Editing Livonia, Michigan (section)

==History==
After most members of the indigenous tribes were pushed out of the area, ethnic European-American pioneers from [[New England]] and [[New York (state)|New York]] settled here. The borders of Livonia Township were defined by the [[Legislature]] of the [[Territory of Michigan]] on March 17, 1835.

The settlers named the community "Livonia", after [[Livonia, New York]], a town in the western part of the state, from where many had migrated.<ref>{{cite book |last=MacGregor |first=David |title=Livonia: Michigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxJBJYzdBHAC |year=2005 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=Charleston, SC |pages=7–8|chapter=Introduction |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxJBJYzdBHAC |isbn=0-7385-3425-0 }} "The name Livonia was chosen because a number of the earliest settlers had come from western New York, where there was also a town named Livonia."</ref><ref name=LivoniaHistory>City of Livonia.[http://www.ci.livonia.mi.us/default.asp?area_2=community/history.dat&area_3=nav/community.dat&objectid=B1D53C0&ml_index=18&NC=8647X History]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Retrieved on January 11, 2009.</ref><ref name="Romig">{{cite book | last = Romig | first = Walter | year = 1986 | title = Michigan Place Names | orig-year= 1973 | publisher = Wayne State University Press | location = Detroit, Michigan | isbn = 0-8143-1838-X}}</ref>

Livonia Township was split off from [[Nankin Township, Michigan|Nankin Township]], in which a Livonia post office had been established in June 1834.<ref>''Democratic Free Press'' (Detroit, Michigan) June 18, 1834, p. 2</ref> During the days of the township, a number of small communities developed. One of these was Elmwood, initially known as McKinley's Station. It was a stop on the [[Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad]]. It had a separate post office from 1858 until 1906.<ref>Walter Romig, ''Michigan Place Names'', p. 182</ref> Another post office in the township was Giltedge, which operated from 1899 until 1902.<ref>Romig, ''Michigan Place Names'', p. 224</ref>

Livonia was incorporated as a city on May 23, 1950, by vote of the citizens of the [[civil township|township]]. An incentive was that this status would allow the residents to gain tax revenues from the [[Detroit Race Course]] (DRC). From 1985, it ran only harness racing for [[Standardbred]], and the track closed in 1998, when the large property was sold for redevelopment. The last race tracks operating in the state were [[Hazel Park Raceway]], which closed in 2018, and Northville Downs, which closed in 2019.

Among the immigrants attracted to Detroit for its industrial jobs in the 20th century have been Palestinian and Lebanese Christians, as well as Muslims. By 1985, Palestinian Christians had settled in Livonia, as well as the western suburbs of Farmington and Westland.<ref>''Present Tense, Volumes 13–15''. [[American Jewish Committee]], 1985. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=6D_jAAAAMAAJ&q=Palestinian+Christians+Livonia 36]</ref> As of 2005, there were a number of Christian [[Palestinian Americans]] who had immigrated from [[Ramallah]]. They have developed and operated several small- and medium-sized businesses.<ref>Hassoun, Rosina J. ''Arab Americans in Michigan'' (Discovering the Peoples of Michigan). [[MSU Press]], October 24, 2005. {{ISBN|1609170466}}, 9781609170462. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=wky3u4UExIQC&pg=PT21 PT21] of [[Google Books]].</ref>

Six U.S. presidents have visited Livonia: [[Richard Nixon]], [[Gerald Ford]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]] and [[George W. Bush]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beaver-online.com/73.html|title=President Bush's Visit - Beaver Aerospace & Defense|work=beaver-online.com}}</ref>