Auburn Hills is a city inOakland County in theU.S. state ofMichigan. A northern suburb ofDetroit, Auburn Hills is located about 26 miles (42 km) north ofdowntown Detroit. As of the2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360.^[7]

Auburn Hills, Michigan
City
Chrysler World Headquarters and Technology Center
Motto:  "Honoring The Past. Building The Future"[1]
Location withinOakland County
Auburn Hills Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates:42°41′15″N83°14′03″W / 42.68750°N 83.23417°W /42.68750; -83.23417
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oakland
Settled	1821[2]
Incorporated	1983[3]
Government [2]
• Type	Council–manager
• Mayor	Brian Marzolf (D)
• Manager	Thomas Tanghe
Area [4]
• City	16.68 sq mi (43.21 km2)
• Land	16.64 sq mi (43.10 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation	961 ft (293 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	24,360
• Density	1,464.03/sq mi (565.26/km2)
• Metro	4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48309 (Rochester) 48326
Area codes	248 and 947
FIPS code	26-04105[5]
GNIS feature ID	1675443[6]
Website	auburnhills.org

Auburn Hills is home toOakland University and the U.S. headquarters of Stellantis North America (formerlyChrysler) andBorgWarner. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunctPontiac Township.^[8]

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 theClinton River, it was named by Aaron Webster, the first settler, forAuburn,New York. His sawmill and grist mill attracted settlers to Auburn.^[9] After the streets were laid out in 1826, Auburn rivaled nearbyPontiac 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 pioneerJohn Dodge bought a farmhouse 3 miles (4.8 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.^[10] 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,^[11] on a portion of the estate in present dayRochester Hills at a cost of $4 million ($55.1 million in 2023).^[12][13] In 1957, Matilda Dodge Wilson donated her land toMichigan State University, leading to the creation ofOakland University.^[13]

John Dodge's oldest child, Winifred Dodge, married real estate baronWesson Seyburn, who built his own country retreat 2.5 miles (4.0 km) north of Auburn Heights. The estate included hunting land, dog kennels, a swimming pool, horse stables, and a 5,000-square-foot (460 m²)Colonial Revival house. Pontiac Township purchased the estate in 1975, and adapted the buildings for government use.^[14] Today, it is known as the Auburn Hills Civic Center.

The first use of the name "Auburn Hills," in 1964, was byOakland Community College. They named their campus (a formerNike missile base) at Featherstone and Squirrel roads for the town and the hilly terrain in the area. Besides Oakland Community College,Oakland University's campus is partially within the city limits.

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 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 ofAuburn, Michigan, that exists inBay County, nearSaginaw Bay.

According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.64 square miles (43.10 km²), of which 16.60 square miles (42.99 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.24%) is water.^[15]

As of thecensus^[23] of 2010, there were 21,412 people, 8,844 households, and 4,923 families living in the city. Thepopulation density was 1,289.9 inhabitants per square mile (498.0/km²). There were 9,965 housing units at an average density of 600.3 per square mile (231.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.3%White, 18.5%African American, 0.3%Native American, 8.9%Asian, 2.7% fromother races, and 3.4% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 7.8% of the population.

There were 8,844 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% weremarried couples living together, 12.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.3% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 31.4 years. 19.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 17.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 31.9% were from 25 to 44; 21.6% were from 45 to 64; and 9.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% female and 51.6% male.

As of thecensus^[5] of 2000, there were 19,837 people, 8,064 households, and 4,604 families living in the city. The population density was 1,194.5 inhabitants per square mile (461.2/km²). There were 8,822 housing units at an average density of 531.2 per square mile (205.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.92%White, 13.22%African American, 0.32%Native American, 6.33%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 1.56% fromother races, and 2.61% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.50% of the population.

There were 8,064 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 43.0% weremarried couples living together; 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 42.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.92.

The age distribution is 20.4% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 38.1% from 25 to 44, 18.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $51,376, and the median income for a family was $60,849. Males had a median income of $45,686 versus $34,015 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $25,529. About 3.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 66 or over.

Auburn Hills roughly follows the course ofInterstate 75 and is home to a prosperous business community. In the early 1980s, Oakland University partnered with developers to create a technology and research park. The Oakland Technology Park was approved by the city in 1985, withComerica,EDS, andChrysler to build campuses there. The city's many tech and office buildings host 80,000 people during the workday.

