Our Neighborhood

Our Neighborhood - Dundee, Michigan

Who are we?

Dundee is a village in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,522 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Dundee Township. Through a series of annexations and land transfers, the village has greatly increased in size over the past several years. The village and the surrounding township are served by Dundee Community Schools. Dundee is considered to be part of two different metropolitan areas, Metro Detroit to the north and east, and the Toledo Metropolitan Area to the south.

Dundee is well known for its Cabela’s sporting goods store, located near the intersection of M-50 and U.S. Route 23 in front of Eagle Springs. Settled in as early as 1823, the Dundee Historic District offers a collection of shops and restaurants along the River Raisin. Dundee is nicknamed the “Hub of the Highways” due to the intersection of major historic thoroughfares at the village’s center.

Historic Designation

In 1990, Dundee won designation in American history through inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Following are excerpts from the proposal submitted to the Federal government, with minor changes and elaboration for clarity.

Dundee’s historic district is made up of two parts. The first part is the area on both banks of the River Baisin, where a dam, millrace, and early industries were located, including to the south a prominent Greek Revival mill and its property.

The other part includes the commercial area of the downtown located on the river’s north bank. This area includes a central triangular park, and a grouping of 19th century structures situated around this triangle.

The Name

Historians generally feel that Dundee, Michigan, was named after Dundee, Scotland. Locally, this is taken as accepted fact. Dundee, Scotland, was founded in the late 12th or early 13th century and gained prominence as a whaling center. Later, it became famous for its production of jute, and is now known for its marmalade. It’s the fourth largest city in Scotland and is situated on the Firth of Tay, about 40 miles north of Edinburgh.

The belief that Dundee Michigan was named after this city in Scotland is understandable, given that so many American cities were named after places in Europe. And Dundee, Scotland is a nice enough place for a namesake.

The Triangle District

No one knows exactly how or why it happened, but the heart of Dundee – its town square if you will – is in the shape of a triangle. This unique shape, bordered as it is by well-preserved commercial buildings in the Italianate style, gives Dundee the distinctive character which helped it gain a position on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

More information about our neighborhood can be found by visiting following websites:

http://www.dundeevillage.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dundee,_Michigan