It has a youthful, exciting vibe with more than 85 boutiques, salons and retail shops 750 outdoor seats at more than 70 restaurants several live and movie theaters, a comedy club and more. The suburban city of Royal Oak has long been friendly to the LGBTQ community. Ferndale is flourishing and new people and ideas are welcomed. The local government worked hard to attract forward-thinking people to stimulate the economy in this historically blue-collar town. Note the many rainbow flags flying in front of homes and businesses through the town.
Soho bar is a great place for LGBTQ people to relax and meet for a drink.įerndale’s downtown area is charmingly walkable, and you are sure to run into friendly local residents on their way to dinner, a shop or a show. Restaurants such as Rosie O’Grady’s, Assaggi Bistro, The Emory and Woodward Avenue Brewers, Ferndale Project and others often host fundraisers and events for LGBTQ groups.
The Ringwald Theatre on Woodward Avenue is the Detroit area’s LGBTQ-identified theater troop. Home values were declining the storefronts downtown were almost entirely empty except for a few adult bookstores, nail salons, wig shops and a strip club. You could roll a bowling ball down the middle of 9 Mile and not hit anything.” “In the beginning of the ’80s, Ferndale was a blank slate,” said former mayor Covey. The city has numerous LGBT-owned shops, restaurants, bars and theaters, and many more LGBTQ-friendly establishments. (In fact, Pleasant Ridge ranks among the top 10 nationally.) Ferndale’s current mayor, David Coulter, and former mayor, Craig Covey, are openly gay men. Located just north of Detroit, between 8 and 10 Mile roads along the Woodward corridor, Ferndale is easily accessible from major highways.Īccording to the latest census, Ferndale is second only to tiny neighbor Pleasant Ridge for percentage of households with same-sex couples.
Ferndale is home to Affirmations community center, Matrix MAC Health (formerly the Michigan AIDS Coalition) and numerous other LGBTQ and progressive nonprofit groups. Ferndale is well-known as the most LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood in metro Detroit, with many LGBTQ organizations, businesses and residents.