More historic than 40% of U.S. towns · #471 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of West Bloomfield Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. Below: 1 old photo or paper and maps from 1907 on.
What drives West Bloomfield Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Bloomfield Township is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #471 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 West Bloomfield Township’s overall grade.
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 West Bloomfield Township’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.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1833.
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 West Bloomfield Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Pine Lake
1832–1856
West Bloomfield
1834–1865
Walnut
1891–1900
Myrtle
1899–1900
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Westacres
Gone or out of use
Myrtle Post Officepost officeWalnut Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside West Bloomfield Township
Hosner FamilyPine Lake
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
West Bloomfield Township on the map, 1907 to 1980
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Bloomfield Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Pontiac 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 West Bloomfield Township.
The story so far
West Bloomfield Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of West Bloomfield Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
West Bloomfield Township (commonly, West Bloomfield) is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, West Bloomfield is located roughly 27 miles (43.5 km) from downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 65,888.
West Bloomfield Township was established in 1833. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 64,690 in 2010, 65,888 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
West Bloomfield Township, 1832 to 1998
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Questions about West Bloomfield Township’s history
What year was West Bloomfield Township founded?
In 1833, according to Wikidata. West Bloomfield Township’s post office opened in 1832.
How does West Bloomfield Township rank for history?
West Bloomfield Township is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns, #471 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 West Bloomfield Township?
4% of West Bloomfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 (10), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
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