Novi, Michigan
Novi is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 55,224, an increase over the 2000 census count of 47,386. The city is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of the center of Detroit, and 29 miles (47 km) northeast of the center of Ann Arbor. The city is located within the boundaries of the survey township of Novi Township. The remaining unincorporated township is only a tiny fraction surrounded by the city.
History
Novi was incorporated as a city in 1969 after the approval of a city charter by Village of Novi voters. The approval of the charter followed an election on May 20, 1968 where voters approved the incorporation of the city on a vote of 694 in favor and 283 votes against. The approval of incorporation and the city charter followed several previous attempts at incorporation that were rejected by Novi voters. The city was incorporated along the boundaries of the existing Village of Novi.
In the 1970s, the city annexed portions of Novi Township that had remained separate from the Village of Novi after the village incorporated in 1958. A lengthy legal battle between the city and the township was decided by the Michigan Supreme Court in favor of the city. The legal disputes around the annexation battles were not fully resolved until 1984.
Origin Of Name
Several popular but historically inaccurate explanations have been given for the origin of the name Novi. The township was named Novi when it was organized in 1832 from Farmington Township. The name was offered by resident Dr. J. C. Emery, at the suggestion of his wife. Residents were reportedly looking for a shorter name than Farmington.One version is that it was named after the 6th toll gate (No. VI) on the Grand River toll road. However, the township was named in 1832 and the toll road was not constructed until the 1850s. A similar claim is made about the township being stop number 6 on the railroad. However, the Holly, Wayne and Monroe Railway was not constructed through the township until 1870–71, almost 40 years after the township was named. A third popular misconception is that Novi was the sixth stagecoach stop outside of Detroit.
Historic Sites
– Historic Township Hall: The historic Township Hall was originally located on Novi Road, south of Grand River. It was moved to the Novi Library property in – the 1980s. It was recently relocated again onto the property that was the site of the Jacob and Rebecca Fuerst Farmstead.
– Tollgate Farm: 160 acre (650,000 m²) farmstead and educational center.
– Colonel Samuel White Homestead: Site includes a Michigan Historical Marker.
– Novi Depot: Portion of the original railroad depot constructed in 1871 for the Holly, Wayne and Monroe Railroad