Orion Township offers a taste of nature just outside Detroit
Orion Township spans about 35 miles of Oakland County, Michigan, on the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit. The charter township is home to around 38,000 residents who enjoy access to over 4,000 acres of parks, lakes and trailways. Villages and communities include Lake Orion, which features waterfront properties and a small downtown, and Gingellville, conveniently located near the bustling commerce around Interstate 75. “It’s close to a lot of expressways, and there are so many lakes and parks,” says Ashley Petco, an associate broker and Realtor with Keller Williams Lakeside with over 13 years of local experience. “It’s a really nice community — great schools.”
Recreational lakes, parks and trails offer four-season outdoor fun
With recreational lakes scattered throughout the township, boating, swimming, fishing and paddleboarding are popular pastimes. Lakeside parks include playgrounds and picnic areas. Miles of trails invite hiking, cycling and horseback riding, and most trails are dog friendly. Kids flock to sports fields in summer and sledding hills when snow arrives. Orion Oaks County Park is one of the larger parks in the community, with over 900 acres. It has 10 miles of trails, a fishing pier on Lake Sixteen, a boat launch and a 24-acre dog park. The area also has several country clubs, some with golf courses open to the public.
Lakefront homes and recent builds drive up home prices
The median sale price for Orion Township homes is $630,000 — significantly higher than the national median of $430,000 and well above Detroit’s median, currently $95,000. Housing options range from two-bedroom condos to ranch-style and National builds to luxury lakefront homes. In the southern portion of the township, New Traditional homes with brick accents and attached garages sit on tidy lots with paved driveways. Most are built closely together on looping streets with well-tended sidewalks. Midcentury ranch-style and split-level houses can be found in this area as well. Narrow roads, fields and forests span central rural areas, where properties are few and far between. The township becomes more densely populated around Lake Orion, where New Traditional homes might feature water access and private docks. Some homes sit on islands that are only accessible via causeways or private watercraft. Homes with basements and garages can provide shelter and protect against property damage from the tornadoes and ice storms that are common in this area. The township’s CAP Index Crime Score is 2 out of 10, below the national average of 4.
Lake Orion Community Schools is a highly rated district
Many students attend schools in the Lake Orion Community Schools district, which gets an A on Niche. The monthly program Inside the Dragons airs on Orion Neighborhood Television and features interviews with teachers, students, coaches and other community members. Some kids might instead attend schools in the Pontiac School District, rated C-minus. Michigan’s Schools of Choice program allows students to apply to public schools outside their residential district.
Jobs and commerce around I-75 and a small downtown in Lake Orion
Most of the township’s commerce centers on the southern section near Interstate 75, where the countryside edges closer to Auburn Hills in Metro Detroit. Here, shoppers find numerous big-box retailers, department stores, chain restaurants and car dealerships. The headquarters of automotive companies like Stellantis and General Motors are also nearby. “There’s a ton of employers right in that Auburn Hills area, and you’re so close to I-75 that you could work in a lot of different places with only a 30- to 40-minute commute,” Petco says.
Farther north in Lake Orion, restaurants, wine bars, distilleries and coffee shops fill the brick-accented downtown. Sagebrush Cantina, a regional chain with an extensive tequila selection, is a longtime favorite. Chain eateries and a shopping center with a Kroger grocery store can be found along North Lapeer Road.
A full roster of seasonal events rounds out the social calendar
The township’s parks and recreation department holds free events throughout the year. Locals gather for live entertainment, face painting and a hot dog cookout during Summer Sizzle in June. The Big Rig Gig brings tractors, bulldozers and trucks to Friendship Park every August. During the Fall Festival of Family Fun, carnival games, hayrides and a petting farm take over Camp Agawam. Wildwood Amphitheater hosts the Free Concerts in the Park series on Thursdays throughout the summer. Canterbury Village, a historic landmark with a 19th-century castle, keeps an active social calendar with events like Oktoberfest, Halloween strolls and a holiday tree lighting.
Route 24 is the main artery leading to Detroit and city amenities
A network of “safety paths” — multiuse trails that follow the paths of major roadways — keeps the area navigable for pedestrians and cyclists. Although the township brushes the northern edge of Metro Detroit, commuters have a 40-mile drive to the central part of the city and a 55-mile drive to Detroit Metro Airport. State Route 24, the primary thoroughfare, connects to I-75 to speed the journey. The closest 24-hour medical care center is Henry Ford Rochester Hospital, about 14 miles away. North Oakland Transportation Authority provides door-to-door shuttle service, which residents can schedule up to one month in advance.
