Royal Oak Charter Township is a

charter township A charter township is a form of local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. Townships in Michigan are organized governments. A charter township has been granted a charter, which allows it certain rights and responsibilities of home rule that ...

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,374. The city of

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

is slightly to the north and is administered autonomously. The township is the only remaining unincorporated portion of the original Royal Oak

survey township A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six U.S. survey miles (about 9.66 km) on a side. E ...

, which was organized in 1833. With a present-day area of , Royal Oak Charter Township is the state's smallest charter township by area and the second-smallest overall township in the state after Novi Township.

History

Royal Oak Township was established in 1833 as a regular, civil township, and at one time consisted of all or parts of the following modern cities:

Hazel Park Hazel Park is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As a part of Metro Detroit, the city shares its southern border with the city of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,422. Hazel Park was incorporated as a c ...

, Ferndale, Oak Park, Madison Heights, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods,

, Berkley, and Clawson. The township began to shrink beginning in 1921 with the incorporation of the cities above. To provide greater protection from easy annexation, the township incorporated as a

in 1972. Currently, the township has neither its own police department nor a post office. Its police department was disbanded in 1998.

2003 and 2004 annexations

From the incorporation of Madison Heights in 1955 to 2004, the township consisted of two small non-contiguous parts within Oakland County. The larger portion lies along

Eight Mile Road M-102 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that runs along the northern boundary of Detroit following 8 Mile Road. The highway follows the Michigan Baseline, a part of the land survey of the state, and t ...

, adjacent to the cities of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Oak Park, and Ferndale. A second portion, located to the northwest and bordering Oak Park and Southfield, was the subject of a series of annexations and conditional land transfers in 2003 & 2004 Two property-initiated annexation elections in 2003 consisted of Crown Pointe Plaza office complex, Lincoln Towers Apartments, Biarritz Club/Rue Versailles Apartments, in which the township was estimated to have lost 20% of its property tax value to Oak Park. The property owners cited lower taxes in the city of Oak Park and poor relations with the township's government as reasons for seeking annexation. Two additional property owners initiated an annexation to Oak Park in 2004, which involved the annexation of the Bridgewater Village Apartments and Lincoln Woods Apartments. Lawsuits were filed by the township seeking to overturn these annexations; to make the transfer of the territory to the city more amicable and to end litigiation, Oak Park initiated talks with the township on a

425 Agreement The legislature of the State of Michigan enacted Public Act 425 of 1984 which is also known by the title ''Intergovernmental Conditional Transfer Of Property By Contract Act''. It became effective March 29, 1985, and was subsequently amended in 1998 ...

in September 2004, which allows the transfer of territory conditioned on the sharing of taxes generated from the transferred territory. The 425 agreement, which was to run 35 years and covered all previously annexed areas of the township - except Bridgewater Village Apartments - plus the remaining unannexed areas of the township, was agreed upon by the city and township in October. It came into effect on November 1, 2004, the day preceding the election to annex Bridgewater Village and Lincoln Woods Apartments, fully completeing the transfer of the northwest part of the township to Oak Park, and ending litigation from the township against the city. Oak Park amended the 425 Agreement on January 16, 2006 to bring in Bridgewater Village Apartments after resolving litigiation with the property owner concerning taxes and the associated costs of annexation.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,374 people living in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 4,316.3 people per square mile (1,671.8/km²). 1,106 housing units at an average density of 2,010 per square mile (778.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 5.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 89.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.0% Native American, 0.0%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 1.3% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.6% of the population.

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,419 people living in the township. The

was 4,398.1 people per square mile (1,727.8/km²). There were 1,111 housing units at an average density of 2,020.0 per square mile (793.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 1.4%

, 95.3%

, 0.1% Native American, 0.0%

, 0.0%

, 0.3% from

, and 2.8% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.3% of the population.

2000 census

There were 1,211 households, out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 26.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 48.5% were non-families. 44.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 3.02. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $23,710, and the median income for a family was $28,397. Males had a median income of $28,824 versus $26,382 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $15,027. About 19.9% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 30.4% of those age 65 and over.

Government

, it is governend by a popularly elected 7-member board of trustees, which includeds a township supervisor, clerk and treasurer as its administrative officers. For

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure ...

, the township contracts with the

Michigan State Police The Michigan State Police (MSP) is the state police agency for the U.S. state of Michigan. The MSP is a full-service law enforcement agency, with its sworn members having full police powers statewide. The department was founded in 1917 as a wart ...

for police services and the Ferndale Fire Department for fire services. For postal purposes, the community records its location as "Ferndale, MI 48220".

Education

The township is divided between Oak Park School District and Ferndale Public Schools.SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Oakland County, MI

Archive
.

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

. Retrieved on June 29, 2015. The Clinton School District previously served Royal Oak Township. The majority black George Washington Carver School District separated from the Clinton district in 1945 as more African-Americans moved to the area. In 1960

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

G. Mennen Williams Gerhard Mennen "Soapy" Williams (February 23, 1911 – February 2, 1988) was an American politician who served as the List of governors of Michigan, 41st governor of Michigan, elected in 1948 and serving six two-year terms in office. He lat ...

consolidated the Carver School District, along with its elementary school, into the Oak Park School District because the Carver district no longer had sufficient taxes to pay for a senior high school services, and no area school districts voluntarily took its students for high school.State of Michigan. "Carver Elementary School" In: Ashlee, Laura Rose (editor). ''Traveling Through Time: A Guide to Michigan's Historical Markers''.

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earned numerous awards, including L ...

, 2005. , 9780472030668. p
327.

Economy

At the northernmost point of the township lies Radio Plaza, which, bordered by Radio Plaza Street on the west, serves as home to Beasley Broadcast Group
, and Salem Media Group's Detroit market headquarters, as well as Motower Multilink Corporation's 993 foot radio tower. WDTK, WLQV, WCSX, WMGC-FM, WMGC, and WRIF are all based out of Radio Plaza in Royal Oak Township.

Highways

* runs south–north just to the east of the city boundaries. * runs east–west and forms the northernmost boundaries of the township with the junction at I-75. *, known locally as Woodward Avenue, runs south–north through the center of the township. *, known locally as East Eight Mile Road, runs east–west as the southern border of the township with the city of

Images

File:Motower Multilink Corporation Royal Oak Charter Township Radio Tower.jpg, File:Greater Media Detroit.jpg, File:Carver Elementary School.JPG, File:Royal Oak Towers - Royal Oak Charter Township, Michigan.jpg,

References

External links

Official Website of the Charter Township of Royal Oak
{{Metro Detroit Townships in Oakland County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan Metro Detroit Populated places established in 1833 1833 establishments in Michigan Territory