Hazel Park, Michigan

Hazel Park, Michigan
—  City  —
Pictured left to right: The Hazel Park Racetrack, the Hazelcrest Apartments, the Monument to the Fallen Heroes at city hall, Hazel Park Welcome Sign in Downtown and Hazel Park High School.
Nickname(s): HZPK, Hazel Francisco, Hazeltuckey (see Nicknames)
Motto: "The Friendly City"
Location in the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 42°27′45″N 83°06′15″W
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oakland
Incorporated	1941
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Jack Lloyd
• City Manager	Edward Klobucher Sharon Pinch
Area
• City	2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
• Land	2.8 sq mi (7.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	630 ft (192 m)
Population (2010)
• City	16,422
• Density	5,865.0/sq mi (2,249.6/km2)
• Metro	4,296,250
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48030
Area code(s)	248
FIPS code	26-37420
GNIS feature ID	0628016
Nearest Airport	Coleman A. Young International Airport
Website	http://www.hazelpark.org

Hazel Park is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 16,422. Hazel Park was incorporated in 1941 and bills itself as "The Friendly City".

The city has the second largest Native American population in Oakland County, only topped by Keego Harbor.

History

In October 1882, a group of farmers gathered in a home located at the present-day city hall and had a meeting, requesting for a school to be built. A one-room school was eventually built in 1883 and later expanded to two rooms. In 1884, John W. Benjamine petitioned the state of Michigan to form a school district out of Royal Oak Township. Benjamine, who was Royal Oak Township's School Inspector, decided to name it Hazel Park School District 8, after the surplus amount of Hazelnut bushes in the area.

In 1920, another building, the Lacey School, was built on present-day Woodruff Street. The original Hazel Park school was sold to Frank Neusius, who used it to open a barber shop and a grocery market.

It was not until Ford, based out of Highland Park, began to expand that Hazel Park experienced significant growth. Hospitals, offices and shops began to thrive around the area of 9 Mile Road. In 1924, Hazel Park's first traffic light, post office and Deputy Sheriff's office were established. The city was incorporated in 1941.

Conditions were poor during the early years of Hazel Park. Running water was not present in parts of the area, and many large families were forced to live in homes as small as two rooms.

During the 1930s and 1940s, there were many rallies and community events involving and eventually leading to the clean-up of the city. A large amount of shacks and garage homes were demolished and rebuilt as larger, more habitable housing. After the city's incorporation, running water was provided to all areas. Almost all of the dirty swampland that caused widespread flooding in Hazel Park was drained and filled with land.

In 1942, the Elias Brothers, John, Fred and Louis Elias, established a diner in Hazel Park. This diner, the Dixie Drive-In, was one of the first in the Midwest to offer curbside services. In 1952, the diner was franchised as a Big Boy restaurant; Louis Elias went on to run for Mayor of Hazel Park, and was in office from 1953 to 1961. The Elias brothers continued to establish Big Boy restaurants throughout the Metro Detroit area until finally purchasing the franchise in 1983.

The clean-up of the city paved the way for the return of thousands of soldiers from World War II. Housing demand was very high in the area, causing a boom in construction. Many of the present-day bungalows in the city were built just shortly after the war.

Hazel Park was a hotspot for mafia activity during the 1950s. Mobsters such as Anthony Zerilli and William Tocco were attracted to business in the city, mostly involving its raceway.^{[citation needed]}

The I-75 expressway was not fully completed through Hazel Park until 1966. The area where it is now was Stephenson Highway, which has a current purpose as a service drive. Similarly, I-696 was constructed through what was then Hazel Park, currently Madison Heights, in 1979. It was then joined with I-75, creating the highway's busiest junction.

On July 15, 2009, a car traveling northbound on I-75 crashed into a gas tanker, tipping it over and creating an explosion causing the 9 Mile Road overpass to collapse onto I-75. Police and fire departments from Hazel Park and neighboring cities responded, and no serious injuries or fatalities were reported. The expressway was closed for one week before reopening.

Hazel Park today

Today, Hazel Park mainly faces economical issues such as foreclosure and unemployment. Another issue in the area is lack of foliage, caused by the killing of many trees from Dutch elm disease in the 1980s and 1990s. Violent crime is quickly decreasing in the city, but property crime still remains a small issue.

New development is a well-established trend in Hazel Park. Many foreclosed homes have been purchased and demolished in order to use the land to build upscale, modern housing. As of 2010, the business economy is growing at a fast pace as the buildings of former businesses that failed to thrive in the last decade are purchased and utilized. An artistic community is developing in the area, evident by plans such as those to build sculpture gardens in vacant land and new businesses such as the Phoenix Cafe, a venue offering open mic nights, discussion forums, film nights and meet-and-greet gatherings.

