Oakland County, Michigan

Oakland County is a in the  of Michigan. As of the, 1,202,362 people lived there, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, after neighboring Wayne County. The is Pontiac. The county was created on March 28, 1820.

Oakland County is composed of 61 cities, townships and villages, and is part of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. The city of Detroit is in neighboring Wayne County, south of 8 Mile Road. Oakland County is among the ten highest income counties in the United States with populations over one million people. It is also home to Oakland University, a large public institution that straddles the Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills border.. It 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", has developed one of the largest employment centers for engineering and related occupations in the United States. But Oakland County has shared in the recent economic hardships brought on by troubles at, Ford, and Chrysler. 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.

History
Founded by Territorial Governor in 1819, sparsely settled Oakland was originally twice its current size. As was customary at the time, as populations increased, other counties were organized from its land area. Woodward Avenue and the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad helped draw settlers in the 1840s. By 1840, Oakland had more than fifty lumber mills, processing wood harvested from the region and the Upper Peninsula. Pontiac, located on the, was Oakland's first town and became the county seat. After the Civil War, Oakland was still primarily a rural, 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. In the late 1890s streetcars were constructed here and to Detroit.

At that time, developers made southern Oakland County a suburb of Detroit; 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 Company was founded in 1907 and became a part of General Motors Corp., which was soon Pontiac's dominant firm.

In the 1950s, the Detroit metropolitan population began migrating to the suburbs, aided by the GI Bill for veterans and federal subsidies for highways and freeways. Oakland County is among the ten highest-income counties in the United States with more than one million population. The median price of a home in Oakland County increased to $164,697, more than $30,000 above the national median. Oakland County is home to popular super-regional shopping malls such as Somerset Collection, Twelve Oaks Mall, and Great Lakes Crossing Outlets.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 907 sqmi, of which 868 sqmi is land and 40 sqmi (4.4%) is water.

Oakland County was originally divided into 25 separate, which are listed below. Each township is roughly equal in size at 6 mi by six miles, for a total township area of 36 sqmi. The roots of this design were born out of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the subsequent 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. 8 Mile Road, also known as "Baseline Road" in some areas, is the boundary between these counties. The baseline was used during the original surveying for Michigan, and it serves as the northern/southern boundaries for counties from to. As more working and middle-class populations moved to the suburbs from the 1950s on, this divide (8 Mile Road) became historically known as an unofficial racial dividing line between what became the predominantly city and almost exclusively  suburbs.

Since the late 20th century, however, the patterns of de facto have faded as the suburbs have become more diverse. Middle-class African Americans have left the city, settling in inner-ring suburbs, notably Southfield (75.08%), west of Woodward Avenue. Based on the 2010 Census, the following cities also have significant minority ethnic populations: Farmington (25.3%), Farmington Hills (31.7%), Novi (30.12%), Oak Park (62.61%), Lathrup Village (72.97%), Orchard Lake Village (16.08%), Rochester Hills (20.94%), Troy (29.4%), Wixom (26.28%), West Bloomfield (24.0%), Bloomfield (18.28%), Bloomfield Hills (14.2%), Ferndale (17.2%), and Madison Heights (17.7%). Ferndale has a concentration of Arab Americans, who also live in nearby areas, and numerous, particularly , have also settled in these areas.

Adjacent counties

 * Lapeer County (northeast)
 * Genesee County (northwest)
 * Macomb County (east)
 * Wayne County (southeast)
 * Washtenaw County (southwest)
 * Livingston County (west)

Demographics
As of the, there were 1,202,362 people and 315,175 families residing in the county. 77.3% were White, 13.6%, 5.6% , 0.3% , 1.0% of some other race and 2.2% of two or more races. 3.5% were (of any race). There were 527,255 housing units at an average density of 564 /sqmi.

Regarding ancestry, in 2000 14.4% of the population were ethnically, 9.0% , 8.5% , 8.5% , 5.7% and 5.5% American, according to Census 2000. 87.4% spoke only at home; 2.0% spoke Spanish, 1.3% Syriac (Neo Aramaic) and 1.0% Arabic. The as of the  was 1,369 PD/sqmi. There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 /sqmi.

The 2000 census showed two Native American tribes with more than 1,000 members in Oakland County. There were 2,095 Cherokee and 1,458 Chippewa.

The Jewish community of metropolitan Detroit, with a population of 72,000, is the 21st largest Jewish community in the nation. This community is concentrated in Oakland County, especially in West Bloomfield, Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Troy and Huntington Woods.

