Novi, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Novi, Michigan
City
City of Novi
Novi Civic Center
Seal
Location within Oakland County
Novi, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Novi, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oakland
Organized	1832 (as Novi Township)
Incorporated	1969 (city)
Government
• Type	Council-manager
Area
• City	31.29 sq mi (81.04 km2)
• Land	30.24 sq mi (78.33 km2)
• Water	1.05 sq mi (2.71 km2)
Elevation	909 ft (277 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	66,243
• Density	2,190.29/sq mi (845.69/km2)
• Metro	4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48167 (Northville) 48374–48377
Area code(s)	248
FIPS code	26-59440
GNIS feature ID	0633773

Novi is a city in Oakland County, Michigan. It's a suburb of Detroit, located about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. In 2020, Novi had a population of 66,243 people. This was a big increase of 20% since 2010.

What is the History of Novi, Michigan?

Water tower in Novi, noting "Birthplace Novi Special"

Novi started as a township in 1832. It was formed from land that used to be part of Farmington Township. A resident named Dr. J. C. Emery suggested the name "Novi," after his wife's idea. People wanted a shorter name than Farmington.

There are some interesting stories about how Novi got its name. One story says it was named after the sixth toll gate (No. VI) on the Grand River Road. But the township was named in 1832, and the toll road wasn't built until the 1850s. Another idea is that it was the sixth stagecoach stop outside Detroit. Some also thought it was the sixth stop (or VI) on the railroad. However, the railroad wasn't built through the township until 1870–71, which was almost 40 years after Novi was named.

Novi became a city in 1969. Voters in the Village of Novi approved a city charter on February 18, 1969. Before that, in May 1968, they voted to become a city. The vote was 694 in favor and 283 against. The city charter officially started on February 24, 1969. Novi grew very quickly in the late 1900s.

Historic Places to Visit in Novi

• The old Township Hall was once on Novi Road. It was moved to the Novi Library property in the 1980s. Recently, it was moved again to the land where the Jacob and Rebecca Fuerst Farmstead used to be.
• Tollgate Farm is a large farm (160 acres or 650,000 square meters) that is now an educational center.
• The Colonel Samuel White Homestead site has a special Michigan Historical Marker.
• A part of the original Novi Depot was built in 1871 for the Holly, Wayne and Monroe Railroad.
• The Jacob and Rebecca Fuerst Farmstead was a historic site. The City of Novi decided to remove the farmstead buildings to use the land for other historical purposes. The north barn was taken down in July 2008, and the farmhouse in August 2008. The other barns were moved. None of the original farm buildings are still on the site. However, the historic Township Hall was moved there.

What is Novi's Geography Like?

Novi covers about 31.29 square miles (81.04 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 30.25 square miles (78.33 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 1.04 square miles (2.71 square kilometers), is water.

Walled Lake is mostly within Novi and is the city's biggest lake. It's also where the Middle Branch of the Rouge River begins. Shawood Lake is also nearby. Some smaller lakes in Novi were made from old gravel pits or for collecting stormwater. Most of Novi is part of the Rouge River watershed. Some areas in the north and west are part of the Huron River watershed.

Three major highways meet in Novi: I-96, I-696, and I-275. This makes it easy to travel to and from Novi.

What is the Economy Like in Novi?

The Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi has over 180 stores.

Novi is one of Michigan's fastest-growing cities. The Twelve Oaks Mall opened in 1977. This made Novi a popular shopping spot in the Detroit area. Many people believe the mall helped Novi grow a lot over the next 40 years. This growth led to more people living in Novi and many new businesses. In 2008, Money magazine listed Novi as #48 on its list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live. By 2009, Novi had over 1,600 businesses.

Novi's economy includes large international companies and smaller local businesses. While Novi is known for its many stores near Novi Road and I-96, it also has other large shopping centers. Car dealerships are found along Haggerty Road and Grand River Avenue. The city's business parks are home to companies in many fields. These include high-tech research, healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and car parts suppliers. Energy companies are also growing fast in Novi. These include ITC Transmission, Novi Energy, and Patrick Energy Services.

