Lake Orion, Michigan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake Orion, Michigan
Village
Village of Lake Orion
Looking south along Broadway Street
Location within Oakland County
Lake Orion, Michigan Location in Michigan
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Oakland
Township	Orion
Incorporated	1859
Government
• Type	Council/Manager
Area
• Village	1.32 sq mi (3.42 km2)
• Land	0.79 sq mi (2.05 km2)
• Water	0.53 sq mi (1.37 km2)
Elevation	984 ft (300 m)
Population  (2020)
• Village	2,886
• Density	3,631.31/sq mi (1,402.29/km2)
• Metro	4,296,250 (Metro Detroit)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code(s)	48362
Area code(s)	248 and 947
FIPS code	26-44940
GNIS feature ID	0629989

Lake Orion is a village in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. It is located just north of Metro Detroit. In 2010, about 2,973 people lived there. The name "Lake Orion" can mean either the village itself or the larger Orion Township. The village is part of this township.

Lake Orion started as a fun place for vacations. Over time, it also became a "bedroom community." This means many people who live there travel to nearby cities for work.

Lake Orion's History

Early Settlers and Growth

The first settlers arrived around 1824. Judah Church and Moses Munson were among them. Munson built a sawmill in 1825. He also planted the first orchard, which is a group of fruit trees.

Jesse Decker arrived in 1825 from New York. He was very active and helpful to everyone. Soon, the area was called "Decker's Settlement." The town was named "Canandaigua" after a place in New York.

The settlement grew quickly. It had a sawmill, a place to eat and stay (tavern), a post office, and a general store. There was also a blacksmith shop, a school, and a cemetery. In 1828, a dam was built. This dam joined several small lakes to form the larger, mile-wide Lake Canandaigua. This lake was just west of the village.

In 1830, Jesse Decker built the first wooden barn in the area. Local Native Americans helped him. The first post office opened in 1832, with Decker as the postmaster.

Changing Names and New Roles

In 1835, the community's name changed from Canandaigua to Orion. Lake Canandaigua was also renamed Lake Orion. A lawyer chose the new name, possibly because of "Orion Trees" in the area.

That same year, the Township of Orion was officially approved. Decker became the first leader of Orion, earning $2 a year. By 1836, Decker was also running a tavern. He was elected to the first Michigan House of Representatives in 1837. He also served as a justice of the peace for the Orion area. By 1840, Decker owned a lot of land, about 440 acres.

In 1909, a special mail service started. Mail was delivered by boat to over 300 homes on the lake and its islands. Lake Orion was the first town in the United States to have this unique service.

In 1929, famous pilot Amelia Earhart visited Lake Orion. She was invited by William Edmund Scripps, who also loved flying. While visiting Scripps' home, she flew an experimental glider. Also in 1929, the village officially changed its name from "Orion" to "Lake Orion."

Trains and Trails

Trains served the Village of Lake Orion for many years. The Michigan Central Railroad ran from 1872 to 1976. The Detroit United Railway interurban system ran from 1899 to 1931. Both had their own tracks and stations in the village.

Passenger train service ended in 1931 due to more people using cars. The tracks were removed in the 1940s to help with World War II. The Michigan Central Railroad continued freight service until the 1970s.

Today, parts of the old train lines are used as trails. The line south of the village is now the Paint Creek Trail. This is a popular path for walking and biking. Another line, the Polly Ann Trail, connects Lake Orion with other towns. It's also used for recreation.

Lake Orion Amusement Park

Lake Orion was a popular vacation and amusement park spot in the early 1900s.

Lake Orion was once a very popular place for fun and entertainment. People from Metro Detroit would visit in the early 1900s. When the Michigan Central Railroad arrived in 1872, it made Lake Orion a major summer resort.

In 1874, a group of citizens formed the Orion Park Association. They built a park (now Green's Park) near the train station. They also had a steam-powered boat for trips around the lake. This boat also took people to Park Island.

Over time, Park Island became a big amusement park. It had a penny arcade, a carousel, and souvenir shops. There were also places to eat, dance halls, and a wooden roller coaster called "The Thriller."

The park had a swimming beach with changing rooms. There was a waterslide and many diving boards, some as high as 42 feet. Lake Orion was also a great place for fishing. They had fishing tournaments for bass and pike.

Large boats with two decks, like the "City of Orion," offered lake tours. They even had bands and dance floors! At night, Park Island glowed with thousands of lights.

The park faced tough times during the Great Depression and had several fires. It slowly lost business and closed in 1955. Later, a developer bought the island and built homes there in the 1960s. In the early 1900s, Lake Orion was called names like "Venice of the Middle West" and "Paris of Detroit."

The Lake Orion Dragon Story

Lake Orion has a fun local legend about a dragon! Sometime in the 1800s, some kids played a prank. They built a fake dragon and put it in the lake. Many people saw it, and soon Lake Orion was known for its dragon.

