Editing Harper Woods, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Harper Woods, Michigan
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| official_name      = City of Harper Woods
| image_skyline      = Harper Woods, MI Municipal Building.jpg
| imagesize          = 275
| image_caption      = Harper Woods Municipal Building
| image_seal         = 
| pushpin_map        = Michigan#USA
| pushpin_label_position = left<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_label      = Harper Woods
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan##Location within the United States
| image_map          = Harper Woods, MI location.png
| mapsize            = 250
| map_caption        = Location within [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]]
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{flagu|United States}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Michigan}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne]]
| government_type    = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Valerie Kindle (D)
| leader_title1      = [[City manager|Manager]]
| leader_name1       = Joseph Rheker
| leader_title2      = [[Municipal clerk|Clerk]]
| leader_name2       = Leslie Frank
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = 1951
<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_26.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 21, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 6.81
| area_land_km2      = 6.81
| area_water_km2     = 0.00
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.63
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.63
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00
| elevation_ft       = 587
| elevation_m        = 179
<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 15492
| population_density_km2 = 2274.79
| population_density_sq_mi = 5892.73
| population_metro   = 4285832 ([[Metro Detroit]])
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|26|17|N|82|55|30|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code|Zip code(s)]]
| postal_code        = 48225
| area_code          = [[Area code 313|313]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 26-36700<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0627822<ref>{{gnis|0627822}}</ref>
| footnotes          = 
| website            = {{URL|http://harperwoodscity.org/}}
}}
[[File:Interstate 94 in Harper Woods, MI.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Interstate 94 in Michigan|I-94]] passing through Harper Woods]]
'''Harper Woods''' is a city in [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]] in the U.S. state of [[Michigan]]. An inner-ring [[Metro Detroit|suburb of Detroit]], Harper Woods borders [[Detroit]] to the north and east, roughly {{convert|9|mi|km|1}} northeast of [[downtown Detroit]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the city had a population of 15,492.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Harper Woods city, Michigan|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2636700|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=April 15, 2022}}</ref>

==Etymology==
According to the city's website, Harper Woods was so named because it was then a wooded area and because its main thoroughfare was Harper Avenue (named for Walter Harper, founder of [[Harper University Hospital|Harper Hospital]] in Detroit).

==History==
Harper Woods was incorporated as a city on February 19, 1951, from what was left of [[Gratiot Township, Michigan|Gratiot Township]]. A charter commission was elected, a charter prepared and adopted, and a city council elected. The City of Harper Woods came into existence on October 29, 1951, when the charter took effect, and the first city council was sworn in.

The fledgling suburb faced the usual problems confronting new cities: schools, streets, sidewalks, water systems, drains, etc. In 1956, Harper Woods was the subject of a community service study by the Bureau of Government, Institute of Public Administration, at the [[University of Michigan]].

The development of Harper Woods reflected the growth of metropolitan Detroit. In 1955, [[Interstate 94 in Michigan|Interstate 94]] (I-94) (which bisects the eastern part of the suburb) was approved, and construction on the Eastland Shopping Center began soon after. [[Eastland Center (Detroit)|Eastland Center]], one of the first outdoor malls in the [[midwestern United States|Midwest]], opened in 1957. Harper Woods continued to develop and grow over the decades. In 2001, Harper Woods celebrated its 50th anniversary.

=== Pension fund lawsuit===
In September 2007, the City of Harper Woods Employees’ Retirement Scheme filed suit against British-based defense contractor [[BAE Systems]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081012152058/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article2498504.ece BAE Systems Sued over alleged Saudi bribes]</ref> The suit alleges that BAE Systems executives funneled approximately $2 billion to [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] [[ambassador]] [[Prince Bandar]].<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91332402 'David vs. Goliath': City Takes On BAE Systems]</ref>  The suit, which made news around the world,<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/25/business/bae.php BAE asks U.S. court to end shareholder's suit]</ref> seeks governance changes to the BAE Systems board, and efforts to redress the losses due to this alleged corruption.

