Best Web Design in Royal Oak Charter Township, MI (2026)

Web Design for Royal Oak Charter Township, Michigan

Royal Oak Charter Township is a tiny, historically African American enclave north of Detroit and the only unincorporated remnant of the once 36-square-mile Royal Oak survey township organized in 1833. At just 0.55 square miles it is the state's smallest charter township by area, and despite the shared name it is a wholly separate municipality from the neighboring city of Royal Oak. It has no post office or police force of its own and mails through a Ferndale ZIP code, yet it hosts Detroit's 'Radio Plaza' cluster of major FM stations.

AppWT works with Royal Oak Charter Township businesses from Livonia, a short drive away.

About Royal Oak Charter Township

Also known as. Royal Oak Township. Royal Oak Twp. The Eight Mile community. Michigan's smallest charter township.

History. Organized in 1833 as a 36-square-mile civil township; the Royal Oak name traces to an 1819 Lewis Cass survey expedition, when an oak tree recalled the 'Royal Oak' in which King Charles II of England hid after the Battle of Worcester. Shrank steadily from 1921 through 1950 as surrounding land incorporated into the cities of Hazel Park, Ferndale, Oak Park, Madison Heights, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Royal Oak, Berkley and Clawson. In the 1920s the 'Eight Mile' area developed as a historically Black community, part of a 'leapfrog' movement of African American families settling beyond Detroit's outward growth. The majority-Black George Washington Carver School District separated from the Clinton district in 1945 and was later consolidated into Oak Park schools in 1960. Incorporated as a charter township in 1972 to gain greater protection from easy annexation. Peak population was 26,277 in 1930; by 2020 the census counted just 2,374 residents (about 89.7% African American). Lost roughly 20% of its property tax value in 2003 when Crown Pointe Plaza and apartment complexes sought annexation to Oak Park; the township police department had already disbanded in 1998.

Local economy. Home to 'Radio Plaza,' the Beasley Media Group Detroit studios and towers broadcasting WRIF (101.1 FM), WCSX (94.7 FM) and WMGC (105.1 FM), plus Salem Media stations WDTK and WLQV. Economy shifted from an 1800s agricultural base to the transportation industry (railroads, carriages, streetcars and trolleys) and then to an auto-era Detroit suburb after 1903. Operates on a small tax base and relies on shared services, contracting policing from the Michigan State Police and fire protection from the Ferndale Fire Department. Served by the Oak Park and Ferndale public school districts rather than its own.

Culture and community. One of metro Detroit's oldest Black suburban settlements, with a population that has remained roughly 90% African American. Friends of Royal Oak Township, Inc. (FOROT) runs community programs centered on health, culture, history and urban agriculture and works to preserve the township's story. George Washington Carver Elementary School is a designated Michigan State Historic Site tied to the community's segregation-era educational history.

What makes Royal Oak Charter Township distinct. It is a completely separate, independent municipality from the well-known city of Royal Oak despite sharing the name. At 0.55 square miles it is Michigan's smallest charter township by area and the second-smallest township overall after Novi Township. It has no post office of its own, so residents record their address as 'Ferndale, MI 48220.' It has no municipal police department (disbanded in 1998) and is patrolled by the Michigan State Police. Its population fell from 26,277 in 1930 to about 2,374 in 2020 almost entirely because surrounding land kept incorporating away into other cities.

Royal Oak Charter Township Landmarks and Local Life

• Radio Plaza - the Beasley Media Detroit broadcast studios and transmitter towers
• George Washington Carver Elementary School - a Michigan State Historic Site
• Royal Oak Towers senior citizens apartment complex.