Harper Woods, Michigan
| Harper Woods | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Harper Woods | |
 Location in Wayne County and the state of Michigan |
|
| Coordinates: 42°26′17″N 82°55′30″W / 42.43806°N 82.92500°WCoordinates: 42°26′17″N 82°55′30″W / 42.43806°N 82.92500°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Wayne |
| Government | |
| • Type | council-manager |
| • Mayor | Kenneth A. Poynter |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.61 sq mi (6.76 km2) |
| • Land | 2.61 sq mi (6.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 14,236 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 13,990 |
| • Density | 5,454.4/sq mi (2,106.0/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 48225 |
| Area code(s) | 313 |
| FIPS code | 26-36700 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0627822 |
| Website | http://www.harperwoodscity.org/ |
Harper Woods is a city located on the eastside of suburban Detroit, Michigan, United States. The city is located in Wayne County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 14,236.
Harper Woods was incorporated as a city on February 19, 1951 from what was left of Gratiot Township. A charter commission was elected, a charter prepared and adopted, and a city council elected. The City of Harper Woods came into existence on October 29, 1951, when the charter took effect and the first city council was sworn in.
According to the city's website, Harper Woods was so named because it was then a wooded area and because its main thoroughfare was Harper Avenue (named for Walter Harper, founder of Harper Hospital in Detroit).
The fledgling suburb faced the usual problems confronting new cities: schools, streets, sidewalks, water systems, drains, etc. In 1956, Harper Woods was the subject of a community service study by the Bureau of Government, Institute of Public Administration, at the University of Michigan.
The development of Harper Woods reflected the growth of metropolitan Detroit. In 1955, Interstate 94 (I-94) (which bisects the eastern part of the suburb) was approved, and construction on the Eastland Shopping Center began soon after. Eastland Center, one of the first outdoor malls in the Midwest, opened in 1957. Harper Woods continued to develop and grow over the decades. In 2001, Harper Woods celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Mark Binelli, the author of Detroit City is the Place to Be, wrote in 2012 that Harper Woods had been "declining for years", citing an increase in daylight carjackings and home invasions and a foreclosure rate higher than that of Detroit.
Harper Woods is located between the City of Detroit and St. Clair Shores, and between Detroit and the Grosse Pointes. Harper Wood borders Macomb County on the 8 Mile Road side. It is located along I-94. Eastland Shopping Center is the community's shopping center. Harper Woods has no rail access and it has no industries.
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