The blighted Days Inn Hotel was demolished in early 2010 and was replaced towards the end of 2010 by a Tim Hortons coffee shop and a large CVS Pharmacy. Following the demolition of the hotel, the Hazelcrest Apartments has become the tallest building in the city.

Demographics

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	±%
1923	1,776	—
1928	14,000	+688.3%
1950	17,770	+26.9%
1960	25,631	+44.2%
1970	23,784	−7.2%
1980	20,912	−12.1%
1990	20,046	−4.1%
2000	18,963	−5.4%
2010	16,422	−13.4%
source:

Historical income
Year	$	%±
1990	35,667	—
1997	39,118	+9.7%
2000	37,045	−5.3%
2005	38,300	+3.4%
2007	39,783	+3.9%
2009	40,403	+1.6%

As of the census of 2010, there were 16,422 people and 6,641 households residing in the city. The population density was 5,865.0 per square mile. There were 7,612 housing units at an average density of 2,700.9 per square mile (1,042.2/km²).

In 2000, 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.

73.1% of all households in Hazel Park were family households. 20.9% of all households were married couple families with children. 10.6% were single-mother families.

Race and ancestry

The racial makeup of the city was 81.1% White, 9.7% African American, 0.90% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.90% from other races, and 4.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

In similarity to neighboring Warren, Michigan; a large percentage of Hazel Park's population, if not a majority, is of mostly Polish American and German American descent, with a small Italian American minority. The top ancestries in the city were 18.6% German, 14.8% Irish, 10.3% Polish, 9.7% English, 6.0% French and 4.1% Italian. Other prominent ancestries include French Canadian (3.6%), Scottish (3%), Arab (2.5%) and Dutch (1.6%). The city has also become an enclave for Albanian Americans as well.

In 2000, 7.2% of Hazel Park citizens were foreign born. 9.7% reported speaking a language other than English.

Income

The median household for a household in the city in 2008 was $40,403, and the median income for a family was $49,448. The per capita income for the city was $19,390. 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.

As of the 2000 Census, 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.

Excluding one neighborhood in particular with a majority elderly population, the city's median household income in 2009 was $46,687, surpassing the neighboring communities of Warren, Madison Heights and Ferndale as well as many communities in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. With this non-inclusive income, Hazel Park's median household income would be higher than 39.7% of the metro area, including 16.1% of Oakland cities, 61.5% of Macomb cities, and 55.8% of Wayne cities.

Nicknames

HZPK is an abbreviation of Hazel Park commonly used after 2000. The abbreviation was coined in order to reduce the usage of "HP", which was being used more to refer to Highland Park, Michigan, a small city located inside the Detroit city limits.

Hazel Francisco is a term said to be coined during the early-to-middle 1990s to refer to the city's growing homosexual population. The nickname is a portmanteau of "Hazel Park" and "San Francisco", and is normally not considered to be offensive. The term is challenged, however, because although the city's homosexual population is significantly above average, it is not a largely homosexual city.

Hazeltucky is a derogatory and offensive term for the city of Hazel Park. The name is a portmanteau of "Hazel Park" and "Kentucky". While many residents believe the nickname was coined during the 1920s and used during the 1920s and 1930s to describe the shanty towns in the Hazel Park section of Royal Oak Township, there is no actual written record as to where the nickname came from. The name has since been manipulated and made into an insult used to associate Hazel Park residents with "hillbilly" culture.

Architecture

A typical home in Hazel Park

Hazel Park is exclusive to a few select types of architecture, although very many different styles can be seen in various houses. Many of the city's homes were built in the Cape Cod bungalow style, shortly after World War Two, and have a second story encompassed in the home's roofing.

Michigan bungalows are also common in the city. These houses were originally built during the 1920s and 1930s by the city's original settlers and can often be found near the downtown area.

Ranch houses are very common in the city as well. Most of these houses were built in the northern neighborhoods during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Older ranch houses were often built with aluminum siding, whereas newer ones, such as the ones built in the Courts, were built in brick or stone.

Michigan Bungalow in Hazel Park

Front split-level and side split-level houses are not common in the city. However, back split houses - split-levels with the second story built into the back - are common in the southern portion of the city near the 8 Mile border. These homes are often built onto one-story bungalows and ranch houses.

Colonial houses are uncommon in the city, but many are scattered throughout different neighborhoods. These houses are often built in brick and usually resemble urban Tudor houses. Some are built in stone, often more common north of 9 Mile Road. Others are built in the Traditional Tudor style, such as the Truba House in Three Churches.

New development homes are extremely common in the city. They can be seen on many blocks of Hazel Park, and often range from two-story snout houses to detached single-family brownstones. Many of these houses are built in the Neo-eclectic style.

