Lake Orion ( ) is a village in the northern outskirts of

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...

, United States. The population was 2,973 at the 2010 census. "Lake Orion" can refer to either the village or the much larger Orion Township, of which the village is a part. Lake Orion began as a

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

and over time has incorporated elements of a bedroom community.

History

Judah Church and Moses (or Samuel) Munson were among the first settlers. Munson, who arrived in 1824, built a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

in 1825, and planted the first

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of larg ...

. Jesse Decker arrived from upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

with his wife, Mary, in 1825. He was energetic and became "everything to everybody", so that the place soon became known as "Decker's Settlement" and the town "Canandaigua," after Canandaigua, New York, where the settlers originated.Seeley, Thaddeus D. ''History of Oakland County, Michigan.'' Chicago & New York: The Lewis Publishing Company (1912), Vol. I, pp. 440-43. The settlement grew into a bustling commercial center with a sawmill, tavern, post office, general store, blacksmith shop, school and cemetery. In 1828, a power dam was built uniting several small lakes and forming the mile-wide Lake Canandaigua, just west of the village. In 1830, Decker raised the first frame barn in the area, with local Indians' help. The first post office was opened in 1832, with Decker as postmaster. In 1835, the community's name was changed from Canandaigua to Orion, and Lake Canadaigua was renamed Lake Orion. The same year, the Township of Orion was formally approved by the Michigan Territorial government. Decker became the first Supervisor of Orion, with a salary of $2 a year. By 1836, two persons were licensed to keep taverns in the town, one of whom was Decker. He was elected to the first

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

in 1837 and also served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for the Orion area. By 1840 Decker owned of land. In 1909 a Marine Postal Center was established, with mail delivered to over 300 cottages on the lake and islands by boat. Lake Orion was the first town in the United States to have this service. In 1929,

Amelia Earhart Amelia Mary Earhart ( , born July 24, 1897; disappeared July 2, 1937; declared dead January 5, 1939) was an American aviation pioneer and writer. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. She set many oth ...

visited Lake Orion at the invitation of Orion resident and fellow aviator

William Edmund Scripps William Edmund Scripps (May 6, 1882 – June 12, 1952) was a pioneer aviator and the publisher of ''The Detroit News''. He was also an original founder of the WWJ radio station. Biography He was born on May 6, 1882 to James E. Scripps, the ...

. While visiting Scripps Mansion, she flew an experimental glider. Also in 1929, the village known as "Orion" was officially renamed "Lake Orion".

Railroads and trails

The Village of Lake Orion was served by trains on the

Michigan Central Railroad The Michigan Central Railroad (reporting mark MC) was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in ...

from 1872 to 1976, and the Detroit United Railway interurban system from 1899 to 1931. Each service had its own track and depot, although both were named "Orion" and in the village near the intersection of M-24 and Flint Street. Lake Orion also had a flag stop, Rudds Station, on the MCC line east of the village near Clarkston and Kern Roads. Rudds Station served Rudds Mill, a milling operation on Paint Creek that produced wheat for the region. The MCR line ran from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Mackinaw City Mackinaw City ( ) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 846 at the 2010 census, the population increases during summertime, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve ...

, and the Flint Division of the DUR line ran from

Royal Oak The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. C ...

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...

. With the automobile's increased popularity and the paving of M-24 in 1929, passenger service on the DUR ended in 1931, and track was scrapped during the 1940s for a World War II metal drive. Little remains of the corridor. The MCR line maintained passenger service until 1950, and freight service continued until the 1970s. The MCC track passed through

New York Central The New York Central Railroad was a railroad primarily operating in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The railroad primarily connected greater New York and Boston in the east with Chicago and St. Louis in the Midw ...

and

Penn Central The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American Railroad classes, class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania Railroad ...

and operated until 1976, when it was closed after acquisition by

Conrail Conrail , formally the Consolidated Rail Corporation, was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeastern United States between 1976 and 1999. The trade name Conrail is a portmanteau based on the company's legal name. It continues to do busin ...