On December 29, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals rejected the Scheme's claim. Representatives for the Scheme later said that they would consider appealing to the Supreme Court.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60018C20100101 Harper Woods Employees' Retirement Scheme may take BAe case to Supreme Court]</ref>

===City manager controversy===
On June 14, 2021, the Harper Woods City Council voted 4–3 to not renew the contract of City Manager Joseph Rheker. The vote took place shortly after Rheker had returned from active duty with the Navy Reserve, but Mayor Valerie Kindle said that the council's decision was unrelated to his military service.<ref name="Rheker">{{cite news | url = https://www.candgnews.com/news/harper-woods-cancels-contract-with-city-manager-soon-after-his-return-from-military-service-120895| title = Harper Woods cancels contract with city manager soon after his return from military service| last = Losinski| first = Brendan| work = Advertiser Times| date = June 17, 2021}}</ref>

The council later offered the vacant city manager position to [[Monique Owens]], who was mayor of [[Eastpointe]] at the time. At the special council meeting, the council did not allow residents to comment on the city manager hiring until after the council had already made its decision. However, Owens did not meet the conditions of the offer, and the city rescinded it the following day.<ref name=MDOwens1>{{cite news | url=https://www.macombdaily.com/2021/10/02/eastpointe-mayor-will-not-become-harper-woods-city-manager/ | title= Eastpointe mayor will not become Harper Woods city manager | date = October 2, 2021 | first=Susan | last=Smiley  | newspaper = Macomb Daily}}</ref>

Owens later became embroiled in multiple scandals. In 2022, she was censured by the Eastpointe City Council,<ref name=censure2>{{cite news | url=https://www.macombdaily.com/2022/04/10/eastpointe-city-council-censures-mayor-monique-owens/ | title= Eastpointe City Council censures Mayor Monique Owens | first=Susan | last=Smiley | date=April 10, 2022 | newspaper = The Macomb Daily}}</ref> sued by residents who alleged that she violated their civil rights,<ref name="lawsuit2022=MichiganRadio">{{cite news | title = Eastpointe mayor sued for potential free speech violations  | url = https://www.michiganradio.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2022-11-10/eastpointe-mayor-sued-for-potential-free-speech-violations | first = Emily | last = Blumberg | publisher = Michigan Radio | date = November 10, 2022  | access-date = November 11, 2022  }}</ref> and was found to have violated Eastpointe's ethics ordinance.<ref name="FinancialDisclosuresStatements">{{cite news | url = https://www.macombdaily.com/2022/12/14/eastpointe-ethics-board-verifies-complaint-against-mayor/ | title =  Eastpointe ethics board verifies complaint against mayor  | first = Susan | last = Smiley | newspaper = The Macomb Daily | date = December 14, 2022 | access-date = December 14, 2022 }}</ref>  In 2023, she pleaded no contest to making a false statement on a grant application for her business. She was also ousted as mayor in that year's primary election.<ref name="sentencingMD">{{cite news  | url = https://www.macombdaily.com/2023/11/09/eastpointe-mayor-sentenced-in-fraud-case/ | title = Eastpointe mayor sentenced in fraud case  | first = Susan | last = Smiley | date = November 9, 2023 | accessdate = November 9, 2023 | newspaper = Macomb Daily }}</ref>

===Cultural history===
Though a relatively new city, Harper Woods has played a role in the cultural history of [[Metro Detroit]].

For many years, the city was home to the East Side Drive-In (located at 19440 Harper Avenue, near 7 Mile Road), the first [[drive-in theater]] in Metro Detroit and one of the first in the Midwest. The East Side opened May 26, 1938, with ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'', starring [[W. C. Fields]] and [[Dorothy Lamour]]. Automobile capacity in later years was listed at 970 vehicles. The East Side closed in 1977 and was demolished a year later.<ref>[http://www.waterwinterwonderland.com/location.asp?ID=44&type=1 East Side Drive-In Theater - Harper Woods Michigan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

The Hideout (located at 20542 Harper Avenue, at Beaufait Street) was a popular teen dance club in the mid-1960s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://home.att.net/~s.m.geer/places.htm#Hideout |title=Detroit Area Musical Venues<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2007-10-04 |archive-date=2008-01-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102223617/http://home.att.net/~s.m.geer/places.htm#Hideout |url-status=dead }}</ref> Many Detroit-area music acts - including some that would go on to national prominence - performed at the club. Among them were [[Bob Seger]], [[Mitch Ryder]], [[Ted Nugent]], [[Glenn Frey]] (later of the [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]]), and [[Suzi Quatro]].  One performance at the club by the [[MC5]] was described by their manager [[John Sinclair (poet)|John Sinclair]]. The Hideout spawned a local record label, Hideout Records.  A 2001 compact disc, ''Friday at the Hideout: Boss Detroit Garage Bands 1964-1967'', documents the scene. One of the first bands to play at the Hideout, The Underdogs, wrote ''Friday Night at the Hideout''.<ref>[http://www.motorcitymusicarchives.com/underdogs.html# Friday Night at the Hideout]</ref> Dave Leone is credited as the writer on the record.

