Novi ( ) is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Novi is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 66,243, an increase of 20% from the 2010 census.
History
Novi was organized as a township in 1832, on land taken from Farmington Township. The name Novi was offered by resident Dr. J. C. Emery, at the suggestion of his wife. Residents were reportedly looking for a shorter name than Farmington.
A local account has said that it was named after the sixth toll gate (No. VI) on the Grand River Road. However, the township was named in 1832 and the toll road was not constructed until the 1850s. Another account said that it was the sixth stagecoach stop outside Detroit. Similarly, the township was said to be stop six (or VI) on the railroad, but the Holly, Wayne & Monroe Railway (now CSX Transportation) was not constructed through the township until 1870–71, almost 40 years after the organization and naming of the township.
Novi was incorporated as a city in 1969 after the approval of a city charter on February 18, 1969, by Village of Novi voters. Charter approval followed an election on May 20, 1968, in which voters approved the incorporation of the city: the vote was 694 in favor and 283 votes against. The charter became effective on February 24, 1969. There had been several previous attempts by organizers to incorporate as a city. The city was incorporated along the boundaries of the existing Village of Novi, and grew quickly in the latter half of the 20th century as second- and third-stage waves of white flight from the City of Detroit and older suburbs resulted in more extensive urban sprawl in the region.
Historic sites 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 FarmAbout the MSU Tollgate Education Center, Michigan State University Extension is a 160-acre (650,000m2) farmstead and educational center. The Colonel Samuel White Homestead site is identified by a Michigan Historical Marker. A portion of the original Novi Depot was constructed in 1871 for the Holly, Wayne and Monroe Railroad (now absorbed by CSX Transportation). The Jacob and Rebecca Fuerst Farmstead was a historic site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The City of Novi demolished the Fuerst Farmstead in order to develop the site for other historic uses. The north barn was destroyed on July 16, 2008. The farm house was demolished in August 2008. The south and east barns were dismantled and removed from the site. None of the original buildings of the Farmstead was preserved on the site. But the historic Township Hall was relocated to this site.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (3.32%) is water.
The city is located on Walled Lake which lies mainly within Novi and is the largest lake in the city. It also serves as the headwaters of the Middle Branch of the Rouge River. Shawood Lake is southwest of Walled Lake. Several smaller lakes within the city were created by gravel pit mining or as stormwater retention areas. Most of the city lies within the Rouge River watershed. Some areas on the north and west side of the city are part of the Huron River watershed.
Three major freeways converge in Novi. The city's location provides direct access to several major freeways including I-96, I-696, I-275, and M-5.
The city is located within the boundaries of the survey township of Novi Township, which now also includes portions of the cities of Northville and Walled Lake. The remaining unincorporated township is only a tiny fraction of surrounded by the city.
Economy
Novi continues to be one of the fastest-growing cities in Michigan. The construction of Twelve Oaks Mall in 1977 made the city a major shopping destination in the Detroit metropolitan area and is often credited with ushering in an era of growth that lasted for 40 years (although, in fact, the community had been growing rapidly since the 1950s). This growth has led to substantial increases in the city's population, as well as commercial and industrial developments in the city. Novi was ranked #48 on Money magazine's list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in 2008. As of January 2009 Novi has over 1,600 businesses.
Novi's economy includes international corporations with local and regional offices as well as owner-operated businesses serving the local area. While Novi is recognized for its large concentration of retail businesses clustered at the Novi Road and I-96 interchange, there are several large retail centers in the city as well as many individual retail businesses. Novi has car dealerships along Haggerty Road and Grand River Avenue. The city's industrial and office parks are home to companies in high tech research and development, health care, transportation and logistics, manufacturing and domestic and foreign automotive-related suppliers. Energy-related companies are one of the fastest-growing sectors in the city. These companies include the headquarters for ITC Transmission, Novi Energy and offices of Patrick Energy Services.
The business community in Novi is represented by the Novi Chamber of Commerce.
Kroger operates its Michigan regional offices at 40399 Grand River Avenue in Novi. The Japan Auto Parts Industries Association, North America has its offices in Novi. Toyota Boshoku America opened in a Novi office in 2002, with 10 employees. As of April 2013 the company has two office buildings in Novi with 210 total employees, with about 30 of them being Japanese assignees. Ted Schafer, the vice president of the Technical Center, said that Novi was selected due to the community and schools friendly to Japanese people, and the proximity to General Motors offices, Toyota offices, and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. In December 2009 American Mitsuba Corp. moved to Novi, and as of April 2013 the office employs 32 people, and increase from when it was first established. The senior vice president, David Martin Stevens, said that the location was chosen due to the quality of the office building.