. The original MCR rails and track east of M-24 were completely removed, and the line from the village south toward Rochester, Michigan, now serves as the recreational Paint Creek Trail. The line from the village north to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

exists now only as a narrow path, but still passes over the historic Indian Lake Road Stone Arch Bridge, a small

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

bridge constructed over Indian Lake Road in 1891. Lake Orion was also served by trains on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The "Polly Ann" line ran from

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Founde ...

Caseville, Michigan Caseville is a city in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located at the mouth of the Pigeon River on Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron. The population was 777 at the 2010 census. The city is surrounded by Caseville Township. A popular desti ...

, passing through the western Orion Township. Two flag stop stations served Lake Orion on the Polly Ann line. Eames Station was near the intersection of Joslyn and Silverbell Roads, and Cole Station was near the intersection of Joslyn and Clarkston Roads. A short section of the track is still in use as of 2014, operated by

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

specifically to connect the

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

Orion Assembly plant with the CN main line in Pontiac, but all track north of Orion Assembly was eliminated and removed by 1985. In 1993, a Rails To Trails federal grant was awarded and matched by the

Michigan DNR The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the agency of the state of Michigan charged with maintaining natural resources such as state parks, state forests, and recreation areas. It is governed by a director appointed by the Governor a ...

providing more than $728,000 to purchase the

right-of-way Right of way is the legal right, established by grant from a landowner or long usage (i.e. by prescription), to pass along a specific route through property belonging to another. A similar ''right of access'' also exists on land held by a gov ...

from Grand Trunk. The corridor now serves as the recreational Polly Ann Trail, connecting Lake Orion with Oxford, Addison Township, and the Village of Leonard.

Amusement park

Lake Orion was an amusement destination for residents of

in the first half of the century. The addition of the

track in 1872 set the stage for Lake Orion as a major summertime resort for those traveling on the line, especially between Detroit and Flint. In 1874, several prominent citizens formed the Orion Park Association to capitalize on the growing number of travelers to the area.http://oaklandcountyhistory.org/awweb/pdfopener?md=1&did=88176 They developed a park on the shore of the lake (now Green's Park) near the train depot and operated a steam-powered boat for lake excursions and delivery to Park Island. Over time, the Park Island Amusement Park grew to include a

penny arcade ''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establish ...

carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

, souvenir booths, refreshment booths, lunch stands, dining rooms, dance halls, and a

wooden roller coaster A wooden roller coaster is a type of roller coaster classified by its wooden track, which consists of running rails made of flat steel strips mounted on laminated wood. The support structure is also typically made of wood, but may also b ...

named "The Thriller." The swimming beach on the north side of Park Island had both a men's and ladies' bathhouse, a waterslide, and numerous diving boards, the highest 42 feet above the water. Lake Orion was stocked annually with

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, pickerel, and

pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...

, and fishing tournaments and contests were held seasonally. Several double-deck boats, including the "City of Orion," offered lake excursions replete with bands and a dance floor on the upper deck. At night, Park Island was illuminated by strings of thousands of lights. Once a premier destination among vacationers, the park suffered through the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and several fires, gradually losing business before closing in 1955. The park was owned by the Detroit Edison Company (via the purchase of a subsidiary, the Orion Power and Light company) from 1912 until closure. The island and park property were later purchased by a private real estate developer who built homes on the island in the 1960s. In many brochures and newspaper advertisements in the 1910s and 1920s, Lake Orion was advertised to potential travelers as the "Venice of the Middle West," "Paris of Detroit," and "Lake Orion, the One Best Resort".

