History of Oak Park Told Through Vintage Images

Nov. 1, 2012 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Oak Park from local author Gerald E. Naftaly, with a forward from former Michigan governor, James J. Blanchard. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

When Oak Park became a city in 1945, the community was not much different from the village that was carved out of Royal Oak Township 18 years earlier. Its population had barely increased, and there was just one paved road connecting Oak Park to Detroit; however, big changes were coming.

Thousands of veterans returned home after World War II, started families, and bought homes with the assistance of the GI Bill. By 1950, Oak Park was recognized as Detroit’s first northwest suburb. The residential character of the community was attractive to families, and in 1956 Oak Park was the nation’s fastest-growing city.

By 1976, the city’s demographics were dramatically changing. In the 1980s, media stories focused on its extraordinary ethnic diversity within a population of 31,000. When the I-696 Freeway opened in 1990, what had once been a tiny rural village became the center of the region’s network of expressways. Through all the changes, the family quality of Oak Park has endured, as illustrated by seven decades of photographs and personal recollections.

Highlights of Oak Park:
•   A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated to the “Bill Naftaly Collection” of large-print books and books on CD at the Oak Park Library.  
•   Books will also be sold to raise funds for the Friends of the Library.
•   Oak Park has award-winning recreation and library programs and has long been a Tree City USA winner.

Author Gerald E. Naftaly is a 60-year resident of the Oak Park area. He was the mayor of Oak Park for 20 consecutive years and a city council member for 14 years.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.