The City of Berkley, Michigan is a northern suburb of Detroit, situated along the Woodward Corridor in southeast Oakland County. It is bordered by the cities of Beverly Hills, Huntington Woods, Oak Park, Royal Oak, and Southfield.
The city's northern border is West Webster Road, with M-1 (Woodward Avenue) on the east, 11 Mile Road on the south, and Greenfield Road on the west. The 133-acre Roseland Park Cemetery takes up the northeastern portion of the city, and extends beyond the city limits to the north, into Royal Oak.
Before the area was settled by European-Americans, it was made up of dense forests, with pockets of swampland, and was considered by many to be uninhabitable or impassable due to the swamps. However, those who finally made their way through the swamps found good farmland.
Farmers cut the forests in the land that was to become Berkley, using the lumber to build homes, and preparing the land for agriculture. By the 1840s, there were several dairy farms in Berkley.
In 1910, the Highland Park Ford Plant was constructed, about ten miles away, and workers began building homes in Berkley. Detroiters were also moving to Berkley in order to avoid the higher cost of living in Detroit. Farms were sold and converted into subdivisions.
In order to avoid being absorbed by surrounding cities, Berkely was incorporated as a village in 1923. As Elmer Cromie had named the road that ran through his farm Berkley, and the Berkley School was under construction, that name was selected from a number of names that were proposed.
In 1929, the Wall Street Crash brought growth in the new village to a standstill, as most of the village's inhabitants lost their jobs. In 1932, Berkley citizens voted to incorporate the village into a city in order to gain more control over taxes and other issues that were then facing the community.
The economic situation improved in the 1940s due to a post-war economic boom, and the city's population increased by nearly 200% between 1940 and 1950, peaking at 23,275 by the 1960 census. Since then, it has decreased slightly each census year, at least up until 2010.
The focus of this category is on the City of Berkley, Michigan. Websites representing the city or any of its departments, services, or programs are appropriate resources for this category, along with local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events.
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Founded in 1948, the Berkley, Michigan club focuses on providing opportunities for recreational baseball, including the summer and fall seasons. Working in cooperation with the Berkley Parks and Recreation Department, funding is provided by player contract fees, sponsorships, fundraisers, and private contributions. Its teams, game schedules, registration, rosters, scores, and standings are posted to the site, along with winter clinics and other details.
http://www.berkleydadsclub.org/
Beginning in 1926, Berkley Days was originally a celebration of the completion of the Coolidge Highway. Although it has been held at different times over the years, it is currently scheduled for the weekend before Memorial Day, which signals the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. Administered by the Berkley Days Association, the event operates in cooperation with the City of Berkley and provides an opportunity for community service groups to raise funds.
https://berkleydays.org/
Serving students ranging in age from newborn through adulthood in Berkley, Huntington Woods, and a portion of Oak Park, the district is headquartered in Berkley, Michigan, and operates childcare and early education center, four elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, and an International Baccalaureate World School, each of which is highlighted here, the district’s enrollment policies, online learning resources, and a district map are featured.
https://www.berkleyschools.org/
The official municipal website publishes contacts for the mayor’s office, council members, and city attorney, as well as council meeting agendas and minutes, ordinances, election information, and a staff directory. Other resources include its master plan, demographics and census information, public announcements, a calendar of events, and a guide to municipal programs and services, local shopping, dining venues, attractions, and events.
http://www.berkleymich.org/
Maintained by the Downtown Development Authority, a non-profit organization created to promote the shopping experience, economic vitality, and physical experience of Coolidge Highway and Twelve-Mile Road, the two traditional commercial districts of Berkley, Michigan. The site includes an introduction to the DDA, as well as a guide to downtown shopping and dining venues, downtown murals, and a calendar of events. Promotional items may be purchased online.
https://downtownberkley.com/
The land upon which the Berkley, Michigan cemetery is located was once farmed by Native Americans for corn and squash, and later the Benjamin Muley Grain Cradle was produced there, after which it became a cemetery in 1906. Its history, cemetery rules and regulations, decorations policy, and a gallery of photographs are put forth. The benefits of pre-planning are featured, and a family planning organizer and pre-arrangements form are available.
https://www.roselandparkcemetery.com/