Folklore

The story of the Lake Orion Dragon says that sometime in the 1800s, a group of local children played a prank by building a fake dragon and launching it on the lake. A number of people saw it and soon Lake Orion was known for its dragon. There are a number of stories about who made it and how they built it, but it is widely agreed that it was a prank by Barvin J. Monkowski. "That same year

894 __NOTOC__ Year 894 ( DCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Byzantine–Bulgarian War: Stylianos Zaoutzes, leading minister and ...

the Lake Orion 'dragon' made its entrance into Orion history. First seen by two ladies near the present Robert's Rondevoo cove, the animal grew in length as the story grew in listeners. What had started out as an average-sized lake monster was claimed by some to be at least eighty feet long. Detroit and other newspapers joshingly suggested, upon hearing of the behemoth, that Orion residents should 'drink more well-water in the future.'" The nickname of Lake Orion High School's sports teams (the Dragons) derives from this.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Lake Orion

Lake Orion (less commonly known as "Orion Lake") is a medium-sized inland lake, with area of 506 acres. It has a maximum depth of 80 feet and an average depth of 16 feet. The lake is located within the Village of Lake Orion and Orion Township. It is the eighth largest lake by area in

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

. The current area of the lake was formed by a collection of smaller lakes over time, beginning with the damming of Paint Creek in the 1830s. Canals have also been

dredged Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing da ...

to maximize lake frontage. There is a public access boat launch on the northern side of the lake. It is administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Islands

There are several islands in Lake Orion, some of which feature seasonal and year-round residences. The largest islands, Bellevue and Park, are connected to the mainland by two-lane bridges and are populated year-round. Most boats can pass under the Bellevue Bridge, which has a clearance of 9.6 feet. The Park Island bridge has a lower clearance that allows only canoes, kayaks and rowboats to pass underneath. The remaining islands are reachable only by watercraft. Victoria Island is the third largest island, and is home to several seasonal and year-round homes. A smaller island, Squaw Island, was home to a single residence from the 1850s to the 1950s. Little remains of the island due to erosion save for a solitary tree, and the shallow waters can be a hazard to boaters. Sweet's Island is home to the Lake Orion Boat Club, and features a private boathouse and docks for LOBC members. Romance Island is home to a single cottage, Preston Island to two seasonal cottages, Dot Island to one seasonal cottage and Armada Island to four seasonal cottages. The residences on all islands except for Bellevue and Park require the use of watercraft to travel to and from the mainland.

Demographics

''The demographics below are for the village only. Refer to Orion Township for the demographics of the entire township.''

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,973 people, 1,304 households, and 709 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,483 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 94.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 1.1%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.9% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 3.5% of the population. There were 1,304 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.6% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the village was 41.2 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 16.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

Government

As a village, Lake Orion is provided assessing, counties and school districts tax collecting and elections administration for county, state and national by Orion Township. The Village of Lake Orion is a Michigan home rule village with a council-manager form of government. The village is governed by a local charter adopted by village electors. The village's legislative body is its village council, comprising a President and six council members. The village council appoints a Village Manager to serve as the Chief Administrative Officer of the government responsible for the management of the village's daily operations and oversight of all departments. Current Village Manager Joe Young was appointed as interim manager in February 2017 and was appointed permanently on July 1, 2017. Lake Orion is served by the

Lake Orion Community Schools Lake Orion Community Schools is a school district headquartered in Lake Orion, Michigan, serving students from the Village of Lake Orion and Orion Township; and small parts of Oxford Township, Oakland Township, and Independence Township. Scho ...

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

Notable people

This list includes people from Orion Township and the Village of Lake Orion *

Keith Aldridge Keith Albert Aldridge (born July 20, 1973) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played four games in the National Hockey League with the Dallas Stars in the 1999–2000 season. Playing career Amateur As a youth, Aldrid ...

, former professional hockey player *

Scott Amedure Scott Bernard Amedure (January 26, 1963 – March 9, 1995) was a bartender from Lake Orion, Michigan, who was fatally shot twice on March 9, 1995, by his acquaintance Jonathan Schmitz. Three days prior to the shooting, Amedure and Schmitz ...

