21% 0.70%
Mixed Race/Multi-Racial(NH) 1,542 2,580 2.15% 3.37%
Hispanic or Latino(any race) 957 1,709 1.33% 2.23%
Total 71,739 76,618 100.00% 100.00%

2010 census

[edit]

As of thecensus[23]of 2010, there were 71,739 people, 31,778 households, and 18,178 families residing in the city. Thepopulation densitywas 2,730.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,054.4/km2). There were 35,986 housing units at an average density of 1,369.9 units per square mile (528.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.3%African American,24.9%White,0.2%Native American,1.7%Asian,0.4% fromother races,and 2.4% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 31,778 households, of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% weremarried couplesliving together, 19.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.8% were non-families. 37.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 42. 20.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 29.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 44.7% male and 55.3% female.

2000 census

[edit]

As of thecensus[3]of 2000, there were 78,296 people, 33,987 households, and 19,780 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,984.6 inhabitants per square mile (1,152.4/km2). There were 35,698 housing units at an average density of 1,360.8 units per square mile (525.4 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 54.22%African American,38.83%White,3.09%Asian,0.20%Native American,0.03%Pacific Islander,0.64% fromother races,and 2.99% from two or more races. 1.19% of the population wereHispanicorLatinoof any race.

Of the city's 33,987 households, 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.2% weremarried couplesliving together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 36.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 3.01.

The age distribution in the city's population was spread out, with 21.6% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38. For every 100 females there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,802, and the median income for a family was $64,543. Males had a median income of $48,341 versus $37,949 for females. The per capita income for the city was $28,096. About 5.8% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.

Socioeconomic status

[edit]

The most common occupations for people in Southfield are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Southfield is a city of sales and office workers, professionals and managers. A relatively large number of people living in Southfield work in office and administrative support (16.00%), sales jobs (10.93%), and management occupations (9.72%). Southfield's populace is very well-educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation. Whereas 21.84% of the average community's adult population holds a 4-year degree or higher, 38.73% of Southfield's adults have a bachelor's degree or advanced degree. Southfield's per capita income in 2010 was $28,995.[24]

Ethnic groups

[edit]

African Americans

[edit]
See also:History of the African Americans in Detroit

In 2002 Southfield had 42,259 black people, the second-largest black population inMetro Detroitand third-largest in Michigan.[25]

As of 2011, many African Americans from Detroit were moving into Southfield and other suburbs of Oakland and Macomb counties. Tensions have occurred between existing middle-class blacks in Southfield and newcomers from Wayne County.[26]

Chaldean Catholic Assyrians

[edit]
See also:History of the Middle Eastern people in Metro Detroit

As of 2001 manyChaldo-Assyrianslive in Southfield; they are descended from the ancientNinevehregion of the Assyrian homeland in North Iraq. The Chaldean Federation of America, an umbrella organization for most regional Chaldean groups, is in Southfield. As of that year, the largest Chaldean church, by number of congregants, was based here. The city also had the area's sole Chaldean retirement home.[27]

Southfield is also home to the Detroit area's Consulate-General ofIraq.[28]

Jewish Americans

[edit]
See also:History of the Jews in Metro Detroit

Since the rapid suburbanization of the 1950s and 1960s, many Jewish Americans from Northwest Detroit (particularly the Dexter-Davison neighborhood) moved to Southfield and other inner-ring suburbs such asOak ParkandHuntington Woods.Congregation Shaarey Zedekmoved from Detroit to Southfield in 1962 to a modernist synagogue building designed byPercival Goodman.[29]The city was also previously home to Congregation Beth Achim on 12 Mile Road until its merger with Congregation Adat Shalom. The building was later purchased and demolished by a Jewish day school.[30]Though much of the Conservative and Reform Jewish population has since spread out to suburbs such asWest BloomfieldandFarmington Hills,the city maintains a thrivingOrthodox JewishandLubavitchcommunity. It is also home toFarber Hebrew Day School – Yeshivat Akiva,a kosher grocery store, and many independent synagogues.

Government

[edit]

Southfield uses thecouncil-managerform of government, and thus is governed by aCity Councilconsisting of seven council members. The city council appoints aCity Administrator,who manages the day-to-day operations of the city. The popularly elected mayor, who does not vote on council actions, has the right to veto council actions and appoints the city's planner, assessor, attorney, and members of various commissions. The city'sclerkand treasurer are also popularly elected officials. All these officials hold nonpartisan positions.

