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==History == Auburn Hills began as Pontiac Township, including the village of Auburn, in 1821, at what is today the corner of Auburn and Squirrel roads. Situated on the [[Clinton River (Michigan)|Clinton River]], it was named by Aaron Webster, the first settler, for [[Auburn, New York|Auburn]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. His sawmill and grist mill attracted settlers to Auburn.<ref>{{cite book| last= Randall| first= Natalie Kilmer| title= Pontiac Township 1827-1983| date=1983| page=7}}</ref> After the streets were laid out in 1826, Auburn rivaled nearby [[Pontiac, Michigan|Pontiac]] until the 1860s, when it lost its own prosperity. The town was renamed Amy in 1880, and it officially became Auburn Heights in 1919. Pontiac Township bordered the city of Pontiac on two sides. In 1908, automobile pioneer [[John Francis Dodge|John Dodge]] bought a farmhouse {{convert|3|mi|km}} northeast of Auburn Heights to use as his country retreat. He and his wife, [[Matilda Dodge Wilson]], continued to buy farmland, eventually totaling 1,400 acres.<ref>https://opccenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Winter-2021-Vintage-View.pdf</ref> Dodge died in 1920, and Matilda Dodge later married lumber baron Alfred Gaston Wilson, with whom she built one of America's castles, [[Meadow Brook Hall]],<ref>https://americanaristocracy.com/houses/meadow-brook-hall</ref> on a portion of the estate in present day [[Rochester Hills]] at a cost of $4 million (${{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4|start_year=1926|r=1}} million in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}).{{Inflation/fn|US-GDP}}<ref name="meadowbrookhall.org">https://meadowbrookhall.org/about/history/</ref> In 1957, Matilda Dodge Wilson donated her land to [[Michigan State University]], leading to the creation of [[Oakland University]].<ref name="meadowbrookhall.org"/> John Dodge's oldest child, Winifred Dodge, married real estate baron [[Wesson Seyburn]], who built his own country retreat {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} north of Auburn Heights. The estate included hunting land, dog kennels, a swimming pool, horse stables, and a {{convert|5000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} [[Colonial Revival]] house. Pontiac Township purchased the estate in 1975, and adapted the buildings for government use.<ref>{{cite book| last= Randall| first= Natalie Kilmer| title= Pontiac Township 1827-1983| date=1983| page=60}}</ref> Today, it is known as the Auburn Hills Civic Center. The first use of the name "Auburn Hills," in 1964, was by [[Oakland Community College]]. They named their campus (a former [[Project Nike|Nike missile base]]) at Featherstone and Squirrel roads for the town and the hilly terrain in the area. Besides Oakland Community College, [[Oakland University|Oakland University's]] campus is partially within the city limits. === Incorporation history === The township attempted to incorporate as Pontiac Heights in 1971, but was denied by state officials. Pontiac Township became a charter township in 1978, to protect itself from further annexation. In 1983, [[Pontiac Township, Michigan|Pontiac Township]] merged with the village of Auburn Heights to become the City of Auburn Hills. It is not to be confused with the similarly named city of [[Auburn, Michigan]], that exists in [[Bay County, Michigan|Bay County]], near [[Saginaw Bay]].
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