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Part of the Detroit Metro Region, Inkster, Michigan is in Wayne County, in the southeastern portion of the Lower Peninsula.

The city abuts Garden City to the north, Dearborn Heights to the north, east, and south, and Westland to the west and south.

US-12 (Michigan Avenue) bisects the city, running largely northeast-southwest, intersecting Henry Ruff Road (western boundary), Middlebelt Road, Inkster Road, and Beech-Daly Road (eastern boundary). Cherry Hill Road serves as the city's northern boundary, while Annapolis Road makes up its southern boundary.

Besides its abutting cities, other cities and villages within twenty miles of Inkster include Wayne, Dearborn, Taylor, Allen Park, Melvindale, Romulus, Lincoln Park, Livonia, River Rouge, Ecorse, Southgate, Woodhaven, Flat Rock, Riverview, Belleville, Farmington, Wyandotte, Plymouth, Detroit, Farmington Hills, Hamtramck, Highland Park, Rockwood, Trenton, Southfield, Oak Park, Ypsilanti, Northville, Lathrup Village, Gibraltar, South Rockwood, and Berkley.

Once inhabited by Native Americans, the area of Michigan that became Inkster was settled by European-Americans earlier than 1825, although the townsite was later named for Robert Inkster, a Scottish immigrant who wasn't even born at that time.

Marcus Swift came to what was then known as the Nankin area in 1825 to find that there were already two homes in the area, one belonging to Marenus Harrison, the other to James Wightman. The Harrison family is believed to have been the first family to settle in the area. Willis Harrison, Justice of the Peace for Nankin Township, was related to Joseph Harrison, and other members of his family served in various local positions.

Robert Inkster, who had become a United States citizen in 1853, purchased a steam-powered sawmill in the area in 1855, and acquired a contract to furnish railroad ties and fuel for the nearby railroad. Located on what is now Inkster Road, just south of Michigan Avenue, his mill was known as the Red Mill.

A post office was established on December 31, 1857, with Josiah Dort as postmaster. The post office was named Moulin Rouge, which was French for "red mill." In 1878, the Michigan Central Railroad opened a station in Moulin Rouge. On July 11, 1863, the post office and railroad station were renamed Inkster.

Besides his other interest, Robert Inkster was heavily involved in real estate. He sold land that he owned in Highland Park to Henry Ford, who build an auto manufacturing facility there.

In the early 1900s, African-American workers who had come to work in the nearby Ford Motors plant were faced with segregation and a lack of housing options, as some city would not permit them to buy homes. Many of them moved to Inkster, which was near enough for them to commute.

Inkster was incorporated as a village in 1926, and the village grew wildly for three decades, reaching its peak population of 39,097 in 1960. Inkster became a city in 1964. Since 1960, the population of Inkster has declined slowly, but steadily, each census year, and its current population is below 25,000.

Believed to have been the model for Rosie the Riveter, of the famous "We Can Do It" poster, Geraldine Hoff Doyle lived in Inkster in the 1940s and worked as a metal presser in a factory manufacturing war supplied during World War II.

The Civil Rights activist and Nation of Islam leader, Malcolm X, lived in Inkster in the early 1950s, during the time that he began his involvement with the Nation of Islam.

Katherine Anderson, Gladys Horton, Georgeanna Tillman, Wanda Young, and Juanita Cowart, the founding members of The Marvelettes, an all-female R&B band, were natives of Inkster. They performed together at the glee club at Inkster High School, signing on to Motown's Tamla label in 1961.

The City of Inkster, Michigan is the focus of this guide. Topics relating to the municipality, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events are appropriate for this category.

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