Oceana County, Michigan

Oceana County
County
Oceana County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Michigan
Michigan's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 43°40′N 86°32′W / 43.66°N 86.53°W / 43.66; -86.53
Country	United States
State	Michigan
Founded	1840 (created) 1855 (organized)[1]
Seat	Hart
Largest city	Hart
Area
• Total	1,306 sq mi (3,380 km2)
• Land	512 sq mi (1,330 km2)
• Water	794 sq mi (2,060 km2)  61%
Population  (2020)
• Total	26,659
• Density	52/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	oceana.mi.us

Oceana County (/ˌoʊʃiˈænə/ OH-shee-AN-ə) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 26,659.^[2] The county seat is Hart.^[3] Long known as part of the large Ojibwe territory, the county was founded by European Americans in 1840 and organized in 1855.^[1]

Settlers were attracted by access along the White River, which reaches its mouth on Lake Michigan in Muskegon County to the south. Two possibilities have been put forward to explain the county's name: Oceana County may have been named for Lake Michigan, a freshwater "ocean," which forms its western border;^[4] or it was named for the book Oceana, written by English author James Harrington in 1656.^[1]

Oceana County is famous as the "Asparagus Capital of the World" for its high production of asparagus. The annual Asparagus Festival includes a parade and crowning of the Asparagus Queen.