Pros AND Cons Of Living in Lake Orion Michigan - Lake Orion Michigan. An area in the northern outskirts of Metro Detroit that is getting more and more popular by the second. So do yourself a favor and stick around to find out why that is, pros and cons of living in Lake Orion, as well as some things you must know if you call this southeast Michigan suburb your home.
Before I hop into the nitty gritty, I wanted to talk about the legend of the dragon and some history about lake Orion. For those of you that don’t know, Lake Orion is filled with signage and art with a dragon on it, and of course schools have it plastered everywhere. When I first passed through I thought what in the dragon tales town is going on here, but the reality is it’s in relation to the area's history.
It’s said back in 1894, there was a dragon, it was 80 feet long, and green with black spots. There were two Lake Orion women fishing at a dock when they saw this creature and from then on people have come forward saying they’ve seen it too. It caused a panic, but it’s believed this dragon was created by a group of boys who then placed it in the water as a prank to the townspeople. Whatever the true story is, that’s where the Lake Orion dragon was derived from.
In the mid 1800’s to the late 1900’s, Lake Orion was served by trains on the Michigan central railroad as well as the Detroit united railway system. These train systems then served as a gateway for being a resort and amusement destination in the early 20th century, where a park was established right on the shore of Lake Orion which is now known as Green’s park, which once was home to arcades, carousels, dancing halls, food and drink stands, and even a roller coaster. Unfortunately this hot spot didn’t make it past the great depression and closed in 1955 where it was sold to a developer who built several homes along the shore in the 1960’s.
Lake Orion Michigan Pros
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN LOCATION
With all that being mentioned it transitions nicely into pro #1, and that’s the location. This pro also plays a role in the cons which i’ll mention later.
Lake Orion is a village that’s located in northern Oakland county, that’s 1.32 square miles in size, 0.53 of those square miles being water with a population of around 3,000 people. Orion township on the other hand is interchangeably called lake Orion, as it surrounds the village being 35.9 square miles in size, with a population of around 40,000 people.
The cool part about Lake Orion is it’s more so in the outskirts of Metro Detroit and it feels like a breath of fresh air to get away from the hustle and bustle of the central communities in southeast Michigan. That’s something I noticed immediately after spending more time in the community. Highway 24 also runs right through the area for convenient north and south travel, and it’s abo near Auburn Hills to take you ut 9 minutes away ( sorry i’m a Michigander, I mean 6.2 miles) from the onramp to I-75 to take you all over the region or continue on towards M-59. So in a commuting sense, It’s not as bad as you would think for having the reputation of being an outskirts community.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN SMALL TOWN COMMUNITY
I couldn’t talk about Lake Orion without pro #2, and that’s the small town community. And not only is it the community's rich history that has made it so close knit. It truly is that small town with a big heart, highway 24 or Lapeer rd and Park blvd, as we know it as, has a good chunk of offerings, but if you veer off to the right heading north you’re immersed by the small town immediately. I wouldn’t say you’d miss it sneezing once, but maybe twice. But But, something that ties this community together better than many areas across metro Detroit is all the mom and pop shops and restaurants that i’ll touch on more in the next pro.
In Lake Orion, local businesses aren't just supported; they're cherished. There's pride in sustaining local entrepreneurs, which in turn cultivates a thriving local economy. Shopping local there is less of a choice and more of a community-wide mission, showcasing a loyalty to the local businesses that's both heartwarming and economically beneficial. Another aspect that ties this small town community together is the education. Schools in Lake Orion are the heart of the community, places where young minds are not only educated, but inspired. It’s another point of pride, with highly rated schools that emphasize not only academic excellence but also community involvement and personal development.
The schools are well-supported by parents and community members, creating a collaborative environment that benefits students. I’ll be sure to link some Lake Orion school information RIGHT HERE too. According to Niche.com rankings, Lake Orion is rated #38 out of 334 suburbs with the best public schools in Michigan and #42 of 617 places with the best public schools in Michigan. Lake Orion’s community thrives because of its ability to blend the traditional with the quirky, the individual with the collective, and the past with the present.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN THINGS TO DO
Moving over to pro #3, and that’s things to do and restaurants. First off, let’s talk about the lake. Lake Orion isn’t just a body of water; it's the town's celebrity, complete with its own fan club. Residents don’t just live here; they’re in a committed relationship with nature. Boating, fishing, swimming? That’s just a Tuesday. And the hiking trails? They’re not just paths; they’re nature’s runways where the local wildlife strut their stuff.
Attend the Dragon on the Lake Festival: This annual festival is a highlight of Lake Orion’s social calendar. It features a dragon boat race, live music, art vendors, food stalls, and activities for kids. It’s a fantastic way to dive into the local culture and meet residents.