Education

[edit]

Southfield Public Schoolsoperates area public schools.Southfield Senior High School for the Arts and Technology(commonly known as Southfield A&T) is the district's sole high school. There were originally two high schools in the district, Southfield andSouthfield-Lathrup,but they were consolidated after the 2015–16 school year.[31]Students living in parts of Northern Southfield attend schools in theBirmingham City School District,while students living in the southeast corner of Southfield attend schools in theOak Park School District.[32]Southfield A&T also competes in theOakland Activities Associationin the Red Division for high school sports, and has membership in the MHSAA.[33]

AGBU Alex and Marie Manoogian Schoolis anArmeniancharterin Southfield.

Farber Hebrew Day School – Yeshivat Akivais a private Jewish school in Southfield.

Southfield Christian Schoolis a private school in Southfield.

Southfield Public Libraryoperates public libraries in the city.Providence Medical Center offersresidencytraining in various fields of medicine.

Colleges and universities

[edit]

Southfield is home to eight colleges, includingLawrence Technological University,Abcott Institute,Everest Institute andOakland Community College.TheSpecs Howard School of Media Artsis in Southfield.

Media

[edit]
Main article:Media in Detroit

Southfield is the broadcast media center for the Detroit area, with studios and broadcast facilities for several television stations, includingWXYZ-TV,WJBK,WKBD-TV,WMYD-TV,WWJ-TV,and City Cable 15. Metro Detroit'sregional sports networkBally Sports Detroitis in Southfield on 11 Mile and Evergreen roads. A transmitter forWDIV-TVis in the city; it is the only television station based in downtown Detroit.

The city is home toAudacy'sDetroit studios. Southfield is also served byWSHJ88.3 FM, a student-run radio station sponsored by Southfield Public Schools.

In 1970, radio pioneer and entertainerSpecs Howardfounded theSpecs Howard School of Media Artsin Southfield.[34][35]

In addition toThe Detroit NewsandFree Press,Detroit's two metropolitan daily newspapers, Southfield is served by theSouthfield Eccentric,a suburban paper that reports on local and community events, which is published twice a week, on Sunday and Thursday.[citation needed]The headquarters ofThe Detroit Jewish Newsis in Southfield.[36]TheChaldean Newsis also headquartered in Southfield.[37]

Transportation

[edit]
Further information:Transportation in metropolitan Detroit

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation(SMART) operates local and regional bus transit.

The major thoroughfares in the city include the John C. Lodge Freeway (M-10), which is among the first urban to suburban highways constructed in the United States. The city also containsI-696,Southfield Freeway (M-39), andUS 24(Telegraph Road). The city has several freeway interchanges connecting local roads to the freeways. Most prominently, "The Lodge" freeway connects downtown Detroit to "The Mixing Bowl," the sprawling interchange of I-696, US 24, M-10, Lahser Road, and Franklin Road, all of which are in Southfield.

Most major streets adhere to a north–south/east–west orientation, forming a grid of major streets spaced one mile (1.6 km) apart from each other. The major east–west streets are8 Mile Road(which forms the southern boundary of the city),9 Mile Road(which is split by the Southfield Freeway), 10 Mile Road, 11 Mile Road (which is split by the Lodge), and 12 Mile Road. Major north–south streets are Telegraph Road, Lahser Road, Evergreen Road, Southfield Road (the northern extension of the Southfield Freeway) and Greenfield Road (which forms the eastern boundary of the city).

Religion

[edit]

TheRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroitformerly operated the Church of St. Bede. By 2013 there was a debate on how the property should be rezoned, and therefore reused.[38]

Parks and recreation

[edit]

The Southfield Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for 775 acres of parks, nature preserves and open space and historic properties at 33 sites within the city. There are numerous ball fields, tennis and handball courts, picnic areas and shelters. There are soccer fields, play lots and sand volleyball courts throughout the city.[39][40]

  • Bauervic Woods Park
  • Bedford Woods Park
  • Beech Woods Park
  • Brace Park
  • Burgh Historical Park
  • Carpenter Lake Nature Preserve
  • Civic Center Park
  • Freeway Park
  • Inglenook Park
  • John Grace Park & Community Center
  • John R. Miller Park
  • Lahser Woods Park
  • Lincoln Woods
  • Mary Thompson House & Farm[41]
  • Pebble Creek Park
  • Simms Park
  • Stratford Woods Commons
  • Valley Woods Nature Preserve