Another venue for local bands in the 1960s and 1970s was [[Notre Dame High School (Harper Woods, Michigan)|Notre Dame High School]]. According to various accounts,<ref>[http://atdetroit.net/forum/messages/76017/77019.html?1153474208 Discuss Detroit: Notre Dame High School Dances in the 60's<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> "All the [[Motown]] artists used to come and [[lip-sync]] to their records. Local neighborhood bands got to play live." Among the local performers of note who played dances and concerts at the school were [[The Amboy Dukes (band)|The Amboy Dukes]] (featuring Ted Nugent), Bob Seger and the Last Heard, [[Frijid Pink]], [[The Frost]], Salem Witchcraft, Toby Redd, The Almighty Strut, and other acts.

U.S. Poet Laureate [[Donald Hall]]'s 1970s poem, "Poem With One Fact", alludes to the city.<ref>[http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171759 Poetry Foundation: The online home of the Poetry Foundation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Similarly, in 1986, the critically acclaimed crime fiction writer [[Loren D. Estleman]] unflatteringly portrayed the city in his [[Amos Walker]] novel ''Every Brilliant Eye''. Among other works, the Detroit-area crime fiction writer [[Elmore Leonard]] mentions the city in his 2000 novel, ''Pagan Babies''. [[Jeffrey Eugenides]]' bestselling 1993 novel ''[[The Virgin Suicides]]'' as well as his [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning ''[[Middlesex (novel)|Middlesex]]'' also mention Harper Woods.

Betty Bahr, an early local television personality,<ref>''From Soupy to Nuts! A History of Detroit Television'' by Tim Kiska</ref> Leonard H. Bahr, a fine press printer and publisher (Adagio Press), [[Helen Filarski]], professional baseball player from 1945 to 1950, [[Laura Joh Rowland]], author of historical mystery fiction, and [[Angela Ruggiero]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030716145902/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=21846 Harper Woods, Michigan MI, city profile (Wayne County) - hotels, festivals, genealogy, newspapers - ePodunk<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> 2006 Olympics bronze medal winner (ice hockey), have been among its better known residents. [[Dave Coulier]], a popular television and voice actor, graduated from [[Notre Dame High School (Harper Woods, Michigan)|Notre Dame High School]].

For decades, [[Eastland Center (Detroit)|Eastland Center]] dominated the cultural and commercial profile of the suburb. The mall housed a celebrated work of public sculpture, "The Lion and Mouse", by [[Marshall Fredericks]].<ref>[http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070706/OPINION03/707060395/1003/METRO Prodigal mouse returns: Pilfered icon back at mall after 50-year trip<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Geography==
Harper Woods is located between the [[Detroit|City of Detroit]], [[Eastpointe]], [[St. Clair Shores]],<ref name=Binellip260>Binelli, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YlLyr7hX25IC&pg=PA260 260].</ref> and [[Grosse Pointe Woods]]. Harper Woods borders [[Macomb County]] along [[8 Mile Road]] on its north side. It is located along I-94. Eastland Center was the community's shopping center until it closed in 2021.<ref name=EastlandClosure>{{cite news | url = https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2021/12/30/eastland-center-mall-harper-woods-last-days-shopping-closing/8985299002/ | title = Eastland Center wraps last holiday season. Next up: Demolition and redevelopment | date = Dec 29, 2021 | last = Williams | first = Candice | work = The Detroit News}}</ref> Harper Woods has no rail access.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20030622024912/http://www.waynecounty.com/communities/harperwoods.html Harper Woods]." ([https://archive.today/20030622024912/http://www.waynecounty.com/communities/harperwoods.html Archive]) Wayne County Government. June 22, 2003. Retrieved on November 2, 2013.</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|2.61|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-25}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Harper Woods, MI library (2021).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Harper Woods Public Library]]