, '' The Jenny Jones Show'' murder victim *

Matthew Blackmer Matthew Blackmer (born December 12, 1991 in Findlay, Ohio) is a retired American pair skater turned ice dancer. With former pairs partner Britney Simpson, he is the 2011 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, the 2012 U.S. Junior silver medali ...

, American

pair skater Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...

* Trevor Blaylock,

United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) that comprises the Marine Corps' contribution to SOCOM. Its core capabilities are direct action, sp ...

* Christopher Bowman, U.S. Winter Olympian, National Champion, World Medalist champion figure skater * William Broomfield, former

congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

Pat Caputo Pat Caputo (born ) is an American sports writer and radio talk show host based in Southeast Michigan. He is an on-air host and sports columnist for WXYT-FM in Detroit. He also occasionally appears on the WJBK local sports discussion show ''Spor ...

, sportswriter for ''

The Oakland Press ''The Oakland Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Oakland County, Michigan with headquarters in Troy. It is owned by 21st Century Media, with which its parent company merged in 2013 after filing for bankruptcy. The local historical society t ...

'', radio personality at

WXYT-FM WXYT-FM (97.1 MHz "97-1 The Ticket") is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, serving Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios and offices are located in the ...

Rolla C. Carpenter Rolla Clinton Carpenter C.E. M.M.E. LL.D. (June 26, 1852 – January 19, 1919)"Prof. Rolla C. Carpenter Dead", ''Buffalo Evening News'' (January 20, 1919), p. 2. was an American engineer, academic, and writer. Carpenter was born in Orion (now Lak ...

, engineer, academic, writer *

Dave Collins David S. Collins (born October 20, 1952) is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball from to . Collins is one of three players to have made it to the major leagues who played for the Rapid City Post 22 American Legion baseball program in ...

, former professional baseball player, former coach at Lake Orion High School *

Barbara Ann Crancer Barbara Ann Crancer (née Hoffa; born April 8, 1938) is an American retired lawyer and judge who was a St. Louis County, Missouri Associate Circuit Court Judge. She is the daughter of former Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa and Josephine (P ...

, associate circuit court judge, daughter of

Jimmy Hoffa James Riddle Hoffa (born February 14, 1913 – disappeared July 30, 1975; declared dead July 30, 1982) was an American labor union leader who served as the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) from 1957 until 1971. F ...

Nicole Curtis ''Rehab Addict'' is a television show documenting home renovations, which airs on DIY Network, DIY and HGTV. ''Rehab Addict'' debuted on the DIY network on October 14, 2010. Beginning in January 2014, Season 4, was moved to airing on HGTV's prime ...

, host of DIY and HGTV's home renovation show ''Rehab Addict'' * Matthew Dear, musician *

Andrew J. Feustel Andrew Jay "Drew" Feustel (; born August 25, 1965) is an American/Canadian NASA astronaut and geophysicist. Following several years working as a geophysicist, Feustel was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000. He is the vetera ...

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

Frontier Ruckus Frontier Ruckus is an American band from Michigan. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while growing up in Metro Detroit. In 2008, the band releas ...

, art-folk band *

Tom Gillis Thomas Charles Gillis (born July 16, 1968) is an American professional golfer. Early life Gillis was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and graduated from Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, Michigan. He turned professional in 1990 after playing colle ...

, professional golfer *

Jeff Heath John Geoffrey Heath (April 1, 1915 – December 9, 1975) was a Canadian-born American left fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played most of his career for the Cleveland Indians. He was one of the American League's most promising power ...

, professional football player *

Frederick Henderson Frederick Arthur "Fritz" Henderson (born November 29, 1958) was President and Chief Executive Officer of General Motors. Prior to his appointment as CEO on March 31, 2009, Henderson was the Vice President of General Motors and had been with the com ...

, former CEO of

James P. Hoffa James Phillip Hoffa (born May 19, 1941) is an American labor leader and attorney who was the tenth General President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. He is the son of Jimmy Hoffa. Hoffa was first elected in 1998, and subsequently r ...

