About Royal Oak
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Living in Oakland County
Dining & Entertainment
Area Events/Family Fun
Housing & Places to Live
Schools & Daycare
Sports & Outdoor Activities
Downtown Detroit
Area Links
General Facts
Oakland County ranks as one of the best places to live in Michigan. It has a cosmopolitan population devoted to a wide range of activities: music, theater, shopping, dining, athletics and education. It's a great place to work, have fun, raise a family, and find friends that share your interests. It is also very diverse and known for cultural acceptance.
Oakland County is located just north of downtown Detroit, with Royal Oak a 25 minute drive and Troy a 35 minute drive to the city.
Oakland County is the fourth wealthiest county in America and home to some of the largest corporations in the world.
Lakes, parks, shopping, sports, cultural activities, education and neighborhoods where you can walk -- all this adds up to livable communities where you can raise your family, build a home or find many ways to spend your leisure time. Whether it's fishing, golfing, shopping, enjoying a concert, play, movie or just enjoying a sunset ...you're sure to find what you need in both Royal Oak and Troy.
Dining and Entertainment
Downtown Royal Oak is always an exciting place to be. From fine dining to casual cafes, there are exceptional dining choices for your every mood and every ethnic taste. Scattered among the downtown shops are many coffee houses, bakeries and bookshops that provide a perfect, relaxing escape on days off.
As the sun goes down, this young, energetic area starts to come alive.? Royal Oak boasts many outstanding restaurants and bars. Cinq Nightclub, Fifth Avenue, O'Toole's, Sky Club, Mr. B's are some of the top night clubs rated by Michigan's Best 2005, DTE News.com. Downtown Rochester is minutes away from Troy Beaumont and also will provide many fun things to do. Many excellent restaurants abound and the nightlife is very exciting there as well.
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Area Events/Family Fun
Woodward Dream Cruise
Collectively, Royal Oak and six other cities welcome over 1 million spectators to the area for the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. Held in August, the one-day event is the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture. It attracts more than 1 million visitors and more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles. Participating communities provide optimal viewing and cruise-related activities and entertainment throughout the day.
Shopping
Shopping is excellent in Oakland County. Somerset Collection is a world famous mall located less than 5 miles from both hospitals. The mall boasts more than 180 stores - from Gucci to Gap, Cartier to Crate & Barrel, and four prominent department stores - Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Marshall Field's. After a day of shopping, you can relax at any of Somerset's full-service restaurants including P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Bon Vie, Brio Tuscan Grille, J. Alexander's, McCormick & Schmick's, and The Capital Grille, or the casual Peacock Cafes.
Excellent shopping also exists in downtown Birmingham and downtown Royal Oak.
Family Fun
This region has something for the whole family to enjoy - world-class museums, exciting casinos, professional sports teams, fantastic shopping and great restaurants suited to all tastes. Just check out some of these attractions:
- Cranbrook Institute of Science
- The Detroit Historical Museum
- The Detroit Institute of Arts- DIA
- Detroit Science Center
- Detroit Zoo
- Hart Plaza
- Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village
- Motown Museum
- Museum of African American History
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Housing and Places to Live
The Royal Oak and Troy areas both have excellent housing opportunities, whether you are interested in renting or buying. Royal Oak has many new and recently built condominium developments in the heart of the downtown, providing easy access to all the restaurants and stores that make Royal Oak such a popular destination for young people.
Belle Court is located a short distance from the Royal Oak hospital and provides affordable and convenient access for many residents. Living in the apartments close to the hospital means you can spend more time at home with family and it also helps with meeting new people as you start your residency.
Royal Oak, Oakland County Public Schools
Reasons why parents choose Royal Oak Neighborhood Schools include: Excellent MEAP scores and all schools are NCA accredited. High schools have AP classes, outstanding theater, vocal and instrumental programs, complete offerings in vocational education, and excellent athletic facilities. Middle schools are fully equipped with science labs, foreign language courses, full vocal and instrumental programs, career development, life management and technology education programs. Elementary schools have computer labs wired to LAN and internet, gifted and talented programs and magnet classroom, 4th grade violin, foreign language K-5, and latchkey.
Daycare
William Beaumont Hospital's Childtime Learning Center provides on-campus daycare for children of residents, fellows and employees. Nestled at the southeast corner of the campus, the home-like surroundings, caring teachers, and carefully designed programs make Childtime the perfect place for children to play, laugh, and discover.
- Hours: 6:00 am to 6:30 pm, Monday - Friday
- Infants and children from 6 weeks to 5 years of age
- Flexible and variable schedules can be created to accommodate residents' own busy and changing lifestyles and training circumstances
- Newborn, infant, and toddler rooms provide a 1 staff to 3 children ratio
- Certified teachers are present for preschool education.
- Teachers receive yearly CPR and First Aid certification
- Advanced security system to ensure children's health and safety
- Childtime Learning Centers have over 30 years of experience nurturing children
- Rates are dependent on child age and number of days that daycare is needed. Prices are very favorable compared to off-campus daycare centers.
- Due to the popularity of the center, the waiting list can be long. As soon as you know that you will be coming to Beaumont you should contact Childtime Learning Center to be placed on the list.
With backgrounds in early childhood education and on-going training, our teachers have the skills and knowledge to help children discover new things in new ways?every day.
Contact the Childtime Learning Center:
Phone: 248.551.4660
Fax: 248.551.6877
Email9040@childtime.comArea Sports and Outdoor Activities
Oakland County has more natural lakes (1,468) than any other Michigan county. There are numerous state and county parks for you to explore with activities such as boating, hiking, mountain-biking, and skiing, in addition to many outstanding golf courses. In addition, Detroit has some of the best professional sports teams (and fans) in the country:
- Host to the MLB 2005 All Star Game
- Host to Superbowl XL in 2006
- The Detroit Tigers and the new Comerica Park
- Detroit Lions football and the new Ford Field
- Detroit Red Wings hockey
- Detroit Pistons basketball
- "Thunder on the River" hydroplane boat races
- Host of the NCAA 2009 Men's Final Four
Downtown Detroit
Downtown Detroit is currently undergoing a rebirth which has been very successful. The city offers a huge variety of authentic ethnic neighborhoods that deliver unique foods and culture. The recent opening of Comerica Park and Ford Field have made the area around Greektown and the Fox Theatre even more popular for visitors.
The Detroit Institute of Art, located in the city's cultural center, is home to old and new art from around the world. The museum features large touring exhibitions that provide continuously changing variety. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is one of the most popular and prestigious orchestras in the world. The Michigan Opera Theatre has been bringing some of the greatest operas to life for 35 seasons. Summer is a great time to experience the outdoor Michigan Shakespeare Festival. The festival has been bringing the themes and language of Shakespeare's greatest works to summer audiences since 1995.
People
Dining, shopping, arts, education, and sports are only a fraction of what the Oakland County area has to offer. There is so much to enjoy here. However, what residents love most about Oakland County is actually the quality of people who live here. The area attracts a population that is intellectual, culturally accepting, and fun-loving. It truly is a tremendous place to live during residency and beyond!Area Links:
