Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Northville

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
AHistory
History · Northville

Northville’s post office opened in 1831, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #47 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 73 buildings. Below: maps from 1905 on and the census since 1860.

1831first post office
3on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Northville began

When was Northville founded?

1831

The Northville post office opened in 1831, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1955.

First census: 620 in 18602020 census: 6,119195 years

How historic is Northville?

A

More historic than 93% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Northville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1955.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Northville’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Northville is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #47 of 701 in Michigan. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Northville’s overall grade.
Founding era1831, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194023.1% of homes (±5.2) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register3 listings, 75 historic buildings, 124 per 10,000 residents · typical MI town 0.0 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 93%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 93%

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 Northville’s 124 sits above most of its state (95% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1955.

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 Northville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Northville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Northville Historic District takes in 73 historic buildings.On the map since 19058 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1980. Watch Northville change.Deep rootsA post office since 1831: 195 years of Northville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Northville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Northville’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
On the National Register

3 listings protect 75 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
75
each building in a district counts
first listed
1972
Northville Historic District
Northville Historic DistrictRobert Yerkes HouseFord Valve Plant
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Gothic Revival1
Queen Anne1
Italianate1
Gothic Cottage1
Art Deco1
Northville Historic DistrictGreek Revival
Robert Yerkes HouseGothic Cottage
Ford Valve PlantArt Deco

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

On the map

Northville on the map, 1905 to 1980

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

Northville on the 1905 USGS mapNorthville on the 1912 USGS mapNorthville on the 1936 USGS mapNorthville on the 1945 USGS mapNorthville on the 1952 USGS mapNorthville on the 1969 USGS mapNorthville on the 1973 USGS mapNorthville on the 1980 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 Northville.

The story

How Northville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Northville.

Read it all →

European Americans first settled Northville in 1825 and was incorporated as a Village in 1867. It was not incorporated as a City until 1955. Originally one of two communities within Plymouth Township, Northville Township split off in 1898 to form its own township.

The first land patent in the Northville area was granted to Gideon Benton in 1823; the current Cass Benton Park is located here. The first settlers did not arrive, however, until 1825. Many of these first settlers were originally from central and western New York State, with ancestors in New England. Others came from the nearby, already settled Plymouth community to Northville.

ChaptersSettlementVictorian eraVillage eraCity eraLibraries

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Northville, 1831 to 2003

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1831Post officeThe Northville post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 1958Born hereSteve King is born here
  6. 1973Born hereMatt Stevens is born here
  7. 1990Born hereTim Dezelski is born here
  8. 21st century
  9. 2003Born hereNoah Laba is born here
By decade

Northville, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Hole 15 (view from tee)2010Hole 15 (view from tee)FordValvePlantNorthvilleMi2010FordValvePlantNorthvilleMiStephen Yerkes Rodgers House2009Stephen Yerkes Rodgers HouseHole 92009Hole 9Hole 82009Hole 8Hole 42009Hole 4Hole 32009Hole 3Hole 22009Hole 2Hole 182009Hole 18Hole 172009Hole 17Hole 162009Hole 16Hole 152009Hole 15Hole 112009Hole 11Hole 102009Hole 10Hole 12009Hole 1Northville summer fri conc2008Northville summer fri concMillRaceVillage3NorthvilleMichigan2008MillRaceVillage3NorthvilleMichiganMillRaceVillage2NorthvilleMichigan2008MillRaceVillage2NorthvilleMichigan
People over time

Northville, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,000190019502000Peak: 6,459

Between 620 and 6,459 people in every census since 1860.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Northville

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

See all →
N
Noah LabaAmerican ice hockey player · b. 2003
M
Matt StevensAmerican football player (safety) · b. 1973
Tim DezelskiAmerican basketball player · b. 1990
S
Steve KingAmerican record producer and audio engineer · b. 1958
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Northville’s post office has been open since 1831.

Gone or out of use
Old Village Schoolschool
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Northville
OakwoodRural Hill

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Northville Township1 historic placeC+Novi2 historic placesB

Questions about Northville’s history

What year was Northville founded?

The Northville post office opened in 1831, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1955.

How does Northville rank for history?

Northville is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #47 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 Northville?

Three places: the Northville Historic District (listed 1972), the Robert Yerkes House (1973) and the Ford Valve Plant (1995).

How old are the homes in Northville?

23% of Northville’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1968.

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 (18), 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) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.