Hazel Park, Michigan

Hazel Park is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,963. The was incorporated in 1941, and bills itself as "The Friendly City". It is located in the central part of the Detroit metropolitan area, in the very southeastern corner of Oakland County, directly bordering the counties of Wayne and Macomb. It borders the cities of Detroit, Madison Heights, Ferndale and Warren.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,963 people, 7,284 households, and 4,669 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,728.4 per square mile (2,596.3/km²). There were 7,612 housing units at an average density of 2,700.9/sq mi (1,042.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.62% White, 1.62% African American, 0.90% Native American, 1.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 3.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.08% of the population.

There were 7,284 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 16.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,045, and the median income for a family was $43,584. Males had a median income of $33,063 versus $24,362 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,723. About 10.0% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.0% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Hazel Park utilizes the Council-Manager form of government, and thus is governed by a City Council consisting of a Mayor and four council members. The city council appoints a City Manager, who manages the day-to-day operations of the city. The current mayor of Hazel Park is Jack Lloyd who is the deli manager of local grocery store, Kroger. The current city manager is Edward Klobucher. City government is located on the same block as the Public Library, Police Station and Postal Office at 9 Mile Road and John R.

Education

The city is served by the Hazel Park School District, which has some establishment in Ferndale, a neighboring city. The city also has a local branch of Baker College, an institution of higher education.

Climate

Hazel Park's climate is extremely variable based on the month. January is the coldest month, whereas July is the hottest.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg high (°C)	0	2	7	14	21	26	28	27	23	16	9	3
Avg low (°C)	-7	-6	-2	3	10	15	18	17	13	7	2	-4
Source: MSN Weather

Transportation

	I-75 Provides transport to neighboring cities such as Royal Oak and Madison Heights
John R. Road	John R. Road provides access to Detroit, Madison Heights and Oakland Mall
Dequindre Road	Dequindre Road provides access to Warren, Sterling Heights, Detroit and Universal Mall

In Popular Culture

In 2008, fromer resident Frank Anthony Polito released his first novel, BAND FAGS! (Kensington Books / Trade Paperback Original, ISBN: 978-0-7582-2265) which is loosely based on his own upbringing within the city of Hazel Park in the mid 1980's.

Hazel Park High School, Webb Junior High School, Beecher Junior High School, Longfellow Elementary, St. Mary Magdalen, Roy Spark's Country Boy Restaurant, Elias Brothers' Big Boy, Farmer Jack (now Kroger), Harmony House and Randazzo's Pizza are featured in the story.

References

External links

• City of Hazel Park
• Hazel Park Community Schools