Farmington Hills, Michigan

The township of Farmington Hills, Michigan was founded in 1827.  Arthur Power, a Quaker from Farmington, New York purchased land in 1823.  He settled here with family and friends in 1824 and called the area Quakertown.  The first post-office was established in 1826 and named Farmington.  The township became the village of Farmington    between 1866 and 1867.   A fire destroyed many of the original buildings in 1872.  In 1926 the village was incorporated as a city.

Farmington Hills is the largest city within Oakland County.  According to the 2006 census there were 82,111 residents.  The city next to Farmington Hills is Farmington which is surrounded by the hills and much smaller.  Both were settled around the same time period.  There are two other incorporated cities within the Farmington Hills boundaries.  They are Wood Creek Farms developed in 1837 and incorporated in 1957 and Quaker Valley Farms which was incorporated in 1959. 

Farmington Hills is a wonderful community and has several parks for public use.  The present downtown area is really Farmington.  It has retained the appearance of when it was first established.  The homes maintain the color and design of the earlier era.   Every July the streets are filled with people for the festival that lasts for 3 days.   There are ice cream socials, arts and crafts, a carnival and lots of food. 

For several years there were discussions about combining the two cities as one and saving tax dollars.  Some of the services are combined, but the police and fire departments remain separate.  To date, nothing has been accomplished.