Web Design in Berkley, MI

Berkley, Oakland County

Well-Known Places in Berkley

Downtown Berkley (12 Mile Road), Berkley City Hall, Community Center Park.

Berkley Business Districts

• Downtown Berkley (12 Mile Road)
• Coolidge Highway Corridor
• Woodward Avenue Corridor

Major Employers in Berkley

Berkley School District, City of Berkley, Vinsetta Garage / downtown retail district.

About Berkley, Oakland County

Berkley is a compact 2.6-square-mile inner-ring Detroit suburb in Oakland County, strung along 12 Mile Road and the Woodward Avenue corridor about 14 miles northwest of downtown Detroit. Once farmland tilled by horse-drawn plows, it grew into a dense, walkable postwar community known for its retro downtown, the classic-car Berkley CruiseFest, and the landmark Vinsetta Garage restaurant.

History of Berkley

• The name came from Elmer Cromie, who named the farm road running through his land 'Berkley'; the Berkley School was then built and the community adopted the name.
• A century ago farmers still tilled fields along 12 Mile Road using horse-drawn tillers.
• Berkley incorporated as a village in 1923 and became a city in 1932.

Landmarks and Places in Berkley

• Vinsetta Garage, opened in 1919 as a service station (billed as one of the oldest garages east of the Mississippi) and reborn as a restaurant on Woodward Avenue.
• The Berkley Theatre marquee, a downtown 12 Mile Road landmark; the theater's last film was Yankee Doodle Dandy in 1993.
• The downtown 12 Mile Road district between Greenfield and Coolidge.

The Berkley Economy

• Primarily a residential bedroom community; the Berkley School District is the principal employer, with about 718 employees as of 2021.
• The city operates under a council-manager form of government.
• Median household income was about $96,993 in 2021, with roughly 4.3% of residents below the poverty line.

Community Life in Berkley

• Berkley CruiseFest, a classic-car parade held since the mid-1990s, serves as a kickoff to the Woodward Dream Cruise.
• Art Bash drew about 10,000 visitors in 2016.
• The Berkley Days Hometown Fair brings carnival rides each year.

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, www.berkleymi.gov, www.vinsettagarage.com