This is a series of caches put out by Paldog, Bapman Crew and I for the HNY-13 event. We decided to name the caches after the counties of the great state of Michigan. Hope you enjoy the caches along the Bike Trail.
Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2010 Census recorded a population of 1,202,362. The county seat is Pontiac. Oakland County is part of the Detroit metropolitan area, though the city of Detroit is located in neighboring Wayne County, south of 8 Mile Road. It is among the ten highest income counties in the United States with populations over one million people . Oakland County is home to 62 cities, villages and townships. These communities range from blue-collar, inner-ring suburbs like Ferndale and Hazel Park, to affluent cities such as Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield Township, Oakland Township and Franklin. The white-collar cities of Troy, Southfield, Farmington Hills, and Auburn Hills host a rich mix of Fortune 500 companies and international firms. The cities of Royal Oak and Ferndale attract many young people to their mature, bohemian downtowns, which have many restaurants, shops and night clubs. Oakland County is also home to Oakland University, a large public institution that straddles the Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills border.
The county's knowledge-based economic initiative, 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 a significant presence within Oakland County.