Crime

Hazel Park
Crime rates (2008)
Crime type	Rate*
Homicide:	0
Forcible rape:	27.8
Robbery:	111.0
Aggravated assault:	210.9
Violent crime:	349.7
Burglary:	849.2
Larceny-theft:	1,876.1
Motor vehicle theft:	1,165.6
Arson:	33.3
Property crime:	3,924.2
Notes * Number of reported crimes per 100,000 population.
Source: Crime in Hazel Park, Michigan

The crime rate in Hazel Park is relatively neutral. Crime is significantly lower than inner communities such as Detroit, Dearborn and Hamtramck; but is somewhat higher than communities in its own radius such as Royal Oak, Ferndale and Madison Heights. The crime rate in the city in 2003 was 83.5% of the national average. Larceny theft was the most popular crime in 2008, making up 43.8% of the city's crime. Property crimes are becoming increasingly common due to Hazel Park's superb transportation network^{[citation needed]} which connects it to two interstate highways.

The city's crime rate has been shifting completely, however. The violent crime rate has gone down 57% in 2008 from what it was in 2000. In contrast, the property crime rate has gone up 4.6% in the same time period. Specifically, the decrease has been in forcible rape and robbery crimes; and a slight increase in burglary and arson.

Murder

Murder in Hazel Park is an on-and-off trend. A year with one murder is likely to have another, followed by multiple years with no murders. Since 2000, there have been 5 reported murders. 1 in 2002, 2 in 2003, a homicide in 2010, and 1 in 2011.

Car theft

Hazel Park has the sixth-highest car theft rate in the state, and the 52nd-highest in the country. Vehicles built before 1992 are common targets, along with the more obvious including expensive vehicles, luxury SUVs and minivans.

Police

Crime is regulated by the Hazel Park Police Department, a force of 42 police officers. Omnipresence, the feeling of police awareness; is something that is well established in the community as well as in the neighboring community of Ferndale, and has caused crime to decrease greatly. The department has auxiliary policing and neighborhood watch programs available to citizens ages 21 and over. The police department also offers programs such as gun lock giveaways, house watch programs, and programs to put a child up for adoption in case the parent is not capable of raising the child.

The current chief of Hazel Park Police is David B. Niedermeier.

Government

Mayor Jack Lloyd

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 until March 2010 was the deli manager of the local Kroger grocery store. The current city manager is Edward Klobucher. City government is located on the same block as the public library, police station and post office, at 9 Mile Road and John R. Road.

Neighborhoods

Approximate Unofficial neighborhood locations in Hazel Park.

  Central Business District

  North Business District

  South Business District

  Industrial Zone

  North Central Hazel Park

  The Courts

  The Three Churches

  Scout Park

  Tucker Park

  West End

  Southeast Hazel Park

  East Hazel Park

  Southwest Hazel Park

  South Central Hazel Park

^{[citation needed]}

Officially, Hazel Park has two neighborhoods, District One and District Two, as defined by the city police department for Neighborhood Watch patrol. However, citizens tend to use different names to unofficially name neighborhoods.^{[citation needed]}

Business districts

Hazel Park's business districts are mostly focused on John R. Road and Nine Mile Road. The city's central business district is focused on where the two roads intersect. Hazel Park's central business district includes two shopping centers, a high-rise apartment building, the city's civic buildings, and many small businesses.

The North Business District boasts businesses of a higher relative wealth such as a Pittsburgh Paints outlet, a bicycle store, and multiple appliance shops. John R Road, the principal thoroughfare of the North Business district, is known for its brick-paved sidewalks.

The South Business District along John R Road consists mostly of less affluent businesses than the Central and North business districts. Automotive shops, small shopping centers and office parks are common in the area.

The first Harmony House music store opened in Hazel Park's Central Business District in 1947.

Industrial zone

Much of the southern strip of Dequindre Road and the eastern portion of Nine Mile Road going through Hazel Park is light industry. Chain stores such as Walgreens and McDonald's are beginning to grow in the southern portion of the neighborhood as well. A popular diner, Brayz, is located in the area and is one of Hazel Park's most frequented fast food restaurants.

Because of its industrial occupancy, these stretches of road are often considered to be much less appealing than the city's business districts. Blighted factories and shops are more common, as well as commercial security measures such as folding gates and window bars, which are scarcely seen in other parts of the city.

Affluent residential

Tucker Park is an affluent residential neighborhood centered around Hazel Park's Tucker Field. Many homes in the neighborhood were built between the 1900s and 1950s, but there is also a notable amount of large two-story homes being developed in the neighborhood. The estimated median household income was $60,837, the highest of any neighborhood in the city.

