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. The village incorporated as a city on October 29, 1945, following the end of World War II.
Stimulated by the GI Bill which aided veterans in buying new housing, highways to improve commuting, and planned developments in the late 1950s, Oak Park from 1950 to 1960 was named as "America's Fastest Growing City". 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.
Demographics
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 people 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.