Ок Парк, Мичиган: История и современность города

the city in Oakland County

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 14 mile (23 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 29,560.

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.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.16 square miles (13 km2), 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.

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.

+Oak Park, Michigan – Racial and ethnic compositionNote: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race. Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 2000% 2010% 2020White (NH)13,81310,80610,72146.36%36.86%36.27%Black or African American (NH)13,62216,74816,32845.72%57.12%55.24%Native American or Alaska Native (NH)5054470.17%0.18%0.16%Asian (NH)6454174342.16%1.42%1.47%Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH)53100.02%0.01%0.03%Some other race (NH)98481950.33%0.16%0.66%Two or more races or Multiracial (NH)1,1798201,1773.96%2.80%3.98%Hispanic or Latino (any race)3814236481.28%1.44%2.19%Total29,79329,31929,560100.00%100.00%100.00%

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.

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.