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[Flint1979]

Many side streets that cross the border between the cities of Southfield and Lathrup Village, Michigan do not go through... just because.

For example:  https://goo.gl/maps/767vTEtjpzfPoZru7

I'm not sure why there. Lathrup Village is really no different than Southfield regarding demographics.

[23skidoo]

Many side streets that cross the border between the cities of Southfield and Lathrup Village, Michigan do not go through... just because.

For example:  https://goo.gl/maps/767vTEtjpzfPoZru7

I'm not sure why there. Lathrup Village is really no different than Southfield regarding demographics.

I've noticed that too. Aerial photos on the Oakland County website (very cool if you haven't checked it out) suggest that the roadblocks existed as early as 1963, so they are not new. It might have something to do with the fact that Lathrup Village was platted out about three decades before adjacent parts of Southfield were. If you look around that area, you'll see houses dating back to the 1920s on the Lathrup Village side, while the houses on the Southfield side are no older than the 1950s. The Great Depression and WWII stopped construction for a very long time. My guess is that there was some sort of dispute between the developers who built the subdivisions on the Southfield side and the town fathers of Lathrup Village back in the 50s/60s.

[GaryV]

It could have been because of the restrictive covenants in Lathrup Village. Now it is a multi-racial city, as is Southfield. That wasn't the case historically.