Orchard Lake is a medium-sized inland lake

Lake

A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

, 795 acres (3.2 km²). It has a 110 feet (34 m) maximum depth and is in the city of Orchard Lake Village

Orchard Lake Village, Michigan

Orchard Lake Village is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a small, exclusive suburb on the outskirts of Metro Detroit. The population was 2,375 at the 2010 census....

, Oakland County

Oakland County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...

, in Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

, USA. It is the second-largest lake in Oakland County after Cass Lake

Cass Lake (Michigan)

Cass Lake is the largest lake in Oakland County, Michigan. It covers 1,280 acres and has a maximum depth of 123 ft . It is bordered by the cities, villages, and townships of Waterford Township, West Bloomfield Township, Orchard Lake Village, and Keego Harbor.Dodge #4 State Park is located on the...

.

The lake is unusual in that there is a large 35 acre (142,000 m²) island in the middle of the lake, Apple Island

Apple Island (Michigan)

Apple Island is a island that lies in the middle of Orchard Lake, in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan. The island was formed during the region's last ice age, 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Over 400 species of flora currently inhabit the island, including many rare varieties in Oakland County...

. The island was frequently inhabited by local Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 before the coming of Western settlers, who later planted an apple orchard on the island, giving rise to the current name of the lake. Apple Island is now abandoned and has been designated a protected wildlife sanctuary. The small Cedar Island is near the western shore.

The campus of the old Michigan Military Academy

Michigan Military Academy

The Michigan Military Academy, also known as the M.M.A., was an all-boys military prep school in Orchard Lake Village, Oakland County, Michigan. It was founded in 1877 by Captain J. Sumner Rogers, and closed in 1908 due to bankruptcy...

 is on the northeast shore of the lake. The campus is now home to SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary

SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary

SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary is a four-year private Polish seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan. The seminary, taking its name from Saints Cyril and Methodius, was founded in 1885 in Detroit, Michigan, to prepare candidates for the Roman Catholic priesthood primarily to serve Polish American...

 and St. Mary's Preparatory

St. Mary's Preparatory

St. Mary's Preparatory is a Catholic secondary school in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan.-Overview:St. Mary's was founded in 1885 on Detroit's east side by Rev. Joseph Dabrowski as a school for Polish-American boys to train for the priesthood...

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