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Oakland County, Michigan
Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2007, the population was estimated at 1,206,089.[1] The county seat is Pontiac. Oakland County 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 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. Oakland County is also home to Oakland University, a division I school located in Rochester Hills. 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.[2] 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.
GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 908 square miles (2,352 km˛). Of that, 873 square miles (2,260 km˛) is land and 35 square miles (92 km˛) 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
DemographicsAs of the census 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/km˛). There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile (218/km˛). 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. 14.4% were of German, 9.0% Irish, 8.5% English, 8.5% Polish, 5.7% Italian and 5.5% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 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. [4] 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%. HistoryCreated by territorial Gov. Lewis Cass in 1819, sparsely settled Oakland was twice its current size at first, but shrank as Michigan's population grew and new counties were established. Woodward Avenue and the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad helped draw settlers in the 1840s. By 1840, Oakland had more than fifty mills. Pontiac, located on the Clinton River, was Oakland's first town and became the county seat. After the Civil War, Oakland was mainly an agricultural county with numerous isolated villages. By the end of the 19th Century, three rail lines served Pontiac and the city attracted carriage and wagon factories. Streetcars began moving people in the late 1890s. Developers turned southern Oakland County into a suburb of Detroit in the 1890s, when a Cincinnati firm platted a section of Royal Oak called "Urbanrest." Migration worked both ways. Several thousand people moved from Oakland County farms to Detroit as the city attracted factories. By 1910, a number of rich Detroiters had summer homes and some year-round residences in what became Bloomfield Hills. The auto age enveloped Pontiac in the early 1900s. The Oakland Motor Car Co. was born in 1907 and became a part of General Motors Corp., which was soon Pontiac's dominate firm. In the 1950s, jobs and people began leaving Detroit. Northland Center opened in 1954. Oakland County passed Wayne County in effective buying power by 1961, when it ranked 28th in the nation in household income. It ranked second-highest nationally in per capita income for counties of more than a million people, behind New York County (Manhattan). The median price of a home in Oakland County skyrocketed to $164,697, more than $30,000 above the national median. Notable People from Oakland CountyActors/Actresses
Musicians
GovernmentThe 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. However Oakland County operates a Police force that is used throughout the county. Several cities do not have personalized police forces, but rather separate branches of the County Police have been set up for these regions. For instance, the City of Rochester Hills does not have a "Rochester Hills Police Department" but instead simply has cars marked Oakland County police. That branch operates as the Oakland County Police Department of Rochester Hills. Roads that are not maintained by a local community (city/village) are maintained by the Road Commission for Oakland County, which is governed by three board members appointed by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners. Oakland County Elected Officials
(information as of January 2007) PoliticsOakland County has historically been a stronghold of the Republican Party, in large part because of the party's support for policies that favor businesses. However, the county also contains a sizeable number of unaffiliated voters, many of whom have recently favored the Democratic Party. In the last three presidential elections, a narrow plurality of county voters have supported the Democratic candidate. In the U.S. House of Representatives, three members represent parts of Oakland County: Republicans Joe Knollenberg and Thaddeus McCotter, and Democrat Sander Levin.
Cities, villages, and townships
The white areas represent unincorporated charter and civil townships. The gray areas represent incorporated cities and villages. Cities1In 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
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. TransportationAir
Major Highways
Other Major Roads
"Mile" Roads
ProgramsOakland County established the first County-level Main Street program in the U.S. in February 2000. Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) is housed within the Planning Group of the Planning & Economic Development Services Division of Oakland County's Department of Community & Economic Development. Oakland County is now a partner with the National Trust's Main Street Center and contracts with them for services to the County and local communities. MSOC...
MSOC is currently working with 12 downtowns in Oakland County. These communities were selected after a detailed application process where they demonstrated their readiness and commitment to participating in the National Trust Main Street program. Oakland County's Main Street Communities
EducationColleges and UniversitiesOakland County is home to several important institutions of higher education. Oakland University, located in Rochester, is a growing research university with more than 18,000 students. Rated as one of the country's 82 Doctoral/Research universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, OU announced plans in the spring of 2007 to establish a medical school on its campus in collaboration with William Beaumont Hospital. The medical school, which will be the fourth in the state of Michigan to offer the M.D. degree, is slated to open in 2010. The Thomas M. Cooley Law School also operates one of its campuses at OU. Lawrence Technological University, located in Southfield, has a current enrollment of around 4,000 students. Lawrence Tech, which was originally founded in 1932 as Lawrence Institute of Technology, is consistently ranked in the top tier of Midwestern Master's Universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report rankings. Rochester College, located in Rochester Hills, has a current enrollment of approximately 1,000 students. Affiliated with the Churches of Christ, Rochester College offers a variety of academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, and education. Walsh College, officially Walsh College of Accountancy and Business, has campuses in Troy, Novi, and in Macomb County. Oakland Community College, which is one of Michigan's largest community colleges, operates 5 campuses throughout Oakland County: Orchard Ridge, Auburn Hills, Southfield, Highland Lakes, and Royal Oak. Primary and Secondary EducationMany of the public school districts in Oakland County boast multiple "National Exemplary" Schools. The International Academy (IA), which is part of the Bloomfield Hills School District, has been ranked by Newsweek as one of the top 10 public high schools in the nation every year since 2003, when IA was ranked the top public high school in the United States. Oakland County also boasts a number of prestigious private schools, including the Detroit Country Day School, the Cranbrook Schools, and the Roeper School. References
Bibliography and further readingExternal links
ar:?????? ???????? ??????? de:Oakland County fr:Comté d'Oakland bpy:????????? ???????, ??????? it:Contea di Oakland nl:Oakland County ja:??????? (?????) no:Oakland County nds:Oakland County pt:Condado de Oakland (Michigan) sv:Oakland County zh:???? (????) Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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