First incorporated as a village in 1918, Ferndale became a bedroom community for Detroit workers, with most of its growth in housing from 1920-1951. Through the early 1950s trolley lines in the median strip of Woodward Avenue from downtown Detroit to Pontiac helped the northern suburbs of Detroit grow as people could take the trolley to shop or work in Detroit.

In the 1970s, the Ferndale suburban community emerged as a place for families to raise children during the "Baby Boom" era, with its elementary schools, downtown area, city parks, active churches and civic groups. The 1980s and 90s saw the growth of the LGBT population in Ferndale, coinciding with a migration from neighborhoods in Detroit to communities north along Woodward Avenue, including Royal Oak, Pleasant Ridge and others. In 2006 the city passed an anti-discrimination ordinance protecting the LGBT community from discrimination in public accommodations, housing, and business, with 70% in favor and 30% in opposition.