Romeo is a village in Macomb County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The population was 3,767 at the 2020 census. Romeo is located on the rural-urban fringe of the

Detroit metropolitan area Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the official statistical areas ...

, and many of its residents commute to jobs closer to the city.

History

A settlement here was originally occupied by the indigenous Chippewa (

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

), an Algonquian-speaking people who were part of a large language family of tribes extending to the Atlantic Coast. Those tribes around the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

are thought to have migrated to this area by the 12th century. The early European-American settlers in this area referred to the Chippewa settlement as "Indian Village". In the 1820s and 1830s more migrant European-American families began to settle in the area, building homes and establishing businesses. They renamed the community "Hoxie's Settlement", after a man who opened an inn on Main Street. In 1839, Hoxie's Settlement became incorporated and was renamed as the village of Romeo. The name was suggested by the wife of local merchant Nathaniel Taylor because it was "short, musical, classical and uncommon." Romeo celebrated its 175th anniversary on March 9, 2013. Romeo once served as a trading center for the timber industry, and had many mills processing lumber from the region. Many wealthy timber families resided there. Dozens of stately Victorian mansions survive. Romeo is distinct in the area for having a fairly robust, traditional downtown, which has never suffered a major fire. Because of this, some stores and restaurants downtown have features such as original tin ceilings from the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In the early 20th century, Romeo was the site of an early business devoted to the new automobile industry: the Detroit Auto Vehicle Company operated here from 1904 until 1908.

Geography

The village is in northwestern Macomb County, situated at the southeast corner of Bruce Township, with a portion extending south into Washington Township. Armada Township is adjacent to the east and Ray Township to the southeast. M-53 passes through the east side of the village, leading north to Imlay City and south to the eastern side of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village of Romeo has a total area of , of which , or 0.10%, are water. East Pond Creek crosses the easternmost part of the village, flowing east to the North Branch of the Clinton River, part of the

Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair () is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day they first saw the lake. ...

watershed.

Government

The government of the village of Romeo consists of elected and appointed officials. The elected officials include six council members, one president, treasurer and clerk. The appointed officials include the Chief of Police, Department of Public Works Director, and Village Administrator. Currently, the elected clerk also holds the appointed position of Village Administrator. The day-to-day operations of the village are handled by the Clerk/Administrator. Since the turn of the 21st century, Romeo has worked to upgrade its infrastructure. It has improved the streetscape on Van Dyke Avenue, the main road through the village, and installed a new water tower. It had earlier established one of the few wastewater treatment plants in the region. While most of the metropolitan region receives water and sewage service from the City of

, Romeo independently sustains its own supply of water and manages treatment of village sewage. This was especially valuable during the blackout that occurred throughout the entire northeastern United States on August 14, 2003. Romeo was one of the few areas in the Detroit metropolitan area to have clean running water. More recent infrastructure improvements include a complete renovation of the village water system, and replacement of all the sidewalks throughout the village.

Schools

Romeo has one high school (including a ninth grade academy), one middle school and five elementary schools. Most of the schools are located outside the village limits.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,596 people, 1,501 households, and 979 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,659 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.8%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 5.7% of the population. There were 1,501 households, of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 14.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.8% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the village was 40.9 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 29.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.4% male and 53.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,721 people, 1,528 households, and 993 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 1,605 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 92.66%

, 4.35%

, 0.16% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.11%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.67% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 2.74% of the population. There were 1,528 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.04. In the village, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.5 males. The median income for a household in the village was $48,015, and the median income for a family was $60,179. Males had a median income of $51,875 versus $27,696 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $22,588. About 3.2% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Events

Romeo plays host to the annual Michigan Lavender Festival every summer, at the height of lavender season. Romeo also hosts a Michigan Peach Festival annually on Labor Day weekend. Started in 1931 to promote the local orchards, in the early 21st century, festival events include a 5K/10K run, a car show, three parades, craft show, Kidsfest, and carnival rides. A yearly Peach Queen is chosen to preside over events and represent Romeo. The Michigan Peach Festival is sponsored by the Romeo

Lions Club Lions Clubs International, is an international service organization, currently headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. , it had over 46,000 local clubs and more than 1.4 million members (including the youth wing Leo clubs, Leo) in more than 200 ge ...

fraternal organization. Tillson Street in Romeo is known for its elaborate

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

decorations. Thousands trick-or-treat Tillson Street every Halloween to see the homeowners' one-of-a-kind Halloween stages. On February 14 of each year, the village of Romeo offers a special dual postmark with the community of Juliette, Georgia. This tradition began in 1994, as a nod to the

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

play, ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''.

Notable people

* Frank Bowerman, Major League Baseball catcher * Harold Courlander, writer, folklorist, and anthropologist * Edwin Henry Hackley, lawyer *

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

, musician, singer and rapper born in Romeo * Jill Ritchie, actress *

Tom Sharpe Thomas Ridley Sharpe (30 March 1928 – 6 June 2013) was an English satire, satirical novelist, best known for his ''Wilt (novel), Wilt'' series, as well as ''Porterhouse Blue'' and ''Blott on the Landscape,'' all three of which were adapted fo ...

, drummer for Mannheim Steamroller and

Dennis DeYoung Dennis DeYoung (born February 18, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and keyboardist. He was a founding member of the rock band Styx and served as its primary lead vocalist and keyboardist from 1972 until 1999. DeYoung was the band's most ...

* Ben Stephens, Major League Baseball pitcher * Henry Stephens, lumber baron

References

External links

*
Romeo Historical Society

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080519132843/http://www.romeodda.org/ Romeo Downtown Development Authority
Starkweather Arts Center
{{authority control Villages in Macomb County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Metro Detroit Populated places established in 1839 1839 establishments in Michigan