Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan Facts for Kids

This page is about the incorporated city of Grosse Pointe Park. For the adjacent area, see Grosse Pointe.

Quick facts for kids Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
City
City of Grosse Pointe Park
Palmer T. Heenan Municipal Center
Location in Wayne County
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Wayne
Incorporated	1907 (village) 1950 (city)
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• City	3.71 sq mi (9.61 km²)
• Land	2.17 sq mi (5.61 km²)
• Water	1.54 sq mi (4.00 km²)
Elevation	577 ft (176 m)
Population (2020)
• City	11,595
• Density	5,353.19/sq mi (2,066.76/km²)
• Metro	4,285,832 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Zip code(s)	48230
Area code(s)	313
FIPS code	26-35540
GNIS feature ID	0627466

Grosse Pointe Park is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States. It's a vibrant community with a population of 11,595 people, according to the 2020 census.

This city is located right next to Detroit and sits along the southern edge of Lake St. Clair. It's the southernmost of the Grosse Pointe suburbs. Grosse Pointe Park officially became a village in 1907 and then a city in 1950.

History of Grosse Pointe Park
Geography and Location
- Neighborhoods and Homes
Population Information
- 2010 Census Facts
Education in Grosse Pointe Park
- Public Libraries
Notable People from Grosse Pointe Park
Images for kids
See also

History of Grosse Pointe Park

Grosse Pointe Park policemen in 1957

Before it was Grosse Pointe Park, this area was known as the Village of Fairview. It stretched from Bewick Street to Cadieux Road. In 1907, part of Fairview was taken over by the city of Detroit.

To avoid more of their land being taken, the people living east of Alter Road decided to form their own village. This new village was named Grosse Pointe Park in 1907. Later, in 1950, the village became a city. This change gave them more protection from Detroit and more independence from their township.

In November 2021, a big change happened: Grosse Pointe Park elected its first female mayor, Michele Hodges.

Geography and Location

Grosse Pointe Park covers a total area of about 3.71 square miles (9.61 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 2.17 square miles (5.61 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 1.54 square miles (4.00 square kilometers), is water, which is part of Lake St. Clair.

The city shares about 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) of its borders with Detroit. One part of the border is between Alter Road and Wayburn to the southwest. Another part is along Mack Avenue to the northwest. The third land border is with the city of Grosse Pointe along Cadieux Road to the northeast.

Neighborhoods and Homes

The Buck-Wardwell House on Jefferson Avenue, built in 1840, was the first brick house in Grosse Pointe.

Windmill Pointe, around 1900.

The neighborhoods in Grosse Pointe Park are set up in a grid pattern, similar to Detroit. You can find many types of homes here. On the far west side, there are tightly-packed brick houses for single or multiple families. As you move further east, you'll see rows of traditional single-family homes, many of which are quite large. Some very expensive mansions are located along the lakeshore.

Many houses in Grosse Pointe Park were built before World War II. A lot of these were designed by famous architects using high-quality materials. Streets like Windmill Pointe Drive, Bishop, Kensington, and Yorkshire have many large, beautiful homes. These big houses were often built on large plots of land. Sometimes, these plots were divided, so you might see some newer ranch-style homes mixed in with the older, traditional ones.

Grosse Pointe Park also has a large area called Windmill Pointe. This spot is where Lake St. Clair ends and the Detroit River begins. At Windmill Pointe, there's a big park right on the lake. It has a pool, a gym, movie theaters, and places for residents to gather. Another large park, Patterson Park, is at the base of Windmill Pointe. It's known for its skating rink and walking trails. People often describe locations in Grosse Pointe Park by saying if they are north or south of Jefferson Avenue, with the south side being generally known as Windmill Pointe.

There's also a section of the city known as the "cabbage patch." This area has more multi-family houses, unlike the larger single-family homes found in most of the Grosse Pointes. It's generally in the northwest part of the city, bordered by Mack, Wayburn, Jefferson, and Somerset. You might see the name "cabbage patch" used by local businesses, like the Cabbage Patch Cafe.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	290	—
1920	1,355	367.2%
1930	11,174	724.6%
1940	12,646	13.2%
1950	13,075	3.4%
1960	15,457	18.2%
1970	15,641	1.2%
1980	13,562	−13.3%
1990	12,857	−5.2%
2000	12,443	−3.2%
2010	11,555	−7.1%
2020	11,595	0.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 Census Facts

In 2010, Grosse Pointe Park had 11,555 people living there. There were 4,516 households, and 3,182 of these were families. The city had about 5,325 people per square mile (2,056 people per square kilometer).

Most of the people in the city were White (85.0%). About 10.5% were African American, and 1.8% were Asian. About 2.5% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Looking at households, about 35.8% had children under 18 living with them. Most households (55.6%) were married couples. The average household had 2.56 people, and the average family had 3.10 people.

The average age of people in the city was 41.8 years old. About 26.5% of residents were under 18, and 12.8% were 65 or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (48.4%) and females (51.6%).

Education in Grosse Pointe Park

Defer Elementary School

The Grosse Pointe Public Schools district serves students in Grosse Pointe Park.

The city has two public schools:

Defer Elementary School
Pierce Middle School

Some parts of the city are also served by Maire Elementary School, which is located in Grosse Pointe. All middle school students go to Pierce Middle School, and all high school students attend Grosse Pointe South High School in Grosse Pointe Farms.

There is also one private school in Grosse Pointe Park:

St. Clare of Montefalco Catholic School, which teaches students from kindergarten through 8th grade.

Public Libraries

The Grosse Pointe Public Library has a branch in Grosse Pointe Park called the Carolyn and Ted Ewald Memorial Branch Library. This library opened in January 2005 and is about 15,000 square feet (1,400 square meters) in size.