Berkley MI History
Located along the Woodward Corridor in the southeastern part of Oakland County in Michigan, sits Berkley suburb. Berkley zipcodes-48067 48072.
It has a total land area of 2.62 square miles and bordered by Webster Road on the North, Greenfield Road on the west and Woodward Avenue on the east. Surrounded by the Detroit city border on its southern area. This southern border is within 3 miles north of the popular Detroit City along the course of Eight Mile Road. While 12 Mile Road and Coolidge highway intersected in Berkley, there are no Interstates that run through it.
According to the 2010 census, Berkley has a total population of 14,970 with 6,594 households, and 3,896 families residing in the city. The city has a population density of 5,713.7 inhabitants per square mile which composes of 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.3% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 3.0% African American, and 93.3% White.
A long time ago, Berkley was nothing more than a dense forest with some isolated pockets of swamps. Pioneers and migrants experienced hard times when traversing most of Detroit area. Many of these paths deemed as impassable and uninhabitable because of swamps beyond the city boundaries. But those of brave hearts pushed through the interminable swamp and discovered the potential of a paradise hidden in the Northern Wayne County.
Because of its great potential, the residents called it a “fine farming country”. The vastness and greatness of the north and west Detroit reached far and wide. Soon it garnered attention and people began to flock in the area of what was known as Royal Oak which later becomes Berkley. People soon learned how to prepare land for farming by cutting down forested area. Berkley soon flourished in the farming and dairy industry. In the 1840s Berkley had many dairy farms supply most of the state and its neighboring states. With the foundation of Highland Park Ford Plant, Berkley industry was unstoppable. However, as people flocked to the area, farms were sold and turned into residential areas. In 1923, it felt the pressure to finally incorporate the land.
Soon after, the “Berkley School” was built thus, naming the village as Berkley. The village reached an astounding population of 23,375 in 1960.
However, in 1929, the year when the Wall Street Market Crashed, it affected Berkley which brought the soaring industry of the city to a full stop. An estimated 90% of its residents in Berkley lost their jobs when the market dropped. In just a year, Berkley population began dropping and the remaining residents chose to incorporate their village into a city. The move somehow gained some of the lost momentum towards economic advancement. Several decades later, suburbanization and post-war economic boom gave significant development in Berkley.
