Driving Oakland County - Royal Oak - Main Street - City Architecture

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.[5]

The city is located along the Woodward Corridor, and Interstate 75 and Interstate 696 also pass through Royal Oak. As a northern suburb of Metro Detroit, the city is about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city of Detroit. Portions of the Detroit Zoo are within Royal Oak, extending into neighboring Huntington Woods.

Early Europeans in this area near Fort Detroit in the 18th century were mostly French Canadians; some traded with the Sauk, Huron, and other Native Americans in the area. After defeating France in the Seven Years' War, Great Britain took control of their territory east of the Mississippi River, including Fort Detroit and environs. After the American Revolutionary War, Britain promoted development of what was then called Upper Canada and Province of Quebec, across the Detroit and St. Clair rivers to the south and east.

Royal Oak was not incorporated as a village until 1891, and as a city in 1921. It was named in 1819, during one of the surveying expeditions led by Territorial Governor Lewis Cass. A large oak tree at this small settlement reminded Cass of the story of the Royal Oak, where King Charles II of England was said to have hid to escape capture by the Roundheads after the Battle of Worcester. Cass named the settlement after that, several years after the United States had fought Great Britain across the northern border in the War of 1812.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.79 square miles (30.54 km2), of which 11.78 square miles (30.51 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (0.08%) is water.[8]

Royal Oak developed around a river, the Red Run. Vinsetta Boulevard was built skirting a source branch of the Red Run for its median. In the 1930s, Vinsetta's entire median, along with the river and all but the tops of the bridges for the crossing streets[9] were filled in as part of a WPA project during the Great Depression. During 1967–8, the rest of the river in Oakland County was buried within a six-foot drain pipe.
Royal Oak developed initially as a suburb after Detroit boomed as a major industrial city. People began to move to the suburbs for newer housing, especially after World War II. 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, featuring restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. 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, a major regional tourist attraction, the William Beaumont Hospital, the Royal Oak Music Theatre, the Main Art Theatre, the Baldwin Theatre, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, Emagine Theater, and shops, cafes, and restaurants. The main offices of Hour Detroit media, which publishes Metro Detroit's lifestyle magazine, are located in the city.

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.[17]

The Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Program is a foundation set up by Detroit-area native Gilda Radner, 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. 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 city is served by Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools. There is also a private high school, Shrine Catholic. A branch of Oakland Community College is located in the city.

A portion of land in the city is zoned to Berkley Public Schools.

In recent years Royal Oak has begun to consolidate its public schools in response to a decline in enrollment levels compared to the baby boom era. In 2006, 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. Beginning in 2007, the city's two middle schools were combined into one school, Royal Oak Middle School. The number of elementary schools was reduced to six.[19] 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.[20] Despite their efforts, both schools and a number of other former elementary schools were demolished in the fall of 2007.