The Novi Chamber of Commerce helps support businesses in the city.

Kroger has its Michigan offices in Novi. The Japan Auto Parts Industries Association also has offices here. Toyota Boshoku America opened an office in Novi in 2002. By 2013, they had two office buildings with 210 employees. They chose Novi because it's friendly to Japanese people and close to other car companies and the airport. American Mitsuba Corp. also moved to Novi in 2009.

Novi is a top city in Oakland County for research, technology, and service companies. Novi works with state and federal groups to improve its roads and other services. This helps attract new businesses. The city has made it easier for businesses to move to Novi or expand. This has helped smaller international companies, like Howa USA Holdings, grow here.

Ryder System Inc. built a new regional headquarters in Novi. ITC Transmission Company, a large electrical transmission company, made Novi its main office. In 2008, St. John Providence Park opened a large hospital on a 200-acre (0.81 km²) health campus. This campus has many services and walking paths.

Novi has also focused on attracting companies in telematics and car connectivity. Many companies in these fields are in Novi, including Cooper-Standard Automotive, NXP, Elektrobit, and Harman/Becker Automotive.

Top Employers in Novi

Here are some of the biggest employers in Novi:

What Parks and Recreation Does Novi Offer?

Most of the old farmlands and open spaces in Novi have been developed. But some natural areas remain. Tollgate Farm is one example. It's now run by Michigan State University as an agricultural education center. Lakeshore Park is another important natural area. It's located between Walled Lake and Twelve Mile Road. Even though some parts of the park were given to a developer, it's still one of the biggest parks in southeast Michigan. Ella Mae Power Park, behind the Novi Civic Center, is used for softball and baseball games.

In 2004, Novi gained several parklands on the west side of the city. These areas, along with other city-owned lands, protect 253 acres (1.02 km²) of important natural areas in the Huron River watershed. In 2005, Novi received a grant to buy two more environmentally sensitive areas in southeast Novi, part of the Rouge River watershed. These properties were bought in 2009. In 2007, the city received another grant to buy 16 acres (65,000 m²) of natural area in southwest Novi. This land was bought in 2010. In 2010, Novi received a third grant to turn city-owned land on the south end of Walled Lake into a public park. This area used to be the Walled Lake Casino and Amusement Park. It is now called Pavilion Shore Park.

Every October, Novi hosts the Japan Festival. It is the biggest Japan festival in Michigan.

What is the Population of Novi Like?

Novi's Population in 2010

In 2010, Novi had 55,224 people living there. There were 22,258 households and 14,599 families. The city had about 1,825 people per square mile (705 per square kilometer).

The people in Novi were made up of different groups:

• 73.0% White
• 8.1% African American
• 0.2% Native American
• 15.9% Asian
• 0.7% from other races
• 2.1% from two or more races
• 3.0% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 35.2% of households had children under 18. Most households (54.1%) were married couples. The average household had 2.46 people, and the average family had 3.11 people.

The average age in Novi was 39.1 years old. About 25.5% of residents were under 18.

Japanese Population in Novi

One World Market (ワンワールドマーケット), a Japanese grocery store in Novi

In 2011, 15.9% of Novi's residents were Asian. Novi had 2,438 Japanese residents, which is the largest Japanese population in any Michigan city. This number grew by 53% from 2003. The economic director of Novi, Ara Topouzian, said that Japanese officials sometimes call Novi "Little Tokyo." This is because the city has been very welcoming to Japanese people. Many Japanese people in Novi are in the U.S. on temporary visas for three to five years. Many work in engineering and research.

The Novi Public Library has books and materials in Japanese. The Novi Community School District has information for families in Japanese. The websites for the City of Novi, the Novi Public Library, and St. John Providence Park Hospital have welcome messages in Japanese. The Novi Kroger grocery store and the Staybridge Suites hotel also cater to Japanese customers. The city offers Japanese cultural activities, like horseback riding lessons in Japanese and Japanese movie nights. The hospital provides cultural training for its staff, Japanese translators, and yoga classes in Japanese.

