See All Quick Facts

Government

• West Bloomfield is a township.
  • Township: "A subdivision of a county traditionally having six miles on each side and varying in importance as a unit of government in the 16 states that have them. Townships in the Midwest are sometimes referred to as Congressional Townships because public land surveys in the last century initially labeled them thus on maps authorized by the Congress." (The HarperCollins Dictionary of American Government and Politics. Jay M. Shafritz. NY: HarperPerennial, 1992, p. 571).
  • A township board is the governing body consisting of a supervisor, clerk, treasurer and two to four trustees. ("City vs. Township, What’s the Main Difference", West Bloomfield Eccentric Feb. 25, 1980).

• County:

  Oakland

Geography

• Longitude and Latitude:

  42.5695 (North Latitude) 83.3731 (West Longitude)

• Size (Sq. Miles):

  31.16

• Location:

  Northwest Oakland County

• Physical Features:

  14% of its 19,000 acres are lakes; located in glacial mora, more lakes and ponds than any other township in the United States except for one in Minnesota.

History

• Established:

  April 22, 1833

• Oldest School:

  First School (1828) originally at Long Lake and Middlebelt, second school Scotch settlement between Orchard Lake and Green Lake.

• Tornado:

  A tornado tears through West Bloomfield causing much damage and one death on March 20, 1976.

• History:

  From the Early Development of West Bloomfield-An Overview by Eleanor Pekkala.
  • 1820's: first settlers arrive and begin clearing the virgin forest.
  • 1821: first settler, John Huff (but he didn't register his land claim, so...)
  • 1823: first legal resident, Benjamin Irish
  • 1827: two Indian reservations on Orchard Island (Apple Island) and Orchard Lake are sold
  • 1831: first post office, Pine Lake, is set up in the home of John Ellwood, a surveyor
  • 1834, April 7: first town meeting for West Bloomfield
  • 1930's: Westacres low income housing and market established by Sentaor James Cozens
  • 1970: Apple Island is made into a nature sanctuary

• Native American Tribes:

  • Ottawa
  • Ojibwa (Chippewa)
  • Potawatomi
  • Assistaronon (Fire Nation).

• Significant Event:

  Home of the first curling club in the United States.

• Books:

  Click here for a Bibliography of books on West Bloomfield, Oakland County and Michigan.

• Website:

  Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society

People

• Population:

  64, 860 23,414 households (2000 U.S. Census)

• Ethnicity:

  Mixed, including Polish, Jewish, Eastern Indian, Chaldean, Oriental, Russian, Japanese

• Religions:

  Baptist, Church of Christ, Congregational, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Chaldean-Catholic, United Presbyterian.

• Outstanding Citizens:

  • Donna Lee Slack-1981, recipient of the Young America Medal for bravery.
  • Arylyle Noble, first female bacteriologist (from Orchard Lake).
  • Edgar Rice Burroughs graduated from the Michigan Military Academy in 1895.
  • Pamela Eldred, Miss America 1970.

• For more census information go to:

  • U.S. Census Bureau
  • Oakland County Planning and Economic Development Services Department

Miscellaneous

• Reason for the Name:

  Wild flowers that settlers found blooming in the area.

• Media:

  • West Bloomfield Eccentric-Observer
  • Spinal Column
  • West Bloomfield Beacon

Culture

• Libraries:

  West Bloomfield Township Library, Main and Westacres.

• Museums:

  • Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society
  • Holocaust Memorial Center
  • St. Mary’s College-Dombrowski Field house

• Parks:

  Information on parks is available at West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation.

• Legends/Folk Heroes:

  Chief Pontiac

• Tours:

  Holocaust Memorial Center, Apple Island Tours by Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society.

• Sports:

  Boating, swimming, winter recreation at Snow Gulch, golf, tennis, softball, baseball, soccer, hockey, cross country skiing, tobogganing and bike paths.

• Landmarks/Monuments:

  • Pine Lake Cemetery (c1831) Middlebelt and Lone Pine (Charles Lindberg’s mother buried there)
  • Michigan Military Academy
  • Walter Flanders’ Home (House is now Bortz Health Care on Green Lake, and the garage is now owned by the Green Lake Homeowner’s Association)
  • Apple Island

Economy

• Trade:

  Suburban area with small retail and small malls.

• Industry:

  No heavy industry.

• Agriculture:

  None.

• Higher Education:

  SS Cyril & Methodius Seminary, Madonna University

• Shopping:

  Orchard Lake Mall at Orchard Lake and Maple.

• Chamber of Commerce:

  West Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce

Last Update: April 18, 2007