Ferndale, MI

Ferndale is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,922 at the 2010 census. Ferndale is located on the eastern edge of Metro Detroit and is bordered by Rochester Hills to the north, Royal Oak to the east, Auburn Hills to the south, and Pontiac to the west.

The city's name comes from its founder, John Ferndale, who purchased land in 1825 near what is now downtown Ferndale for farming and lumbering operations. He named his farm " Ferndale" after his home town of Ferndown in Dorset, England. In 1835 he built a sawmill on his property which became one of the largest mills in Oakland County. In 1840 he built a grist mill on Mill Creek which also became one of Oakland County's largest mills. The first post office was established under that name in 1846 and it remained open until 1907 when it was renamed " Ferndale."

In 1851 John Ferndale laid out what is now downtown Ferndale on a grid system with streets running north-south and east-west perpendicular to Woodward Avenue (now M-5). He also created a public square at what is now First Street and Monroe Avenue (now M-5) which served as an marketplace for farmers coming into town to sell their produce or buy supplies. By 1860 there were already several businesses operating in downtown Ferndale including two general stores, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, a tannery, a bakery/cafeteria/tavern and several residences including those of John Ferndal himself and his son Horace who operated the mill until 1889 when it was sold to Leland Stanford Jr..

In 1870 Henry Ford opened his first automobile factory just outside of town on Mack Avenue (now M-5). The factory quickly became one of Ford's most important operations with over 1,000 employees working there during its peak years. In 1896 Ford moved his operations further west into Dearborn Heights but retained ownership of the plant in Ferndale until 1916 when it was sold to General Motors who continued operation as GM's main assembly plant for cars until 1978 when it was closed down completely due to declining sales volumes.

During World War II Ford Motor Company developed an aircraft engine manufacturing facility just outside town which employed over 2,000 workers making engines for fighter planes such as the P-51 Mustang used by American pilots during World War II. After World War II ended Ford closed down this facility but continued operation of their main assembly plant just outside Dearborn Heights where they produced cars until 1986 when they were sold off to Japanese companies who continue production today as Toyota Motor Corporation's North American headquarters..

A number of other major businesses have been based in or around Ferndale including Compuware Corporation (a software company), Quicken Loans Incorporated (a mortgage lender), AutoNation Incorporated (an automotive dealership chain), Borders Group LLC (a book retailer) and Bed Bath & Beyond Incorporated (a home goods retailer).

Today there are several large retail complexes located within or near downtown including The Shops at Meijerhof Plaza which opened in 2007 featuring more than 100 stores including Macy's Department Store chain as well as Kohl's Department Store chain; The District at Five Points which opened in 2009 featuring more than 50 stores including JCPenney Department Store chain; Westland Mall which opened in 1962 featuring Sears Roebuck & Co., Montgomery Ward & Co., Lazarus Discount Furniture store; Eastland Center which opened its doors in 1969 featuring JCPenney Department Store chain among others; Southfield Towne Center which opened its doors back in 1976 featuring Sears Roebuck & Co., Kmart Department store among others; Troy Shopping Centerwhich features Target Corporation among other stores; Woodward Towne Centrewhich features Meijer Supermarkets among other stores.; Highland Park Villagewhich features Dunhams Sports store among other retailers.; Troy Marketplacewhich features Kroger Grocery Stores among other retailers.; Arbor Place Shopping Centerwhich features Barnes & Noble Booksellers amongst other retailers.; Midtown Crossingwhich features Macy’s department store amongst other retailers.; Grand River Squarewhich features H&M Fashion Warehouse amongst other retailers.. There are also numerous restaurants located throughout downtown such as Olive Garden Italian Restaurant Chain (), Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar (), Wingstop Wings () restaurant chain (), Red Lobster Seafood Restaurants (), Five Guys Burgers And Fries () restaurant chain (), Dairy Queen Ice Cream Bars () restaurant chain (), Panera Bread Bread Bakeries (). There are also numerous convenience stores such as 7-Eleven convenience stores (), Circle K convenience stores (); BP gas stations (); CVS Pharmacies (). Additionally there are numerous medical clinics located throughout downtown such as McLaren Regional Medical Clinic ().

According to Forbes magazine published on May 6th 2017 , "Downtown Detroit has seen better days," however according To Forbes Magazine published on January 25th 2018 , "Downtown Detroit continues rebound" . Downtown Detroit has seen better days because according To Forbes Magazine published on January 25th 2018 , "The city’s core experienced modest job growth last year while adding about 4500 housing units." . Downtown Detroit continues rebound because according To Forbes Magazine published on October 3rd 2017 , " Detroit’s population grew by almost 10% between 2016 and 2017" . Downtown Detroit has seen better days because according To Forbes Magazine published on October 3rd 2017 , " Detroit added nearly 5500 jobs last year"