How a Detroit suburb once used a horse racing track to fund its cityhood

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Livonia, Michigan, transformed from a rural township into a city in 1950, driven by the strategic desire to capture tax revenue from the Detroit Race Course. This suburban landscape, once defined by its high concentration of non-Hispanic white residents, has evolved into a diverse community with a rich industrial history.

Originally organized as Livonia Township in 1835, the area was settled by pioneers from New England and New York who named it after Livonia, New York. For over a century, it remained a collection of small communities, including Elmwood and Giltedge, which were connected by rail and local post offices. The shift toward formal city status occurred on May 23, 1950, when township citizens voted to incorporate.

The city's demographic profile has shifted significantly over the decades. In 2000, Livonia was noted as the U.S. city with over 100,000 residents that held the highest percentage of non-Hispanic white people. However, the area has long attracted diverse immigrant populations, particularly from the Levant region. Since the late 1960s, a steady influx of Palestinian and Lebanese Christians has contributed to the local economy, establishing various small- and medium-sized businesses. By 2020, the city's population reached 95,535, with a median age of 45.6 years.

Beyond its residential character, Livonia has served as a hub for education and commerce. The city hosts several colleges and a robust public school district, which features specialized programs like the Math/Science/Computer (MSC) and Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) tracks at Churchill High School. While the city's retail landscape has seen the rise and fall of major malls like Wonderland and Livonia Mall, it remains a center for amateur athletics, boasting one of the largest soccer programs in Michigan and the state's largest amateur hockey association.

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