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Ferndale, Michigan
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Ferndale is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms part of the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,105.
Ferndale is primarily residential, with a small industrial sector featured in the southeast quadrant. Ferndale's thriving business district is anchored by the intersection of Woodward Avenue and 9 Mile Road, where privately owned shops, unique storefronts, dance clubs, and numerous well-visited restaurants are featured.
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Encyclopedia
Ferndale is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It forms part of the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,105.
Ferndale is primarily residential, with a small industrial sector featured in the southeast quadrant. Ferndale's thriving business district is anchored by the intersection of Woodward Avenue and 9 Mile Road, where privately owned shops, unique storefronts, dance clubs, and numerous well-visited restaurants are featured. Then downtown has broad sidewalks, slow traffic, and many trees and benches. The town is also noted for its significant gay and lesbian population.
History
Ferndale began as a bedroom community for Detroit workers about the time of World War I, with most of its growth in housing from 1920-1921. Through the early 1950s there were trolley (interurban railroad) lines that ran in the median strip of Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit out towards Pontiac. These helped the northern suburbs of Detroit grow as bedroom communities as people could just hop on the trolley to shop or work in Detroit.
Until the 1970s Ferndale was a typical American suburban community, a place for families to raise children during the "Baby Boom" era, with many elementary schools serving a fast growing youth, a thriving downtown, city parks, active churches and civic groups. Ferndale even had its own community hospital (Ardmore Hospital) on 9 Mile Road at Livernois that closed in the 1970s. St. James Church had their own school for grades 1 through 12. The high school later closed, in late 1960s or early 1970s.
Lincoln Junior High on 9 Mile and Livernois was torn down in the 1970s to make room for a supermarket. It was formerly Lincoln High, the city high school, until the new and current Ferndale High was completed in 1958. Lincoln Junior High had been built in 1920 and was falling apart by the 1960s. By this time the population of school-aged children also was declining and more and more elementary schools closed or were consolidated. Two of the elementary schools, Paul Best School on the West side of Woodward, and Coolidge on the East side, took over as the city junior high schools after Lincoln was closed. Recently the school district was again made over with impressive results in test scores. The gap between the disadvantaged and privileged children has closed in recent years.
Ferndale's downtown shopping area, 9 Mile Road, featured many busy, popular stores in the 1940s to 1960s, including: A & P Supermarket, State Supermarket (which later became Food Fair, and eventually Farmer Jack), Federal Department Store, Cunningham's Drugs, Hagelstein's Bakery, F & M Drugs (the first store in the chain), Sanders Bakery, Western Auto, several clothing and shoe stores, Ferndale Lanes (a 20-lane second-story bowling alley over a group of stores on 9 Mile west of Woodward), Kresge's, Woolworth's and Neisner "dime stores." A movie theater, Radio City, was located on Woodward, one block north of 9 Mile. More historical information can be found by visiting the Ferndale Historical Museum located at 1651 Livernois which is located just south of 9 Mile on Livernois next to the Fire Station. Hours are Saturdays 2:00 - 4:00 PM or by appointent by calling (248) 545-7606. You can also visit the Museum's Official website at
The city has recently experienced a dramatic revival of its downtown through the progressive policies implemented during the last ten years. Ferndale's downtown is formed by two major thoroughfares, Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. Several years ago the city made the downtown more pedestrian friendly by narrowing West Nine Mile Road, the heart of the downtown, to one lane in each direction and adding on-street parking. The result has been a return of pedestrian traffic and an influx of new stores and restaurants. The city has continued to make itself more accessible to people by reducing traffic lanes on Hilton Road and Pinecrest Road, two major local north/south streets, and adding bicycle lanes.
A recently updated zoning ordinance has similarly led to some positive development in Ferndale as well as to one of the biggest resident uproars in recent Ferndale history. The multi-year process concluded with a final round of public hearings in which residents' concerns were noted and largely incorporated into the zoning map and ordinance [link needed]. The city now encourages mixed retail and residential land uses along its major corridors. Additionally, the city is currently experiencing an increase in residential construction with more new homes being built than at any time since the 1950s.
Geography
Ferndale is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.9 square miles (10.0 kmē)—3.9 square miles (10.0 kmē) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
Ferndale is adjacent to the cities of Detroit to the south, Oak Park to the west, Hazel Park to the east, Pleasant Ridge to the north, Royal Oak Township to the southwest, and Royal Oak to the north.
Ferndale is bordered to the south by 8 Mile Road, to the north (west of Woodward Avenue) by Oakridge St., and (east of Woodward Ave.) by 10 Mile Rd. To the west it is bordered by Republic (South of Nine Mile), and Hyland (north of Nine Mile). To the east it is bordered by West End St.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,105 people, 9,872 households, and 5,103 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,697.9 people per square mile (2,199.7/kmē). There were 10,243 housing units at an average density of 2,640.3 per square mile (1,019.3/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 91.46% White, 3.42% Black or African American, 0.55% Native American, 1.32% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races. 1.81% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,872 households out of which 23.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.8% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.3% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 41.2% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,629, and the median income for a family was $51,687. Males had a median income of $40,392 versus $30,859 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,133. About 7.2% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.
Quick facts about Ferndale
- Popular nicknames include "Fashionable Ferndale" or "Fabulous Ferndale."
- Ferndale is bordered to the south by 8 Mile Road (made famous in the film 8 Mile starring Eminem)
- Is home to the music studio "54 Sound," where hip-hop stars Eminem, Obie Trice, hip-hop group D-12, and various other artists record and produce their albums.
- Ferndale is host of Motor City Pride . The organization claims over 35,000 attend.
- The Woodward Dream Cruise , the largest classic car cruise in the United States, is held every third Saturday in August. The Woodward Dream Cruise began in Ferndale, Michigan in 1994 by Nelson House. He organized the event as a fundraiser to build a children's soccer field. The event has grown into a 16 mile long cruise involving nine participating cities along Woodward Avenue. It attracts over one million spectators, 40,000+ muscle cars, street rods, custom and special interest vehicles..
- Ferndale is home to both the Detroit Curling Club and the Renaissance Fencing Club .
- There is a band out of Fenton, MI called Ferndale. The affiliation to the city is unknown.
- Ferndale was the first city in Michigan to elect an openly gay mayor, Craig Covey, on November 6, 2007.
- Ferndale is home to Machpelah Cemetery south of Nine Mile on the West side of Woodward.
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