Overview of West Bloomfield, Michigan
In the U.S. state of Michigan, within the Detroit metropolitan area, West Bloomfield Township, formally the Charter Township of West Bloomfield, is a charter township in Oakland County. It is one of Oakland County’s most expensive places to live. The township had a population of 64,690. as of the 2010 census.
Sometimes referred to by its inhabitants as the lake township of Oakland County, West Bloomfield is densely dotted with small and medium-sized lakes. Cass Lake, the county ‘s largest lake, is part of West Bloomfield, and Pine Lake, which has a private country club on its shore, is only a couple of miles from Cass and is entirely within West Bloomfield. Furthermore, Orchard Lake, which also has a private country club on its shore, is immediately west of Pine Lake. The city of Orchard Lake Village surrounds Orchard Lake. These larger ones are spread among many smaller lakes.
Orchard Lake Road runs north-south through the center of the township, and along West Maple Road, flanked on either side by long strip malls and shopping centers, is the main artery of West Bloomfield ‘s economy. Many high-end luxury shops and expensive restaurants are available to enjoy. Since the 1960s, much of the population development of the township has occurred, as many people migrated there from the inner ring suburbs of Detroit. West Bloomfield is located about 10 miles northwest of the Detroit city limits in south-central Oakland County and borders Bloomfield Township to its east, Farmington Hills to its south, Commerce Township to its west, and four neighborhoods to its north: Waterford Township, Orchard Lake Village, Keego Harbor, and Sylvan Lake. What is known as Greater West Bloomfield is made up of the neighborhoods of West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake Village, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake.
The West Bloomfield School District, Waterford School District, Farmington Public Schools, Birmingham City School District, Pontiac School District, Walled Lake School District, and the Bloomfield Hills School District are the school districts that serve the area.
West Bloomfield High School and Metropolitan Detroit’s Frankel Jewish Academy are in West Bloomfield proper, and in Orchard Lake Village is St. Mary’s Preparatory.
West Bloomfield has a significant community of Jews. It is home to the Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Cultural Center, the Frankel Jewish Academy, a high school for the Jewish community, and the Michigan Jewish Historical Society museum.
As of 1990, West Bloomfield also had a significant Chaldean population. The Shenandoah Golf and Country Club, located across the street from Temple Israel synagogue, was acquired by the Chaldean-Iraqi Association of Michigan in 1989. Opposition to the purchase was expressed by some homeowners who cited a fear of further growth. The New York Times’ Doron P. Levin wrote that it was never clear if those who protested were Jewish, but discrimination was felt by some Chaldeans.
On the golf course and the clubhouse, the Chaldean community invested $1 million on renovations. Welcoming the Chaldeans, Temple Israel arranged social events. Levin wrote that “the resistance was not robust or long-lasting. The Jews and Chaldeans started to socialize gradually in West Bloomfield in 1990. The Chaldean Cultural Center, the largest Chaldean cultural center in the United States, was located in West Bloomfield Township in 2004.”