Westland, MI

Westland is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The population was 13,827 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Wayne County. The city is located on the western border of Michigan and Ohio and is adjacent to both Toledo, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan.

The area that became Westland was first settled in 1818 by Ebenezer Smith and his family. In 1835, John Sibley purchased land from Ebenezer Smith and began developing what would become Westland as a trading post with Native Americans. In 1837, he built a sawmill on the banks of the River Raisin which became one of the largest in Michigan. By 1840, Westland had grown to include a store, hotel, blacksmith shop and two churches.

In 1841-42, during the Black Hawk War between Native Americans and United States troops stationed in Illinois Territory (now Illinois), John Sibley served as captain of Company K of the 8th Regiment Infantry from Wayne County which fought in several engagements including Battle of Bad Axe where he was wounded twice; Battle of Tippecanoe where he was captured; Battle of Wabash where he was again wounded; Battle of Fort Dearborn where he led a successful assault against an American fortification; and Siege of Chicago where he commanded all forces within Detroit for six months until its capitulation on August 15th 1843. After returning home to Westland following these campaigns John Sibley continued to develop his business interests including construction of several buildings including what would become known as "Sibley Hall" which still stands today as part of Eastern Michigan University's campus in Ypsilanti Township just outside downtown Westland.

In 1850-51 Henry Rowe Schoolcraft visited Westland while conducting research for his book "Travels Through The Interior Of America". During this visit Schoolcraft met with local leaders including John Sibley who showed him around town and gave him a tour of "Sibley Hall". In 1861-62 during the American Civil War (1861-1865) Confederate General Sterling Price passed through Westland on his way from Kentucky to Missouri while en route to attack Union forces at Columbus Ohio but no fighting occurred due to poor weather conditions.

In 1870-71 when railroad lines were being constructed through northern Michigan connecting Detroit with Chicago via Toledo Ohio it was decided that Westland should be one stop along this route due its strategic location between Detroit and Toledo along major transportation routes including the River Raisin which served as an important shipping channel for goods heading north or south across North America. As a result Henry Ford chose East Grand Boulevard (now I-75) as the site for his first automobile factory which began production in 1903 employing hundreds of workers who lived in nearby neighborhoods such as Lincoln Park Village near what is now known as Ford Field Stadium .

The automotive industry would play an important role in shaping both economic development and social life in Westland throughout much of its history with companies such as Ford Motor Company , General Motors , Chrysler Corporation , AMC Pacer , Jeep , Volkswagen AG among others either establishing manufacturing facilities within city limits or directly impacting daily life through their products . Today there are still numerous automotive companies operating within city limits including Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., Mazda Motor Corporation USA LLC., Magna Steyr Automotive GmbH & Co KG., Delphi Automotive Systems Inc., BorgWarner Incorporated , Eaton Corporation among others .

Today's economy is also heavily reliant upon healthcare services with hospitals like Hurley Medical Center providing critical care services to residents throughout Wayne County while other medical providers such as Saint Joseph Mercy Health System operate clinics throughout town . Additionally there are numerous businesses involved in providing logistics support such as FedEx Corp., UPS Airlines Inc., DHL Worldwide Express Ltd., Amazon Web Services LLC., Cain Communications Incorporated among others .