Royal Oak, Michigan, United States

🇺🇸 Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan.

Royal Oak is located along the Woodward Corridor, and is served by Interstate 75 and Interstate 696. The city has one of the largest downtowns in Detroit's suburbs, and is also home to much of the Detroit Zoo, with portions extending into neighboring Huntington Woods.

Economy Royal Oak developed initially as a suburb after Detroit boomed as a major industrial city. The predominantly white residents of Detroit began to move to the suburbs for newer housing, and to separate themselves from a burgeoning African American population, in a process referred to as white flight. It had a compact, traditional street-side shopping district, which runs along Main Street and Washington Avenue downtown. During the 2000s, this area was redeveloped with numerous new businesses, and is now considered a trendy, upscale, urban-chic district, featuring restaurants, shopping, and entertainment. A number of mixed-use high-rise developments have been constructed — mostly condo "lofts" with retail and office space on the lower levels.

Points of interest include the Detroit Zoo, a major regional tourist attraction, the William Beaumont Hospital, the Royal Oak Music Theatre, the Baldwin Theatre, Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, a location of Emagine Entertainment, and shops, cafes, and restaurants.

The National Arbor Day Foundation has awarded Royal Oak the distinction of "Tree City USA" every year since 1976 as a result of the city's commitment to tree planting and preservation.

The Gilda Radner Hereditary Cancer Program is a foundation set up by Detroit-area native Gilda Radner, who is known for her work as a comedian of Saturday Night Live. In 1998 the Program created a free cancer support community for people with cancer, their families, and friends. Gilda's Club Metro Detroit operates a three-story non-residential house in Royal Oak. It has served more than 3,000 members for social and emotional support through a variety of activities.

Major employers in Royal Oak include William Beaumont Hospital with 7,147 employees, The City of Royal Oak with 465 employees, Royal Oak Public Schools with 482 employees, Oakland Community College with 448 employees, Consumers Energy with 351 employees, Flex-N-Gate with 350 employees, the Detroit Zoo with 301 employees, Holiday Market with 300 employees, and HHI- Form Tech with 290 employees.

Culture Downtown Royal Oak features a wide assortment of nightlife venues, including the Royal Oak Music Theatre and the Baldwin Theatre. Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle, a comedy club, was an early venue for performers such as Tim Allen and Dave Coulier. Allen's connections to Royal Oak would later in his career be alluded to in the sitcom Home Improvement as the protagonist's (played by Allen) place of residence.

Royal Oak encompasses a major span of the Woodward Dream Cruise. The city sponsors ancillary events around the Cruise. It is the site of the Detroit Zoo, one of the region's leading tourist attractions. In December 2009 it was announced that the Arts, Beats and Eats festival would be moved from Pontiac to Royal Oak.

In addition to The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press, regional newspapers serving all of south-east Michigan, the city is served by the Daily Tribune, The Oakland Press, the Royal Oak Review, and The Mirror.