Oak Park, Michigan

Oak Park is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Oak Park borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 29,560.

History

This area was designated as within Royal Oak Township; it was first settled by European Americans in 1840, but remained sparsely populated for many decades following. The first major housing development was constructed in 1914 at the time of World War I, when the township sold land to the Majestic Land Company to be developed as the Oak Park subdivision. The subdivision was incorporated as a village on May 3, 1927. Two petition drives during the Great Depression to dissolve the village government and return it to the township, citing "excessively high cost of village government," failed in 1931 and 1933. Its population increased sevenfold, from 5,000 to more than 36,000. Much of its population was second- and third-generation children of European immigrants who had settled in Detroit in the early 20th century. These included many Jewish Americans, many of whom are of the Orthodox faith. Major civic improvements in this period included construction of an outdoor swimming pool and an ice rink in Major Park (now known as Shepherd Park, after former mayor David Shepherd, but long known informally as Oak Park Park).

In 1995, Detroit-based window manufacturer WeatherGard moved its headquarters to Oak Park.

In 2002 and 2004, the city annexed portions of neighboring Royal Oak Township to expand its land and tax base.

On November 8, 2011, the citizens of Oak Park elected a new mayor, Marian McClellan. She was the city's first new mayor in 22 years, replacing the long-serving Jerry Naftaly.

In April 2015, the city approved the development of a new FedEx distribution center which will be located on a 60-acre plot of land at the site of the former Detroit Artillery Armory. The facility opened on March 31, 2017.

On May 5, 2015, the citizens of Oak Park voted to allow mixed drinks to be sold at businesses within city limits, in addition to beer and wine, which were previously allowed.

On November 3, 2015, the citizens of Oak Park re-elected McClellan, who was running against Aaron Tobin.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Oak Park is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Southfield to the west, Pleasant Ridge, Ferndale, and Royal Oak Township to the east, Huntington Woods to the northeast, and Berkley to the north.

Oak Park is bordered to the south by 8 Mile Road (M-102), to the north by 11 Mile Road, to the Northeast by Coolidge Highway and 10 Mile Road/I-696, to the west by Greenfield Road, to the east by Sherman Street and Forest Street, and to the southeast by 9 Mile Road, Republic Street, Northend Avenue, and Meyers Avenue.

Major highways

passes through the northernmost part of the city and forms its northern border with Huntington Woods. The Detroit Zoo is located on the opposite side of the freeway in Huntington Woods and Royal Oak.
is the Oakland-Wayne county line and forms Oak Park's entire southernmost border with the city of Detroit.
is a major thoroughfare near the city.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Oak Park, Michigan – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White (NH)

|13,813

|10,806

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,721

|46.36%

|36.86%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |36.27%

|Black or African American (NH)

|13,622

|16,748

|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,328

|45.72%

|57.12%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |55.24%

|Native American or Alaska Native (NH)

|50

|54

|style='background: #ffffe6; |47

|0.17%

|0.18%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%

|Asian (NH)

|645

|417

|style='background: #ffffe6; |434

|2.16%

|1.42%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.47%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10

|0.02%

|0.01%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.03%

|Other race alone (NH)

|98

|48

|style='background: #ffffe6; |195

|0.33%

|0.16%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.66%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|1,179

|820

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,177

|3.96%

|2.80%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.98%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|381

|423

|style='background: #ffffe6; |648

|1.28%

|1.44%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.19%

|Total

|29,793

|29,319

|style='background: #ffffe6; |29,560

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Oak Park had a population of 29,560. The median age was 37.3 years. 21.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 85.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 80.6 males age 18 and over.

There were 12,395 households in Oak Park, of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.2% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 41.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

| White || 10,877 || 36.8%

| Black or African American || 16,425 || 55.6%

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 62 || 0.2%

| Asian || 442 || 1.5%

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 10 || 0.0%

| Some other race || 305 || 1.0%

| Two or more races || 1,439 || 4.9%

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 648 || 2.2%

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,319 people, 11,719 households, and 7,533 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 12,782 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 57.4% African American, 37.4% White, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 11,719 households, of which 35.7% were non-families, 35.4% were married couples living together, 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.16.

