Wayne County Forestry Department

About forestry service, 44053, Lorain, OH, US, Michigan

Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Westland is located about 18 miles (29 km) west of downtown Detroit. As of 2022, the city had a population of 84,037. == History == === Early history === During the 18th century, the area was inhabited by the people of a Potawatomi Native American village. Other tribes, particularly three Algonquian tribes, used the area as hunting territory. Though white settlers did not begin to settle the area until about 1824, they began passing through at the beginning of the 19th century. Before becoming Westland, the area had several other names. In 1827, the area became known as Bucklin Township, which included what is now the cities of Westland, Livonia, Garden City, Inkster, Wayne, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights and Redford Township. In 1829, it was proposed that Bucklin Township be divided into Lima and Richland; the former is what eventually became Westland. Due to name conflicts under territorial law prohibiting duplication of post office names, Lima was renamed Nankin Township, after the Chinese city of Nanking, and Richland was renamed Pekin Township, after Peking.