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Ypsilanti (Mich.)
Originally begun as a French trading post, the city was originally called Woodruff's Grove. It is the home of Eastern Michigan University.
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Williamston (Mich.)
Located just east of the state capital of Lansing, Williamston is the home of Michigan State University.
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Pontiac (Mich.)
Considered to be a northern suburb of Detroit, Pontiac is the county seat of Oakland County. It was named for an earlier Ottawa war chief, whose headquarters had been located in the region.
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Marshall (Mich.)
The county seat of Calhoun County, the city is part of the greater Battle Creek metropolitan area. It was on the front line of the abolitionist movement, with townspeople being sued by Kentucky slaveholders in federal court.
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Ionia (Mich.)
The county seat of Ionia County, the city began as an Odawa village.
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Fowlerville (Mich.)
Originally named Cedar, the village name was changed to Fowlerville when it was platted in 1849.
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Ecorse (Mich.)
Located along the Detroit River, downstream form the city, it is part of the greater Detroit metropolitan area.
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Detroit (Mich.)
The county seat of Wayne County, Detroit is located on the Detroit River, linking Lake Huron and Lake Erie, and was the capital of Michigan for many years.
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Cassopolis (Mich.)
The county seat of Cass County, Cassopolis is part of the greater Sounth Bend, Indiana region, and was an important transit point on the Underground Railroad.
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Battle Creek (Mich.)
Located at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers, the city was an important point on the Underground Railroad, and the chosen home of Sojourner Truth.
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Ann Arbor (Mich.)
The county seat of Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor is the home of the University of Michigan.
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Adrian (Mich.)
Originally named Logan, Adrian was settled by Quakers, who formed Michagan's first Quaker congregation, the Raisin Valley Friends. Home of Underground Railroad operator Laura Smith Haviland, Adrian played a significant role in the Underground Railroad. It is the county seat of Lenawee County.