As an unincorporated community, Drayton Plains has no legally defined area or population statistics of its own.

[4] Horatio Foster, Jonathan Perry, and brothers Harvey and Austin Durfee were among the first to take advantage of the opportunity to become land owners in the wilderness north of Detroit.

The canal made travelling from the east easier, which resulted in an influx of settlers moving into the Michigan Territory.

Drayton Plains was informally referred to as a village and maintained its own identity and post office beginning on February 4, 1835.

[4] In 1839, the Drayton Plains Hotel was built by Daniel Windiate along the Saginaw Trail (later Dixie Highway), across from Sashabaw Road.

In 1850, the railroad was completed through Drayton Plains and a train depot was built in 1908 at Mill Street (now Hatchery Rd.)

Other business owners in Drayton Plains in 1872 included:[11] William Besley (or Beasley), son-in-law of Daniel Windiate, owned a general store, which also later served as a post office, election hall, Sunday school and Saturday night dance hall.

[8] The school was moved to The Pine Grove Historical Museum in Pontiac, Michigan and is open for tours.

In 1961, Kettering High School was opened on Bender Street in Drayton Plains (now Waterford Township).

By 1934, the name was officially changed to Drayton Plains State Fish Hatchery and remained thus until its closing in 1962.

The Drayton Plains State Fish Hatchery was listed as a Michigan Historic Site on August 24, 1984.

[21] Today, the former fish hatchery is the site of the Drayton Plains Nature Center, located at 2125 Denby.

Along with expansive trails, it offers an interpretive center that houses displays of specimens in their natural habitat.