Hike the Polly Ann Trail: Stretching through the heart of Lake Orion, this multi-use trail is ideal for hiking, biking, or even horseback riding. It’s a great way to experience the natural beauty of the area and enjoy some fresh air.
Visit Canterbury Village: This unique shopping and entertainment destination offers a glimpse into a bygone era with its charming architecture and quaint shops. Throughout the year, Canterbury Village hosts various events, including outdoor markets, holiday celebrations, and food festivals.
Play Golf at Indian wood Golf and Country Club: For golf enthusiasts, Lake Orion offers the historic Indian wood Golf and Country Club, which has hosted several major championships. Its beautiful course is a treat for players of all skill levels.
Spend a Day at the Orion Oaks County Park: This park offers over 900 acres of natural beauty with a dog park, fishing lake, picnic areas, and miles of trails.
You can also participate in Community Sports and Recreation Programs: Lake Orion’s community is active and sports-minded, offering leagues and recreational programs for all ages, including soccer, baseball, basketball, and more.
You could Catch a Movie at the Historic Orion Theatre: This is classic, it’s a single-screen movie theater offers a nostalgic way to enjoy the latest films. With its retro charm and modern amenities, it provides a unique movie-going experience.
There’s also the ability to Join the Lake Orion Boat Club: For those with a nautical side, becoming a part of the Lake Orion Boat Club is a cool way to fulfill your need for lake life.
Lake Orion’s downtown area is lined with boutique shops, cafes, and restaurants that offer a variety of dining options. From casual eateries to upscale dining, there’s something for everyone honestly.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN RESTAURANTS
As far as restaurants, driving through town you have places like the Orion boat house, a restaurant right on lake Orion, Oat soda lake Orion, a popular full service bar and restaurant, Old Detroit Bar & Grille, which is so successful the owner opened 9 other places throughout southeast Michigan, Opa food and spirits, with Greek American dishes and karaoke, Rio on main southwest cantina and Sagebrush cantina, which has the heartiest Mexican cuisines, Bitter Tom’s distillery, Johnny blacks Lakehouse, Fork n pint lake Orion, Wine social for a cool social scene, and my favorite Valentino’s, an Italian restaurant that puts several Italian places to shame, and that’s a cold hard fact since I’m a fettuccine alfredo extraordinaire OR my palette is anything but diversified so I've had it at too many restaurants. Anyway it’s good, go try it.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN HOME PRICES
Before I transition into the cons, I want to chat about pro #4 and that’s home prices. I saved this one for last because I believe this may be a short lived pro based on how popular the community has gotten over the years as well as how unaffordable the more commonly known communities have become. Don’t get me wrong home prices are still elevated here especially around the lake, but your dollar still stretches much further than other communities.
Taking a look at this graph provided by the multiple listing service which shows the average sale price over the course of 3 years, the blue line being for the village of lake Orion and the green line being Orion township. The village had an average sale price of just over $423,000 which was a 23.7% increase over the year, and the township comes in at just over $389,000 which was a 4.3% decrease over the year.
As of right now there are 35 homes on the market total in these two areas ranging from a $150,000 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 882 square foot condo, with a one car garage built in 1984 with lake privileges to Jason Voorheis lake, I mean Voorheis lake, which is a nice touch, while having a $400 a month HOA fee.
Home #1 - $150,000
Then we jump to a $1.19 million home on lake Orion that was completely remodeled last year with 249 feet of lake frontage, 4 bedrooms, 3.1 bathrooms, 3,862 total square feet, with a 2.5 car garage situated on just under half an acre and built in 1979. So it’s safe to say there’s variety for any homebuyer in their journey.
