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Gordie Howe BridgeThe new bridge to Canada: live waits, tolls, and yes, you can walk it
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Metro Detroit Wayne County City
The city that named itself after a mall. Seriously.
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Westland's story starts with a name and a land grab. The area had been Nankin Township since 1829, named after the Chinese city of Nanking, and by 1960 it was the most populous township in Michigan. When Livonia tried to annex the land where Hudson's was building its new mall, residents voted on May 16, 1966, to become their own city instead, and took the mall's name.
The city's other, much heavier legacy is Eloise. Wayne County moved its poorhouse into a stagecoach tavern here in 1839, and it grew into a 902-acre, 75-building hospital city: by the late 1920s it held 10,000 patients and 2,000 staff, with its own farm, bakery, police and trolley stop. Its doctors pioneered diagnostic X-rays, and more than 7,100 patients lie in its cemetery under nothing but numbered markers.
Hines Park runs across the north end of town, with the old Nankin Mills along the way, and the entrance to Wayne County Lightfest, the county's big drive-through holiday light show, is right here. At Westland Historic Village Park you can walk through the eight-sided Octagon House and the Eloise exhibit for free.
02 / Known for
One of the rare American cities named after a shopping mall (Westland Center, 1965)
Eloise, the county poorhouse that grew into a vast hospital complex, a few buildings of which still stand
Wayne County Lightfest, five miles of holiday lights along Hines Drive, in its 33rd year in 2026
Mike Modano Ice Arena, named in 2003 for the hockey legend whose family lived in Westland
03 / What’s on
Oct 25, 2026, 2:00 PMHush Haunted Attraction · On Sunday, October 25, from 2 to 5 p.m., Hush Haunted Attraction in Westland turns the lights on and skips the scare actors, so younger visitors can walk through the haunted houses and see the eerie sets without the jump scares. Check the Hush ticket page for prices and tickets.
04 / Places
Chatters7640 N Wayne Rd, Westland, MI 48185
Eloise Asylum Escape Rooms30712 Michigan Ave, Westland, MI 48186
Vision Lanes - All Star Grille & Music Bar38250 Ford Rd, Westland, MI 4818505 / What to do
A free open-air museum on Wayne Road with the Octagon House, the Felton farmhouse, a barn and an exhibit on Eloise. Open Saturday afternoons.
Official site ↗An old mill in Hines Park turned nature and history center: Native American history, water-powered settlements, the Underground Railroad along the Rouge, and Henry Ford's village industries. Free for individual visitors.
Official site ↗From mid-November to Christmas Eve, five miles of Hines Drive light up and you cruise through from your car. The entrance is on Merriman Road.
Official site ↗The county park ribbon across north Westland: walking and bike paths, fishing, and on summer Saturdays part of Hines Drive closes to cars for walkers and bikers.
Official site ↗06 / History
Bucklin Township is organized; Westland and several neighbors later grow out of it.
Bucklin is split; because of a territorial naming conflict, the western part is named Nankin Township, after the Chinese city of Nanking.
Wayne County moves its poorhouse into a Chicago Road tavern here; Eloise grows out of it.
On July 28, Hudson's opens Westland Center.
On May 16, Nankin Township residents vote to incorporate; the new city is named Westland.
Eloise's general hospital closes; most of its 75 buildings are razed by the mid-1980s.
08 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Westland city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −3.6 percent.
