Allen Park is a middle-class suburban city in central Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is known for its tree-lined streets, brick houses, and the Fairlane Green Shopping Center that opened in 2006. At the 2010 census, the population was 28,210. The suburb of Detroit was once recognized in Money Magazine’s list of America’s Best Small Cities. Allen Park is part of the collection of communities known as Downriver. Much like other “Downriver” communities, Allen Park has seen a steady decline in recent years, in terms of property value.
Ford Motor Company is an integral part of the community. Many of the company’s offices and facilities lie within the city limits. Since 2002, Allen Park is the practice home of the Detroit Lions football team and is also the site of the team’s headquarters.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.05 square miles, of which 7.00 square miles is land and 0.05 square miles is water.
Allen Park was incorporated as a village in 1927, and as a city in 1957. It was named after Lewis Allen, a well-to-do lawyer and lumberman whose 276½ acres of land (primarily in Ecorse Township) included holdings in what are now Allen Park and Melvindale. Hubert Champaign (for whom Champaign Park is named) and Edward Pepper were two other early residents of the area.
In 1950 Allen Park did not include the part of the city directly west of Melvindale; that area was still part of Ecorse Township.
As of the census of 2010, there were 28,210 people, 11,580 households, and 7,606 families residing in the city.