Royal Oak, Michigan

Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit and is part of the Metro Detroit area. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,062. Royal Oak Charter Township is nearby, but is legally separate from the city.

Royal Oak was incorporated as a village in 1895, and as a city in 1921. The city's name originates from a tree located near the present day intersection of Crooks, Rochester, and Main that in 1819 reminded Territorial Governor Lewis Cass of the Royal Oak tree within which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester.

The past decade has seen much in the way of development as the city's downtown has been transformed into a trendy and urban-chic restaurant, shopping, and entertainment district. Construction is underway on six high-rise building developments, with completion expected by 2006. Points of Interest include: the Detroit Zoo, the renowned William Beaumont Hospital, the Royal Oak Music Theatre, the Main Art Theatre, and the many unique shops, cafes, and restaurants which line the streets of the downtown area. In recent years, some of downtown Royal Oak's edgier commercial establishments have closed, replaced by chain restaurants and large condominium complexes.

Nightlife

While Royal Oak's nightlife has attracted its share of celebrities, such as former resident Kid Rock and Bob Seger's manager Punch Andrews, it has also attracted a few famous celebrity crimes, such as hockey star Sergei Fedorov in September 2001 for failing a breathalyzer test, and Eminem in June 2000 for gun possession.

In 1999 Meg White of the White Stripes was a day bartender for two years at the downtown bar Memphis Smoke. Years later, Jack White's ex- girlfriend Renee Zellweger was know to stop in at Memphis Smoke for carry-out. During the 2005 Detroit Lions football season, 2004 Playboy Playmate of the year, Carmella DeCesare lived in a downtown, upscale loft with her boyfriend Jeff Garcia. She was known for calling into local Detroit sports radio stations and complaining about local reporters treatment of Garcia.

History

While many view this city as a trendy hang-out, people who have lived there a while will remember when the busiest business on Main Street was the Billings Feed Co.

In 1998, the foundation of famous SNL comedian and Detroit area native Gilda Radner, created a free cancer support community for people with cancer, their families and friends. Gilda's Club Metro Detroit, operates a three-story non-residential house in Royal Oak and has welcomed over 3,000 members for social and emotional support and fun activities.

Notably, on November 14, 1991, Thomas McIlvane killed five people, including himself, with a Ruger .22 caliber rifle in Royal Oak's post office, which was one of a string of incidents across the United States in which current or recently fired postal workers attacked and killed co-workers en-masse, leading to the phrase "Going postal."

Famous Citizens

Kristen Bell - actress and Shrine Catholic High School graduate
Bruce Campbell - B-movie actor and director
Andre Comeau - one of the original residents from the first season of MTV's The Real World.
Father Charles Coughlin - "Radio priest" at the National Shrine of the Little Flower during the Great Depression who was ultimately silenced by hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church because of his increasingly anti-semitic statements
Pete Dawkins - overcame polio to win the Heisman Trophy in 1958, eventually becoming a Rhodes Scholar as well as the youngest U.S. Army brigadier general ever
Glenn Frey - member of the band Eagles, who attended Dondero High School
Christopher Gore - an independent film maker now based in southern California
Tom Hayden - one of the founders of Students for a Democratic Society
Jack Kevorkian - physician incarcerated for assisting patients' suicide
Carmella DeCesare 2004 Playboy Playmate
Jeff Garcia NFL quarterback

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.8 square miles (30.6 km²). Of that, 11.8 square miles (30.6 km²) is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 60,062 people, 28,880 households, and 14,440 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,083.0 people per square mile (1,961.9/km²). There were 29,942 housing units at an average density of 2,534.0 per square mile (978.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.80% White, 1.54% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.

There were 28,880 households out of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.0% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 17.8% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,252, and the median income for a family was $68,109. Males had a median income of $50,562 versus $36,392 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,990. About 2.0% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Royal Oak, operating its Wolverine three times daily in both directions between Pontiac, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois via Detroit.

Commuter rail service was once provided by Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) and later Southeastern Michigan Transportation Authority (SEMTA) from Pontiac, Michigan to downtown Detroit with a stop in Royal Oak. This service ended on October 17, 1983 after subsidies were discontinued. Efforts continue to this day to restore such commuter service.

Class one freight rail service is provided by Canadian National Railway (CN).

Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus transit.

Highways: There is an interchange connecting interstate highways I-75 and I-696 in the southeast corner of the city. Woodward Avenue (state highway M-1) is about a mile west of the interchange in the southeast corner of the city. Woodward proceeds northwest defining the western border of the city, and intersects with the north-south Coolidge Highway just south of 13-Mile Road. Additionally, the southern terminus of Rochester Road (state highway M-150) is about 1 mile north of the downtown district, where it angles off from Main street, just south of the location of the "Royal Oak" tree mentioned above, and connects Royal Oak with Rochester, Michigan (the northern end of M-150), although the road itself continues on far beyond the city of Rochester. This road used to also be the route of an early 1900's electric trolley line which connected downtown Royal Oak with downtown Rochester.

External links

Oakland County, Michigan | Cities in Michigan | Metro Detroit