Tipping Point Theatre361 E Cady St, Northville, MI 48167
Metro Detroit Wayne County City
Northville
A Victorian small town straddling 8 Mile and two counties
- People (2025 estimate)
- 6,013
- Land area
- 2.0 sq mi · 5.3 km²
- From downtown
- 23.7 miles · 38 km · west
- Incorporated
- 1955
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Northville matters
Northville is one of the best-preserved small towns in Metro Detroit: Queen Anne Victorians ring the downtown, and the city passed a historic preservation ordinance back in 1974. Fun twist: 8 Mile Road, the county line, runs right through it, so the south half is in Wayne County and the north half in Oakland.
The town grew up around John Miller's mill in the 1820s, became a village in 1867 and a city in 1955. Henry Ford set up a factory here in 1919, and the Northville Valve Plant made valves for nearly every Ford, Mercury and Lincoln until 1981. From 1926 to 1929 Eddie Stinson built his first airplanes here before moving on to Wayne.
From 1944 to 2024 this was home to Northville Downs, Michigan's first nighttime harness racing track, on the old Wayne County Fair grounds where Joe Louis trained in 1939. In June 2026 Downs River Park opened along the newly daylighted Rouge River, and on Sundays Mill Race Village lets you stroll straight into the 1800s.
02 / Known for
What Northville is known for
A Victorian downtown protected by city ordinance since 1974
Mill Race Village, including the 1832 Cady Inn, a documented stop on the Underground Railroad
Northville Downs (1944 to 2024), Michigan's first nighttime harness track
The Heritage Festival every September, with Victorian-costumed parade entries (called the Victorian Festival until 2016)
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Northville
Nothing on our calendar in Northville right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
4 places on our site in Northville
Tipping Point Theatre361 E Cady St, Northville, MI 4816705 / What to do
If you’re in Northville
Mill Race Village
An open-air village on the site of John Miller's old gristmill on Griswold Street, with relocated 1800s houses, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop and an interurban station. Open Sunday afternoons.
Official site ↗Downtown Northville
Cafes, restaurants and boutiques around Main and Center; summer Friday night concerts on Town Square since 1986.
Official site ↗Downs River Park
Opened June 17, 2026, along the daylighted Rouge River: riverside paths, open green space and links to the town's trail network.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Northville through the years
- 1867
Northville incorporates as a village out of Plymouth Township.
- 1919
Henry Ford buys a factory in the village; it becomes the Northville Valve Plant.
- 1944
Northville Downs opens as Michigan's first nighttime harness racing track.
- 1955
Northville becomes a city.
- 1972
Mill Race Village opens, made possible by a Ford Motor Company donation.
- 2026
Downs River Park opens on June 17.
07 / People
Famous names from here
- Eddie Stinson aircraft maker who built Stinson Detroiter planes in Northville from 1926 to 1929
- Joe Louis the heavyweight champion trained in 1939 at the county fairgrounds that later became Northville Downs
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Northville city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northville,_Michigan
- cityofnorthvillemi.gov/205/Historic-District
- millracenorthville.org
- downtownnorthville.com
- cityofnorthvillemi.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=21
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinson_Aircraft_Company
- cityofnorthvillemi.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.6 percent.
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