Royal Oak

Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. It is located along the Woodward Corridor, and is served by Interstate 75 and Interstate 696. The city has one of the largest downtowns in Detroit's suburbs. Royal Oak developed as a suburb of Detroit in the early 20th century, following Detroit's booming growth as a result of industrialization and its auto industry. Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, Royal Oak's downtown has developed as an entertainment and nightlife destination. In 2022, the Royal Oak City Council approved the demolition of the historic Main Art Theater, once a symbol of moviegoers in the area. The Royal Oak Farmers Market opened as a truck market, at the corner of 4th and Troy streets, on October 14, 1925, as a cooperative venture between the then-new City of Royal Oak and Oakland County, Michigan. In the 1920s, Father Charles Coughlin, a Canadian Catholic priest who relocated to Detroit, became the founding pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower. Through his ministry, he raised funds to build the present limestone church complex and tower. During the 1930s, his broadcasts became more political. He initially supported President Franklin D. Roosevelt, then opposed him and promoted the causes of the fascist leaders of Germany and Italy. The Roosevelt administration closed down his radio operation after the outbreak of World War II, with support from the Catholic hierarchy.

History

Royal Oak was named in 1819, during one of the surveying expeditions led by Territorial Governor Lewis Cass. The downtown originally had a typical mixture of small-scale retail and trade to serve the city of Royal Oak. Father Charles Coughlin, a Canadian Catholic priest who relocated to Detroit, became the founding pastor of the Shrine of the Little Flower. The present structure, at the corner of 11 Mile Road and Troy Street, is adjacent to the 44th District Court. It was erected in the spring of 1927 and dedicated July 1 of that year. In 2022, the Royal Oak City Council approved the demolition of the historic Main Art Theater, once a symbol of moviegoers in the area. Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, Royal Oak's downtown has developed as an entertainment and nightlife destination. A number of large condominiums and lofts have been built in the city, increasing the density of the downtown population. The Royal Oak Farmers Market opened as a truck market, on October 14, 1925, as a cooperative venture between the then-new City of RoyalOak and Oakland County, Michigan. It is now a prominent landmark in the town, along with the Michigan State Capitol and the University of Michigan's Dearborn campus. The city was not incorporated as a village until 1891, and it was reincorporated as a city in 1921. In the early 20th century, following Detroit's booming growth as a result of industrialization and its auto industry, it lost business to suburban malls.

Geography

Royal Oak developed around a river, the Red Run. Vinsetta Boulevard was built skirting a source branch of the river for its median. In the 1930s, the entire median, along with the river and all but the tops of the bridges for the crossing streets were filled in as part of a WPA project during the Great Depression. During 19678, the rest of the River in Oakland County was buried within a six-foot drain pipe.Extensive tree-planting has taken place since the 30s, leading to the town being nicknamed "The City of Trees" Recent increased developments have caused controversy about the maintenance of the city's urban forest. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.79 square miles (30.54 km²), of which 11.78 square miles of it is land and 0.01 sq miles (0.03 km²) is water. The city is located in the Oakland County portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and is located near the city of Detroit. The population of Royal Oak was 1,816,000 in 2010. The U.N. World Population Census estimates the city to have a population of 1,715,000 (1.7% of the total population of the United States). The city's population is expected to exceed 1,200,000 by the end of the year. It is one of the largest cities in Michigan, with Detroit being the largest city in the state.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 57,236 people, 28,063 households, and 13,394 families living in the city. 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, 2.4% Asian American, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population. The city's median income was $52,252, and the median income for a family was $68,109. About 2.0% of families and 4.3%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 3.4%. of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was2.82. The median age was 37.8 years, 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 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The gender ratio was 49.0 to 51.0. The population density was 4,854.6 inhabitants per squaremile (1,874.4/ km²).

Government

Royal Oak has a below-average crime rate, similar to that of nearby middle-class communities. Larceny-theft was the most common crime, making up 66.7% of all crimes in the city. Five known murders have been committed since 2000. In 1991, Thomas McIlvane, a postal worker, killed five people in Royal Oak's post office, after being fired from the Postal Service for "insubordination" This incident helped to popularize the term "going postal" The city has a full-time fire department that operates three stations strategically located around the city to minimize response time to incidents. The ROFD staffs three engines, a ladder truck, and two ALS ambulances daily and is a member of the OAKWAY mutual aid consortium. It is governed by a city commission consisting of a mayor and six commission members. The city commission appoints a city manager, who manages the day-to-day operations of the city and is in charge of the police department. It has 79 sworn officers and 25 civilian personnel. The department employs community policing techniques. The council has a Councilmanager government, which is responsible for appointing the city's city manager. It also has a City Council, which has a Mayor and six Commission members, who are responsible for electing the mayor and City Council members. In 2011, the council appointed a City Manager, who was in charge for the first time since the city was founded in 1894. The mayor was first elected to the council in 1998.

