Oakland County, Michigan
Healthy Home Assessments in Oak Park
Oak Park is a 5.15-square-mile inner-ring suburb bordering Detroit's north side, once dismissed as land "not fit for habitation" before it became one of the fastest-growing cities in America. The assessment looks at the whole home, not one part.
What Oak Park is built of
Oak Park sits in Oakland County, Michigan. Also noted: The city's official motto is 'Community. Culture. Commerce.', and it was recognized as America's fastest-growing city during its sevenfold boom of 1950-1960. Counts run to 29,752 residents in 11,385 or so households. Incorporated as a village in 1927 with fewer than 1,000 residents; incorporated as a city in 1945.
What the numbers say
Of units counted in 2023, 73.6% are detached single-family homes and 59.3% of occupied units are owner-occupied. Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher come to 39.5%. A local landmark: Young Israel of Oak Park and the Lincoln Road cluster of kollels and kosher establishments.
Mixed house types here, at 73.6% detached, mean the order of the visit is set on site once the envelope and the mechanical layout are established.
Named places in Oak Park:
- Shepherd Park. Former Major Park renamed for mayor David H. Shepherd, with an outdoor swimming pool and ice rink at 24198 Church Street.
- Nine Mile corridor. Commercial spine bordering the Detroit Zoo area across I-696.
- Shepherd Park pool and rink. City swimming and skating facilities in the central park.
- Oak Park recreation programs. City recreation serving one of Michigan's most diverse communities.
Where the addresses are
Mail runs through the 48237 ZIP code. Oak Park has produced an unusually broad roster of notable people, including Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline, "Hamilton" and "Rent" producer Jeffrey Seller, economist Jeffrey Sachs, and members of Was (Not Was).