(Redirected from Oakland County)
'Oakland County' is a
county in the
U.S. state of
Michigan.
As of 2005, the population was estimated at 1,214,361.
[2] The
county seat is
Pontiac6. It is part of the
Detroit metropolitan area , though the actual city of
Detroit is located in neighboring
Wayne County , south of
8 Mile Road. Oakland County is home to 62 cities, villages and townships. These communities range from blue-collar, inner-ring suburbs like
Ferndale, to wealthy cities such as the renowned municipalities of
Birmingham and
Bloomfield Hills. The white-collar cities of
Troy,
Southfield,
Farmington Hills and
Auburn Hills host a rich mix of Fortune 500 companies. The city of
Royal Oak, home of the
Detroit Zoological Park, attracts many young people to its mature downtown, which has many trendy restaurants, shops and night clubs.
Metro Detroit's suburbs are among the most affluent in the nation. Oakland County is the fourth wealthiest county in the United States among counties with more than one million people.
[ 2004–05 Community profile Oakland County ] The county's automotive-oriented economic base, 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 significant investments within Oakland County.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908
square miles (2,352
km²). Of that, 873 square miles (2,260 km²) is land and 35 square miles (92 km²) of it (3.91%) is water.
Oakland County was originally divided into 25 separate
townships, which are listed below. Each township is roughly equal in size at six miles by six miles for a total township area of 36 square miles. The roots of this design were born out of the
Land Ordinance of 1785 and the subsequent
Northwest Ordinance of
1787. Oakland County itself is a prime example of the land policy that was established, as all townships are equal in size (save for slight variations due to waterways). Section 16 in each township was reserved for financing and maintaining public education, and even today many schools in Oakland County townships are located within that section.
Wayne County, where the city of
Detroit is located, borders Oakland County to the south. The southern boundary is
8 Mile Road, also known as "Baseline Road" in some areas. The baseline was used during the original surveying for Michigan, and serves as the northern/southern boundaries for counties from
Lake St. Clair all the way to
Lake Michigan. This divide (8 Mile Road) has been widely known as an unofficial racial dividing line between the largely
black city and mostly
white suburbs, although this pattern of ''de facto''
segregation has lessened somewhat in recent years, particularly in communities west of
Woodward Avenue, where the African-American population has been on the increase.
Adjacent counties
★
Lapeer County (northeast)
★
Genesee County (northwest)
★
Macomb County (east)
★
Wayne County (southeast)
★
Washtenaw County (southwest)
★
Livingston County (west)
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 1,194,156 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The
population density was 1,369 people per square mile (528/km²). There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile (218/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.75%
White, 10.11%
Black or
African American, 0.27%
Native American, 4.14%
Asian American, 0.02%
Pacific Islander, 0.84% from
other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 2.43% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 87.4% spoke
English, 2.0%
Spanish, 1.3%
Syriac and 1.0%
Arabic as their first language.
The 2000 census showed two Native American tribes with over 1,000 members in Oakland County. There were 2,095 Cherokee and 1,458 Chippewa.
[3]
There were 471,115 households out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were
married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.10% were non-families. 27.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.09.
Among Asian Americans, eight ethnic groups had over 1,000 members in the county. The most numerous were those of
Asian Indian decent, with 20,705. Next were those of
Chinese heritage, numbering 10,018. Next were those of
Japanese (5,589),
Filipino (5,450)
Korean (5,351),
Vietnamese (1,687),
Pakistani (1,458) and
Hmong (1,210) ancestry.
[3]
In the county the population was spread out with 25.20% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 11.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $61,907, and the median income for a family was $75,540. Males had a median income of $55,833 versus $35,890 for females. The
per capita income for the county was $32,534. About 3.80% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 6.50% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.
In 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that non-Hispanic whites (including Arabs and Chaldeans) were 78.6% of the population; African Americans, 11.8%; Asian Americans, 5.3%; and Hispanic or Latino people (of any race) 2.8%.
Government
The county government operates the
jail, operates the major local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains
vital records, administers
public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of welfare and other social services. The
county board of commissioners controls the budget but has only limited authority to make laws or ordinances. In Michigan, most local government functions — police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance, etc. — are the responsibility of individual cities and townships.
Roads that are not maintained by a local community (city/township) are maintained by County Road Commissions, which is a extention of the State, not the local county.
Oakland County Elected Officials
★
County Executive:
L. Brooks Patterson (
Republican)
★
Prosecuting Attorney:
David Gorcyca (Republican)
★
Sheriff:
Michael J. Bouchard (Republican)
★
County Clerk/
Register of Deeds:
Ruth Johnson (Republican)
★
County Treasurer:
Patrick M. Dohany (Republican)
★
Drain Commissioner:
John P. McCulloch (Republican)
★
Board of Commissioners: 25 members, elected from districts (15 Republicans, 10 Democrats)
(information as of February 2006)
Cities, villages, and townships
The white areas represent unincorporated charter and civil townships. The gray areas represent incorporated cities and villages.
Cities
1In the 2000 Census, Farmington Hills was the most populous city in the county. As of the 2005 Census estimates, Troy is now the most populous city.
Villages
★
Beverly Hills
★
Bingham Farms
★
Franklin
★
Clarkston
★
Holly
★
Lake Orion
★
Leonard
★
Milford
★
Ortonville
★
Oxford
★
Wolverine Lake
Townships
★ Township has been incorporated into a city: Avon to the
City of Rochester Hills, Farmington to the
City of Farmington Hills, Pontiac to the
City of Pontiac and
City of Auburn Hills, and Troy to the
City of Troy. For survey purposes, these areas are still referred to by the assigned township name.
References
1. "History of Oakland County," ''OaklandWeb.com'', Retrieved 2007-07-02.
2. "Oakland County Quick Facts," ''U.S. Census Bureau'', 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
3. See search results from ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
4. See search results from ''U.S. Census Bureau''. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
External links
★
Oakland County
★
''An Account of Oakland County'' edited by Lillian Drake Avery. Dayton, Ohio: National Historical Association, Inc., [1925?]
★
Automation Alley
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