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C+History
History · Taylor

Taylor dates to 1847

More historic than 41% of U.S. towns · #452 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it

Most of Taylor was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1963. Below: maps from 1906 on and the census since 1970.

1847founded
0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Cookieman1.1.1 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Taylor began

When was Taylor founded?

1847

Taylor dates its founding to 1847 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 70,020 in 19702020 census: 63,409179 years

How historic is Taylor?

C+

More historic than 41% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1863.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Taylor’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Taylor is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #452 of 701 in Michigan. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Taylor’s overall grade.
Founding era1847, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19404.7% of homes (±0.8) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%CNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical MI town 0.0 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 41%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)Ahead of 36%

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 Taylor’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (32% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1847.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±0.8 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Taylor’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 Taylor are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Taylor, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19065 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1980. Watch Taylor change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1847: 179 years of Taylor.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Taylor’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Taylor’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
Places that used to be

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

Taylor’s post office has been open since 1958. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Taylor Centre
1863–1893
Hand Station
1882–1926
Taylor Center
1893–1914
Taylor
1958–today
18601940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HandTaylor Center
Gone or out of use
Hand StationlocaleHand Station Post Officepost officeTaylor Center Post Officepost office
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Taylor
Oak GroveTaylorTaylorWest Mound

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

On the map

Taylor on the map, 1906 to 1980

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

Taylor on the 1906 USGS mapTaylor on the 1942 USGS mapTaylor on the 1967 USGS mapTaylor on the 1973 USGS mapTaylor on the 1980 USGS map1906Romulus 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 Taylor.

The story

How Taylor came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Taylor.

Read it all →

The city of Taylor traces its origins back to when it was originally part of Ecorse Township to the west. At this time the land was mostly rural farm land with little development.

The first landowner in the area was Peter Coan, who purchased an 80-acre (32 ha) parcel from the US government in 1830. The Coan family name continues through the existence of the artificial Coan Lake in Heritage Park, which was named in his honor.

ChaptersPredecessorTownshipCity formation and incorporationRecent history

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Taylor in 1884

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

a o 129 Taylor was named in honor of General Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States, and hero of the Mexican War, which closed the year the township was organized, TOWNSHIP OFFICERS,
The history of Detroit and Michigan, or, The metropolis illustrated [microform]1884 · page 129Read the page →
Read the text

a o 129 Taylor was named in honor of General Zachary Taylor, twelfth President of the United States, and hero of the Mexican War, which closed the year the township was organized, TOWNSHIP OFFICERS,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
In 1845 General Zachariah ‘Taylor, afterwards twelfth President of the United States, was here on a visit to Captain Joseph Taylor, his brother, then stationed at Detroit.
The history of Detroit and Michigan, or, The metropolis illustrated [microform]1884 · page 104Read the page →
Read the text

In 1845 General Zachariah ‘Taylor, afterwards twelfth President of the United States, was here on a visit to Captain Joseph Taylor, his brother, then stationed at Detroit.

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

Taylor, 1847 to 1991

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1847
    FoundingTaylor is established
  3. 1863Post officeThe Taylor Centre post office opens
  4. 1882Post officeThe Hand Station post office opens
  5. 1893Post officeThe Taylor Centre post office closes
  6. 1893Post officeThe Taylor Center post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1914Post officeThe Taylor Center post office closes
  10. 1926Post officeThe Hand Station post office closes
  11. 1965Born hereMike Howe is born here
  12. 1966Born hereRon Adams is born here
  13. 1979Born hereMelody Kay is born here
  14. 1991Born hereNinja is born here
By decade

Taylor, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Manhole cover, Taylor Township (City of2021Manhole cover, Taylor Township (City ofGateway Bridge2021Gateway BridgeSexton and Kilfoil Drain in Taylor, Michigan (East facing)2020Sexton and Kilfoil Drain in Taylor, Michigan (East fa…Panorama of the Cameron G. Priebe Municipal Plaza in2020Panorama of the Cameron G. Priebe Municipal Plaza inTaylor, MI city hall2019Taylor, MI city hallMasco2015MascoSouthland Center at Sunset2014Southland Center at SunsetSouthland Center2012Southland Center1964 -1st- Purple Pussy Cat - Middlebelt & Van Born rd The Regents meet Bobby Dayton20121964 -1st- Purple Pussy Cat - Middlebelt & Van Born r…Wayne County Community College District Downriver Campus2011Wayne County Community College District Downriver Cam…The 50s Drive Thru Pennzoil, Eureka Road ^ Allen Road, Southgate, Michigan2011The 50s Drive Thru Pennzoil, Eureka Road ^ Allen Road…Taylor Michigan Township Cemetery historic site2011Taylor Michigan Township Cemetery historic siteTaylor Michigan Board of Education building2011Taylor Michigan Board of Education buildingOaK Grove Cemetery historic site2011OaK Grove Cemetery historic siteHarry Truman High School2011Harry Truman High SchoolCheckers Drive-in Restaurant2011Checkers Drive-in RestaurantMasco Headquarters2010Masco HeadquartersInterstate 94 030809 11162009Interstate 94 030809 1116
People over time

Taylor, census by census

020,00040,00060,00080,000198020002020Peak: 77,568

Between 63,131 and 77,568 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

4 famous people were born in Taylor

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

See all →
NinjaAmerican livestreamer and vlogger · b. 1991
M
Mike HoweAmerican heavy metal singer · b. 1965
M
Melody KayAmerican actress · b. 1979
R
Ron AdamsAmerican football quarterback · b. 1966
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Romulus2 historic placesC+Brownstown Township1 historic placeB−Dearborn HeightsIts storyD

Questions about Taylor’s history

What year was Taylor founded?

In 1847, according to Wikidata. Taylor’s post office opened in 1863, and the census of 1970 counted 70,020 people here.

How does Taylor rank for history?

Taylor is more historic than 41% of U.S. towns, #452 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.

How old are the homes in Taylor?

5% of Taylor’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1963.

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), 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.