Okemos /ˈoʊkɪməs/ is an unincorporated community in Meridian Charter Township, Ingham County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes and does not have any separate legal existence as a municipality. Local government is provided by the township. The population was 21,369 at the 2010 census.The Okemos Public Schools includes Okemos and some immediate surrounding areas. The nickname of the school's sports teams is the Chiefs.The settlement of Hamilton was founded in 1839 by Freeman Bray as a trading point with the surrounding Ojibwa people and as a farming community. In 1859, one year following the death of Chief John Okemos, the area was renamed Okemos to honor the Native American chief.It was originally a farming community, but has been entirely absorbed as a Lansing suburb. The center of Okemos, referred to by many as "The Four Corners," is located at the intersection of Hamilton and Okemos Roads.