Willis is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The community is located within Augusta Charter Township. As an unincorporated community, Willis has no legally defined boundaries or population statistics of its own but does have its own post office with the 48191 ZIP Code.

Geography

Willis sits at an elevation of above sea level. The community is located about southeast of

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

in the southeastern corner of Washtenaw County. It is centered along Willis Road between Potterville Drive to the east and Bunton Road to the west. The community of

Whittaker Whittaker is a surname of English origin, meaning 'white acre', and a given name. Variants include Whitaker and Whitacre (disambiguation), Whitacre. People with the name include: Surname A *Aaron Whittaker (born 1968), New Zealand rugby player ...

is a few miles to the southwest. Willis is served by Lincoln Consolidated School District.

History

The area received its first post office under the name Paint Creek in 1833. The community of Willis was originally known as Potter after early settler Willis L. Potter and developed just to the east of Paint Creek. Willis owes its creation to the building of a

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...

line in 1880. The Paint Creek post office was renamed Newcomb on September 27, 1881 and finally established as Willis on December 15, 1887. The post office name was changed to reflect Potter's first name. A single railway line runs diagonally through the community and once contained a railroad station known as Willis Station. The line is currently operated by

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...

but contains no station in the area. The Willis post office remains in operation and is currently located at 8790 Bunton Road. The post office uses the 48191 ZIP Code, which encompasses most of the eastern portion of Augusta Charter Township and a small portion of London Township to the south in

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

Notable people

Iggy Katona Egnatius "Iggy" Katona (August 16, 1916 – December 4, 2003) was an American stock car racing driver from Willis, Michigan. He is most famous for his performance in the ARCA series in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, where he won six championships ...

, racecar driver, lived in Willis

External links

Augusta Township history

References

{{Washtenaw County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Unincorporated communities in Washtenaw County, Michigan 1887 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1887 Former Wabash Railroad stations