Great Lakes Crossing Outlets, an enclosed super-regional outlet shopping mall, opened November 12, 1998.

In 2002, the area at Auburn and Squirrel was revitalized as the "Village Center" with streetscape improvements. Pedestrian-friendly development is encouraged in this district now known simply as Downtown Auburn Hills. At the end of 2013, a number of large projects were completed Downtown, including a four-story graduate student apartment complex, a 233-space parking deck, an auxiliary classroom space for schools and colleges called the University Center and the Downtown Educational Nook (DEN), a refurbished historic log cabin acting as a student and community center.

Auburn Hills is home toPHINIA,BorgWarner,Guardian Industries,Autoliv,RGIS,Joyson Safety Systems, the Americas headquarters ofGKN Driveline, the North American headquarters ofFaurecia,Volkswagen/Audi North American Headquarters, and until its demolition,The Palace of Auburn Hills, the former home of theNational Basketball Association'sDetroit Pistons and the former home ofWomen's National Basketball Association'sDetroit Shock.

In 2017,Maserati announced it was moving its U.S. headquarters fromEnglewood Cliffs, New Jersey to the formerWalter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills.^[24]

School districts serving sections of Auburn Hills includeAvondale School District,^[25]Pontiac School District,^[26] andRochester Community Schools.^{[citation needed]}

The Avondale School District operates two elementary schools in the city limits: R. Grant Graham Elementary School and Auburn Elementary School. Portions of Auburn Hills in ASD are zoned to these schools. All ASD residents are zoned to Avondale Middle School inRochester Hills andAvondale High School in Auburn Hills. Other ASD facilities in Auburn Hills include the district administrative offices and Avondale Montessori.^[25] A Pontiac school district school, Will Rogers Elementary School, is located in northeastern Auburn Hills.^[27]

Private schools in Auburn Hills include:

• Auburn Hills Christian School
• Oakland Christian School

Private schools near Auburn Hills:

• Notre Dame Preparatory/Marist Academy, Pontiac
• Holy Family Regional School (HFRS) - Consists of a grade PK-3 North Campus inRochester and a 4-8 South Campus inRochester Hills. Two churches in Auburn Hills designate HFRS as the parish school: St. John Fisher Chapel and Sacred Heart of the Hills. The first two sponsored the school from the beginning and the other three joined later, with Sacred Heart being the final one.^[28]

The main campus ofOakland University sits within Auburn Hills.Oakland Community College is also situated in Auburn Hills.

Auburn Hills is home to several local parks, many of which are open year-round.

Auburn Hills Skate Park

A skateboard, inline skate and BMX bike park open to all ages and skill levels. The use of the facility is always free and it remains open from April to November, 8 a.m. until dusk.

Civic Center Park

Popular hiking and walking attraction with numerous nature trails. A fishing pond and picnic area are also available for public use. The park offers open lawn areas and a picnic shelter with a fireplace inside. The park features a softball field, 9-holedisc golf course, tennis courts, two play structures, and swings.

Clinton River Trail

An expansive, 16-mile (26 km) walkway through the heart ofOakland County. The trail cuts through several different cities, includingRochester,Rochester Hills,Sylvan Lake, Auburn Hills, andPontiac. The 2.1-mile (3.4 km) section of trail within Auburn Hills is covered in finely crushed stone, ideal for walking, jogging and biking.

Dennis Dearing Jr. Memorial Park

Featuring a fireman-themed "tot-lot" for children ages 2–5, Dennis Dearing Jr. Memorial Park is a popular spot for families with children. The park also has swings, picnic tables and open space areas for picnic or play.

Manitoba Park

A two-acre park which contains a play structure, sand volleyball courts, a paved play area and open space for activities.

Riverside Park

Located adjacent to downtown Auburn Hills and along theClinton River, Riverside Park is a popular spot during the warmer months. A canoe launch is open during the warm season.

River Woods Park

Located near downtown Auburn Hills, this park has picnic areas, both open and sheltered, standing barbecue grills and heated restrooms which remain open year-round. Visitors can navigate through the park on a paved pathway system, which includes a bridge over theClinton River. The park also contains four basketball courts and play structures.

• Walter P. Chrysler Museum

• City of Auburn Hills
• Auburn Hills Public LibraryArchived 2013-03-17 at theWayback Machine