Berkley, Michigan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Berkley, Michigan
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| City of Berkley | ||
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Downtown Berkley along Twelve Mile Road and Berkley City Hall
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| Motto(s):
We Care
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Location within Oakland County
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 Berkley, Michigan
Location in Michigan
Berkley, Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States | |
| State | Michigan | |
| County | Oakland | |
| Incorporated | 1923 (village) 1932 (city) |
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| Government | ||
| • Type | Council–manager | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 2.62 sq mi (6.77 km2) | |
| • Land | 2.62 sq mi (6.77 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) | |
| Elevation | 686 ft (209 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • City | 15,194 | |
| • Density | 5,810.33/sq mi (2,243.47/km2) | |
| • Metro | 4,296,250 (Metro Detroit) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP code(s) |
48072
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| Area code(s) | 248 | |
| FIPS code | 26-07660 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0621157 | |
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Berkley is a city in Oakland County, Michigan. It's a northern suburb of Detroit and is part of the Woodward Corridor. Berkley is about 14 miles (23 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. In 2020, about 15,194 people lived there.
Contents
History of Berkley
Long ago, the land that is now Berkley was mostly thick forests and some swampy areas. Many people thought the land north and west of Detroit was too hard to live in because of the big swamps. But as explorers went through the swamps, they found beautiful land beyond.
People soon learned that there was "fine farming country" to the north and west of Detroit. This made many people excited, and they started moving to the area, which was then known as Royal Oak. Farmers bought land in what would become Berkley. They cut down trees and prepared the land for farming. By the 1840s, Berkley had many dairy farms.
In the 1910s, the area grew a lot when the Highland Park Ford Plant was finished. As farms were sold and turned into neighborhoods, people wanted to make the area an official village. In 1923, Berkley became a village. At that time, a man named Elmer Cromie had named the road through his farm Berkley. The "Berkley School" was also being built, so the name Berkley was chosen for the village.
A big economic downturn in 1929, called the Wall Street Crash of 1929, stopped Berkley's growth. About 90% of the 5,558 people living in Berkley lost their jobs. Within a year, the city's population started to drop. In 1932, voters decided to change their village into a city. This gave them more control over taxes and other community issues.
In the 1940s, more people moved to the suburbs after World War II. This led to a lot of new development in Berkley. The current Berkley High School was built in 1949. The city's population reached its highest point in 1960, with 23,375 people. In 1993, the Berkley Theater, a popular movie theater, closed down. It later became a drug store.
Culture and Community
Downtown Berkley is a lively area. It stretches along 12 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway. You can find many restaurants, unique shops, and clothing stores there. Berkley's city offices, public library, and police and fire departments are located near 12 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway.
Berkley hosts a yearly event called the Art Bash. In 2016, about 10,000 people came to see it. The Art Bash brings artists from all over Michigan. They sell art like photos, garden decorations, jewelry, pottery, clothes, and paintings. Local stores also have sidewalk sales during the event.
The city also takes part in the yearly Woodward Dream Cruise. This is a popular event where people show off classic cars in the Metro Detroit area. Berkley has its own classic car parade downtown called the Berkley CruiseFest. It happens one day before the main Dream Cruise. Berkley has held this event every year since 1995.
Besides these downtown events, the city has an annual Summerfest and Winterfest. These are organized by the city's Parks and Recreation department. Berkley has many neighborhood parks and a large community center. The community center used to have an ice arena, but it closed in 2016 and was taken down in 2019.
Berkley is designed to be a close-knit community. Most of its streets are in a grid pattern, and the lots are smaller than in some other suburbs. This helps people feel more connected. Because of this, Berkley has become a very popular suburb. It's considered a good place to buy a home in Michigan and the United States. A magazine called Money even said Berkley was one of the best places to live because it feels like a small town within the larger Detroit area and has a downtown you can easily walk around.
Geography
Berkley is located in Southeastern Oakland County. It is next to the cities of Huntington Woods and Oak Park to the south. Southfield is to the west, and Royal Oak is to the north and east.
