Here’s Metro Mode’s look at moving to Royal Oak. Also check out our guides to opening a business in and visiting Royal Oak.

For the price of his 1,100-square foot bungalow, Steve Domin could have eked out a roomier house elsewhere in metro Detroit. But in buying a smaller home, Domin got something the bigger, more-affordable abodes didn’t possess: an address in Royal Oak.

The 26 year-old and his wife decided to buy in the lively suburb before the house-hunting process even began, Domin says.

“Royal Oak is just ... cool,” he says. "It’s trendy. There are great neighborhoods, lots of young people, and families. And it’s where people go to have fun.”

Cool and trendy associated with neighborhoods and families? It may be difficult to imagine a suburb representing these four traits. But Royal Oak does. Part typical and suburban, part walkable and urban, this little city offers a whole lotta variety – from housing options to amenities – plus a convenient location.

Domin and other residents say these perks make Royal Oak unique – and living here is worth every cent.


Housing options

At nearly 12 square miles, Royal Oak became a city in 1921, though it wasn’t until 1940 that floods of people started moving in. The population boom tapered off after the 60s and has since been in decline, but the recent implementation of a focused plan aims to reinvigorate the small, 55,000-person city.

That plan is working, and present-day Royal Oak is an energetic, unconventional community. True, it’s one of Detroit’s older suburbs, but you wouldn’t know it by the sleek new lofts and condominiums sprouting around town. Those same swanky lofts and skyrocketing housing values have set gentrification into motion, but the city maintains a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere, with family-friendly neighborhoods and small businesses to patronize.

Largely bound by 14 Mile and I-696 to the north and south, I-75 and Woodward Avenue to the east and west, Royal Oak offers a variety of housing options.

Single-family post-World War II-era homes like Domin’s 1949 bungalow reign supreme
Realtor© Cheryl Kilinski says.

Kilinski, who lives, and does business, in Royal Oak, says they make “great starter homes” for young couples and good options for Boomers looking to downsize. And she’s right: the simplistic spaces are affordable (prices range from about $85,000 to $200,000) and cozy (sizes range from about 700 to 1200 square feet).

Along with bungalows and Craftsmans, early-twentieth century Tudors, Cape Cods and Colonials are also present in Royal Oak, especially along boulevards like Vinsetta and Northwood. New-construction single-family homes and condominiums are scattered around town, too. Similar in size and style to exurban homes and condos, these residences start in the low $300,000s, though a 3,200 square foot home of this style on Red Run Golf Course costs over $1 million.

Additionally, Royal Oak’s housing repertoire includes dozens of loft-variations, mostly found in the Central Business District. The 1,100-2,200 square foot units at SkyLofts Market Square start around $250,000 and include exposed concrete and spiral ductwork, plus building amenities like a private fitness area, storage lockers and a secure bike room. Identical building amenities accompany units at Main North Terraces, though buyers here also nab a parking spot in a climate-controlled garage.

With more than a quarter of Royal Oak’s approximately 56,000 residents cutting rent checks every month, apartments, flats and homes for rent are also common around town. Like other city housing options, prices and amenities vary. A two-bedroom apartment in a 1940s-era building two blocks from Washington is under $800 a month and includes heat and water, while prices at the stylish new Urbane Apartments range from $750 to $1275, not including heat or water. House- and flat-renters can expect similar monthly tabs.

A real, vibrant downtown

Daniel Edie thinks the mixture of old and new housing in Royal Oak is top-notch. But he gives the city’s vibrant downtown high marks, too:

“I like to be around people and out where people are. And I really like the urban atmosphere there.”

Edie, 29, moved to Royal Oak three years ago. His lives closer to Birmingham and Troy than downtown Royal Oak, but prefers Main and Washington to nearby alternatives.  

“I don’t know what it is ... I just feel really comfortable in downtown Royal Oak. It doesn’t have that stuffy feeling some other cities do,” Edie says. On average, he spends about 70% of his free time in downtown Royal Oak.

During that free time, he kicks back with a good book at Caribou or window-shops at downtown Royal Oak’s stores. His favorites are trendy Incognito, and Shine, a gift shop.

Edie also likes the new American Apparel store. The Los Angeles-based clothing factory opened a store on Washington Avenue last year. “And it’s cool that Royal Oak has one, because there really isn’t another one around.”

Along with shopping, Edie also spends a good chunk of his time eating in Royal Oak. No surprise, there – the city’s hodgepodge of restaurants is one of its biggest draws. Edie’s favorite? Bastone at 419 South Main.

