Editing Royal Oak, Michigan (section)

==History==
Royal Oak was named in 1819, during one of the surveying expeditions led by Territorial Governor [[Lewis Cass]]. A large oak tree at this small settlement reminded Cass of the story of the [[Royal Oak]], where [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] of England, Scotland and Ireland hid to escape capture by the [[Roundhead]]s after the [[Battle of Worcester]], so he chose that name for the settlement.

Royal Oak was not incorporated as a village until 1891. It was reincorporated a city in 1921.

===20th century to present===
Royal Oak developed as a suburb of Detroit in the early 20th century, following Detroit's booming growth as a result of industrialization and its auto industry.

The Royal Oak Farmers Market opened as a truck market, at the corner of 4th and Troy streets, on October 14, 1925, as a cooperative venture between the then-new City of Royal Oak and [[Oakland County, Michigan]]. There were still numerous farmers in the county. The present structure, at the corner of 11 Mile Road and Troy Street, is adjacent to the 44th District Court. It was erected in the spring of 1927 and dedicated July 1 of that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us/farmersmarket|title=Farmers Market {{!}} City of Royal Oak|website=www.ci.royal-oak.mi.us|access-date=May 4, 2016}}</ref>

In the 1920s, Father [[Charles Coughlin]], a Canadian Catholic priest who relocated to Detroit, became the founding pastor of the [[National Shrine of the Little Flower|Shrine of the Little Flower]], now a prominent landmark in the city. Through his ministry, he raised funds to build the present [[limestone]] church complex and tower. Initially he broadcast religious speeches from this site.

During the 1930s, his broadcasts became more political. He initially supported President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], then opposed him and promoted the causes of the fascist leaders of Germany and Italy. The Roosevelt administration closed down his radio operation after the outbreak of World War II, with support from the Catholic hierarchy. Coughlin had developed national political influence and had an increasingly anti-semitic message, at a time when Jewish people were being severely persecuted in Germany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=43|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714134848/http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=43|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2012|title=Father Charles E. Coughlin, The Radio Priest|work=[[Detroit News]]: Michigan History|date=July 23, 1995}}</ref>

In 1991, Thomas McIlvane, a postal worker, killed five people in Royal Oak's post office, after being fired from the Postal Service for "insubordination."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9D0CE3D6163BF936A25752C1A967958260 |title= Ex-Postal Worker Kills 3 and Wounds 6 in Michigan |access-date=February 26, 2008|work=The New York Times|first=Doron P.|last=Levin|date=November 15, 1991}}</ref> This incident helped to popularize the term "[[going postal]]."

The downtown originally had a typical mixture of small-scale retail and trade to serve the city of Royal Oak. With the development of the highway system in the postwar period, it lost business to suburban malls. Since the late 1990s and early 2000s, however, Royal Oak's downtown has developed as an entertainment and nightlife destination. A number of large condominiums and lofts have been built in the area, increasing the density of the downtown population. In 2022, the Royal Oak City Commission approved the demolition of the historic [[Main Art Theater]], once a symbol of moviegoers in the area.