Oceana County, Michigan

Founding: 1855 (declared in 1840)
Parent county: Unorganized territory

Namesake: Unclear—perhaps a poetic reference to Lake Michigan
Seat: Stony Creek (1855–1865); Hart (1865–)

Land area: 512 square miles

Population (2020): 26,659

Population (historic): 1,816 (1860); 11,699 (1880); 16,644 (1900); 13,805 (1930)

Periods of population growth: 1850–1910; 1930–2000

Subdivisions: One city; six villages; 16 townships

Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 2,576 (16%)
Pre-1940 housing survival rate: 59.8%

Farm housing in disrepair (1950): 15.9%

Nonfarm housing in disrepair (1950): 12.3%
Average farmhouse value (1930): $1,373
Average outbuilding value (1930): $1,146

Average farmhouse size (1940): 6.1 rooms
Number of farms (1920): 2,357
Average farm size (1920): 63.7 acres
Sources of settlement: Michigan, New York, Ohio, Canada, Germany, and Pennsylvania

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Hart

Namesake: Wellington Hart, an early resident of Hart Township

Founding: 1864 (platting); 1865 (post office); 1885 (incorporation)

Population (2020): 2,053

Population (historic): 464 (1880); 1,134 (1900); 1,690 (1930)

Periods of population growth: pre-1880–1950; 1960s; 1980–2010
Pre-1940 residences (estimated): 289 (33%)

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Outstanding Buildings

1. Jared Gay Log House (c. 1861). 7350 North 128th Road. Crystal.
2. St. Joseph Chapel (1891). 3802 North 144th Road. Elbridge. Romanesque.
3. John Hallberg House (c. 1875). 3233 North Railroad Avenue. Golden. Italianate.
4. St. Joseph Catholic Church (1884). 2272 West Jackson Road. Weare. Gothic Revival.

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