Mary Bush likes Bastone’s Belgian-inspired fare, too. She frequents Andiamo Osteria and D’Amato’s on Sherman Street, as well. For groceries, the 51-year-old frequents Hollywood Market on North Main and Trader Joe’s on Woodward.

“The Royal Oak Farmer’s Market is really great, too. The prices are cheap and I like getting fresh produce,” she says, adding that “Hermann’s Bakery has wonderful homemade soups and breads.”

Convenience

Bush grabs a loaf of that homemade bread weekly during one of her twice-daily half-mile walks between work and home. For miscellany, she walks to CVS on Fourth Street near Knowles.

A longtime resident with Royal Oak roots – Bush grew up here, has lived in the same apartment for 12 years, and her mother has lived in Bush’s childhood home for 46 years – Bush hardly drives. She rarely needs to; from dentists, doctors and banks, to salons, stores and a movie theatre, downtown Royal Oak is a self-sufficient place.

 “I’m in Royal Oak so much it’s almost like I’m going on vacation when I leave the city,” Bush says with a laugh.

Not all city residents have Bush’s 24/7 walkable lifestyle, though; Edie lives near 14 Mile and Coolidge and works at DaimlerChrysler in Auburn Hills. Like him, most Royal Oak residents drive to work. But you won’t hear rants from these auto-bound commuters:

“It’s a 20-minute drive,” Edie says. “Not a big deal at all, especially compared to the commutes other people in metro Detroit make.”

Eighteen-year resident Cheryl Kilinski says driving is a necessity for her, too.

“The city’s location is very convenient. It’s one of the things I like best about living here,” she says. “People live all over the place now so being close to I-75 and I-696 makes it a lot easier when I need to go over to Farmington Hills or Novi or for people visiting here.”

Thanks to those nearby-freeways, Pontiac and Detroit are also just a short car ride away. An Amtrak station on Sherman and SMART bus stops in Royal Oak are two mass transportation options.
 
Variety

Similar to most people, Royal Oak residents need a periodic break from the norm. True, the city’s location provides quick access to the rest of Metro Detroit, but spicing things doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the city – especially when home is a variety-laden community like Royal Oak.

Downtown offers a safe, walkable environment with restaurants, art galleries, independent boutiques and national stores. Films at the Main Art Theatre and theatre productions by Stagecrafters are regular happenings. Bars and nightspots cater to singles and the dancing crowd. Rain or shine, people of all ages and lifestyles mull downtown’s streets every day, while large events like Holiday Magic, metro Detroit’s third-largest parade, and the Clay & Glass Show attract thousands every year.  

Not far away, the suburban side of Royal Oak provides a different atmosphere. Public parks and quaint neighborhoods lay between roads flanked with fast food joints and strip malls. The John Lindell Ice Arena, 2 municipal golf courses and Total Soccer offer fixes for the sports-fanatic, and the Detroit Zoo is fun for all. Each August, thousands flock to Woodward Avenue to catch a glimpse of the Woodward Dream Cruise, the nation’s largest 1-day vintage car show.

While the Cruise garners plenty of ooohs and aaahs from visitors, Royal Oak residents like Steve Domin, who moved to Royal Oak in 2005, have some ooohs and aaahs of their own – about living in Royal Oak.

“It’s awesome. It’s the hot place to be. I’m close to everything and downtown [Royal Oak] is fun. I love the mixture of people, too,” he says. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

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Directions to Royal Oak

From the South:
Take I-75 North and merge onto I-696 W/Walter P. Reuther Freeway via exit 61 toward Lansing. Take exit 16 toward M-1/Woodward Avenue/Main St/Detroit Zoo. Stay straight to go onto East 10 Mile Road. Turn right onto S. Main Street, arrive in Royal Oak.

From the North:
Take I-75 South and merge onto I-696 W/Walter P. Reuther Freeway via exit 61 toward Lansing. Take exit 16 toward M-1/Woodward Avenue/Main St/Detroit Zoo. Stay straight to go onto East 10 Mile Road. Turn right onto S. Main Street, arrive in Royal Oak.

From the West:
Take I-696 East and take exit 16 toward M-1/Woodward Avenue/Main St /Detroit Zoo. Turn slight left onto West 10 Mile Road. Turn left onto S. Main Street, arrive in Royal Oak.

From the East:
Take I-696 West and take exit 16 toward M-1/Woodward Ave/Main St/Detroit Zoo. Stay straight to go onto East 10 Mile Road. Turn right onto S. Main Street., arrive in Royal Oak.