Rochester Hills
The story of the Greater Rochester Area in the 20th century reflects the
story of a typical farm community near a major urban area in the
United
States.Avon
Township
,
now
Rochester
and Rochester Hills, was the
first settled area in
Oakland
County
,
Michigan
.
The first settlers came from upstate
New York
,
New England, and southern
Canada
in 1817. Seeking land to clear and farm, these pioneers worked their way
north from
Detroit
by following Native
American trails through the forests and marshlands or by traveling on the
Detroit
River
and walking overland. Settlers
found heavily wooded, gently rolling land crossed by rivers and creeks.In the era before the common adoption of the
steam engine,
Avon
Township
owed its early settlement to the
convergence of three potential sources of waterpower--the
Clinton
River
,
Stony Creek, and Paint Creek. Water powered mills were essential in
providing food, clothing, and shelter, by grinding grain into flour for
bread, carding wool for cloth, and cutting lumber for homes and barns. By
1850 area sawmills produced 444,000 board feet of lumber and carding mills
processed 28,000 pounds of wool.
In its first 33 years the population of
Avon
Township
grew to 1,456 people and all the land was privately owned. The family farms
were largely self-sufficient, producing most of their own food and clothing
by 1850. As more land was cleared, large crops could be efficiently grown
and harvested for sale to other markets. However, after 1900 farmers
decreased their acres of wheat and flocks of sheep. Residents began to
travel by public transportation to work in city factories. By 1907 there
were 8 passenger and 25 freight trains stopping in
Rochester
every day. With fewer farm
laborers, farmers had to reduce their acreage. Some even sold their land
and moved to the cities. This led to a boom in land prices as farms were
sold for housing subdivisions, scientific farming operations, and large
estates for the wealthy.
There were several large scientific farming operations located in
Avon
Township
. Taking advantage of
convenient proximity to
Detroit
and rail systems were Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones'
dairy and poultry farm, the Ferry-Morse Seed Co. Farm, and Parke, Davis
& Company's biological farm. Large country estates were created by the
consolidation of many family farms, such as Meadow Brook Farms and Great
Oaks Stock Farm.
In the decade between 1910 and 1920, the population of
Rochester
grew by a third as prosperous city workers moved to
Avon
for larger houses and yards, fresh air, and lower taxes. Thirty-five
subdivisions were created between 1915 and 1930, and the population almost
doubled again by 1930.
During the Depression of the 1930s,
Rochester
's small businesses suffered as
everyone across the country struggled to maintain markets, factories, and
livelihoods. Suppliers to the auto industry lost contracts and workers, as
demand for products declined. Not until the 1940s was recovery evident as
more new businesses opened and relocated in what was becoming a suburb of
Detroit
. The growing
economy of the post-War years fed new demand for family homes by returning
servicemen with government-backed mortgage loans. By 1950 the farm
community of
Avon
Township
had become a
community of families who earned their livelihoods elsewhere. These
families expected quality education for their children. The eight one-room
schoolhouses scattered around
Avon
Township
were
consolidated into the Rochester Community Schools in 1952. As the
community has grown it has added services and institutions that are
integral to affluent suburban communities everywhere - a hospital, public
library, colleges, museum, art center, symphony, music school, and many
retail and dining establishments. Today, the cities of
Rochester
and Rochester Hills have a
population of approximately 80,000.
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