Allen Park, Michigan
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Allen Park is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 28,638.
Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
is an integral part of the community. Many of the company's offices and facilities lie within the city limits. Since 2002, Allen Park is the practice home of the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
football team and is also the site of the team's headquarters. The city is known for its tree-lined streets, brick houses, and the Fairlane Green Shopping Center that opened in 2006. The city was once recognized in
Money Magazine ''Money'' is an American personal finance brand and website owned by Ad Practitioners LLC and formerly also a monthly magazine, first published by Time Inc. (1972–2018) and later by Meredith Corporation (2018–2019). Its articles cover the g ...
's list of America's Best Small Cities. Allen Park is part of the collection of communities known as
Downriver Downriver is the unofficial name for a collection of 18 cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan, south of Detroit, along the western shore of the Detroit River. The place is sometimes referred to as South Detroit. Etymology The name ...
. Allen Park is home to the
Uniroyal Giant Tire The Uniroyal Giant Tire was created by the United States Rubber Company for the 1964 New York World's Fair, where it functioned as a Ferris wheel. Since 1966 it has served as a static display in Allen Park, Michigan, alongside Interstate 94, bet ...
, the largest non-production
tire A tire (American English) or tyre (British English) is a ring-shaped component that surrounds a Rim (wheel), wheel's rim to transfer a vehicle's load from the axle through the wheel to the ground and to provide Traction (engineering), t ...
scale model A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...
ever built, and one of the world's largest roadside attractions. Originally a
Ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondolas, capsules ...
at the
1964 New York World's Fair The 1964–1965 New York World's Fair was a world's fair that held over 140 pavilions and 110 restaurants, representing 80 nations (hosted by 37), 24 US states, and over 45 corporations with the goal and the final result of building exhibits or ...
, the structure was moved to Allen Park in 1966.


Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.71%) is water.


Boundaries

Allen Park borders
Southgate Southgate or South Gate may refer to: Places Australia *Southgate, Sylvania *Southgate Arts and Leisure Precinct, an area within Southbank, Victoria Canada *Southgate, Ontario, a township in Grey County * Southgate, Middlesex County, Ontario Ed ...
to the South,
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US President Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for seven miles (11 km) from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, ...
to the east, Melvindale to the northeast, Dearborn to the north,
Dearborn Heights Dearborn Heights is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 63,292 at the 2020 census., Dearborn Heights is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, and is considered a bedroom community. History Dearborn Heigh ...
to the northwest, and
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...
to the west.


Major Roads

* runs through the southeast corner of Allen Park between Goddard Road and the Lincoln Park border. * runs through the northern portion of Allen Park between Pelham Road and the Rouge River. *, Southfield Road, is an eight-lane boulevard that travels in a northwest–southeast direction between the Lincoln Park border and I-94. It becomes the Southfield Freeway and curves to the northeast after the I-94 interchange.


History

Allen Park was incorporated as a village in 1927, and as a city in 1957.Romig, Walter (1986). ''Michigan Place Names''. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, p. 18. . It was named after Lewis Allen, a well-to-do lawyer and lumberman whose 276½ acres of land (primarily in Ecorse Township) included holdings in what are now Allen Park and Melvindale. Hubert Champaign (for whom Champaign Park is named) and Edward Pepper were two other early residents of the area. In 1950 Allen Park did not include the part of the city directly west of Melvindale; that area was still part of Ecorse Township.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 28,210 people, 11,580 households, and 7,606 families living in the city. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was . There were 12,206 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.9%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 2.1%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.5% Native American, 0.8%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 2.0% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 8.1% of the population. There were 11,580 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 41.7 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.


2000 census

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 29,376 people, 11,974 households, and 8,202 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 12,254 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.6%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.7%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.36% Native American, 0.81%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 1.21% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.27% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 4.73% of the population. There were 11,974 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 women age eighteen and over, there were 88.1 men. The median income for a household in the city was $51,992, and the median income for a family was $63,350. Males had a median income of $50,143 versus $31,168 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the city was $24,980. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.


Politics

The Mayor of Allen Park is Gail McLeod, who has served since 2019. Six members sit on the city council, including Felice "Tony" Lalli, Daniel Loyd, Matthew Valerius, Gary Schlack, Charles Belvins, and Dennis Marcos.


