Best Web Design in White Lake Charter Township, MI (2026)

Web Design for White Lake Charter Township, Michigan

White Lake Township is a lake-dotted community in northwestern Oakland County, with 21 lakes inside its borders and the headwaters of the Huron River. It mixes rural character with suburban growth along the M-59 corridor. Its parks hold Edsel Ford's Haven Hill estate and Alpine Valley ski resort, and Pontiac Lake once hosted the record-setting Quake on the Lake hydroplane races.

AppWT serves White Lake Charter Township and the surrounding Michigan area from Livonia, Michigan.

About White Lake Charter Township

History. The area's first non-Native settler, Harley Olmstead, arrived from New York in 1830, and the township was set off in 1836. Potawatomi, Chippewa, and Ottawa peoples camped along the shores of a lake they called 'white' or 'clear,' giving both the lake and township their name. From around 1837, stagecoaches and lumber wagons rolled along old White Lake Road, part of the main route between Grand Rapids and Detroit. The early White Lake post office opened in 1838 under the name 'Plainville' and was renamed White Lake in 1841. The White Lake Township Hall was built on land donated in 1875 by Charles and Elizabeth Porter and became a community center after offices moved in 1949.

Local economy. Largely suburban residential and lake-living, with commercial development along the M-59 corridor. The National Weather Service forecast office serving Detroit is physically located in the White Lake community. Large tracts are preserved as state recreation areas and county parks rather than developed. Five school districts serve the township, reflecting its spread-out, semi-rural layout.

Culture and community. Alpine Valley ski resort opened in 1961 and is one of the largest ski areas in southeast Michigan. Highland Recreation Area offers equestrian, mountain-biking, hiking, and skiing trails; Pontiac Lake Recreation Area adds a challenging mountain-bike course and boat access. Indian Springs Metropark and White Lake Oaks provide public golf. The White Lake Historical Society preserves sites such as the Fisk Farm and the old township hall.

What makes White Lake Charter Township distinct. Twenty-one lakes lie within the township, and the Huron River rises here. For 17 years the Quake on the Lake hydroplane races ran at Pontiac Lake, billed as the fastest one-mile racecourse in North America, where 19 world speed records were set; the event did not return after 2016. Because the National Weather Service office sits in the township, 'White Lake' regularly appears in metro Detroit weather statements. Five separate school districts (Clarkston, Holly, Huron Valley, Walled Lake, and Waterford) divide the township.

White Lake Charter Township Landmarks and Local Life

• Haven Hill - the Edsel Ford estate inside Highland Recreation Area, with grounds designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen between 1922 and 1935; it is a Michigan State Historic Landmark and State Natural Preserve
• Alpine Valley Ski Resort.
• Pontiac Lake State Recreation Area.
• The historic White Lake Township Hall and Indian Springs Metropark.