Center Line

History

Historically, the land that Center Line came to occupy was swamp and wilderness until the early nineteenth century. As land became scarce, French, German, Belgian, and Irish immigrants began clearing the forests and draining the swamps. Center Line was known as "Kunrod's Corner" during the mid-nineteenth century. The theory is that the French named it "Center Line" because it was the middle of three Potawatomi trails from Fort Detroit to northern trading posts. The "center line" was the trail used from Detroit to Utica. The community received its initial start when Catholics decided to build a church so that they would not have to walk to St. Mary's in Detroit for Sunday Mass. This church (St. Clement's) was established in 1854 and attracted more Catholic settlers into the area. In 1863, the first general store was constructed by Joeseph Buechel. On July 19, 1878, Hieronymous Engelmann was the first postmaster, and he was succeeded in 1885 by Sophia Buechel. The "Centre Line" post office closed on July 31, 1906, and the name was restored to Center Line thereafter. In this era, street car tracks connected Detroit to Center Line along Van Dyke Road, and Ten Mile Road was the final stop of the street car. The village was incorporated in 1925 in the center of Warren Township, which is now the city of Warren, and was incorporated as a city in 1936.

Geography

Center Line is in southwestern Macomb County and is surrounded entirely by the city of Warren. It is north of downtown Detroit, west of St. Clair Shores, east of Royal Oak, and south of Utica. Interstate 696 runs along the northern edge of Center Line, with access from Exits 22 through 24. Highway M-53 (Van Dyke Avenue) runs north-south through the center of town, connecting Detroit and Utica. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Center Line has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  33,202
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  30,236
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,919
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  26,113
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,437
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,424
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,933
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  19,908

Largest nearby schools

• Adlai Stevenson High School
  High · STERLING HEIGHTS · 1,977 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Henry Ford II High School
  High · STERLING HEIGHTS · 1,717 students · 20:1 ratio
• Fraser High School
  High · FRASER · 1,524 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• Lakeview High School
  High · SAINT CLAIR SHORES · 1,465 students · 24.8:1 ratio
• Sterling Heights Senior HS
  High · STERLING HEIGHTS · 1,389 students · 21:1 ratio
• Warren Mott High School
  High · WARREN · 1,385 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• Cousino Senior High School
  High · WARREN · 1,279 students · 23.7:1 ratio
• Roseville High School
  High · ROSEVILLE · 1,216 students · 19.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2026-05-04
  8 km N of Maybee, Michigan
• M 3 — 2026-04-26
  7 km SSE of Amherstburg, Canada
• M 2.5 — 2022-05-23
  2 km NNW of Corunna, Canada
• M 3.2 — 2020-08-21
  2 km SSE of Detroit Beach, Michigan
• M 3.4 — 2018-04-20
  Michigan
• M 2.6 — 2017-05-14
  18 km ENE of Leamington, Canada