=== Primary and secondary schools===
==== Public schools ====
Harper Woods is served by two public school districts, the [[Harper Woods School District]] and the [[Grosse Pointe School District]].<ref>"[http://www.harperwoodscity.org/page/page/5670056.htm Schools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109184137/http://www.harperwoodscity.org/page/page/5670056.htm |date=2017-01-09 }}." Harper Woods. Retrieved on January 9, 2017.</ref><ref>"[http://www.harperwoodscity.org/f/ZoningMap13.pdf Zoning Map]." Harper Woods, Michigan. Retrieved on January 9, 2017. Use this map to compare with school attendance boundaries.</ref> The Harper Woods School District manages Beacon Elementary School (preschool-2), Tyrone Middle School (3-5), Triumph Middle School (6-8), and [[Harper Woods High School]] (9-12).

The Grosse Pointe School District manages Charles A. Poupard Elementary School in Harper Woods, and residents of Harper Woods in that school district are zoned to Poupard as well as two secondary schools in [[Grosse Pointe Woods]]: Parcells Middle School and [[Grosse Pointe North High School]].<ref name=GPSchoolBoundarymap>"[http://gpschools.schoolwires.net/cms/lib05/MI01000971/Centricity/Domain/30/_Files/gppssdistrictmap.pdf District Map]." [[Grosse Pointe Public School System]]. Retrieved on January 8, 2017.</ref> In June 2019 the school board voted to close Poupard Elementary School as the numbers of students had declined.<ref>{{cite web|author=Khaleel, Sonia|url=https://www.metrotimes.com/news-hits/archives/2019/06/25/grosse-pointe-votes-to-close-poupard-trombly-elementary-schools|title=Grosse Pointe votes to close Poupard, Trombly elementary schools |work=[[Metro Times]]|date=2019-06-25|access-date=2019-07-06}}</ref>

Harper Woods is also home to the charter schools of <ref>[http://www.chandlerparkacademy.org/index.php] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710074952/http://www.chandlerparkacademy.org/index.php|date=July 10, 2015}}</ref> Chandler Park Academy Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, and Starr Academy.

The [[Chandler Park Academy]], a K-12 charter school, is in Harper Woods.<ref>[http://www.2cpaeductr.com/xrdsCpa/menus/Cpahome0.swf Home] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128192421/http://2cpaeductr.com/xrdsCpa/menus/CpaHome0.swf |date=2011-01-28 }}. [[Chandler Park Academy]]. Retrieved on April 3, 2010.</ref>

==== Private schools ====
During its history, Harper Woods was also home to the following (now defunct) parochial and private schools: St. Peter's Grade School, Our Lady Queen of Peace Elementary School, Lutheran High School East, [[Bishop Gallagher High School]], Trinity Catholic High School, Heart Academy, Colin Powell Academy, and [[Notre Dame High School (Harper Woods, Michigan)|Notre Dame High School]].<ref name="Prattclose0">Pratt, Chastity, Patricia Montemurri, and Lori Higgins. "[https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1814901451.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+17%2C+2005&author=CHASTITY+PRATT%3B+PATRICIA+MONTEMURRI%3B+LORI+HIGGINS&pub=Detroit+Free+Press&desc=PARENTS%2C+KIDS+SCRAMBLE+AS+EDUCATION+OPTIONS+NARROW&pqatl=google PARENTS, KIDS SCRAMBLE AS EDUCATION OPTIONS NARROW] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721105752/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1814901451.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+17%2C+2005&author=CHASTITY+PRATT%3B+PATRICIA+MONTEMURRI%3B+LORI+HIGGINS&pub=Detroit+Free+Press&desc=PARENTS%2C+KIDS+SCRAMBLE+AS+EDUCATION+OPTIONS+NARROW&pqatl=google |date=2013-07-21 }}." ''[[Detroit Free Press]]''. March 17, 2005. A1 News. Retrieved on April 30, 2011. "[...]said Jean Irvin-Stanley, who has children at Trinity High and Notre Dame High, both scheduled to shut their doors."</ref><ref name="Trinityopen">Mercer, Tenisha. "[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DTNB&s_site=detnews&f_site=detnews&f_sitename=Detroit+News%2C+The+%28MI%29&p_multi=DTNB&p_theme=gannett&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0F753B3DBAB9C818&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Schools merge, form Trinity High]." ''[[The Detroit News]]''. June 5, 2002. Metro 6E. Retrieved on April 29, 2011.</ref> In the fall of 2002, Bishop Gallagher and [[St. Florian High School]] in [[Hamtramck, Michigan|Hamtramck]] merged to form [[Trinity Catholic High School (Michigan)|Trinity Catholic High School]] in Harper Woods.<ref name="Trinityopen"/> In 2005 the archdiocese announced that Trinity and Notre Dame, an all-boys parochial school in Harper Woods, would close.<ref name="Prattclose0"/> The all-girls [[Regina High School (Michigan)|Regina High School]], once located in Harper Woods, moved to the nearby suburb of [[Warren, Michigan|Warren]] in the fall of 2007.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