There were 471,115 households, of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them. 54.20% were 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 more than 1,000 members in the county in 2000. The most numerous were those of Asian Indian descent, with 20,705. Next were those of heritage, numbering 10,018. Next were those of (5,589),  (5,450)  (5,351), Vietnamese (1,687), Pakistani (1,458) and  (1,210) ancestry.

In 2001, Oakland County had the 36th largest Asian population of any county in the country. In 2002, of the Oakland-Wayne-Macomb tricounty area, Oakland County had 49% of the tricounty area's Asian population.

The county's population was spread out in terms of age, with 25.20% of people 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 (these figures had risen to $62,308 and $79,589 respectively as of a 2009 estimate). Males had a median income of $55,833 versus $35,890 for females. The for the county was $32,534. About 3.80% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the, including 6.50% of those under age 18 and 6.50% of those age 65 or over.

Air

 * Oakland County International Airport (PTK) (Waterford Township) - Charter passenger facility.

The following airports are located in neighboring counties:
 * (DTW) (Romulus) - Major commercial airport and hub for Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines located in Wayne County.
 * Bishop International Airport (FNT) (Flint) - Commercial airport located in Genesee County.
 * Coleman A. Young International Airport (DET) (Detroit) - General aviation only. This airport is in Wayne County in the city of Detroit.

Major highways

 * is the main north–south highway in the region, serving Flint, Pontiac, Troy, and Detroit, before continuing south (as the Fisher and Detroit-Toledo Freeways) to serve many of the communities along the shore of Lake Erie.
 * runs northwest-southeast through Oakland County and (as the Jeffries Freeway) has its eastern terminus in downtown Detroit.
 * runs north–south from I-75 in the south to the junction of I-96 and I-696 in the north, providing a bypass through the western suburbs of Detroit.
 * runs east–west from the junction of I-96 and I-275, providing a route through the northern suburbs of Detroit. Taken together, I-275 and I-696 form a semicircle around Detroit.
 * ends north of Pontiac at I-75. To the south, US 24 serves suburban Detroit and Monroe before entering Ohio. Much of US 24 in Oakland County is named Telegraph Road, and it is a major north–south road extending from Toledo, Ohio, through Monroe, Wayne, and Oakland Counties to Pontiac. It gained notoriety in a song (Telegraph Road) by the group Dire Straits.
 * has a northern terminus in Pontiac. The route continues southerly from Oakland County into the City of Detroit, ending downtown. The Detroit Zoo is located along M-1 in Oakland County. M-1 is also home to the Woodward Dream Cruise, a classic-car cruise from Pontiac to Ferndale that is held in August. It is the largest single-day classic-car cruise in America.
 * (John C. Lodge Freeway) runs largely parallel to I-75 from Southfield to downtown Detroit. The service drives are named Northwestern Highway.
 * , Main Street in Clarkston
 * has a southern terminus at I-75 north of Pontiac. To the north, the route continues to Lapeer and beyond. Note: M-24 and US 24 do not intersect at present, although this was the case until the 1950s.
 * runs north–south from Southfield to Allen Park from I-94. North of 10 Mile Road, the freeway ends and continues as Southfield Road into Birmingham.
 * [from Pontiac westerly], Huron Street [within Pontiac] and Veterans Memorial Freeway [Pontiac to Utica]), continues east in Macomb County as Hall Road to Clinton Township and west to I-96 near Howell
 * Perhaps better known as 8 Mile Road, M-102 follows the Oakland–Wayne county line for most of its length. 8 Mile Road, known by many due to the film 8 Mile, forms the dividing line between Detroit on the south and the suburbs of Macomb and Oakland counties on the north. It is also known as Baseline Road outside of Detroit, because it coincides with the baseline used in surveying Michigan; that baseline is also the boundary for a number of Michigan counties. It is designated M-102 for much of its length in Wayne County.
 * serves as a spur highway from M-59 into the city of Rochester.
 * Grand River Avenue connects the suburbs of Brighton, Novi, and Farmington to downtown Detroit. The avenue follows the route of old US 16, before I-96 replaced it in 1962. It is one of the five roads planned by Judge August Woodward to radiate out from Detroit and connect the city to other parts of the state.
 * Grand River Avenue connects the suburbs of Brighton, Novi, and Farmington to downtown Detroit. The avenue follows the route of old US 16, before I-96 replaced it in 1962. It is one of the five roads planned by Judge August Woodward to radiate out from Detroit and connect the city to other parts of the state.