Home #2 - $1,190,000
Lake Orion Michigan Cons
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN LOCATION
Moving over to the not so good things about Lake Orion, kicking off with number one, it’s location as well. People seem to have a love hate relationship with this area. This was one of the complaints I got from current, past and potential homebuyers looking in the area. You’re either someone who enjoys being in the outskirts of metro Detroit, getting a little more space from neighbors, and don’t mind a longer commute to metro Detroit’s offerings or you’re someone who prefers to be in the middle of it all which isn’t the case for Lake Orion geographically but its not like it’s so off the beaten path that an onramp to an expressway is a hike to get to. I get if you’re someone in the far corners of the township but even then you’re 10 miles or less from an onramp. It would really just depend what community you’d want to be close to, if it’s Brighton and Howell, I get it that’s a little far. If it’s Birmingham, Bloomfield hills and some of the other Woodward corridor communities, then we are talking 20-25 miles which is 30 minutes before factoring traffic. All a preference here of course.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN TRAFFIC
The second con might surprise you based on my last point if you’re not familiar with the area, but it’s a rising complaint in the community and it’s the traffic. Aside from the new construction communities filling gaps in the area such as Moceri’s new massive development called mystic cove coming right on the corner of M24 and Heights rd which is cool to hear the community is growing, but it won’t just hurt the aesthetic of the lake driving downtown, it will add a lot more traffic to, as well as the northern cities and townships utilizing highway 24 to get from point A to B, the community is growing, and this is another one of those towns where the infrastructure isn’t perfect for all the growth that's happening, but this isn’t news, and that’s why a roundabout was put in last year, and another roundabout coming to the west side of the township too, but those are by no means a cure all for the traffic. Taking a look at this traffic map, you can see where the congestion ids heaviest with emphasis on the darker red areas. Again, this is the main vein in, out and through lake Orion, so you can see how that would be annoying.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN PROPERTY TAXES
Moving over to con #3, this point is so wildly overlooked, and that’s Lake Orion property taxes. As you might be able to gather from watching my videos over the years, you may have caught that lake Orion is a village, and villages tend to have a separate property tax, and the village of lake Orion’s is during the summer and includes general operating expenses and village police. Just to put this in perspective i’ll compare some of the nearby and well known community millage rates, which in this situation is the total tax rate includes millage rates for the public schools, Orion Township and Oakland County, and it’s equivalent to 1/1000 of a dollar, so lower the better.
Millage Rates
For a primary residence in the village of Lake Orion based on 2022 data, since 2023 data will come out August 2024, is a millage rate of 44.776. Surrounding communities like Rochester is 32.8118, Rochester hills is 30.1866, Auburn Hills is 33.0328, the village of oxford is similar at 43.096, and Clarkston sits at 38.866.
This different in millage rates can make a significant difference on your tax bill.
Property Tax Estimate
For example, say we take Lake Orion’s millage rate of 44.776 and do some math to see an estimate of your tax obligation. Again, my estimates are a high estimate. So looking at a $400,000 home, let’s take 50% of it at $200.000 and multiply it by 44.776 and divide that by 1,000 to get a total of $8955.20. If we take Rochester hills 30.1866 millage rate and do the same multiplying it by 200K and dividing it by 1000, we get $6,037.32. Which is almost a difference of $3,000 a year, which is a ton for a lot of people. You might be wondering why anyone lives in the village and you’re either waterfront on lake Orion or you like being close to town. The cheatcode to living here and not paying so much in taxes is to live just outside the village in Orion township, which has a millage rate of 35.5407, which is almost 10 mills in savings. I’m not here throwing shade at the village, all villages have higher millage rates, i’m just giving you something to think about to make the most well informed decision possible.
LAKE ORION MICHIGAN AMENITIES
The last con I want to touch on, coming in at number 4 is not heaving an abundance of amenities. This isn’t a con I agree too much with but it’s a complaint. The thought is, what was once a resort community is now what you’d consider a bedroom community where you live here but work somewhere else which is common for areas throughout metro Detroit. People have said this community is average at best with their offerings and some have even gone as far to say that if the General Motors plant closed down, (which it won’t since they announced $6.5 billion in investments for the GM Orion and GM Delta Township Assembly plants to support new EV production in 2022) then Lake Orion would be in trouble, but that’s one perspective out of several.
I also wanted to remind you about the resources below from things to do, events, public transport and more!
MENTIONED LINKS ⬇️
Lake Orion Michigan Things To Do: https://www.michigan.org/city/lake-orion
Lake Orion Michigan Restaurants: http://www.orionareachamber.com/list/ql/restaurants-food-beverages-21
Lake Orion Michigan Events: https://downtownlakeorion.org/events/
Lake Orion Michigan Schools: https://www.lakeorionschools.org/
Lake Orion Michigan Transportation: https://www.oakgov.com/community/oakland-transit/about-oakland-transit
Thanks for reading! If you’re ever looking to buy, sell or invest in the fine state of Michigan, don’t hesitate to reach out, I’d be happy to be your go to resource, until next time.
Cheers,
Andrew
Andrew McManamon is a Michigan REALTOR® with Signature Sotheby’s International Realty and provides real estate services to Buyers, Sellers and Investors throughout SE Michigan including Livingston County, Oakland County, Washtenaw County, Genesee County & beyond. Andrew has become one of the pillars of Michigan real estate. Prior to his real estate career Andrew was responsible for managing a senior living facility in Brighton, Michigan as a dining supervisor and an activities assistant. Andrew’s passion to help people is unlike any other, and he continues to strive to be the best resource he can be. Andrew graduated from Cleary University in Howell, Michigan with a double major in business and marketing, and currently resides in Brighton, Michigan.
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