Notable people

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^"kenson siver party affiliation".Our Campaigns.RetrievedDecember 23,2021.
  2. ^"2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedMay 21,2022.
  3. ^ab"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
  4. ^"Southfield".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.
  5. ^"Southfield city, Michigan".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedSeptember 16,2022.
  6. ^ab"City of Southfield website, History of Southfield webpage".Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2016.RetrievedJuly 31,2012.
  7. ^"History | City of Southfield".
  8. ^Sugrue, T. (1996).The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit.Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
  9. ^"Historical Timeline".Southfield Public Library.February 24, 2010.RetrievedFebruary 12,2024.
  10. ^joe (May 9, 2016)."From Friary to Church... To Urban Oilfield?".Ferndale Friends.RetrievedFebruary 12,2024.
  11. ^"Developer abandons oil, gas drilling in Southfield".The Oakland Press.March 7, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 12,2024.
  12. ^Pinho, Kirk (October 28, 2014)."Fifth Third Bank to move 150 employees downtown as part of $85M investment in Detroit".Crain's Detroit Business.RetrievedOctober 28,2014.
  13. ^Gallagher, John. "Fifth Third Bank to move to downtown Detroit"(Archive).Detroit Free Press.October 27, 2014. Retrieved on November 27, 2015.
  14. ^"Northland City Center | Live. Work. Play. | Southfield, MI".Northland City Center.RetrievedFebruary 12,2024.
  15. ^"Art & Architecture | City of Southfield".www.cityofsouthfield.com.RetrievedFebruary 12,2024.
  16. ^"Macedonia."Consular Corps of Detroit.Retrieved on January 26, 2009.
  17. ^"CONSULAR SERVICES."Embassy of Iraq in Washington, DC.Retrieved on November 22, 2010.
  18. ^"History - Penguicon.org".penguicon.org.July 24, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 12,2024.
  19. ^"US Gazetteer files 2010".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedNovember 25,2012.
  20. ^"Decennial Census by Decade".US Census Bureau.
  21. ^ab"P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Southfield city, Michigan".United States Census Bureau.
  22. ^ab"P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE - 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Southfield city, Michigan".United States Census Bureau.
  23. ^"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedNovember 25,2012.
  24. ^Williams, Corey. "'Neighborhood profile'.
  25. ^Metzger, Kurt and Jason Booza. "African Americans in the United States, Michigan and Metropolitan DetroitArchivedNovember 9, 2013, at theWayback Machine."(Archive) Center for Urban Studies,Wayne State University.February 2002. Working Paper Series, No. 8. p. 8. Retrieved on November 9, 2013.
  26. ^Dawsey, Darrell. "Housing crisis in metro Detroit creating black class tensions in Southfield."MLive.com.February 28, 2011. Retrieved on February 18, 2014.
  27. ^Smith, Natalie Jill. "Ethnicity, Reciprocity, Reputation and Punishment: An Ethnoexperimental Study of Cooperation among the Chaldeans andHmongof Detroit (Michigan) "(PhD dissertation).University of California, Los Angeles,2001. p. 41. UMI Number: 3024065.
  28. ^"Consulate General – Detroit | Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington, D.C."www.iraqiembassy.us.RetrievedMay 12,2023.
  29. ^"Our History | Congregation Shaarey Zedek - Southfield, MI Conservative Synagogue".August 31, 2019.RetrievedMay 12,2023.
  30. ^Headapohl, Jackie (March 9, 2017)."History of Beth Achim Synagogue | The Detroit Jewish News".thejewishnews.com/.RetrievedMay 12,2023.
  31. ^"[1]"Article in the Detroit Free Press.Retrieved on June 27, 2018.
  32. ^"SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Oakland County, MI"(Archive).U.S. Census Bureau.Retrieved on June 29, 2015.
  33. ^"Oakland Activities Association Football".RetrievedJuly 31,2012.
  34. ^"Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts Inc – School Description".Campus Explorer. August 27, 2009.RetrievedAugust 27,2009.
  35. ^Kaylee Hawkins (August 25, 2009)."Specs Howard honored with MAB Lifetime Achievement Award".Detroiter Online. Archived fromthe originalon September 21, 2009.RetrievedAugust 27,2009.
  36. ^"Contact Us."(Archive)The Detroit Jewish News.Retrieved on December 2, 2013. "Detroit Jewish News 29200 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034"
  37. ^"Contact."Chaldean News.Retrieved on April 14, 2014. "29850 Northwestern Hwy. Southfield, MI 48034"
  38. ^Strachan, Jessica (February 6, 2013)."What happens next to St. Bede?".Southfield Sun.C & G Newspapers.RetrievedMay 2,2020.
  39. ^"Southfield welcomes culture."The Detroit News.September 8, 2004. Retrieved on Sunday November 10, 2013. ID: det19737754. "Brad Parks, 43, brought his family to the Japan Festival because he's[...]"
  40. ^"City of Southfield - Parks & Recreation".www.cityofsouthfield.com.
  41. ^"Mary Thompson Farmhouse".Southfield Public Library.June 21, 2010.
[edit]
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