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Metro Detroit Oakland County City
A walkable downtown with nearly 300 shops, plus Oakland County's oldest frame house
01 / Why it matters
Birmingham is a polished little city on Woodward, between Royal Oak and Bloomfield Hills. Downtown is made for walking: nearly 300 retailers, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, movie theaters and a central green, Shain Park. If you want an afternoon of strolling and window shopping, this is the place.
It's named after the English industrial city: in 1836 Rosewell T. Merrill imagined a big manufacturing town here. It didn't happen; most of the early factories were gone by the 1860s, and Birmingham settled in as a quiet market town on the Detroit–Pontiac road. The first settlers, Hunter, Hamilton and Willits, ran inns for travelers, and their names are still on the street signs.
As the auto industry boomed, Birmingham became a favorite place to live between Detroit and Pontiac, and it became a city in 1933. The museum grounds hold Oakland County's oldest frame house, from 1822. And a bit of rock trivia: the legendary Creem magazine had its editorial offices downtown for a while.
02 / Known for
The John West Hunter House (1822) is the oldest frame house in Oakland County and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Birmingham Shopping District, with nearly 300 retailers, bills itself as one of the Midwest's premier shopping districts.
At the center of Shain Park stands Marshall Fredericks' Freedom of the Human Spirit, which the sculptor gave his adopted hometown for its 50th anniversary in 1983.
Creem, the rock magazine, had offices in downtown Birmingham before moving to Los Angeles in 1987; the local museum keeps a Creem collection.
The local paper, The Eccentric, has covered the town since 1878.
03 / What’s on
May 3, 2026Public Parking Lot 6 · Organized by Downtown Birmingham, the Birmingham Farmers Market runs Sundays from May 3 to October 25, 2026, 9 a.m.–2 p.m., at Public Parking Lot 6 in Birmingham. Expect Michigan-grown produce, meat and dairy, flowers, artisan goods, plus live music and food trucks.
Oct 1, 2026Downtown Birmingham · Downtown Birmingham hosts BirminghamBURGER from Thursday, October 1, to Saturday, October 31, 2026, in Downtown Birmingham, Birmingham. Local chefs roll out limited-edition burgers, and you vote to crown the Best Burger in Downtown Birmingham.
Oct 1, 2026, 7:30 PMBirmingham Village Players · Birmingham Village Players stage Once On This Island on Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. It's live theater right on Woodward, and with six performances in the run, you can pick the date that suits you.
Oct 2, 2026, 7:30 PMBirmingham Village Players · Birmingham Village Players stage Once On This Island on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. It's live theater right on Woodward, and with six performances in the run, you can pick the date that suits you.
Oct 3, 2026, 7:30 PMBirmingham Village Players · Birmingham Village Players stage Once On This Island on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. It's live theater right on Woodward, and with six performances in the run, you can pick the date that suits you.
Oct 4, 2026, 2:00 PMBirmingham Village Players · Birmingham Village Players stage Once On This Island on Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 2 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. It's live theater right on Woodward, and with six performances in the run, you can pick the date that suits you.
Oct 24, 2026, 10:00 AMFreeShain Park · The City of Birmingham throws a free Halloween costume party in downtown's Shain Park on Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m.–2 p.m., with costume contests, bounce houses, an exotic zoo, food trucks and dance parties. Kids can pick and decorate a pumpkin, get their faces painted and ride the train.
Oct 25, 2026, 9:00 AMPublic Parking Lot 6 · Downtown Birmingham hosts the Birmingham Farmers Market End of Season Celebration on Sunday, October 25, at 9 a.m. at Public Parking Lot 6 in Birmingham. Expect Halloween-themed fun with live music and kids’ activities from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Nov 6, 2026, 7:30 PMBirmingham Village Players · The Birmingham Village Players stage Complete Works of Shakespeare on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. With ten performances in the run, you've got plenty of dates to choose from.
Nov 7, 2026, 7:30 PMBirmingham Village Players · The Birmingham Village Players stage Complete Works of Shakespeare on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. With ten performances in the run, you've got plenty of dates to choose from.
Nov 8, 2026, 2:00 PMBirmingham Village Players · The Birmingham Village Players stage Complete Works of Shakespeare on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 2 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. With ten performances in the run, you've got plenty of dates to choose from.
Nov 13, 2026, 7:30 PMBirmingham Village Players · The Birmingham Village Players stage Complete Works of Shakespeare on Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at 34660 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham. With ten performances in the run, you've got plenty of dates to choose from.
04 / Places
Emagine Palladium209 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, MI 48009
The Birmingham 8 Powered by Emagine211 S Old Woodward Ave, Birmingham, MI 4800905 / What to do
Boutiques, galleries, restaurants and movie theaters within easy walking distance, with Shain Park at the center for summer concerts and the Village Fair. In 2026 a Sunday farmers market ran from May 3 to October 25.
Official site ↗The city museum by the Rouge River valley, on land first bought by settler Elijah Willits. Admission includes a guided tour of the John West Hunter House; as of 2026 it was open Tuesday through Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m.
Official site ↗The city library, opened in 1927 and named for Martha Baldwin, who pushed for the first library, sidewalks and street lights.
Official site ↗A community theater founded by a group of friends in 1923, playing in its own building since 1928, with five shows a year.
Official site ↗06 / History
Governor Lewis Cass's expedition finds the land far less swampy than reported, opening it to settlement.
The John West Hunter House, Oakland County's first frame house, is built.
Rosewell T. Merrill surveys and records the plat he names Birmingham.
Birmingham incorporates as a village.
On June 18 the electric interurban arrives, reaching Detroit in 40 minutes.
Birmingham becomes a city.
07 / Born here
08 / People
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Birmingham city).
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: +0.5 percent.