Mile roads

 * Surface-street navigation in metro Detroit is commonly anchored by "mile roads," major east-west surface streets that are spaced at 1 mi intervals and increment as one travels north and away from the city center. Mile roads sometimes have two names, the numeric name (e.g., 15 Mile Road), used in Macomb County, and a local name (e.g., Maple Road), used in Oakland County (for the most part).

Bicycling
The conditions on most non-residential roads in Oakland County are not favorable to bicycling. Exceptions to this are primarily in the inner-ring suburbs within the southeast corner of the county. This is due to their street grid.

A primary reason for these unfavorable cycling conditions is the Road Commission for Oakland County has a policy of not accommodating bicycles on the road. As a result, some communities have designated sidepaths (locally called "safety paths") as bike routes which do not meet the (AASHTO) guidelines for bicycling facilities and have been found to be less safe than on-road bike facilities.

As a result, there are no designated Bicycle Friendly Communities within Oakland County.

Only the city of Ferndale has a built comprehensive bicycle network of bike lanes and signed shared roadways.

Cities

 * Auburn Hills
 * Berkley
 * Birmingham
 * Bloomfield Hills
 * Clarkston
 * Clawson
 * Farmington
 * Farmington Hills
 * Fenton (mostly in Genesee County)
 * Ferndale
 * Hazel Park
 * Huntington Woods
 * Keego Harbor
 * Lake Angelus
 * Lathrup Village
 * Madison Heights
 * Northville (partially in Wayne County)
 * Novi
 * Oak Park
 * Orchard Lake Village
 * Pleasant Ridge
 * Pontiac (county seat)
 * Rochester
 * Rochester Hills
 * Royal Oak
 * South Lyon
 * Southfield
 * Sylvan Lake
 * Troy
 * Walled Lake
 * Wixom

Villages

 * Beverly Hills
 * Bingham Farms
 * Franklin
 * Holly
 * Lake Orion
 * Leonard
 * Milford
 * Ortonville
 * Oxford
 * Wolverine Lake

Charter townships

 * Bloomfield Charter Township
 * Brandon Charter Township
 * Commerce Charter Township
 * Highland Charter Township
 * Independence Charter Township
 * Lyon Charter Township
 * Milford Charter Township
 * Oakland Charter Township
 * Orion Charter Township
 * Oxford Charter Township
 * Royal Oak Charter Township
 * Springfield Charter Township
 * Waterford Charter Township
 * West Bloomfield Charter Township
 * White Lake Charter Township

Civil townships

 * Addison Township
 * Groveland Township
 * Holly Township
 * Novi Township
 * Rose Township
 * Southfield Township

Unincorporated communities

 * Andersonville
 * Austin Corners
 * Brandon Gardens
 * Campbells Corner
 * Charing Cross
 * Clintonville
 * Clyde
 * Commerce
 * Davisburg
 * Drayton Plains
 * East Highland
 * Elizabeth Lake
 * Five Points
 * Four Towns
 * Gingellville
 * Glengary
 * Goodison
 * Groveland Corners
 * Hickory Ridge
 * Highland
 * Huron Heights
 * Jossman Acres
 * Kensington
 * Lake Orion Heights
 * Lakeville
 * New Hudson
 * Newark
 * Oak Grove
 * Oakley Park
 * Oakwood
 * Oxbow
 * Perry Lake Heights
 * Rose Center
 * Rose Corners
 * Rudds Mill
 * Seven Harbors
 * Springfield
 * Thomas
 * Union Lake
 * Walters
 * Waterford Village
 * Waterstone
 * West Highland
 * Westacres
 * White Lake

Lakes
Twelve Oakland County all-sports lakes have public boat launches; Big Lake (Springfield Twp.), Cass Lake (Waterford Twp.), Cedar Island Lake (White Lake Twp.), Crescent Lake (Waterford Twp.), Lake Oakland (Waterford Twp.), Lake Orion (Orion Twp.), Long Lake (Commerce Twp.), Maceday Lake (Waterford Twp.), Pontiac Lake (Waterford Twp.), Tipsico Lake (Rose Twp.), Union Lake (Commerce Twp.), and White Lake (White Lake Twp.)

In addition, no-wake lakes in Oakland County with public boat launches include Crooked Lake (Independence Twp.), Heron Lake (Holly Twp.), Kent Lake (Milford Twp.) and Wildwood Lake (Groveland Twp.).

There are 387 lakes in Oakland County. Of those lakes, 317 are named while 70 are unnamed lakes.

Named Oakland County lakes include:

Rivers
There are five rivers in Oakland County:

The headwaters of each of these rivers lie in Oakland County.