Metro Detroit Oakland County City
Oak Park
The 1950s' "fastest-growing city," where the freeway got plazas for Sabbath walks
- People (2025 estimate)
- 29,072
- Land area
- 5.1 sq mi · 13.3 km²
- From downtown
- 11.6 miles · 19 km · northwest
- Incorporated
- 1945
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Oak Park matters
Oak Park starts right above 8 Mile on Detroit's northern edge, and in the 1950s it absolutely exploded. Between 1950 and 1960 its population grew sevenfold, earning it the nickname "America's Fastest Growing City." The GI Bill, new highways and planned subdivisions brought in young families.
Many of the newcomers were Jewish, a lot of them Orthodox, and that still shapes the city. The best example is I-696: when it was finished in 1989, three landscaped plazas were built over the freeway in Oak Park so people could walk to synagogue on the Sabbath. The state even hired a rabbi as a consultant.
Today Oak Park is a mixed city: both the 2010 and 2020 censuses showed a Black majority, alongside a still-strong Jewish community. Its biggest green space is Shepherd Park, which locals long just called "Oak Park Park."
02 / Known for
What Oak Park is known for
The three pedestrian plazas over I-696, designed at the Orthodox Jewish community's request for Sabbath walking.
It grew sevenfold between 1950 and 1960, earning the nickname "America's Fastest Growing City."
Home to a large Jewish community, with many Orthodox families and synagogues.
Shepherd Park is named for former mayor David Shepherd, though locals long called it "Oak Park Park."
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Oak Park
Nothing on our calendar in Oak Park right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
3 places on our site in Oak Park
05 / What to do
If you’re in Oak Park
David H. Shepherd Park
A 56.8-acre park with pavilions, a wooden play train, basketball courts, a walking path and a sledding hill in winter. Part of it, Oak Park Woods, has been under renovation by the city and Oakland County Parks since their 2023 agreement.
Official site ↗Oak Park Farmers Market
A Thursday farmers market at 14300 Oak Park Boulevard: fresh produce, local vendors, summer vibes.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Oak Park through the years
- 1840
The first European American settlers arrive, though the area stays sparsely populated for decades.
- 1914
The Majestic Land Company builds the first major housing development, the Oak Park subdivision.
- 1927
Oak Park incorporates as a village on May 3.
- 1945
It becomes a city on October 29.
- 1960
The boom decade ends with the population up sevenfold in ten years.
- 1989
The final stretch of I-696 opens on December 15, plazas included.
08 / People
Famous names from here
- Jeffrey Sachs Economist who grew up in Oak Park and graduated from Oak Park High School.
- Doug Fieger Frontman of The Knack, who grew up in Oak Park.
- Al Kaline The Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer lived on Morton Street in the late 1950s.
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Oak Park city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Park,_Michigan
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_696
- oakparkmi.gov/maps/location/davidhshepherdpark
- oaklandcountymi.gov/community/oakland-county-parks/get-involved/healthy-communities-investments/oak-park
- oaklandcountymi.gov/events/2026/09/17/default-calendar/senior-market-day-oak-park-farmers-market
- metromodemedia.com/place/oak-park
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Sachs
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Fieger
- oakparkmi.gov
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: −1.7 percent.
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