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Situated in lower Van Buren County, the Village of Decatur, Michigan is surrounded by Decatur Township, although administered autonomously.

The chief route through the village is M-51, which runs northeast-southwest through the center of Decatur. Other routes to or from the city include County Road 352, County Road 668, Burgess Road, and Old Swamp Road. The center of Lawton is 9.5 miles northeast of the village, while Paw Paw is 11.2 miles north-northeast, Lawrence is 11.3 miles north-northwest, Marcellus is 12.6 miles southeast, Dowagiac is 14.6 miles southwest, Cassopolis is 15.9 miles south, Vandalia is 15.9 miles south, and Hartford is 17.6 miles to the northwest. The larger city of Kalamazoo is 20.1 miles northeast, and St. Joseph is 29.7 miles west.

The 289-acre Lake of the Woods is just west of the northwestern segment of the village, and the much smaller Pickerel Lake is in the southern part of Decatur.

Decatur was founded by Joseph D. Beers and Samuel Sherwood in 1847 after both men came to the area from New York City. The following year, they contributed land to the Michigan Central Railroad for a depot, and on October 5, 1848, a post office was established at the depot, with George B. Sherwood as postmaster. Originally known as Decatur Depot, the name was shortened to Decatur on September 20, 1849. Decatur was incorporated as a village in 1861. Both the village and township were named for Stephen Decatur, a US naval officer and commodore, known as the country's first post-Revolutionary War hero, serving in the Barbary Wars in North Africa, the Quasi-War with France, and the War of 1812 with Britain.

With minor fluctuations, Decatur's population has been steady since 1870. Other than 1860, when its population was only 564, its lowest population was 1,199 in 1890, and its peak population was 1,915 in 1980.

The focus of this category is on the Village of Decatur, Michigan. Online resources representing the village itself, or any individuals, schools, churches, organizations, businesses, industries, attractions, or events within the village, are appropriate for this category.

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