Education


Public schools

Most of Allen Park is within the
Allen Park School District Allen Park Public Schools is a school district in Allen Park, Michigan, United States. The school district first opened Lapham School north of Southfield on Horger Street. It was a K-8 school, and students would end up going to a Detroit public ...
. The district has three elementary schools: Arno, Lindemann, and Bennie. The district also includes Allen Park Middle School, Allen Park High School, and Allen Park Community School. Northern Allen Park is within the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Public Schools. Rogers Early Elementary School is within Allen Park. Residents in Melvindale-Northern Allen Park go on to Melvindale High School. The
Southgate Community School District The Southgate Community School District is a school district in Southgate, Michigan. The district serves the entire city of Southgate, Michigan Southgate is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 30,047 at ...
serves Allen Park south of the Sexton-Kilfoil Drain. Prior to the establishment of Allen Park High School in 1950, education in Allen Park, provided at the Lapham school, ended after the eighth grade. Students in the Allen Park school district had to travel to Detroit Southwestern High School, Lincoln Park High School, and/or Melvindale High School.Broglin, p
41


Private schools

Private schools in Allen Park include Inter-City Baptist School and St. Frances Cabrini Schools (including Cabrini High School). Historically religious private schools in
Ecorse Ecorse ( ') is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,512 at the 2010 census. Ecorse is part of the Downriver community within Metro Detroit. The city shares a northwestern border with the city of Detroit ...
, River Rouge, and
Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) Pl ...
served Allen Park residents.


Sports

In 2009, the
Professional Bowlers Association The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Member ...
(PBA) announced that Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park would be the main site for the inaugural
PBA World Series of Bowling The PBA World Series of Bowling (WSOB) is an annual multi-tournament ten-pin bowling event held by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) in North America. Formation The inaugural World Series of Bowling event was held by the PBA at the start ...
. This unique event featured the first seven tournaments of the PBA's 2009–10 season all contested in the same area. One tournament (Motor City Open) was contested in nearby Taylor, MI, while the other six (including the
PBA World Championship The PBA World Championship is one of five major PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) bowling events. It is one of three PBA Tour major events that are open only to PBA members. (The U.S. Open and USBC Masters allow qualifying amateurs to enter.) ...
qualifying and match play rounds) took place at Thunderbowl. The 2009 events ran August 2-September 6, with the televised finals being taped by
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
on September 5–6. Thunderbowl Lanes has hosted additional PBA tournaments since that time, including the five-event PBA Fall Swing in September, 2016 and both the
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
PBA Tour Finals. The World Series of Bowling returned to Thunderbowl Lanes for its tenth anniversary in the 2019 PBA Tour season, with events running March 11–21. The
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
's
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
have their offices and training facility in Allen Park.


Notable residents

*
Terry Andrysiak Terrence J. Andrysiak (born 1965) is a former American football quarterback for St. Frances Cabrini High School and the University of Notre Dame. He is currently a financial executive for Morgan Stanley in Flint, Michigan and coaches 7th & 8th ...
, football quarterback *
Jeff Bernard Jeff Bernard is an unlimited hydroplane driver from Allen Park, Michigan. He is a fourth-generation driver and is the nephew of former drivers Mike Weber and Mark Weber and step son of former driver Terry Troxell. Bernard won the Madison Regatta ...
, unlimited hydroplane driver * John Bizon, member of the
Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...
* Amanda Chidester, softball player * Frank Liberati, former member of the
Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...
*
Tullio Liberati Tullio Liberati Jr. (born 1968) is an American politician serving as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from the 13th district. Elected in 2020, he assumed office on January 1, 2021. Early life and education Liberati was born ar ...
, member of the Michigan House of Representatives *
Jennifer Valoppi Jennifer Valoppi is an American television journalist, producer and author known for her work on WTVJ. Early life and education Raised in Allen Park, Michigan, Valoppi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Oakland Univers ...
, journalist *
John Varvatos John Varvatos (born 1954) is an American menswear designer. Early life The Varvatos family is originally from the village of Poulata on the island of Kefalonia, Greece. Varvatos was born in Detroit and grew up in Allen Park, Michigan. He ...
, fashion designer


References

* Broglin, Sharon. ''Allen Park''.
Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publi ...
, 2007. , 9780738551098.


Notes


External links


City of Allen Park
{{Authority control Cities in Wayne County, Michigan Metro Detroit Hungarian-American culture in Michigan 1927 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1927