Okemos, Michigan

The Village of Okemos was established long before some pundits say it was established as "Sanford" or "Hamilton" than comonly known as Okemos after John Okemos ("little Chief"), Chief of the Objiby Tribe (Chippawa) earning his title in the War of 1812 as a British Scout [1]. His tribe extended from Portland Michigan to Okemos Michigan along the Red Cedar River as well as various camps in Owosso on the Shiawassee river and Looking Glass river in Dewitt and Clinton Countiy.[2] The Sate legislature in 1859 name the Village "Okemos" in Honor of the Chief.[3] Sanford and Hamilton may be attributed to the Federal Government establishing a post Office and their names are such recorded in roads namely Hamilton and Marsh Roads but the "Trading Village" in Chippewa territory existed as a post 1/2 way inbetween Fort Ponchatrain du Detroit ( Fort Detroit) and Fort Muskegeon (Navy Fort) early in the 1700's. Gravesites date back to that era in the cemetary on the Western end of Hamilton Road (formerly the Planc Road or Grand River Ave.[4] The first Trading post was built (Circa 1700) and located on Hamilton Road just East of Marsh Road and had been moved to Meridian Village.[5] The post was centrally located between the forts and served as a Commercial route (River route) between the Forts with a portage in Howell Michigan from the Hudson River to the Red Cedar River thence to the Grand River to Lake Michigan and Muskegeon.[6] The Village soon prospered and the "Village business district" grew on the Banks of the Red Cedar River and Okemos Road. Afterwards the planc road now know as the Grand River Road replaced the river trail.[7] There is much more lively history to this village and many known persons dwelled there or were born there.

[1] History of Shiawasee and Clinton County, Michigan (1880) D.W. Ensign & Co.

[2] Wiki "Chief John Okemos" et al

[3]Michigan Revised Compiled law 1859

[4] Gerave headstones :Hamilton et sec grand River Avenue at Small Acres Lane "My Residence" circa 1991

[5]See Okemos Library Village Map

[6] Any Michigan Map

The Red Cedar River, a tributary of the Grand River, flows from east to west through Okemos.

The center of Okemos, referred to by many as "The Four Corners", is located at the intersection of Hamilton and Okemos roads. The most notable business is the Meridian Mall on Grand River Avenue (M-43) northeast of the Four Corners, including Schuler Books and Studio C! Cinema.

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 21,369 people, 8,824 households, and 5,416 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,274.7 inhabitants per square mile (492.2/km²). There were 9,384 housing units at an average density of 554.9 per square mile (214.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 76.5% White, 14.4% Asian, 5.1% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

There were 9,194 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the CDP, 23.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 14.5% was from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for an average household in the CDP was $62,810, and the median income for a family was $88,459 (These figures had risen to $75,736 and $101,903 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[5]). Males had a median income of $60,601 versus $41,393 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $33,401. About 3.3% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over.

In 2011, CNN Money Magazine rated Okemos as the 12th-best city to live in for "the rich and single".[6]

• Travis Bader. professional basketball player
• Curtis Cregan, singer and theater actor
• Doc Corbin Dart, punk rock musician
• Monica Drake, author
• Lawrence Joseph Giacoletto, electrical engineer and inventor
• Madison Hubbell, 2018 US Olympic ice dancer
• James Hynes, novelist, born in Okemos in 1955[7]
• Susan Jacoby, author, born and raised in Okemos
• Seth Meyers, comedian, Saturday Night Live cast member, host of Late Night with Seth Meyers, attended Edgewood Elementary[8]
• Josh Meyers, comedian, MADtv cast member
• Taylor Moton, NFL player, attended Okemos Public Schools
• Larry Page, co-founder of Google, went to Montessori School in Okemos
• Heather Raffo, playwright, author of Nine Parts of Desire[9]
• Andrew Robl, professional poker player
• Benjamin Schneider, American indie musician for Lord Huron, attended Okemos Public Schools
• Tyler Oakley, YouTuber, blogger, and LGBT activist[10]
• Tom Welling, actor, played Clark Kent in television series Smallville
• Kim Chi, stage name of Sang-Young Shin, a Korean-American drag queen, artist, and television personality best known as a contestant on season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race[11][10]
• John Bennett Ramsey, father of JonBenét Ramsey, attended Okemos High School[12]

• Goetsch–Winckler House. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and of the earlier examples of his "Usonian" houses.
• The Meridian Historical Village[13] and farmers market
• Ferguson Park,[14] along the Red Cedar River on Okemos Road, is thought to be the meeting place where Chief Okemos and the war chiefs held their powwows. The park is part of the oldest settlement in the area along the plank road between Detroit and the Capitol in Lansing.
• The Hamilton Building at 2160 Hamilton Road (near the Four Corners of Okemos), is the oldest commercial building in Okemos, and replaced the old Walker General Store, which was built in 1853. The Hamilton Building held its first ice cream social on June 11, 1904, and was built to house the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a charity organization. The planks in the building are from the walnut grove on which it sits. Along with Ferguson Park, it is also part of the oldest settlement in the area along the old plank road between Detroit and the Capitol in Lansing.
• Nancy Moore Park[15]
• Meridian Mall
• The Hope Borbas Okemos branch[16] of the Capital Area District Library

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Okemos has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[17]

• Okemos Public Schools
• Meridian Mall