Best Web Design in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI (2026)

Web Design for Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan

Grosse Pointe Woods is the largest of the five affluent Grosse Pointe communities lining Detroit's eastern edge, a leafy residential city about 12 miles from downtown. Its Latin motto, 'Urbis Magna Pulchritudine' (roughly 'Great City of Beauty'), captures its manicured, tree-shaded character. It carries a curious distinction: it is the only Pointe with no Lake St. Clair frontage of its own, yet it owns one of the region's finest waterfront parks.

AppWT works with Grosse Pointe Woods businesses from Livonia, a short drive away.

About Grosse Pointe Woods

Also known as. The Woods. Village of Lochmoor (original 1927 name).

History. The ancient gravel-and-sand ridge that Mack Avenue follows was built by wave action, later becoming a paleo-Indian camp, an Indian trail, a French pathway, and finally a major thoroughfare. Detroit merchant Pierre Provencal retired to the area in 1819 and built a home near what is now Provencal Road. Originally incorporated in 1927 as the Village of Lochmoor. Annexed the Stanhope-Allard strip from Gratiot Township in 1931. Renamed the Village of Grosse Pointe Woods in 1939. Incorporated as a Home Rule City on December 11, 1950; much of the city was built in the mid-20th century, especially just after World War II.

Local economy. Primarily a residential bedroom suburb of Detroit, roughly 3.24 square miles and 100% urban, with about 16,487 residents (2020). The Mack Avenue business district is the main retail and dining corridor, lined with shops and restaurants. Operates under a council-manager government from the Robert E. Novitke Municipal Center at 20025 Mack Plaza.

Culture and community. Served by the Grosse Pointe Public School System (Grosse Pointe North and South high schools) plus private University Liggett School and Grosse Pointe Academy. Lake Front Park is the community's summer hub, home to the largest outdoor swimming complex in Michigan. Hometown of Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons and NHL players Zachary Werenski and Corey Tropp.

What makes Grosse Pointe Woods distinct. It is the only one of the five Grosse Pointes with no Lake St. Clair shoreline, yet it owns a 55-acre waterfront park physically located in neighboring St. Clair Shores. The city's motto is Latin: 'Urbis Magna Pulchritudine.' Local historian Jerome DeVisscher found paleo-Indian stone points and clay-pot fragments plowed up on his father's farm on Cook Road. Mack Avenue was an Indian trail and then a French pathway before it became a modern road.

The largest of the five Grosse Pointes, incorporated from the Village of Lochmoor into a city in 1950, with over 90 percent owner-occupied single-family homes

Notable. Home of University Liggett School, Michigan's oldest continuously operating independent school (founded 1878).

Grosse Pointe Woods Landmarks and Local Life

• University Liggett School - Founded in 1878 as the Detroit Home and Day School, Michigan's oldest continuously operating independent school, on one campus since 2012
• Lake Front Park swimming complex - The city's 55-acre Lake St. Clair park boasts the largest outdoor swimming complex in Michigan
• Ghesquiere Park grounds - 32-acre park named for Alois A. Ghesquiere, village president from 1939 when Lochmoor became Grosse Pointe Woods
• Lake Front Park - 55 lakefront acres at 23000 Jefferson in St. Clair Shores, purchased in 1948 from Eleanor Clay Ford for $60,000 after a 1947 residents' vote
• Ghesquiere Park - Playscape, ball diamonds, winter ice rinks, pickleball, mini-soccer, a nine-hole disc golf course, and a walking path

Grosse Pointe Woods at a Glance

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2023.

• Median household income: $129,442
• Adults with a bachelor degree or higher: 65.9%
• Housing: 90.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied
• Housing: 93.3% of housing units are single-family detached homes