[3] Oceana County is located in the West Michigan region of the state's Lower Peninsula.

[4] Prior to European American settlement, Oceana County was part of the territory of the Ojibwe.

Early European American settlers were attracted by access along the White River, which reaches its mouth on Lake Michigan in Muskegon County to the south.

[1] The origin of the county's name is unclear, although there are two possibilities: the county may have been named for Lake Michigan, the freshwater "ocean," which forms its western border;[6] or for the book Oceana, written by English author James Harrington in 1656.

[1] In the 1850s about 1400 Odawa were relocated here from Ionia County, Michigan by the federal government.

[7] The county economy was first built on the lumber trade, with logs floated downriver.

By land By water This rural county reached a peak of population in 2000.

Oceana County operates the County jail, maintains rural roads, operates the major local courts, records deeds, mortgages, and vital records, administers public health regulations, and participates with the state in the provision of social services.

The county board of commissioners controls the budget and has limited authority to make laws or ordinances.

In Michigan, most local government functions – police and fire, building and zoning, tax assessment, street maintenance etc.