For the first 100 years, Livonians raised sheep and dairy cattle and grew vegetables and grain. Growth was slow. But gradually, over the years, dirt trails became roads and ten hard-surfaced highways. In the late 1940s, the area took its first dramatic step from agriculture to commerce and industry. In 1948, the General Motors Corporation built an automatic transmission plant, soon to be followed by a Ford Motor Company parts depot.

In 1950, the residents of Livonia Township voted to become a City. On May 23, 1950, the entire Township was incorporated into the City of Livonia. Livonia has grown from a population of 17,000 in 1950 to over 100,000 in 1998.

The City of Livonia has held on to much of its heritage through historic preservation, and the acquisition and development of over 1,800 acres of parkland and open space. Greenmead Historical Village is a 103-acre farm/museum of Livonia’s history at the southwest corner of Eight Mile and Newburgh Roads.