There are different stories about who made it and how. But most people agree that a person named Levi A. Wild was involved.

One newspaper article from 1894 talked about the "Lake Orion 'dragon'." It said the animal grew longer as the story spread. What started as an average lake monster was soon said to be 80 feet long! Newspapers joked that people in Orion should "drink more well-water." This fun story is why the sports teams at Lake Orion High School are called the Dragons!

Geography of Lake Orion

The village of Lake Orion covers about 1.30 square miles. About 0.79 square miles is land, and 0.51 square miles is water.

Lake Orion (the Lake)

Lake Orion
Lake Orion, also known as Orion Lake
Lake Orion Location in Michigan
Location	Lake Orion, Michigan
Coordinates	42°47′N 83°15′W / 42.783°N 83.250°W / 42.783; -83.250
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	506 acres (205 ha)
Max. depth	80 ft (24 m)
Settlements	Village of Lake Orion, Michigan

Lake Orion is a medium-sized lake. It covers 506 acres. The deepest part is 80 feet, and the average depth is 16 feet. The lake is located within both the Village of Lake Orion and Orion Township. It is the eighth largest lake in Oakland County.

The lake we see today was formed over time. It started when smaller lakes were joined together by a dam on Paint Creek in the 1830s. Canals were also dug to create more lakefront property.

There is a public boat launch on the north side of the lake. This is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Islands in Lake Orion

Lake Orion has several islands. Some have homes where people live all year, and others have seasonal cottages.

• Bellevue Island and Park Island are the largest. They are connected to the mainland by bridges. People live on these islands all year. Most boats can pass under the Bellevue Bridge. The Park Island bridge is lower, so only canoes, kayaks, and rowboats can go under it.
• Victoria Island is the third largest. It also has homes, some for seasonal use and some for year-round living.
• Paint Island used to have a home from the 1850s to the 1950s. Now, not much is left of it because of erosion. The shallow water around it can be tricky for boats.
• Sweet's Island is home to the Lake Orion Boat Club. It has a private boathouse and docks for members.
• Other smaller islands include Romance Island, Preston Island, Dot Island, and Armada Island. These islands have seasonal cottages. People need a boat to get to these islands from the mainland.

Population Information

This section talks about the people living in the village of Lake Orion. For information about the entire township, see Orion Township.

2010 Census Details

In 2010, there were 2,973 people living in Lake Orion. There were 1,304 households, which are groups of people living together. About 709 of these were families.

The village had about 3,763 people per square mile. Most residents (94.2%) were White. About 1.6% were African American, and 1.1% were Asian. About 3.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In terms of households, 27% had children under 18 living with them. About 40% were married couples. Many households (45.6%) were not families. About 38% of all households had only one person living there. About 11.7% of households had someone aged 65 or older living alone. The average household had 2.19 people. The average family had 2.93 people.

The average age in the village was 41.2 years. About 20.6% of residents were under 18. About 27.9% were between 25 and 44 years old. And 16.2% were 65 or older. The village had slightly more females (52.5%) than males (47.5%).

Notable People from Lake Orion

This list includes people who are from Orion Township and the Village of Lake Orion.

• Keith Aldridge, a former professional hockey player.
• Matthew Blackmer, an American pair skater.
• Christopher Bowman, a U.S. Winter Olympian and champion figure skater.
• William Broomfield, a former congressman.
• Pat Caputo, a sportswriter and radio personality.
• Rolla C. Carpenter, an engineer, teacher, and writer.
• Dave Collins, a former professional baseball player and coach.
• Nicole Curtis, host of home renovation TV shows.
• Matthew Dear, a musician.
• Andrew J. Feustel, a NASA astronaut.
• Frontier Ruckus, an art-folk band.
• Tom Gillis, a professional golfer.
• Jeff Heath, a professional football player.
• Frederick Henderson, former CEO of General Motors.
• James P. Hoffa, President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
• Jimmy Hoffa, former President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (his family had a summer home here).
• Zak Keasey, a former professional football player.
• Scott Kowalkowski, a former professional football player.
• Mickey Lolich, a former professional baseball player.
• James Marcinkowski, a politician and attorney.
• Chris "Hot Wings" Michels, a syndicated radio show host.
• Jamie Milam, a professional hockey player.
• Troy Milam, a professional hockey player.
• Frank Novak, a former NFL coach.
• Shannon Pettypiece, a White House correspondent.
• William Edmund Scripps, a newspaper owner.
• Rich Strenger, a lawyer and former professional football player.
• Rod Taylor, a former professional hockey player.
• Ron Tripp, a World sambo and judo champion.
• Cynthia Watros, an actress.
• Mike Weger, a business owner and former professional football player.
• Della Woods, a drag racer.

See also

In Spanish: Lake Orion para niños