Douglas, MI

Douglas is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 18,874 at the 2010 census. Douglas is a suburb of Detroit and is part of the Pontiac- Oakland- Flint, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The city was founded in 1826 by General James Winchester and named for his friend, Lord Douglas of Kinlochmoidart. The first settler arrived in 1827 and the town plat was filed with the county on December 7, 1828. The first store opened its doors on January 1, 1830 and by 1850 there were twenty businesses in town. In 1840 Douglas had a population of 600 people and by 1860 it had increased to 2,500 residents.

In 1870 an ice factory was built which provided employment for many people for many years afterwards. In 1895 a flour mill opened which also provided jobs for many people until it closed down in 1978. In 1902 a telephone company was established which continued to provide service until 1984 when it too went out of business.

During World War II Douglas served as a training ground for soldiers who were going to fight in Europe and Asia; over 1,000 men passed through Douglas during this time period including General George S Patton Jr., who later became famous as the "General" who led American troops into battle during World War II at Normandy Beachhead and Iwo Jima).

Today Douglas continues to be an important community with many businesses providing employment opportunities for its citizens including two large box stores (Walmart Supercenter & Meijer), three banks (UBS Bank, Fifth Third Bank & Huntington National Bank), two restaurants (Pizza Hut & Wingstop), one movie theater (Regal Cinema) one hotel (Holiday Inn Express) one fitness center (Fitness First) one daycare center (Kidz Korner) one pharmacy (CVS Pharmacy) two churches (First United Methodist Church & Christ United Methodist Church). There are also several small businesses such as beauty salons, car repair shops etc...