GARDEN CITY, with a population of over 31,000 residents was incorporated as a village in 1927, and a city in 1933.
The name Garden City was derived from a period of growth following World War I when it was developed as a suburban garden
community that attracted auto workers looking for a house with a large lot for a garden. The land developers description
"The Sun Parlor of Detroit" has become Garden City's motto. Today the trees, shrubbery and gardens have matured giving
the area a distinctive appearance.The history of the Garden City area began when Marcus Swift and Luther Reeves, pioneer farmers from Palmyra, New York, settled here in 1825. They were soon joined by their own families as well as other pioneer farm families from the East. Then beginning in 1834, a new group of settlers from the north of Ireland started immigrating to this area to escape the Irish potato famine. Until it was incorporated as Garden City approximately 100 years later, the area was commonly referred to as "New Ireland" or "Irish Town."
Garden City was the first site for two highly successful retail operations. Mike Illitch began his Little Caesars empire
with a take-out restaurant which opened here in 1959. In 1962, K-Mart opened its first discount department store here
followed by 17 more stores in other cities later that same year.