In the 1990s, several Japanese car companies opened offices near Novi. In summer 2011, the Japanese School of Detroit moved to Novi. In 2022, another Japanese company, Palstec Industrial Co.Ltd, moved its local office to Novi.

Indian/South Asian Population in Novi

Venkateswara Temple and Cultural Center

In 2008, CNN/Money magazine noted that Novi had a large Asian Indian population. In 2000, there were 1,278 people of Asian Indian heritage in Novi.

The Sri Venkateswara Temple and Cultural Center (SVTCC) opened in 2013. It cost $10 million to build and is the first Hindu temple in Michigan named after a southern Indian god. The community that runs the temple is mostly made up of Indians who speak Telugu.

What Educational Opportunities Are There in Novi?

Schools in Novi

Novi High School entrance sign

Most of Novi is part of the Novi Community Schools district. This district includes Novi High School, Novi Middle School, and six elementary schools. Some parts of Novi are in the Northville Public Schools district or the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. A small part of the west side is in the South Lyon Community Schools district.

Private schools in Novi include:

• Detroit Catholic Central High School
• Novi Christian Academy

Our Lady of Victory School in Northville is a Catholic school for grades K-8. St. William Catholic School in Walled Lake also serves parts of Novi. These Catholic schools are part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit.

Special Education Programs

The Japanese School of Detroit (JSD) offers Saturday Japanese classes. It moved to Novi in 2011.

The Sundai Michigan International Academy is also in Novi. This school helps Japanese children who have lived in the U.S. for a long time get ready to return to Japan. It also helps new Japanese children who don't speak much English.

Novi Public Library

Novi has the Charles and Myrtle Walker Novi Public Library. It first opened in 1960 in an old bank building. It grew over the years, with new additions in 1964 and a new building in 1976. A new wing, the "Dorothy Flattery Wing," was added in 1989. The current library building opened in 2010.

What Religions are Practiced in Novi?

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit has Catholic churches in Novi:

• Holy Family Church: This church started in 1974. The permanent building opened in 1977.
• Saint James Church: This church opened in 1989.

St. William Catholic Church in Walled Lake also serves some areas of Novi.

The Sri Venkateswara Temple and Cultural Center (SVTCC) is a Hindu temple in the area.

Who are Some Famous People from Novi?

Novi has been home to several famous people, including many Swedish players from the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. The former coach, Mike Babcock, even called Novi "Little Sweden" because so many Swedish Red Wings lived there.

• Jessica Chobot (1977–), a host for IGN Strategize and Nerdist News
• Madison Chock (1992–), an ice dancer and Olympian
• Bryan Dechart (1987–), an actor and Twitch streamer
• Jonathan Ericsson (1984–), a defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings
• Johan Franzén (1979–), a center for the Detroit Red Wings
• Dr. Sanjay Gupta (1969–), chief medical correspondent for CNN
• Ernie Harwell (1918–2010), a famous baseball radio announcer
• Tomas Holmström (1973–), a winger for the Detroit Red Wings
• Niklas Kronwall (1981–), a defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings
• Nicklas Lidström (1970–), a captain for the Detroit Red Wings; a street in Novi is named after him
• Bryan Rust (1992–), a winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins
• Emily Samuelson (1990–), an ice dancer and Olympian
• Damien Woody (1977–), a former football player for the New York Jets

Sister Cities

Novi has a sister city relationship with:

• Owani, Japan

Images for kids

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  Novi Civic Center

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  Seal of Novi, Michigan

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  Location within Oakland County

• 

  The Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi contains over 180 stores.

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  One World Market (ワンワールドマーケット), a Japanese grocery store in Novi

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  Venkateswara Temple and Cultural Center

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  Novi High School entrance sign

See also

In Spanish: Novi (Estados Unidos) para niños