Independence Township, Michigan

History

The first settlers arrived in Independence Township in the mid 1820s and early 1830s, primarily from New Jersey and New York. The first settler to purchase and settle land in the township was John W. Beardslee (b. 1799, d. 1883), from Sussex County, New Jersey.

While initially the township was primarily agricultural, the many lakes in the area were beginning to draw vacationers out of Detroit and other cities. In 1851, the railroad came through Clarkston, which prompted hotels to be built in the township to accommodate the resort vacationers coming to the area.

The invention of the automobile had a tremendous effect on Independence Township. Roads that were once Native American trails were paved and widened for this new mode of transportation. The old Saginaw Trail, now known as Dixie Highway, was paved as early as 1920, and Main Street (M-15) in Clarkston was paved around 1922.

The expanding national highway system brought I-75 through Independence Township 1962, spurring both business and residential development. Many farms gave way to subdivisions and strip malls as Independence Township continued evolving into part of Metropolitan Detroit.

Parks

Independence Township is home to several parks.

The largest of Independence Township's parks is Independence Oaks, located at 9501 Sashabaw Road in Independence Township. This 1,276-acre park features more than 12 miles of marked nature and ski trails, including the paved River Loop Trail, All-Visitors Trail and Hawk's View Trail, a 2.5-mile paved hike, bike and blade pathways, picnicking, hiking, fishing, swimming, nature study and youth group camping.

Clintonwood Park, located at 6000 Clarkston Road in Clarkston, is 120 acres of open space. The park features a fitness trail, basketball courts, tennis courts, playground and spraypark, and baseball/softball fields.

Deer Lake Beach is located at 350 White Lake Road in Clarkston. The beach is on the 137-acre Deer Lake and offers two separate swimming areas that are both supervised by lifeguards during hours of operation.

Sashabaw Plains Park, located at 5620 Maybee Road in Independence Township, is a 15-acre park featuring a playground, baseball fields, horseshoes, basketball courts, volleyball and picnic areas.

Depot Park, located on 375 Depot Road in downtown Clarkston, offers free concerts in the park every Friday. The park also has walking paths along the Clinton River and a play-ground.

Bay Court Park, located at 6970 Andersonville Road, has a Playscape and Disc golf and is situated on the banks of the 177-acre Greens Lake in Independence Township.

Education

Independence Township is primarily serviced by the Clarkston Community Schools.

In 2016, Clarkston High School had an enrollment of 1,930 students in grade nine through twelve. The school is located at 6093 Flemings Lake Road in Independence Township.

Clarkston High School offers twenty-six varsity sports, and competes in the Oakland Activities Association. It is a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Renaissance High School is located at 6558 Waldon Road in Independence Township. Renaissance High School is for students in grades 9 to 12 who need an alternative to the traditional high school setting in order to be successful. Renaissance students must meet Clarkston High School graduation requirements and receive a Clarkston High School diploma. Renaissance students are encouraged to participate in athletics, clubs and extracurricular activities offered at Clarkston High School. Renaissance students can also take courses at the Oakland Schools Campus, whose Northwest campus is also located in the township at 8211 Big Lake Road.

Opened in 2008, Everest Collegiate High School is a private Roman Catholic high school also located in the township at 5935 Clarkston Road in Independence Township. The school competes athletically in the Catholic High School League and is a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Clarkston Junior High School is located at 6595 Waldon Road in Clarkston. The school teaches eight and ninth grades.

Sashabaw Middle School is located at 5565 Pine Knob Lane in Independence Township. The school teaches sixth and seventh grades.

There are seven public elementary schools in Independence Township:

Andersonville Elementary School

Bailey Lake Elementary School

Clarkston Elementary School

Independence Elementary School

North Sashabaw Elementary School

Pine Knob Elementary School

Springfield Plains Elementary School

Everest Academy, a private Catholic elementary school, is also located in Independence Township.

Subdivisions

As of 2016, there were seventy-five real estate subdivisions in Independence Township:

