Tecumseh, Michigan, United States

🇺🇸 Tecumseh is a city in Lenawee County in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the River Raisin. Tecumseh is about 60 miles (97 km) south-west of Detroit, 25 miles (40 km) south of Ann Arbor, and 40 miles (64 km) north of Toledo, Ohio. The main street of downtown is Chicago Boulevard, also designated as M-50. It crosses the River Raisin a few miles east of M-52.

The city is surrounded on three sides by Tecumseh Township, but the two are politically independent. Raisin Township borders the southern edge of the city. In 2009 the city was rated by CNNMoney as #93 among the 100 best small towns to live in.

History The boundaries of Lenawee County were laid out by a proclamation of the Territorial Governor, Lewis Cass, on September 10, 1822. Lenawee remained attached to Monroe County, out of which it was formed, until an act of the Territorial Legislature passed on December 26, 1826, organized the county government.

The first settlement in the county was made two years earlier, on May 21, 1824, in Tecumseh. The settlers, consisting of fifteen men, eleven women, and six children, all came from Jefferson County, New York. In 1823, Musgrove Evans had located the land and persuaded General Joseph W. Brown and the others to move to the site. Brown and Evans, along with Austin Eli Wing, purchased land there and platted the village of Tecumseh in 1824.

These founders appealed to Governor Cass to locate the county seat of Lenawee at Tecumseh. This was accomplished by an act of the Territorial Legislature on June 30, 1824, although county government was not organized for another year and a half. The city was named after Shawnee chief Tecumseh, whose people had historically controlled that territory.

Tecumseh remained the county seat until 1838, when it was transferred to Adrian. The Township of Tecumseh was organized on April 12, 1837, initially encompassing the entire northern third of the county.

Just to the north of Tecumseh, the village of Bownville was established in 1823 by Austin Wing. It was annexed by Tecumseh in 1838.

Geography Tecumseh is located in Southeast Michigan. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.94 square miles (15.38 km²), of which 5.70 square miles (14.76 km²) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km²) is water.

Economy One of the village's best known manufacturers was Tecumseh Products. Founded by the Herrick family during the early part of the 20th century, Tecumseh Products initially began business manufacturing refrigeration compressors, leading Tecumseh to be known as the "Refrigeration Capital of the World". The company moved out of Tecumseh in 2008, moving the remaining production to a plant in Tupelo, Mississippi, and its headquarters to Pittsfield Township, Michigan, just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan. Consolidated Biscuit Company of McComb, Ohio, agreed to buy the Products plant in 2008, pending an environmental review. However, the deal fell through after Consolidated Biscuit Company was sold The site was found to be contaminated and cleanup begun in 2017. The land was purchased by a local developer - 100 E. Patterson LLC - with plans to clean up the land and develop mixed use space for light industrial, commercial and retail uses. The State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) awarded the City of Tecumseh $2,000,000 in funding to aid the developer in cleanup efforts. At the end of 2018 demolition at the site was nearly complete and cleanup efforts were underway with new industrial building construction planned for 2019.

Overall, the City of Tecumseh's economy has more than 250 businesses, ranging from Tier 1 Automotive Suppliers to small, locally owned bakeries and shoe stores. The downtown along Chicago Boulevard is thriving with businesses ranging from antiques, breweries and wineries, retail, restaurants, customer jewelers, locally owned department stores and more.

Some of the largest employers include: Kirchhoff Automotive, Tecumseh Public Schools, ProMedica, Busch's, GLOVE Enterprises, Ervin Industries, Tuckey's Big Boy, Old National Bank, City of Tecumseh, Ididit, Tecumseh Packaging Solutions, Glycon, Spectrum Printers, Diggypod, Martin's Home Center, JR's Grill & Pub, Basil Boys, Evans Street Station, and Howard Hanna.

Largest Employers Kirchhoff Automotive Automotive Supplier; Tecumseh Public Schools Education; ProMedica/Herrick Hospital Medical Services; Busch's Tecumseh Grocery; GLOVE Enterprises Injection Molding; Ervin Industries Metal Blasting; City of Tecumseh Government Services; Ididit Custom Automotive; Tuckey's Big Boy Restaurant; Old National Bank Finance/Banking; Howard Hanna Real Estate; Tecumseh Packaging Solutions Packaging Manufacturing; Glycon Plastics Processing; Evans Street Station Restaurant; Martin's Home Center Retail/Hardware; JR's Grill & Pub Restaurant; Basil Boys Restaurant; Spectrum Printers Commercial Printing; Diggypod Custom Printing.

Annual cultural events In 2010, the city began hosting the Tecumseh Ice Sculpting Festival in the downtown area on the penultimate weekend in January. Another festival is Appleumpkin (held the second weekend in October to celebrate harvest); it attracts approximately 30,000 tourists from around the region annually.

In addition, the city of Tecumseh holds several other events each year, such as the Classic Car and Bike Show, Divas at Dusk, Holiday Open House, Annual Pet Parade and Sidewalk Sales.

Tecumseh celebrates the annual Art Trail. This features sculptures throughout Tecumseh, which are changed on an annual basis. The related annual Art Walk pairs local artists and merchants for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The Carnegie Preservation League is a local non-profit that saved a historical landmark building and renovated it to create lofts and gallery space for local artists.

Tourist Industry The Southern Michigan Railroad Society operates a railroad as a living museum; the route runs through Tecumseh.

Tourists also come for the city's proximity to the Michigan International Speedway (M.I.S.). The M-50 corridor has many antique dealers, cafes and fine dining restaurants.

Education The city of Tecumseh is home to Tecumseh Public Schools. The system includes one traditional high school, Tecumseh High School (grades 9–12); one alternative high school, Tecumseh Alternative High School; one middle school, Tecumseh Middle School (grades 5-8); two early education elementary (grades Y5, K-2) schools, Sutton Early Learning Center and Tecumseh Acres Early Learning Center; and two intermediate elementary (grades 3-4) schools, Patterson Intermediate Learning Center and Herrick Park Intermediate Learning Center.

Tecumseh students have access to the Lenawee Intermediate School District (LISD) and the Southern Michigan Center for Science and Industry. Tecumseh Public Schools seek to provide a myriad of educational opportunities to create a work ready workforce, including industry-specific programs to focus on the needs of area businesses.

Tecumseh Public Schools has a graduation rate of 96.84%, with more than 65% of graduates enrolling in post-secondary education. Tecumseh's central location provides easy access to major universities, including the top 10 that graduates choose: Jackson College, Washtenaw Community College, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, Central Michigan University, Siena Heights University, Western Michigan University, the University of Michigan, all in Michigan, and the University of Toledo in Ohio.

Transport: Road • M-50 • M-52.