Berkley's borders are Woodward Avenue (M-1) on the east, Webster Road on the north, Greenfield Road on the west, and 11 Mile Road on the south. The southern border of the city is 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the Detroit city limits. While no major highways go through Berkley, Interstate 75 and Interstate 696 are important roads nearby. The city covers a total area of about 2.62 square miles (6.77 km²), all of which is land.
Population Facts
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 5,571 | — | |
| 1940 | 6,406 | 15.0% | |
| 1950 | 17,931 | 179.9% | |
| 1960 | 23,275 | 29.8% | |
| 1970 | 21,879 | −6.0% | |
| 1980 | 18,637 | −14.8% | |
| 1990 | 16,960 | −9.0% | |
| 2000 | 15,531 | −8.4% | |
| 2010 | 14,970 | −3.6% | |
| 2020 | 15,194 | 1.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
People in Berkley (2020 Census)
In 2020, Berkley had 15,194 people and 7,067 households. On average, there were about 2.15 people per household.
Most people in the city (88.0%) were White. Other groups included 3.2% African American, 1.3% Asian, and 0.3% Native American. About 5.6% of people were from two or more races. People of Hispanic or Latino background made up 1.8% of the population.
The average age in Berkley was 37.2 years old. About 19.2% of residents were under 18, and 12.6% were 65 or older. The population was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.
In 2021, the average age was still 37.2 years. About 3.7% of the people were born in other countries. Veterans, who have served in the military, made up 4.7% of the population.
Schools in Berkley
The Berkley School District serves most of Berkley, all of Huntington Woods, and part of Oak Park. The district has four elementary schools (Angell, Burton, Pattengill, and Rogers). It also has one Kindergarten to 8th grade school (Norup International), one middle school (Anderson), and one high school (Berkley High School).
From 2008 to 2016, Newsweek magazine listed Berkley High School as one of the top 1,000 best high schools in the country. In 2008, it was among the top six in Michigan. In 2017, The Washington Post said it was one of the most challenging high schools in the nation. Norup International School became an International Baccalaureate Candidate school in 2006. This means it uses special learning programs for all its students.
Some homes in Berkley are served by the Royal Oak Public Schools.
A former elementary school, Avery, is now the Berkley School District's Building Blocks program. This program is for babies through pre-school children. It is a highly rated program. Angell Elementary School is the oldest elementary school in Oakland County that has been open continuously since 1921. The Berkley School District is the city's biggest employer, with 718 employees in 2021.
Another former school, Our Lady of La Salette School, opened in 1943. It once had over 1,000 students in the 1960s. The school closed in 2013. In 2023, the building was reopened as apartments called The Ivy.
Notable People from Berkley
Many interesting people have lived in or come from Berkley:
- Curtis Armstrong – An actor known for playing Booger in the Revenge of the Nerds movies. He graduated from Berkley High School.
- Joseph Bruce – A rapper and producer, known from the group Insane Clown Posse. He was born in Berkley.
- Marshall Crenshaw – A singer, songwriter, and actor. He played Buddy Holly in the movie La Bamba. He graduated from Berkley High School in 1971.
- Bruce Flowers – A professional basketball player. He was chosen by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1979 NBA draft. He graduated from Berkley High School.
- J. Fred Lawton – A writer and poet. He wrote "Varsity," a fight song for the University of Michigan. He lived in Berkley.
- Sander Levin – A U.S. Congressman. He helped build the Berkley Public Library.
- Katherine Nye – An Olympic weightlifter who lives in Berkley.
- Owain Phyfe – A musician and producer who lived in Berkley.
- Jim Seymour – A football player for Notre Dame and the Chicago Bears. He was born in Berkley.
- Jim Starlin – A comic book artist and writer. He graduated from Berkley High School in 1967.
- Rob Tyner – The lead singer for the band MC5. He lived and died in Berkley.
- Aric Morris – A former NFL safety who played for the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots. He won Super Bowl XXXVIII. He graduated from Berkley High School in 1996.
See also
In Spanish: Berkley (Míchigan) para niños