Ardmore

Bay Shores

Blackberry Estates

Bridge Valley

Brookstone Hills

Clarkston Acres

Clarkston Bluffs

Clarkston Farms

Clarkston Park

Clarkston Pines

Clintonville Pines

Coulter Lake Estates

Deer Lake Farms

Deerwood

Dollar Lake

Drayton Heights

Equestrian Lake Village

Estates of Waldon Creek

Fairways at Pine Knob

Goodrich Farm

Heather Lake Meadows

Hi-wood Village

Hilltop Estates

Independence Valley

Lake Oakland Woods

Lake View Heights

Lake Waldon Village

Lakeland Vale

Links of Independence

Moon Valley

Oakhurst

Oakmont of Clarkston

Olde Sturbridge Settlement

Park Ridge at Stonewood

Parke Lake View

Pelton Heights

Pine Knob Country Estates

Pine Knob Enclaves

Pine Knob Manor

Richmond Knolls

Rolling Hills Estates

Round Lake Woods

Sashabaw Creek Farms

Sashabaw Creek Preserve

Sashabaw Heights

Sheringham Place

Sheringham Woods

Spring Lake North

Stonewall Farms

Stonewood Place

Strawberry Hills

Sunny Beach

Supervisor's Plat No 3

Supervisor's Plat No 4

Supervisor's Plat No 5

Supervisor's Plat No 6

Supervisor's Plat No 10

The Bluffs of Pine Knob

The Hills of Pine Knob

The Ridge at Morgan Lake

The Towns at Cheshire Park

The Villages at Cheshire Park

The Water's Edge

Thendara Park

Townsend

Trillium Village of Clarkston

Waldon Creek

Waldon Pond

Waterford Hill Manor

Whipple Shores

Wildflowers of Clarkston

Wilshore

Windiate's Waterford

Woodhull Lake

Golf

Independence Township is home to three public golf courses; Fountains Golf Golf Club, an 18-hole course located at 6060 Maybee Road in Independence Township, Pine Knob Golf Club, a 27-hole course, located at 5580 Waldon Road in Independence Township, and Shepherd's Hollow Golf Club, a 27- hole championship course rated 42nd best golf course in the United States by Golf Magazine. It is located at 9085 Big Lake Road in Independence Township.

Oakhurst Golf and Country Club is a private club, located at 7000 Oakhurst Lane in Independence Township. Oakhurst was the home of the 99th Michigan Amateur

Skiing and music

Pine Knob is a ski resort located in Independence Township. It features 17 trails and 12 lifts. It is known for its slope called "The Wall".

Pine Knob is also home to the DTE Energy Music Theatre, an outdoor Amphitheater concert venue that has featured hundreds of celebrities and is always one of the highest grossing outdoor amphitheaters in the United States. It is located in Independence Township minutes away from downtown Clarkston.

The concert venue, which opened in 1972, was originally called Pine Knob Music Theater until DTE Energy purchased its naming rights in 2001.

Hills and lakes

Independence Township is located along the Hillsdale-Lapeer Moraine Range. The highest hill along that range in Independence Township is Pine Knob, at 1,221 feet. It is also the highest point in Southeastern Michigan. Only three miles away is Waterford Hill, the second highest hill in Independence Township with an elevation of 1,150 feet. Atop Waterford Hill is Olympus Circle, the highest elevation of any residential street in Independence Township.

The Clinton River winds its way through Independence Township creating more than thirty named lakes of all sizes along the way.

Road racing

Waterford Hills Road Racing Track is a professional road racing track located at 4770 Waterford Road in Independence Township.

The track is a 1.5 mile road racing track (not an oval) with right and left turns, hills and straight-a-ways. The fastest cars hit over 120mph on the back straight. The track has spectator seating along the track.

Races are run in accordance with the Sports Car Club of America) competition rules.

Location

Clarkston falls in the exact middle of both Detroit and Flint, Michigan

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.3 square miles (94 km²), of which 35.2 square miles (91 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), or 3.03%, is water.

Demographics

The population of Independence Township was 34,681 at the 2010 census.

In Independence Township in 2010, there were:

11,765 households

9,094 families

12,375 housing units

95.84% White

1.22% Asian

0.84% African American

0.24% Native American

2.75 was the average household size

3.14 was the average family size

27.7% under the age of 18

6.9% from 18 to 24

31.7% from 25 to 44

25.7% from 45 to 64

8.1% who were 65 years of age or older

$74,992 was the median income

Notable people

This list includes people from the area (Clarkston and Independence Township).

Valerie Bertinelli, actress

Tim Birtsas, former MLB player

Dan Dickerson, radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Detroit Tigers

Dane Fife, former Indiana University basketball player and current assistant coach at Michigan State University

Henry Ford, industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. Maintained a summer home and weekend cottage on Main Street. Ford also owned a mill which operated on the water from what is now called "Mill Pond" in Clarkston. This building still exists in part but has been modernized into a small mall which includes art galleries and office space. He also purchased the old school building on N. Main St. to serve as an apprentice school.

Brandon Gentile, NHL player

John Hardon, Jesuit priest, theologian

Steve Howe, former MLB pitcher

Geoff Johns, comic book writer

Scott Kamieniecki, former MLB player

Tim McCormick, former NBA player and current sports broadcaster

Bob Miller, former NFL player

Marisha Pessl, author

Ryan Riess, professional poker player, 2013 World Series of Poker champion

Tim Robinson, comedian, current cast member on Saturday Night Live

Kid Rock, musician

Ron Serafini, former NHL player

David Simko, former NASCAR Cup Series driver

Samuel William Smith, former member of the United States House of Representatives

Daniel Travis, actor