Economy

Royal Oak developed initially as a suburb after Detroit boomed as a major industrial city. It had a compact, traditional street-side shopping district, which runs along Main Street and Washington Avenue downtown. During the 2000s, this area was redeveloped with numerous new businesses, and is now considered a trendy, upscale, urban-chic district. A number of mixed-use high-rise developments have been constructed mostly condo "lofts" with retail and office space on the lower levels. Points of interest include the Detroit Zoo, the William Beaumont Hospital, the Royal Oak Music Theatre, the Baldwin Theatre, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, and shops, cafes, and restaurants. The National Arbor Day Foundation has awarded Royal Oak the distinction of "Tree City USA" every year since 1976 as a result of the city's commitment to tree planting and preservation. Gilda's Club Metro Detroit operates a three-story non-residential house in Royal Oak. It has served more than 3,000 members for social and emotional support through a variety of activities. The Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Program is a foundation set up by Detroit-area native GildaRadner, who is known for her work as a comedian of Saturday Night Live. In 1998 the Program created a free cancer support community for people with cancer, their families, and friends. The City of Royal Oak has 465 employees, Royal Oak Public Schools with 482 employees, Oakland Community College with 448 employees, Consumers Energy with 351 employees, Flex-N-Gate with 350 employees, and HHI- Form Tech with 290 employees.

Education

The city is served by Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. Private K-12 education is also offered by Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church while nearby St. Mary's offers K-8 instruction. A branch of Oakland Community College is located in the city and a new location of Baker College is nearing the end of construction. The Royal Oak school system gained brief notoriety for an incident following the Trump election. Some middle schoolers chanted "build that wall". A student video of the incident was widely shared on Facebook, attracting more than 4 million views within 24 hours. A week later a noose was found in the 8th grade boys bathroom at the middle school. St. Dennis School of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit was formerly in Royal Oak. It closed in 2011. The city's two public high schools, George A. Dondero High School and Clarence M. Kimball High School, were combined into a new Royal Oak High School in 2006. The number of elementary schools was reduced to six. Some parents protested the planned closure and demolition of Longfellow and Whittier elementary schools. They were seeking to have them considered for historic district recognition by way of signed petition. Despite their efforts, both schools and a number of other former elementary schools were demolished in the fall of 2007. A portion of land in theCity is zoned to Berkley Public Schools. It was once home to the University of Michigan-East Lansing, which is now a part of Michigan State University.

Transportation

Amtrak provides service to Royal Oak, operating its Wolverine three times daily in both directions between Pontiac and Chicago via Detroit. Canadian National Railway provides class one freight rail service. Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) operates local and regional bus transit. The Saginaw Trail was a footpath established by the Sauk tribe between Detroit and Saginawa. In Royal Oak present-day Main Street and Crooks Road were developed along the historic path. Five numbered eastwest mile roads run through Royal Oak. The city is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and is home to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and Michigan State University. It is located on the Michigan Turnpike, which runs from Detroit to Grand Rapids, and the Detroit River, which flows through the city to the Detroit suburb of Ypsilanti. It has a population of 2,816. The Royal Oak area was once part of the Grand Rapids and Detroit Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is now part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It also has a portion of the Detroit-Saginaw Metropolitan area, which was part of Detroit for much of the 20th century. It was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Royal Oak is located at the intersection of I-75, I-696, M-1, and M-2. The town is located near the junction of the I-275 and I-6 highways.

Culture

Downtown Royal Oak features a wide assortment of nightlife venues, including the Royal Oak Music Theatre and the Baldwin Theatre. In December 2009 it was announced that the Arts, Beats and Eats festival would be moved from Pontiac to Royal Oak. Royal Oak is home to the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, which was declared a national shrine in 1998 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The city is served by The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, regional newspapers serving all of southeast Michigan. It is the site of the Detroit Zoo, one of the region's leading tourist attractions. In 2014, Pope Francis granted the National shrine the honorary title of Minor Basilica. In 2012 it was in the process of merging into St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Madison Heights. This real estate was later redeveloped as a location of regional grocery story chain Meijer. It was later alluded to in the sitcom Home Improvement as the protagonist's (played by Allen) place of residence. In the 1990s, Royal Oak had St. Dennis Catholic Church of theDetroit Archdiocese. In 1998, the U.S. Conference ofCatholic Bishops declared the National shrines to be national shrines. The National shrine was later granted the honorary status of minor basilica in 2014 by Pope Francis. In 2009, the city hosted the Woodward Dream Cruise, which is a major span of the city's annual summer tourist attraction. It also hosts the annual Royal Oak Film Festival.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Royal Oak, Oakland County, Michigan = 61.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 27. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 30. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Royal Oak = 3.2 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 58,211 individuals with a median age of 41.7 age the population dropped by -5.11% in Royal Oak, Oakland County, Michigan population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 4,936.48 residents per square mile of area (1,905.96/km²). There are average 1.99 people per household in the 28,339 households with an average household income of $57,830 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 9.60% of the available work force and has dropped -10.42% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 9.56%. The number of physicians in Royal Oak per 100,000 population = 456.1.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Royal Oak = 29.7 inches and the annual snowfall = 32.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 126. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 177. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 19.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 51, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Royal Oak, Oakland County, Michigan which are owned by the occupant = 66.02%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 54 years with median home cost = $114,440 and home appreciation of -20.42%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $13.73 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,404 per student. There are 17.2 students for each teacher in the school, 406 students for each Librarian and 639 students for each Counselor. 6.31% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 25.92% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 13.99% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).