Best Web Design in Orion Township (Lake Orion), MI (2026)

Web Design for Orion Township (Lake Orion), Michigan

Orion Charter Township wraps around the resort village of Lake Orion in northern Oakland County, a lake-dotted community of roughly 38,000 that still bills itself 'Where Living Is a Vacation.' Its 506-acre namesake lake once drew Detroiters by rail to a lakeside amusement park, while today the giant GM Orion Assembly plant anchors the local economy. The area holds more than 4,200 acres of parks and 42 lakes, plus a distinctive dragon mascot rooted in local folklore.

AppWT serves Orion Township (Lake Orion) and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About Orion Township (Lake Orion)

Also known as. Where Living Is a Vacation (official township/village motto). Venice of the Middle West (early-1900s resort-brochure name for Lake Orion). Paris of Detroit (early resort marketing). Lake Orion, the One Best Resort (early resort slogan).

History. Homeland of the Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi; the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw opened the land to settlement. Moses Munson arrived in 1824, built a sawmill in 1825 and planted the first orchard; Jesse Decker arrived in 1825 and the settlement became known as 'Decker's Settlement,' then 'Canandaigua' after Canandaigua, New York. In 1835 the name was changed from Canandaigua to Orion, Lake Canandaigua was renamed Lake Orion, and the Township of Orion was approved by the Michigan Territorial government; Decker became first supervisor at a salary of $2 a year. The Michigan Central Railroad reached the village in 1872, launching a decades-long era as a Detroit-area summer resort destination. The village of Lake Orion incorporated in 1859 and officially took the name 'Lake Orion' in 1929.

Local economy. General Motors' Orion Assembly plant is a major employer, historically building small cars and retooled for electric pickup trucks. Primarily a bedroom/suburban community for Metro Detroit. Recreation and lake tourism tied to more than 4,200 acres of parks and open space and 42 lakes larger than five acres.

Culture and community. Lake Orion High School teams are the Dragons, a mascot drawn from local dragon folklore. Wildwood Amphitheater hosts free summer concerts and outdoor films. The Paint Creek Trail (8.9 miles) and the Polly Ann Trail (on a former railroad corridor) draw walkers and cyclists. Historic downtown centers on Broadway Street in the village.

What makes Orion Township (Lake Orion) distinct. Park Island Amusement Park (developed by the Orion Park Association) featured a penny arcade, carousel, dance halls, a 42-foot diving platform and a wooden roller coaster named 'The Thriller'; it operated until 1955. Lake Orion is cited as the first U.S. town to have a Marine Postal Center (1909). Notable people connected to the area include NASA astronaut Andrew J. Feustel and former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa.

Orion Township (Lake Orion) Landmarks and Local Life

• Lake Orion - a 506-acre inland lake up to 80 feet deep, the eighth-largest lake by area in Oakland County
• Park Island - site of the former lakeside amusement park
• GM Orion Assembly plant.
• Friendship Park (about 135 acres).
• Camp Agawam - a former Boy Scouts camp transferred to township ownership in 2014
• Paint Creek Trail and Polly Ann Trail.