Orion Township, established in 1835, became a prosperous agrarian and resort community by the beginning of the 20th century. The village of Lake Orion developed as the center of commerce for township residents and a summer community of tourists and revivalists. Passenger boats and an amusement park popularized Lake Orion as a vacation destination with hotels and summer cottages. Suburban development has since transformed the landscape, but township signposts proudly display a vestige of the past: ""Orion Township, where living is a vacation.