The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census

Students residing between 10 Mile Rd. and 11 Mile Rd. are in the Berkley School District. A square mile on the east end of Oak Park is in the neighboring Ferndale Public Schools; the majority of the city is in Oak Park Schools.

Controversy

In July 2011, Oak Park gained national attention when the city charged Julie Bass, a homeowner, for growing vegetables in her front yard.

In March 2015, Stephanie Sumner and Michael Sumner were fired from their positions as city employees after the city had discovered that they had stolen $433,000 from the city over the course of two years. Several months after the story broke, the city announced that the stolen funds had been replaced through the city's insurance policy. However, many residents voiced their concerns regarding the potential insurance rate hikes that would occur after insurance claims to replace the stolen money.

Notable people

thumb|right|upright|[[Jamie Arnold (basketball)|Jamie Arnold]]

thumb|right|upright|[[Al Kaline]]

thumb|right|upright|[[Peter Werbe]]

Jamie Arnold, American-Israeli professional basketball player with Hapoel Holon
Jeff Bass, record producer; born and raised in Oak Park; brother of Mark Bass
Mark Bass, record producer; born and raised in Oak Park; brother of Jeff Bass
Maxine Berman, educator and politician
Bob Black, anarchist theorist; author of the widely disseminated essay "The Abolition of Work"; grew up in Oak Park and graduated from its high school
Norm Cash, baseball player for the Detroit Tigers 1960–1974; lived a few blocks from his teammate Al Kaline, on Sloman Street between Jerome and Saratoga
Vincent Chin, Chinese American victim of a racially motivated killing
Marcella Detroit, vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter
Larry Downes, co-author of Unleashing the Killer App: Digital Strategies for Market Dominance; writer for Forbes; was raised in Oak Park
Robert Ettinger, "father of cryonic human preservation"; lived in Oak Park for decades
Doug Fieger, musician, lead singer of the group The Knack; his hit songs included "My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't"
Geoffrey Fieger, attorney who represented Jack Kevorkian; grew up in Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park High School in 1969
Ben Forta, prolific tech author; authority on edtech
Les Gold, owner of American Jewelry and Loan; star of the TV show Hardcore Pawn; lived in Oak Park for several years during his childhood
Al Kaline, Detroit Tiger baseball legend and Hall of Fame member; lived on Morton Street in the late 1950s
John Kelly, football running back
Carrie Keranen, voice actress
Marty Lederman, Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) during Obama and Biden administrations.
Stephen Markman, justice of Michigan Supreme Court
Paul Milgrom, Nobel Prize winning economist
Dan and Tracee Miller, musicians in the band Blanche; currently reside in Oak Park; Dan has acted in film and Tracee is also a visual artist
James Rosen, author and political reporter
Royce da 5'9", Detroit rapper known for his association with Eminem as Bad Meets Evil and Slaughterhouse
Jeffrey Sachs, noted economist of Harvard University and currently at Columbia University; graduate of Oak Park High School
Rabbi Berel Shemtov, notable Jewish leader, head Chabad rabbi in the state of Michigan, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe's first emissary in the United States. He is responsible for establishing schools, community centers, and building Jewish infrastructure in the state since 1958
Jeffrey Seller, Broadway producer and Tony Award winner; known for his work on Rent, Avenue Q, In the Heights and Hamilton
Shaggy 2 Dope (real name Joseph Utsler), member of Insane Clown Posse; met Violent J in Oak Park
Curt Sobel, composer, film music editor and supervisor; grew up in Oak Park and lived on Northfield and Harding
Ron Suresha, author and editor; attended grade school in Oak Park and graduated from OPHS
Violent J (real name Joseph Bruce), member of Insane Clown Posse; met Shaggy 2 Dope in Oak Park
David Was (real name David Weiss), musician from the group Was (Not Was); grew up with Don Fagenson in Oak Park
Don Was (real name Don Fagenson), musician from the group Was (Not Was); grew up with David Weiss in Oak Park
Peter Werbe, radio talk show host, DJ, and political activist; has lived in Oak Park for 37 years; hosted NightCall on Detroit's WRIF 1970–2016, the longest running phone-in talk show in U.S. radio history; staff member of the magazine The Fifth Estate Author, Summer on Fire: A Detroit Novel 2021.

References

External links

City of Oak Park