Orion Charter Township ( ) is a charter township of Oakland County,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, United States. The population was 39,816 as on July 1, 2019. The official motto of the township and village is "Where living is a vacation". "Lake Orion" is often used to describe both the village and the township. The township hosts General Motors'

Orion Assembly Orion Assembly is a General Motors vehicle assembly plant located in Orion Township, Michigan. The plant currently assembles the Chevrolet Bolt and Cruise AV. As of September 2019, the plant has approximately 1,032 salaried and hourly employee ...

plant which produces small cars.

Communities

* Lake Orion is an incorporated village located within Orion Township. The Township has three

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

: * Eames began as a station on the railroad in 1874. It was given a post office in 1883. * Lake Orion Heights is located between Lake Orion, Square Lake and Elkhorn Lake( Elevation: 1007 ft./307 m.). * Gingellville, also Gingleville, is located at Baldwin and Gregory Roads ( Elevation: 1017 ft./310 m.). Former places include: * Rudds Mill (also known as Rudds Station) is located at Kern and Clarkston Roads ( Elevation: 945 ft./288 m.). * Cole was a station on the Pontiac, Oxford and Northern Railroad. It had a post office from 1884 until 1907.

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 t ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.18%, is water. Orion Township Is bordered to the east by Oakland Township, to the west by Independence Township, to the south by

Auburn Hills Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city in 1983, the area was part of the now-defunct Pontiac Township. It is home to Oakland University ...

and to the north by Oxford Township.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 33,463 people, 12,246 households, and 8,976 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was 1,003.3 per square mile (387.4/km²). There were 12,837 housing units at an average density of 384.9 per square mile (148.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.42%

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 o ...

, 1.26%

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 ...

, 0.27% Native American, 1.18% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.61% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.23% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 2.56% of the population. There were 12,246 households, out of which 39.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19. In the township the population was spread out, with 28.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $71,844, and the median income for a family was $83,514. Males had a median income of $61,562 versus $36,481 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $30,299. About 2.0% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 and over.

Education

The majority of students attend Lake Orion Community Schools. A small portion is in the Pontiac School District. Another portion of students also attend Clarkston, Rochester and Oxford Community School Districts. St. Joseph Catholic School is located in the township.

Notable people

This list includes people from Orion Township and the Village of Lake Orion * Scott Amedure, ''

The Jenny Jones Show ''The Jenny Jones Show'' is an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. It was produced by Quincy Jones-David Salzman Entertainment and Telepictures Productions and was distributed b ...

'' murder victim * Matthew Blackmer, 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 ...

Christopher Bowman Christopher Nicol Bowman (March 30, 1967 – January 10, 2008) was an American figure skater. He was a two-time World medalist (silver in 1989, bronze in 1990), the 1983 World Junior champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion. He compete ...

, U.S. Winter Olympian, National Champion, World Medalist champion figure skater *

William Broomfield William S. Broomfield, (April 28, 1922 – February 20, 2019) was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life Broomfield, the son of Scevillian C. and Fern Broomfield was born in Royal Oak, Michigan. His father was a d ...

, former congressman * Pat Caputo,

sportswriter Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

for ''

The Oakland Press ''The Oakland Press'' is a daily newspaper published in Oakland County, Michigan with headquarters in Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: ...

'', 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 th ...

* Rolla C. Carpenter, engineer, academic, writer * Dave Collins, former professional baseball player, former coach at

Lake Orion High School Lake Orion High School is a public secondary school located in Orion Township, Michigan, United States. It is a part of Lake Orion Community Schools. "Once a dragon, always a dragon." - Jeff Heath Athletics State Championships * 1925 - Boys' B ...

* Barbara Ann Crancer, associate circuit court judge, daughter of Jimmy Hoffa *

Matthew Dear Matthew Dear (born April 4, 1979) is an American electronic music producer and DJ. History Texas-born Dear moved to Michigan as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sound of Detroit Techno. Dear met Sam Valenti IV at a party while attendin ...

, musician * Andrew J. Feustel,

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

astronaut * Frontier Ruckus, art-folk band * Tom Gillis, professional golfer * Jeff Heath, 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 co ...

, former CEO of General Motors * James P. Hoffa, current International Brotherhood of Teamsters President, son of Jimmy Hoffa * Jimmy Hoffa (family summer home), former International Brotherhood of Teamsters President * Zak Keasey, 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, politician, attorney, former CIA case officer * Chris "Hot Wings" Michels, syndicated radio show host * Jamie Milam, professional hockey player * Troy Milam, professional hockey player * Frank Novak, former NFL coach * Raymond Plouhar, staff sergeant,

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

* William Edmund Scripps, 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, former professional hockey player * Ron Tripp, 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 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 Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

champion; President of USA Judo *

Cynthia Watros Cynthia Michele Watros (born September 2, 1968) is an American actress recognized for her roles in both daytime and primetime television. In 1994, she was cast in the regular role of Annie Dutton on ''Guiding Light'', which earned her the Day ...

, actress * Mike Weger, business owner, former professional football player *

Louis George Carpenter Louis George Carpenter (March 28, 1861 – September 12, 1935), was a college Professor and later the Dean of Engineering & Physics at Colorado State University formerly known as the Colorado Agricultural College. He was also a mathematician and a ...

, College Professor, Dean of Engineering & Physics at Colorado State University

References

External links

*
Orion Township Public Library

Lake Orion Community Information Network
{{Metro Detroit Townships in Oakland County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan Metro Detroit 1835 establishments in Michigan Territory Populated places established in 1835