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A−History
History · Livonia

Livonia’s post office opened in 1834, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #152 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Most of Livonia was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1964. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 519 buildings. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1900.

1834first post office
3on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
28famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Livonia began

When was Livonia founded?

1834

The Livonia post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1950. Five smaller post offices, Lima (1828), Nankin (1830) and Elm (1858), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 1,460 in 19002020 census: 95,535192 years

How historic is Livonia?

A−

More historic than 76% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Livonia post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1950.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Livonia’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Livonia is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #152 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Livonia’s overall grade.
Founding era1834, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19404.1% of homes (±0.5) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register3 listings, 524 historic buildings, 55.8 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 76%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 78%

Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Livonia’s 55.8 sits above most of its state (91% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 524 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±0.5 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1950.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Livonia’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Rosedale Gardens Historic District takes in 519 historic buildings.Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Livonia, and 3 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Livonia are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19058 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1996. Watch Livonia change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

3 listings protect 524 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
524
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Wilson Barn
Wilson BarnOrson Everitt HouseRosedale Gardens Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Barn1
Queen Anne1
Colonial Revival1
Tudor Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Ranch1
Wilson BarnBarn
Orson Everitt HouseQueen Anne
Rosedale Gardens Historic DistrictColonial Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Livonia had its own post office from 1834 to 1851. Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Lima
1828–1830
Nankin
1830–1902
Livonia
1834–1851
Elm
1858–1906
Livonia
1872–1906
Livonia Station
1877–1879
Stark
1879–1909
Livonia
1954–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
ElmNortonStark
Gone or out of use
Bentley High SchoolschoolElm Post Officepost officeElm StationlocaleNankin Post Officepost officeStark Post Officepost office
9cemeteries and burying grounds inside Livonia
Beth El Memorial ParkClarencevilleGlen Eden Memorial ParkLivoniaMount Hope Memorial GardensNewburghNorthwest HebrewParkview MemorialUnion

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Livonia’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Livonia’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How Livonia came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Livonia.

Read it all →

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. The borders of Livonia Township were defined by the Legislature of the Territory of Michigan on March 17, 1835.

The settlers named the community "Livonia", after Livonia, New York, a town in the western part of the state, from where many had migrated.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Livonia in 1884

Passages that mention Livonia, cut from the printed page as they were published.

was formed out of part of the township of Springwells. On March 7, 1834, the township of Canton was formed out of Plymouth. The township of Livonia was created on March 17, 1835; it had been embraced, first in the township of Bucklin, and then in Nankin. The township of Romulus was formed out of Hu…
The history of Detroit and Michigan, or, The metropolis illustrated [microform]1884Read the page →
Read the text

was formed out of part of the township of Springwells. On March 7, 1834, the township of Canton was formed out of Plymouth. The township of Livonia was created on March 17, 1835; it had been embraced, first in the township of Bucklin, and then in Nankin. The township of Romulus was formed out of Huron, by Act of the same date, By law, taking effect April 6, 1835, Van Buren was

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Livonia, 1828 to 1984

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828Post officeThe Lima post office opens
  3. 1830Post officeThe Lima post office closes
  4. 1830Post officeThe Nankin post office opens
  5. 1834Post officeThe Livonia post office opens
  6. 1851Post officeThe Livonia post office closes
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902Post officeThe Nankin post office closes
  9. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1965Born hereThaddeus McCotter is born here
  11. 1965Born hereChuck Behler is born here
  12. 1970Born hereMike Modano is born here
  13. 1984Born hereRyan Kesler is born here
By decade

Livonia, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Mark Brewer interviewed at Mitt Romney campaign event2011Mark Brewer interviewed at Mitt Romney campaign eventJason Forcier, Vice President of A123's Automotive Solutions Group2011Jason Forcier, Vice President of A123's Automotive So…Ben Celani Recreation Area, Bicentennial Park2011Ben Celani Recreation Area, Bicentennial ParkGlen eden cem 01rs2010Glen eden cem 01rsBrilliant Fall Color2009Brilliant Fall ColorDetroitMSA2007DetroitMSA
On the map

Livonia on the map, 1905 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Livonia. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Livonia on the 1905 USGS mapLivonia on the 1912 USGS mapLivonia on the 1936 USGS mapLivonia on the 1942 USGS mapLivonia on the 1968 USGS mapLivonia on the 1973 USGS mapLivonia on the 1983 USGS mapLivonia on the 1996 USGS map1905Plymouth sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Livonia.

People over time

Livonia, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000100,000120,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 110,109

Between 1,365 and 110,109 people in every census since 1900.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Livonia’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

28 famous people were born in Livonia

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Mike ModanoAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1970
Ryan KeslerAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1984
Thaddeus McCotterAmerican politician · b. 1965
C
Chuck BehlerAmerican drummer · b. 1965
S
Sheila TaorminaAmerican swimmer · b. 1969
Aaron PalushajAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1989
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Redford Township1 historic placeBFarmington Hills3 historic placesC−Plymouth Township2 historic placesBWestland2 historic placesC+

Questions about Livonia’s history

What year was Livonia founded?

The Livonia post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1950.

How does Livonia rank for history?

Livonia is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #152 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Livonia?

Three places: the Wilson Barn (listed 1973), the Orson Everitt House (1980) and the Rosedale Gardens Historic District (2010).

How old are the homes in Livonia?

4% of Livonia’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1964.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.