Editing Rochester Hills, Michigan (section)

==History==
Prior to European settlement, the area now known as Rochester Hills was inhabited by Native Americans, namely the [[Potawatomi]].<ref name="CRWC">{{cite web|title=Native Americans of the Clinton River Watershed|url=http://www.crwc.org/watershed/native-american-history/|website=Clinton River Watershed Council|access-date=23 November 2016}}</ref> The Potawatomi depended on the area's abundant water sources, such as the [[Clinton River]] and [[Paint Creek (Oakland County, Michigan)|Paint Creek]], to grow crops, fish, and travel.<ref name=CRWC/><ref>De Vaudreuil, M. "General Memoir Respecting the Indians between Lake Erie and the Mississippi, with Remarks upon Their Territory, Manners, Habits, Etc." In Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York, edited by E. B. O'Callaghan, MD, compiled by John Romeyn Brodhead, Esq, 887-90. Vol. IX. Albany, NY: Weed, Parsons and Company Printers, 1855.</ref> They resided here until the [[Treaty of Detroit|1807 Treaty of Detroit]] caused them, along with the [[Odawa]], [[Wyandot people|Wyandot]], and [[Ojibwe]] peoples, to cede their land in Southeast Michigan.<ref name="BELPOA">{{cite web|last1=Duval|first1=Roger|title=Potawatomi Native Americans Fish and Hunt at Bald Eagle Lake|url=http://belpoa.org/html/History1a.htm|website=History of Bald Eagle Lake|publisher=Bald Eagle Lake Property Owner's Association|access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="Hull1807">{{cite web|last1=Hull|first1=William|title=Treaty with the Ottawa, Etc., 1807|url=http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/ott0092.htm|website=Indian Affairs: Laws and treaties.|publisher=Oklahoma State University|access-date=25 November 2016|archive-date=25 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025095217/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/kappler/Vol2/treaties/ott0092.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The first European settler was James Graham who arrived in 1817. Graham and his family reached the area by following [[Saginaw Trail|trails]] created by the [[Sauk people|Sauk Native Americans]].<ref>"Our Community's History." Rochester Hills, MI Official Website. https://www.rochesterhills.org/index.aspx?NID=267.</ref><ref>"Saginaw Trail Historic Marker." Detroit: The History and Future of the Motor City. July 2009. http://www.detroit1701.org/.</ref> Avon Township was organized in 1835. [[Rochester, Michigan|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.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=80}}

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 {{convert|2.2|sqmi|km2|1}} of Avon Township was approved by the Michigan Boundary Commission, depriving Avon Township of its largest taxpayer.<ref name="rochestermedia1">{{cite web | url=https://rochestermedia.com/the-battle-for-avon-township-rochester-and-rochester-hills-a-tale-of-two-cities/ | title=The Battle for Avon Township, Rochester and Rochester Hills, A Tale of Two Cities }}</ref> The township became Avon Charter Township in August 1978. Court challenges to the 1974 annexation continued until November 1981, when the township was ordered to surrender the annexed property. An impending annexation request from the City of [[Troy, Michigan|Troy]], due south, for 300 acres of southeast Avon Township brought the city hood question to a crisis.<ref name="rochestermedia1"/>

In May 1984, township voters approved a city charter. On November 20, 1984, Avon Township became the City of Rochester Hills. The name of the new city was put to a vote, with the other choice being "Avon Hills." The name "Rochester Hills" won by a landslide with voters, based on the area's historical ties to Rochester and the rolling hills in the area. Township Supervisor Earl E. Borden became the first mayor of Rochester Hills.

In June 2024, there was a [[2024 Rochester Hills shooting|mass shooting in the city]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haddad |first=Ken |date=2024-06-15 |title=8 injured in 'random' shooting at Rochester Hills splash pad; shooter dead |url=https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2024/06/15/at-least-9-injured-in-random-shooting-at-rochester-hills-splash-pad-shooter-dead/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=WDIV |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Buczek |first=Joseph |date=2024-06-16 |title=At least 9 wounded in "random" shooting at suburban Detroit splash pad; suspect dead, police say - CBS Detroit |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/multiple-people-injured-in-shooting-at-rochester-hills-splash-pad/ |access-date=2024-06-16 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>