Romeo

History

A settlement here was originally occupied by the indigenous Chippewa (Ojibwe), an Algonquian-speaking people who were part of a large language family of tribes extending to the Atlantic Coast. Those tribes around the Great Lakes are thought to have migrated to this area by the 12th century. The early European-American settlers in this area referred to the Chippewa settlement as "Indian Village". In the 1820s and 1830s more migrant European-American families began to settle in the area, building homes and establishing businesses. They renamed the community "Hoxie's Settlement", after a man who opened an inn on Main Street. In 1839, Hoxie's Settlement became incorporated and was renamed as the village of Romeo. The name was suggested by the wife of local merchant Nathaniel Taylor because it was "short, musical, classical and uncommon." Romeo celebrated its 175th anniversary on March 9, 2013. Romeo once served as a trading center for the timber industry, and had many mills processing lumber from the region. Many wealthy timber families resided there. Dozens of stately Victorian mansions survive. Romeo is distinct in the area for having a fairly robust, traditional downtown, which has never suffered a major fire. Because of this, some stores and restaurants downtown have features such as original tin ceilings from the Civil War. In the early 20th century, Romeo was the site of an early business devoted to the new automobile industry: the Detroit Auto Vehicle Company operated here from 1904 until 1908.

Geography

The village is in northwestern Macomb County, situated at the southeast corner of Bruce Township, with a portion extending south into Washington Township. Armada Township is adjacent to the east and Ray Township to the southeast. M-53 passes through the east side of the village, leading north to Imlay City and south to the eastern side of Detroit. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village of Romeo has a total area of , of which , or 0.10%, are water. East Pond Creek crosses the easternmost part of the village, flowing east to the North Branch of the Clinton River, part of the Lake St. Clair watershed.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,526
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,226
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  13,600
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,443
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,935
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,645
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,338
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  10,681

Largest nearby schools

• Eisenhower High School
  High · SHELBY TOWNSHIP · 1,835 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Romeo High School
  High · WASHINGTON · 1,715 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Romeo Middle School
  Middle · BRUCE TWP · 1,192 students · 19.5:1 ratio
• Malow Junior High School
  Middle · SHELBY TOWNSHIP · 1,043 students · 22.7:1 ratio
• Shelby Junior High School
  Middle · SHELBY TOWNSHIP · 1,025 students · 23.8:1 ratio
• Orville C Krause Elementary School
  Elementary · ARMADA · 752 students · 15:1 ratio
• Beacon Tree Elementary School
  Elementary · SHELBY TOWNSHIP · 725 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• Richard J Duncan Elementary
  Elementary · SHELBY TOWNSHIP · 701 students · 18.4:1 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 3.4 — 2018-04-20
  Michigan
• M 2.6 — 2017-05-14
  18 km ENE of Leamington, Canada
• M 3 — 2011-02-23
  18 km NE of Leamington, Canada