=== Satellite college campuses ===
The [[Wayne County Community College]] University Square campus is located within the boundaries of Harper Woods.

[[Wayne State University]] has also used Harper Woods High School as a satellite campus; with a concentration on general education, Wayne State provides classes in the evening hours when the High School is not in session.

=== Public libraries ===
Harper Woods Public Library acts as the community's library system.<ref>"[http://www.libcoop.net/harperwoods/ Home]." Harper Woods Public Library. Retrieved on April 3, 2010.</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1940= 858
|1950= 9148
|1960= 19995
|1970= 20186
|1980= 16361
|1990= 14903
|2000= 14254
|2010= 14236
|2020= 15492
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

===2020 census===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Harper Woods city, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Harper Woods city, Michigan|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2636700&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Harper Woods city, Michigan|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US2636700&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2010
!% 2020
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|6,909
|4,201
|48.53%
|27.12%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|6,451
|10,199
|45.31%
|65.83%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|31
|40
|0.22%
|0.26%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|204
|141
|1.43%
|0.91%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|2
|0
|0.01%
|0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Some Other Race]] alone (NH)
|20
|61
|0.14%
|0.39%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed Race or Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|338
|550
|2.37%
|3.55%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|281
|300
|1.97%
|1.94%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''14,236'''
|'''15,492'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2012-11-25}}</ref> of 2010, there were 14,236 people, 5,814 households, and 3,611 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was {{convert|5454.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 6,504 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2492.0|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 49.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 45.6% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.5% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.4% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 2.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.0% of the population.

There were 5,814 households, of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 21.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.9% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 14,254 people, 6,292 households, and 3,756 families residing in the city.  The population density was {{convert|5,521.1|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 6,514 housing units at an average density of {{convert|2,523.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the population was 84.9% Non-Hispanic white, 10.2% African-American, 0.34% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.0% Non-Filipino [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.7% Filipino, 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.40% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.39% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2% of the population. 14.4% were of [[germans|German]], 14.0% [[italians|Italian]], 12.5% [[Polish people|Polish]], 10.4% [[Irish people|Irish]] and 5.0% [[English people|English]] ancestry according to [[Census 2000]].

There were 6,292 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 86.6 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $46,769, and the median income for a family was $55,065. Males had a median income of $46,747 versus $34,138 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $24,900.  About 2.9% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Highways==
* {{jct|state=MI|I|94}} runs south–north through the eastern portion of the city with two exits: exit 224B Allard Avenue–Eastwood Drive (exit only) and exit 225 Vernier Road (M-102).
* {{jct|state=MI|MI|102}} runs west–east at the northern edge of the city and has its eastern terminus at I-94.  Within the city, M-102 is briefly known  as 8 Mile Road before turning slightly south, where the designation changes to Vernier Road for a short length until I-94.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Binelli, Mark. ''[[Detroit City is the Place to Be]]''. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company (New York). First Edition, 2012. {{ISBN|978-0-8050-9229-5}} (hardback version).

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.harperwoodscity.org/}}
* [http://www.citytowninfo.com/places/michigan/harper-woods Additional demographic information] from Citytowninfo.com
{{Cities of Wayne County, Michigan}}
{{Metro Detroit}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Metro Detroit]]
[[Category:Cities in Wayne County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1951]]
[[Category:1951 establishments in Michigan]]