Rochester Hills

History

Prior to European settlement, the area now known as Rochester Hills was inhabited by Native Americans, namely the Potawatomi. The Potawatomi depended on the area's abundant water sources, such as the Clinton River and Paint Creek, to grow crops, fish, and travel. They resided here until the 1807 Treaty of Detroit caused them, along with the Odawa, Wyandot, and Ojibwe peoples, to cede their land in Southeast Michigan. The first European settler was James Graham who arrived in 1817. Graham and his family reached the area by following trails created by the Sauk Native Americans. Avon Township was organized in 1835. Rochester incorporated as a village within the township in 1869. The township adopted a charter in 1948 under the Home Rule Act. Also in 1948 a post office was established under the name of Brooklands for the area between Auburn Road and Hamlin Road just to the west of Dequindre Road. In 1966, village residents voted to become the City of Rochester, effective in February 1967. As a result, Rochester residents no longer had to pay property taxes to the township, as it was now a separate municipality. In 1967, Avon Township filed a petition to become a city. In January 1968, township voters approved the petition to move forward with seeking city status. Three proposed city charters were voted down by residents, the first in March 1969, the second in May 1970, and the third in September 1971. The city of Rochester then sought to annex all of the township, which was unanimously denied by the Michigan Boundary Commission. In 1972, petitions were filed to consolidate Avon Township and Rochester. In April 1974, the consolidation petition lost by 350 votes in the township, while passing by four votes in Rochester. In May 1974, Rochester's petition to annex of Avon…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.27%) is water. Rochester Hills is bordered to the north by Oakland Charter Township along Dutton Road, to the south by the city of Troy along South Boulevard, to the east by Shelby Township in Macomb County along Dequindre Road, and to the west by the city of Auburn Hills along part of Adams Road. Rochester Hills is also partially bordered by the city of Rochester to the east. Elevations in the city range from above sea level in the southeastern portion of the city to in the northwestern section. *Stony Creek is a neighborhood on the northeast end of the city on the border with Rochester at . *Yates is on the boundary with Rochester and Shelby Township, Oakland County ( ; Elevation: 669 ft./204 m.).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  28,473
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  28,107
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  27,397
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  24,634
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,536
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,356
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  19,208
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,914

Largest nearby schools

• Lighthouse Connections Academy
  Other · TROY · 2,454 students · 30.7:1 ratio
• Lake Orion Community High School
  High · LAKE ORION · 2,174 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Troy High School
  High · Troy · 2,094 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Rochester High School
  High · ROCHESTER HILLS · 1,690 students · 22.8:1 ratio
• Bloomfield Hills High School
  High · Bloomfield Hills · 1,598 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• Athens High School
  High · Troy · 1,545 students · 17.8:1 ratio
• Rochester Adams High School
  High · ROCHESTER HILLS · 1,534 students · 23.6:1 ratio
• Stoney Creek High School
  High · ROCHESTER HILLS · 1,524 students · 24.2:1 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