Oakland & Lapeer County Information

Oakland County: As of 2007, the population was estimated at 1,206,089. The county seat is Pontiac. Oakland County is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, though the actual city of Detroit is located in neighboring Wayne County, south of 8 Mile Road. Oakland County is home to 62 cities, villages and townships. These communities range from blue-collar, inner-ring suburbs like Ferndale, to wealthy cities such as Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills. The white-collar cities of Troy, Southfield, Farmington Hills and Auburn Hills host a rich mix of Fortune 500 companies. The city of Royal Oak, home of the Detroit Zoological Park, attracts many young people to its mature downtown, which has many trendy restaurants, shops and night clubs. Oakland County is also home to Oakland University, a large public institution located in Rochester Hills.

Metro Detroit's suburbs are among the most affluent in the nation. Oakland County is the fourth wealthiest county in the United States among counties with more than one million people. The county's automotive-oriented economic base, coined "Automation Alley", is one of the largest employment centers for engineering and related occupations in the United States. Oakland County has shared in the recent economic hardships brought on by troubles at General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, although it has fared better than Detroit and Flint, as its economy is more diverse and less reliant on manufacturing jobs. All three automotive companies are major employers within southeast Michigan, and have significant investments within Oakland County.

Oakland County Census & Demographic Info

Oakland County Links:
Wikipdia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_County,_Michigan
Oakland County website http://www.oakgov.com/index.html

Lapeer County: As of the 2000 census, the population was 87,904, a 2007 Census Bureau estimate placing the population at 92,012. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it is part of Metro Detroit. The county seat is Lapeer[1]. The county was created on September 18, 1822, and was fully organized on February 2, 1835. The name is an Americanization of the French "la pierre", which means 'flint' or 'flint stone'.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 663 square miles (1,717 km²), of which, 654 square miles (1,694 km²) of it is land and 9 square miles (23 km²) of it (1.34%) is water. Lapeer County's geography is very similar to Oakland County, except Lapeer County is set in a more rural setting. Lapeer is one of the five counties that form the peninsula projecting into Lake Huron known as the Thumb, which in turn is a subregion of the Flint/Tri-Cities.

Lapeer County Census & Demographic Info

Lapeer County Links:
Wikipdia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapeer_County,_Michigan
Lapeer County website http://lapeercountyweb.org/