Demographics Historical populationĪccording to a 2010 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in the city was $65,391, and the median income for a family was $77,119. GeographyĪccording to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 35.86 square miles (92.88 km 2), of which 35.70 square miles (92.46 km 2) is land and 0.16 square miles (0.41 km 2) is water. presidents have visited Livonia: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. They have developed and operated several small and medium-sized businesses. As of 2005, there were a number of Christian Palestinian Americans who had immigrated from Ramallah. By 1985, Palestinian Christians had settled in Livonia, as well as the western suburbs of Farmington and Westland. The last race tracks operating in the state were Hazel Park Raceway, which closed in 2018, and Northville Downs, which closed in 2019.Īmong the immigrants attracted to Detroit for its industrial jobs in the 20th century have been Palestinian and Lebanese Christians, as well as Muslims. From 1985 it ran only harness racing for Standardbred, and the track closed in 1998, when the large property was sold for redevelopment. An incentive was that this status would allow the residents to gain tax revenues from the Detroit Race Course (DRC). Livonia was incorporated as a city on May 23, 1950, by vote of the citizens of the township. Another post office in the township was Giltedge, which operated from 1899 until 1902. It had a separate post office from 1858 until 1906. It was a stop on the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad. One of these was Elmwood, initially known as McKinley's Station. During the days of the township, a number of small communities developed. Livonia Township was split off from Nankin Township, in which a Livonia post office had been established in June 1834. The settlers named the community "Livonia", after Livonia, New York, a town in the western part of the state from where many had migrated. The borders of Livonia Township were defined by the Legislature of the Territory of Michigan on March 17, 1835. After most members of the indigenous tribes were pushed out of the area, ethnic European-American pioneers from New England and New York settled here.