Metro Detroit Real Estate Homes For Sale

Starting as a one time event in 1995, Oakland County and Woodward Avenue just celebrated its thirteenth annual Woodward Dream Cruise.  The history of the Dream Cruise began in 1994 when Nelson House, a Ferndale, Michigan plumber and carpenter, wanted to raise money to create a children's soccer field in his community.  The first Dream Cruise was launched in 1995 where only about 30,000 to 40,000 spectators were expected for this event but over 250,000 attended.  Now the Dream Cruise occurs every third Saturday of August and attracts over 1.7 million visitors.  As a classic car festival, it is the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture where more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, classic, custom and special interest vehicles are on display or cruise Woodward Ave.  Mostly these are the cars that were prevalent during the 1950s, '60s and early '70s but also include vehicles of special interest, such as a limited edition or one-of-a-kind automobile.  Sometimes there is a touch of the wacky also.

The Dream Cruise celebrates the nostalgia of the past when Woodward Avenue was the heart and soul of cruising in Detroit--the Motor City known for being at the core of putting America in the driver's seat.  The Woodward Dream Cruise, Inc. (WDC) is sponsored by a volunteer committee that coordinates the event which is comprised of nine host cities Oakland County.  The committee coordinates all the activities including the media organizations, transportation authorities, corporations, small businesses and charities and includes a variety of sponsors.

 There is no charge to attend the Woodward Dream Cruise which consists of a 16 mile stretch of Woodward Avenue which includes nine communities:  Berkeley, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Ferndale, Huntington Woods, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac and Royal Oak.  Starting the Thursday before the official Dream Cruise, you will see classic cars intermingled with regular traffic on Woodward Avenue from Ferndale to Pontiac.  The outside curb lanes are designated for classic cars and inside lanes for regular traffic so that all the crowds gathered for the event have the best viewing.

Events are scheduled from Thursday to Saturday.  There are all kinds of fun things for the kids and family at different cities along the way and schedules published in the local newspapers.  For 2007, Royal Oak and Ferndale had several areas staged as an All-day Kids Zone:  For Royal Oak in Memorial Park and Royal Oak Ford and in Ferndale at nine mile west of Woodward.  Kids could jump on inflatables, have their faces painted and get some balloons from clowns.  Pleasant Ridge had all day family fun spot with strolling musicians, clowns and a kiddy park.  Downtown Birmingham had a Car Show on Old Woodward.

A recent Oakland County study analyzed the economic impact of the Woodward Dream Cruise on businesses ranging from retailers to restaurateurs, and from lodging to gas stations.  At an average of $75 each spent by 1.7 million attendees, the sum was assessed at $112.5 million for the one-day event. For many businesses along Woodward, the event generates their highest single-day revenue of the year.

If you like the metro Detroit or Oakland County area and planning on moving, there is great Oakland County real estate.  You can search the MLS for homes for sale in Royal Oak, Birmingham and all of Southeastern Michigan Real Estate.

Featured  #1 Royal Oak Realtor on Activerain.com and Localism.com.  TishHouse sells Houses - selling Oakland County Real Estate with RE/MAX Showcase Homes in Birmingham, Michigan.   Helping People in a challenging market by specializing in Short Sales.  See what my clients have to say about my extraordinary customer service selling Real Estate in Southeastern Michigan.