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DHistory
History · Woodhaven

Woodhaven dates to 1965

More historic than 5% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Woodhaven was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1970.

1965founded
0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Woodhaven’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Woodhaven began

When was Woodhaven founded?

1965

Woodhaven dates its founding to 1965 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1970.

First census: 3,566 in 19702020 census: 12,94161 years

How historic is Woodhaven?

D

More historic than 5% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.
History grade

What drives Woodhaven’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodhaven is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

D
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Woodhaven’s overall grade.
Founding era1965, from Wikidata: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19401.7% of homes (±1.5) · typical MI town 11.9% · U.S. 8.4%C−National 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 5%
NewerOlder
Michigan towns of 2,500+ (701)#701 of 701

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 Woodhaven’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 D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1965.

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 Woodhaven’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19068 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1981. Watch Woodhaven change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Woodhaven’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewWoodhaven City Hall, MI: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Woodhaven on the map, 1906 to 1981

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

Woodhaven on the 1906 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1929 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1936 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1942 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1952 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1967 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1973 USGS mapWoodhaven on the 1981 USGS map1906Wyandotte 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 Woodhaven.

The story so far

Woodhaven, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Woodhaven yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Woodhaven is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A Downriver suburb of Detroit, Woodhaven is located roughly 18 miles (29.0 km) southwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 12,941.

Woodhaven was established in 1965. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 12,875 in 2010, 12,941 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Woodhaven, 1906 to 1975

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 1965
    FoundingWoodhaven is established
  4. 1970Born hereEric Lynch is born here
  5. 1975Born hereTrevor Rosen is born here
By decade

Woodhaven, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Woodhaven City Hall, MIDate?Woodhaven City Hall, MI
Today3 recent
Ford Woodhaven Stamping Plant2020Ford Woodhaven Stamping PlantWoodhavenMichigan2015WoodhavenMichiganWoodhavenStampingPlant in Michigan2008WoodhavenStampingPlant in Michigan
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Woodhaven City Hall, MI
Retake this viewWoodhaven City Hall, MI

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Woodhaven’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Woodhaven, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00019802000202012,941

Grew from 3,566 people in 1970 to 12,941 in 2020, 3 times over.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Woodhaven

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

See all →
E
Eric LynchAmerican football player · b. 1970
Trevor RosenMusical artist · b. 1975
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

TrentonIts storyC+Brownstown Township1 historic placeB−Flat RockIts storyC+

Questions about Woodhaven’s history

What year was Woodhaven founded?

In 1965, according to Wikidata. the census of 1970 counted 3,566 people here.

How does Woodhaven rank for history?

Woodhaven is more historic than 5% of U.S. towns. 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 Woodhaven?

2% of Woodhaven’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1979.

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 (4), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.