Community of the Month: Long Lake Village

This quiet community is part of the Brandon School District, whose middle school and high school have both earned the Blue Ribbon Exemplary School Award for Excellence. Long Lake Village is located in the one-square-mile village of Ortonville, which boasts a state-of-the-art library, three parks, two churches, a museum, a vintage one-room schoolhouse, Little League fields and a skate park. It’s a suburb of Clarkston, named to the National Register of Historic Places because of its architectural and historical significance. Clarkston’s Victorian downtown area has more than 100 historic structures, with a glimpse of heritage in every stroll down its bucolic streets.

 Families who live in Long Lake Village are a stone’s throw away from Great Lakes Crossing Mall’s 160 stores and outlets, 25-screen AMC Imax Cinema, more than 30 restaurants and fast-food eateries, and the Steven Spielberg-designed GameWorks play land. There’s no shortage of entertainment and activity options nearby. Shepherd’s Hollow Golf Course, recognized as one of the Top 100 Public Golf Clubs in the U.S., is in Clarkston. Pine Knob offers skiing and snowboarding and the DTE Energy Music Theater for concerts. Additionally, close-by Pontiac Lakes State Recreation Area is 3,800 acres of marshes, ponds, forests and old farm fields providing many activities for active families, including hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, swimming, boating, fishing and snowmobiling.