Taylor, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taylor, Michigan
City
City of Taylor
Clockwise: Taylor Municipal offices, WCCCD Downriver Campus, the Pledge Statues, Heritage Park, the Gateway Bridge, former Masco, headquarters
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname(s):  Taylortucky
Motto(s):  "Omnis auctorias populo est" "Made For You"
Location within Wayne County
Taylor, Michigan Location in Michigan Show map of Michigan Taylor, Michigan Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Wayne
Organized	1847 (Taylor Township)
Incorporated	1968
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• City	23.63 sq mi (61.21 km2)
• Land	23.62 sq mi (61.17 km2)
• Water	0.008 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	614 ft (187 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	63,409
• Density	2,685.00/sq mi (1,036.67/km2)
• Metro	4,285,832 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48180
Area code(s)	313 and 734
FIPS code	26-79000
GNIS feature ID	1614609

Taylor is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States. In 2020, about 63,409 people lived there. This makes Taylor the fifth largest city in Wayne County and the 17th largest in Michigan.

The area started as Taylor Township in 1848. It officially became the City of Taylor in 1968. Taylor is the biggest city in the Downriver area. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) west of Detroit's southern border. It is also about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Downtown Detroit.

Taylor is home to many important places. These include the Southland Center mall and the Taylor Sportsplex. It also has Beaumont Hospital – Taylor and a campus of the Wayne County Community College District. The popular pizza chain, Hungry Howie's Pizza, started here. The city is also known for Heritage Park. This park hosts the Junior League World Series, a big baseball tournament for young players from around the world every August. Students in Taylor go to schools in the Taylor School District.

Taylor's History

Early Beginnings

The land that is now Taylor was once part of Ecorse Township. Back then, it was mostly farmland with very few buildings.

The first person to own land here was Peter Coan in 1830. He bought 80 acres (32 ha) from the U.S. government. Today, an artificial lake in Heritage Park is named Coan Lake in his honor.

Becoming a Township

Many people living in the western part of Ecorse Township felt they were too far away to be involved in local government. So, they asked to form their own community. This request was approved in 1847. The new community was named Taylor Township. It was named after Major General Zachary Taylor. He was a hero in the Mexican–American War and later became the twelfth president of the United States.

In 1876, a small train station was built after the Wabash Railroad created a railway line through Taylor Township. George E. Hand sold the land for the railway, and the station was named after him. Some locals called the area "Hand Corners." The original station burned down in 1965, but a copy was built at Heritage Park.

From top: Map of Taylor Township in 1891; A Taylor Township manhole cover.

In 1882, German settlers built the West Mound United Methodist Church. It was on Eureka Road until 1994. Then, the city bought it and moved it to Heritage Park.

From Township to City

On November 8, 1966, the people of Taylor Township voted to become a city. The city officially started on March 6, 1968. This was when Governor George W. Romney approved the city's official plan.

President Bill Clinton visited Taylor in 1996. He came for the opening of the new Department of Public Works building.

In 2005, a large blue bridge was built over Telegraph Road and I-94. This was to get ready for Super Bowl XL in Detroit the next year. It is called the Gateway Bridge. It was even called Detroit's "new icon" by a magazine in 2006.

President Barack Obama also visited Taylor in 2008 while campaigning.

In 2010, Corporal Matthew Edwards of the Taylor Police Department died while on duty. He was responding to a call at an apartment complex. Many police agencies took part in his funeral procession.

In 2021, the Taylor North Little League team won the championship at the 2021 Little League World Series. They beat a team from Hamilton, Ohio. This was the first time a team from Michigan won since 1959.

Taylor's Geography

Taylor covers an area of about 23.63 square miles (61.21 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small amount of water.

Climate and Weather

Taylor has a continental climate. This means it has cold winters and warm, humid summers. Its weather is very similar to that of Detroit.

Major Roads and Highways

• I-75 runs through the southeast part of Taylor.
• I-94 goes east to west through the northern part of the city.
• US 24, also known as Telegraph Road, is a main road that runs north to south through the city center.

Other Important Roads

• Eureka Road is a key east-west road. It has Taylor's main shopping area.
• Van Born Road forms the northern border of Taylor with Dearborn Heights.
• Goddard Road runs east-west through the middle of the city. Taylor's city buildings are near its intersection with Telegraph Road.
• Northline Road runs east-west a mile south of Goddard. It is home to Wayne County Community College and an entrance to Heritage Park.
• Allen Road and Pelham Road form Taylor's eastern border.
• Inkster Road and Pennsylvania Road form Taylor's western and southern borders.

Nearby Communities

Taylor is surrounded by seven other communities:

	Westland	Dearborn Heights	Allen Park
	Romulus		Southgate
		Taylor
	Huron Township	Brownstown Township

Taylor's People (Demographics)

In 2010, there were 63,131 people living in Taylor. There were 24,370 households. About 35% of households had children under 18. The average age in the city was 36.9 years.

Economy and Businesses

Taylor has many schools, colleges, churches, parks, and a library. It also has many businesses and industries. There are lots of restaurants and shopping places.

The Southland Shopping Center is a large mall with over 100 stores. It opened in 1970. Another area called Trader's Pointe opened in 2018. It is built where the Gibraltar Trade Center used to be.

Taylor was once home to the main office of Masco Corporation. This company was founded in Taylor in 1929. In 2015, Masco moved its headquarters. Now, Ford Motor Company uses that property.

Taylor Lanes was a famous place for ten-pin bowling championships. Many professional bowling tournaments were held there. In 2016, the building was sold to a church. The church kept some of the bowling lanes for its members to use.

Education in Taylor

Taylor Board of Education

The city is served by the Taylor School District. There is one main high school, Taylor High School.

Other schools in Taylor include:

• Taylor Preparatory High School
• Taylor Exemplar Academy
• Trillium Academy
• Wayne County Community College District

Some Catholic elementary schools used to be in Taylor. St. Cyril and St. Pascal schools joined to form Taylor Catholic School, but they closed in 2007. St. Alfred Elementary also closed in 2011. Part of the St. Alfred building was later used to create Taylor Preparatory Charter High School.

Famous People from Taylor

Many notable people have come from Taylor, Michigan:

• Steve Avery, a retired baseball player for teams like the Atlanta Braves.
• Steven Yeun, an actor famous for the TV show The Walking Dead.
• Joe C., a musician and rapper who worked with Kid Rock.
• Wayne Presley, a retired National Hockey League player.
• Earl Jones, a track and field athlete who won a bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
• Mike Howe, a heavy metal singer.
• Ted Daisher, a college and former National Football League coach.
• Mandalynn Carlson, an actress known for the film Machine Gun Preacher.
• Bliss 66, a rock band.

Images for kids

• 

  Map of Taylor Township in 1891.

• 

  A Taylor Township manhole cover.

See also

In Spanish: Taylor (Míchigan) para niños