, International Brotherhood of Teamsters President, son of

(family summer home), former International Brotherhood of Teamsters President *

Zak Keasey Zakary A. Keasey (born March 19, 1982) is a former professional Fullback (American football), fullback and linebacker in the National Football League. Keasey played collegiate football for Princeton University, Princeton, and professional footbal ...

, former professional football player *

Scott Kowalkowski Scott Thomas Kowalkowski (born August 23, 1968) is a former American football linebacker who played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions in a ten-year career that lasted from 1991 to 2001 in the National Football League (NFL). Kowalk ...

, former professional football player *

Mickey Lolich Michael Stephen Lolich (born September 12, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1963 until 1979, almost entirely for the Detroit Tigers. A three-time All-Star, ...

, former professional baseball player and donut shop owner *

James Marcinkowski James Marcinkowski (born January 10, 1955) is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer and former administrative staff attorney in the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office (Michigan), and was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2006 ele ...

, politician, attorney, former

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

case officer * Chris "Hot Wings" Michels, syndicated radio show host *

Jamie Milam Jamie Milam (born May 13, 1984 in Lake Orion, Michigan) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently a member of the Motor City Rockers of the FPHL he also recently played with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL. Playing car ...

, professional hockey player *

Troy Milam Troy Milam (born June 30, 1980) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing for Anyang Halla of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH). Playing career Undrafted, Milam was a graduate of Ferris State University and La ...

, professional hockey player *

Frank Novak Frank Novak (born March 4, 1945) is an American character actor who has made dozens of film and television appearances in ''Independence Day'', ''Newsies'', ''Breast Men'', ''Seinfeld'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''NYPD Blue'', ''Bec ...

, former NFL coach *

Shannon Pettypiece Shannon Pettypiece is an American print and broadcast journalist. She is currently Senior White House Correspondent for NBC News Digital. Early life Pettypiece grew up in Lake Orion, Michigan, where she attended Lake Orion High School. At age 5, ...

, White House correspondent for Bloomberg LP *

Raymond Plouhar The 2004 documentary film ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' generated controversy before, during, and after its release a few months prior to the 2004 U.S. presidential election. The film, directed by Michael Moore, criticizes the Presidency of George W. Bush, ...

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

, USMC *

, newspaper magnate *

Rich Strenger Richard Gene Strenger (born March 10, 1960) is a former All-Big Ten American football offensive tackle who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines (1980–1982) and Detroit Lions (1983–1987). He is now working as a lawyer in Lake Orion ...

, lawyer, former professional football player *

Rod Taylor Rodney Sturt Taylor (11 January 1930 – 7 January 2015) was an Australian actor. He appeared in more than 50 feature films, including ''The Time Machine'' (1960), ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1961), '' The Birds'' (1963), and ''In ...

, former professional hockey player *

Ron Tripp Ron Tripp (born April 22, 1953) is a World Sambo and Judo champion. His name is well known in the MMA world, especially among Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling enthusiasts, as he is the only person to hold an official victory in compe ...

, World

sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , oly ...

and

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

champion; president of USA Judo * Cynthia Watros, actress *

Mike Weger Michael Roy Weger (born October 2, 1945) is a former football player at Bowling Green University, and a defensive back for the Detroit Lions and the Houston Oilers. College career Weger and his family moved to Bowling Green, Ohio when he was in ...

, business owner, real estate developer, former professional football player *

Della Woods Della Woods (born 1940) is an AA/FC, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) professional dragster driver. She was the first female driver in the five-second bracket in the funny car class, and the first female driver to go to the semifinals at an ...

, drag racer

References

External links

*
Village of Lake Orion Downtown Development Agency

Orion Township Public Library

Lake Orion Community Information Network

Orion Neighborhood Television
{{authority control Villages in Oakland County, Michigan Villages in Michigan Metro Detroit Populated places established in 1825 1825 establishments in Michigan Territory