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1968 Map of Royal Oak

Name: 1968 Topographic Map of Royal Oak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1981
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1981

About this map

The Detroit Zoological Park stands at the heart of this post-war landscape, marking the intersection of growing suburban centers and the northern edge of Detroit. This 1968 revision, updated with purple urban tinting through 1981, documents the densification of Southfield, Royal Oak, and Ferndale during a transformative period for the region. The map reveals a high concentration of educational and religious institutions, including the Lawrence Institute of Technology, Duns Scotus College, and numerous parochial schools like St Mary of Redford High Sch.

The infrastructure is dominated by the emerging freeway system, including the Lodge Freeway and Chrysler Freeway, which carved through established neighborhoods and spurred the growth of Lathrup Village and Berkley. Industrial and commercial corridors follow the Grand Trunk Western RR, while large green spaces like Palmer Park and the Detroit Golf Club provide a buffer between the expanding residential grids of Oak Park and the city proper.