Allen Park is a city located in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population of Allen Park was 27,528.

Ford Motor Company plays an important role in the city. Many of the company's offices and buildings are located within Allen Park's boundaries. Since 2002, Allen Park has been the training facility for the Detroit Lions football team and also houses the team's headquarters. The city is known for its streets lined with trees, brick homes, and the Fairlane Green Shopping Center, which opened in 2006. Allen Park was once listed in Money Magazine's ranking of America's Best Small Cities. It is part of a group of communities called Downriver.

Allen Park is home to the Uniroyal Giant Tire, which is the largest tire model that is not used for manufacturing and is one of the world's largest roadside attractions. The structure was originally a Ferris wheel at the 1964 New York World's Fair. It was moved to Allen Park in 1966.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.05 square miles (18.26 km), of which 7.00 square miles (18.13 km) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km) (0.71%) is water.

Allen Park is bordered by Southgate to the south, Lincoln Park to the east, Melvindale to the northeast, Dearborn to the north, Dearborn Heights to the northwest, and Taylor to the west.

• I-75 runs through the southeast corner of Allen Park between Goddard Road and the border with Lincoln Park.
• I-94 runs through the northern part of Allen Park between Pelham Road and the Rouge River.
• M-39, Southfield Road, is an eight-lane boulevard that runs from the northwest to the southeast between the border with Lincoln Park and I-94. It becomes the Southfield Freeway and turns northeast after crossing the I-94 interchange.

History

Allen Park became a village in 1927 and a city in 1957. The city was named after Lewis Allen, a wealthy lawyer and lumberman. His land, which covered 276½ acres mostly in Ecorse Township, included areas that are now Allen Park and Melvindale. Hubert Champaign, after whom Champaign Park is named, and Edward Pepper were also early residents of the area.

In 1950, Allen Park did not include the area directly west of Melvindale. That part of the city was still part of Ecorse Township at that time.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census, Allen Park had a population of 28,638. The median age was 41.5 years. Twenty point one percent of residents were under the age of 18, and 18.0% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 93.5 males aged 18 and over.

One hundred percent of residents lived in urban areas, and 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 11,787 households in Allen Park. Twenty-seven point four percent of these households had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 46.6% were married-couple households, 19.1% had a male householder with no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 12,252 housing units, of which 3.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.9%, and the rental vacancy rate was 6.3%.

As of the 2010 census, there were 28,210 people, 11,580 households, and 7,606 families living in the city. The population density was 4,030.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,556.0 per square kilometer). There were 12,206 housing units at an average density of 1,743.7 per square mile (673.2 per square kilometer). The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 2.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 2.0% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 8.1% of the population.

There were 11,580 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them. Forty-nine point one percent were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. Thirty point one percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 41.7 years. Twenty-one point seven percent of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

As of the 2000 census, there were 29,376 people, 11,974 households, and 8,202 families living in the city. The population density was 4,189.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,617.7 per square kilometer). There were 12,254 housing units at an average density of 1,747.7 per square mile (674.8 per square kilometer). The racial makeup of the city was 95.6% White, 0.7% African American, 0.36% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.21% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 4.73% of the population. There were 11,974 households, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. Twenty-eight point two percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43, and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city, 22.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 6.5% was from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.9% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 women aged 18 and over, there were 88.1 men.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,992, and the median income for a family was $63,350. Males had a median income of $50,143, and females had a median income of $31,168. The per capita income for the city was $24,980. About 1.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those aged 65 or over.

Government

As of August 2024, the mayor of Allen Park is Gail McLeod. She has been serving in this role since 2019.

The City Council has six members. Each member serves a four-year term. The members are Nancy Knick, Matthew E. Valerius, Dennis Marcos, Gerald Barr Jr., Gary Schlack, and Dan Loyd. Other elected officials include City Clerk Michael Mizzi and City Treasurer Tim Estheimer.

Education

Most of Allen Park is part of the Allen Park School District. This district includes three elementary schools: Arno, Lindemann, and Bennie. It also includes Allen Park Middle School, Allen Park High School, and Allen Park Community School.

The northern area of Allen Park is part of the Melvindale-Northern Allen Park Public Schools. Rogers Early Elementary School is located within Allen Park. Students from this district attend Melvindale High School, which is also in Allen Park.

The Southgate Community School District covers the part of Allen Park south of the Sexton-Kilfoil Drain.

Before Allen Park High School was built in 1950, education in Allen Park ended after the eighth grade at the Lapham school. Students in the Allen Park school district had to travel to Detroit Southwestern High School, Lincoln Park High School, and/or Melvindale High School for high school.

Private schools in Allen Park include Inter-City Baptist School and St. Frances Cabrini Schools (which include Cabrini High School). In the past, religious private schools in Ecorse, River Rouge, and Taylor also served Allen Park residents.

Sports

In 2009, the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) announced that Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park would be the main location for the first PBA World Series of Bowling. This special event included the first seven tournaments of the PBA's 2009–10 season, all held in the same area. One tournament, the Motor City Open, took place in nearby Taylor, Michigan, while the other six tournaments, including the PBA World Championship qualifying and match play rounds, were held at Thunderbowl Lanes. The 2009 events occurred from August 2 to September 6, with the televised finals recorded by ESPN on September 5–6. Since then, Thunderbowl Lanes has hosted other PBA tournaments, such as the five-event PBA Fall Swing in September 2016, the 2018 and 2021 PBA Tour Finals, and the 2025 USBC Masters and PBA Playoffs. The World Series of Bowling returned to Thunderbowl Lanes for its tenth anniversary during the 2019 PBA Tour season, with events held from March 11 to March 21.

The National Football League's Detroit Lions have their offices and training facility in Allen Park.

Notable residents

• Terry Andrysiak is a football quarterback.
• Jeff Bernard is an unlimited hydroplane driver.
• John Bizon is a member of the Michigan Senate.
• Amanda Chidester is a softball player.
• Frank Liberati is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives.
• Tullio Liberati is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives.
• Jennifer Valoppi is a journalist.
• John Varvatos is a fashion designer.