Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 19,837 at the 2000 census. The city was formed in 1983 from the now defunct Pontiac Township.

Auburn Hills is home to the world headquarters of Chrysler, the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, BorgWarner, Great Lakes Crossing shopping center, as well as The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of both the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons and the Women's National Basketball Association's Detroit Shock.

Geography

Auburn Hills is bordered to the east by the city of Rochester Hills.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 43.0 km² (16.6 mi²). 43.0 km² (16.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.12%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR: 2 of 2000, there were 19,837 people, 8,064 households, and 4,604 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,194.5 per square mile (461.1/km²). There were 8,822 housing units at an average density of 531.2/sq mi (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% from other races, and 2.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino 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% were married 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. The per capita income for the city was $25,529. About 3.9% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Culture and history

Auburn Hills began as the town of Auburn in 1821 at what is today the corner of Auburn and Squirrel Roads. Situated on the Clinton River, it was named by Aaron Webster, the first settler, for Auburn, New York. His sawmill and grist mill attracted settlers to Auburn. After the streets were laid out in 1826, Auburn rivaled nearby Pontiac until the 1860s, when it lost its prosperity. The town was renamed Amy in 1880, and it officially became Auburn Heights in 1919. The area to the north was Pontiac Township, which bordered the city of Pontiac on two sides.