Novi ranks among the top Oakland County communities for research, technology and service companies. To manage growth and attract commerce, Novi partners with local, state and federal agencies to enhance infrastructure. Novi has a Neighborhoods and Business Relations Group to attract and retain businesses and has streamlined many of its planning and approvals processes to encourage new business and development, as well as redevelopment. The enhancements are intended to speed the process, allowing businesses to move ahead with plans for relocation or expansion. Novi has attracted several international firms, such as Howa USA Holdings, a Japanese auto supplier with a research and development center in Novi specializing in interior components for vehicles.
Ryder System Inc. constructed a new regional headquarters, representing a $22 million investment in the community. ITC Transmission Company, the nation's largest independent electrical transmission company, made Novi its national headquarters. In 2008, St. John Providence Park opened a 200-bed hospital on a total, health campus. In addition to the full-service hospital, the campus provides an array of services in a beautiful wooded setting, complete with walking and cycling paths and devoted to health-related retail establishments.
Over the last few years, Novi has focused its economic development efforts on the telematics and car connectivity industries. Within the telematics industry, more than 5,000 firms employ approximately 70,000 people in Oakland County, many of them employed in Novi. Those firms in Novi include Cooper-Standard Automotive, NXP, Elektrobit, and Harman/Becker Automotive. Tognum, based in Germany, is scheduled to relocate its headquarters to Novi on Haggerty Road, between 13 and 14 Mile Roads.
Around 2008 the median house price was in the upper $260,000s.
Top employers
According to the city's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top public and private sector employers in the city are:
# Employer # of employees1St. John Health / Providence Park Hospital2,2302Novi Community Schools9053Harman 8484Ryder System 6605Lineage Logistics6556ITC Holding, Inc. 5447Yanfeng 4758Intier / Magna3799Hanon 35110Fox Run 306
Health care Novi is home to some of the region's largest health care systems. Henry Ford Health operates the Henry Ford Providence Novi Hospital off of Interstate 96 and Beck Road. It has a capacity for fewer than 400 patients, and it is located on a site that also includes medical office building and neuroscience institute, a hotel with 100 rooms, and an orthopedic center that houses an ambulatory surgical center. Construction on the hospital began in 2005 and lasted for three years. The total cost was about $220 million. The architecture firm that designed the hospital was NBBJ and the engineering firm was Korda. The hospital design includes a six-story atrium that allows natural sunlight. It opened in September 2008.
Henry Ford Health operates the Henry Ford Medical Center - Columbus."Henry Ford Medical Center - Columbus (Novi)." (Archive) Henry Ford Health System. Retrieved on May 5, 2013. Services at the location include primary care, behavioral health services, cancer treatment, diabetes care, endoscopy, infusion services, lymphedema services, MOHs surgery, MRIs, and rehabilitation services and travel clinic. Corewell Health has two speciality facilities in Novi.
Parks and recreation Most of the farmland and open spaces present in the mid-20th century have been developed. The exceptions include the Tollgate Farm located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Twelve Mile and Meadowbrook Roads. This farmstead is owned by the Americana Foundation and is currently leased and operated by Michigan State University as an agricultural extension. Lakeshore Park is another prominent natural area. The park is located between Walled Lake and Twelve Mile Road, west of Novi Road. While portions of the park were turned over to a developer to settle a lawsuit, it remains one of the largest municipal parks in southeast Michigan. Ella Mae Power Park, located behind the Novi Civic Center, hosts softball and baseball games and tournaments.
In 2004, the City of Novi negotiated for the donation of several parcels of parkland on the west side of the city. These properties, along with several adjoining parcels owned by the city, preserve of environmentally sensitive areas in the Huron River watershed. In 2005, the City of Novi was awarded a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF) grant to acquire two areas of environmentally sensitive property in southeast Novi within the Rouge River watershed. The properties were acquired in 2009. In 2007, the city was awarded a second MNRTF grant to acquire of natural area in southwest Novi within the headwaters of the Huron River watershed. The property was acquired in 2010. In 2010, the city was awarded a third MNRTF grant to develop the city-owned property on the south end of Walled Lake, once the site of the Walled Lake Casino and Amusement Park, into a public park. That property is now the Pavilion Shore Park.
Each year in October, the Japan Festival is held in the city. It is the largest Japan festival in the state."Japan Festival 2011 to take place Sunday at Novi High School." The Oakland Press. Wednesday September 28, 2011. Retrieved on November 19, 2012.
Government