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Welcome to Okemos

Native Americans led by Chief Oke-

mos lived in this vicinity when white

settlement began in 1839 with the ar-

rival of Sanford Marsh and Freeman

Bray. In 1859 the state legislature re-

named the village Okemos in honor

of the Indian leader. By 1874 hotels

and stores dotted the Detroit-GrandRiver plank road (present-day Ham-

ilton Road), and sawmills, gristmills,

and planning mills operated at the

site of present-day Ferguson and

 Wonch Parks off of State Road (now 

Okemos Road). Okemos gradually 

developed into a trade center for ag-

ricultural activity in the area. In 1923

Grand River Road became a state

trunk line and was rerouted north of 

its original location.

Okemos Today

Okemos is an unincorporated com-

munity in Meridian Charter Town-

ship, Ingham County in the U.S.

state of Michigan. It is a census-des-

ignated place for statistical purposes

and does not have any separate legal

existence as a municipality. Local

government is provided by the town-

ship. The population was 21,369 at

the 2010 census. The nickname of 

the school's sports teams is the Chiefs.

Some have previously questioned the

political correctness of the mascot

despite the town being named after a

Native American chieftain.

School System

Okemos High School is noted for

sending high percentages of its gradu-

ates to college, and its students’ stan-

dardized test scores are well above state

and national averages. While graduates

attend a variety of universities, the

most common choices are Michigan

State University in East Lansing and

the University of Michigan. An exten-

sive Advanced Placement curriculum

is also in place, in which 45% of stu-

dents participate. To ensure high qual-

ity, admission to AP courses requires

high achievement.

Downtown

 While the original farming commu-

nity has been entirely absorbed as a

Lansing suburb, the local Farmers

Markets are popular in the area. The

center of Okemos is referred to by many as "The Four Corners," located at

the intersection of Hamilton and Oke-

mos Roads. The most notable business

is the Meridian Mall (located on M-43

Grand River Avenue), which is northeast

of The Four Corners.

Community Even

• Local Races (5k wa

• Farmers Market

•Homecoming Day

•Highschool Sporti

• Art in the Park 

Michigan Deer are a common site around town.

A local club on one of the “Four Corners”

Te 2012 Annual urkey ro

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To Learn More• Okemosschools.net

• Meridian.mi.us

• Msu.edu

Meridian TownshipMeridian Activity Center4675 Okemos Rd.

Okemos, MI 48864

Phone: (517) 853-4000

Contact us: Meridian.mi.us

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Est. Since 1859