As popularly referred to by Hazel Park citizens, The Courts is a neighborhood focused around Maple, Poplar, Cedar, Oak and Elm courts, five oval-shaped roads circled vertically around Otis Street. The neighborhood is known for its relatively larger, more expensive houses. The estimated median household income was $52,000.

A house in The Courts

The Scout Park neighborhood, just adjacent to The Courts, is another point of affluence. The estimated median household income was $51,635.

As the name suggests, the Three Churches neighborhood is based around three churches near I-75: Woodlawn Church, Serenity Christian Church, and Landmark Community Church (formerly Calvary). Since the 1980s, wealthier families have begun to move in to the neighborhood in large numbers. The estimated median household income was $46,349.

Residential

Southeast Hazel Park is a middle-class neighborhood bordering Detroit and Warren. The Hazel Park Schools Administrative Building is located in the neighborhood after moving from a facility near the High School. The estimated median household income was $44,247.

East Hazel Park is a neighborhood bordering Warren and Madison Heights. The estimated median household income was $43,134.

Southwest Hazel Park is a neighborhood bordering Detroit and Ferndale. The median household income was $40,717.

West End is a residential neighborhood on the border of Ferndale. The estimated median household income was $38,503.

Located just north of Detroit's State Fair neighborhood, South Central Hazel Park is one of the poorer areas of the city. House prices are generally lower, and the poverty rate is above city average at about 16%. The low percentage of college graduates is considered a main factor in this. The estimated median household income was $35,458.

North Central Hazel Park is statistically the least wealthy neighborhood in the city. However, the percent of citizens over the age of 65 is the highest in the city at 20.3%. The estimated median household income was $32,224.

Education

The city is served by the Hazel Park School District, which has some establishment in Ferndale, a neighboring city.

Elementary schools

There are five elementary schools operating in the city of Hazel Park.

The northern portion of the city is served by Webb Elementary, while the southern portion is served by Webster Elementary, United Oaks Elementary, and Hoover Elementary. Multiple other elementary schools once operated in the city, including Roosevelt, Lee O. Clark, Longfellow, Henry Ford and Edison Elementaries. Lee O. Clark has since been demolished, and Henry Ford has been converted into the School District Administration Building.

Middle and high schools

There are two high schools and one middle school operating in Hazel Park.

Hazel Park has followed a recent trend in Metro Detroit suburbs by the consolidation of its middle schools. Formerly, two separate schools, Webb Junior High and Beecher Middle School, operated in the city. Webb was converted to an elementary school in 2004, and Beecher was torn down and re-built, commissioned as Hazel Park Junior High.

High schools in Hazel Park began with the construction of Lacey High School in 1920 and Hazel Park High School in 1929. Lacey High was demolished in the early 1960s, and the Hazel Park High School was re-commissioned as Howard Beecher Junior High. After these changes, a new high school was built in the eastern portion of the city, taking the name of Hazel Park High School.

Jardon Vocational School is also in operation in order to separate troubled students from the mainstream curriculum and serves as a high school. The school operates mainly in the Hazel Park-Ferndale-Pleasant Ridge area, but also serves the rest of Oakland County, especially the south east.

Colleges

The city has a local branch of Baker College, an institution of higher education.

Notable citizens

• Connor Barwin, Houston Texans defensive end; born in Southfield and grew up in Hazel Park
• Steve Fraser, 1984 Olympic gold medalist, coached at the University of Michigan
• James R. Fouts, current mayor of Warren, Michigan; father served as Hazel Park City Manager
• Bill Virdon, former outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, later went on to be manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Montreal Expos
• Bob Welch, 1990 Cy Young winner (MLB), Oakland Athletics two-time All-Star; lived in neighboring Ferndale but attended school in Hazel Park
• Wyland, known for his mural paintings of whales and dolphins, attended Hoover Elementary School, which has a Wyland mural in its library.

Hazel Park in popular culture

• Scenes in the movie Youth in Revolt were filmed in and around Hazel Park.
• An episode of DEA, a television series airing on Spike, was filmed in Hazel Park, arousing controversy when the city was branded falsely as a "dangerous, drug-infested section of Detroit".
• Two novels, Band Fags! (2008) and Drama Queers! (2009), written by Hazel Park native Frank Anthony Polito, take place in Hazel Park during the 1980s. Both books feature key scenes set at Hazel Park High School.

Transportation

	I-75 provides transport to neighboring cities such as Royal Oak and Detroit and other major cities in the United States
John R. Road	John R. Road provides access to Detroit, Madison Heights and the Oakland Mall
Dequindre Road	Dequindre Road provides access to Warren, Sterling Heights, Detroit] and Universal Mall
	Eight Mile Road provides access to the Michigan State Fair, Detroit, Warren, Ferndale and other communities in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

External links

• City of Hazel Park
• Hazel Park Community Schools