Ferndale, Michigan

Native Americans were original inhabitants of the area now known as the City of Ferndale. In the 1800s farmers began cultivating the land. After the invention of the automobile and the development of the automotive assembly line, the population of Ferndale increased rapidly. Ferndale was incorporated into a village in 1918. It became a bedroom community for Detroit workers, with most of its growth in housing from 1920 to 1951. Through the early 1950s there were trolley (interurban railroad) lines in the median strip of Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit to Pontiac. These helped the northern suburbs of Detroit grow as bedroom communities as people could take the trolley to shop or work in Detroit. In the 1970s, the Ferndale suburban community emerged as a place for families to raise children during the "Baby Boom" era, with its elementary schools, a downtown, city parks, active churches and civic groups. Ferndale High was completed in 1958, replacing the older Lincoln High School. Ferndale's downtown shopping area, 9 Mile Road, featured many busy, popular stores in the 1940s to 1960s, but later went into decline, and many businesses closed. In recent decades, the downtown area has revitalized. Ferndale's downtown is formed by two major thoroughfares, Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue. Circa 1997 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. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. 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 Street, and (east of Woodward Avenue) by 10 Mile Road and I-696. To the west it is bordered by Republic Street (south of Nine Mile Road), and Hyland Street (north of Nine Mile). To the east it is bordered by West End, Pilgrim Street, and Lennox Street. ==Government==

Ferndale utilizes the council-manager form of government, and is governed by a city council consisting of a mayor and four council members. The city council appoints a city manager, who manages the day-to-day operations of the city. The current mayor of Ferndale is Raylon Leaks-May. Current city council members are Greg Pawlica, Laura Mikulski, Rolanda Kelley and Donnie Johnson. The current city manager is Colleen O'Toole. Federal, state, and county legislators ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Ferndale had a population of 19,190. The median age was 35.4 years. 12.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 11.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.1 males age 18 and over. There were 10,029 households in Ferndale, of which 14.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 29.7% were married-couple households, 27.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 19,900 people, 9,559 households, and 4,349 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 10,477 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.7% White, 9.6% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 2.8% of the population. There were 9,559 households, of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.3% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 54.5% were non-families. 39.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 16.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 41.2% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.9% male and 50.1% female. 2000 census As of the census the same year the city elected the first openly gay mayor in Michigan. In 2011, Motor City Pride moved to Detroit's Hart Plaza. Ferndale Pride was started that year. ==Media==

Ferndale has a local radio station WFCB-LP (100.7 FM) named Ferndale Radio which started airing in 2017. Ferndale Radio is a low power FM station that broadcasts from a studio at the Rustbelt Market in Ferndale. Ferndale Radio is a non-profit with volunteer radio DJs and managed by volunteers. Church Militant used to have their headquarters in Ferndale until they ceased operations. ==Crime==

The crime rate in Ferndale is relatively neutral. Crime is significantly lower than inner communities such as Detroit, Dearborn and Hamtramck, and its neighbors such as Hazel Park, Oak Park and Warren. However, other outer communities have a lower crime rate. Larceny theft was the most common crime in Ferndale, making up 51.7% of the crime rate. Six known homicides have been recorded in Ferndale since 2000; one being in 2001, one in 2005, one in 2007, one in 2008, one in 2009, and one in 2010. ==Education==

Ferndale has its own school district, Ferndale Public Schools, including elementary, middle, and high schools. Ferndale High School and University High School are both part of Ferndale Public Schools. A portion of Ferndale is instead zoned to Hazel Park Schools. ==Notable people==

• James Blanchard, Governor of Michigan (1983–91) and U.S. Ambassador to Canada • Joseph Bruce (a.k.a. Violent J), member of Insane Clown Posse • Ron Carter, jazz musician • Dana Elcar, actor best known for film The Sting and role as Peter Thornton on TV series MacGyver • Elena Ford, heiress • Frank Hagel, painter and sculptor • Josh Malerman, novelist and singer-songwriter • Rashad Phillips, professional basketball player; played for Ferndale High School (1992–96) • Ken Rowe, MLB pitcher and coach; born in Ferndale • The Spinners, American R&B group, formed in Ferndale. • Bob Welch, MLB pitcher, 1990 Cy Young Award winner, two-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion; lived in Ferndale, attended school in Hazel Park ==Notes==