Some stories say that a disease outbreak in the region of Mariana was also responsible for a great migration to Oliveira.

Differently than other cities in the same region, such as Ouro Preto and São João Del Rei, Oliveira did not emerge due to the exploration of gold and diamond, instead, the development of livestock and agriculture activities were the main reasons.

Such activities began with the Bandeirantes that started to migrate from São Paulo to the countryside of Minas Gerais.

During the transition from village to city, the municipality had always stood as a strategic place for goods exchange and capital flow, as it was an important path for travellers.

However, there is a rumor that a Portuguese woman, called Dona Maria de Oliveira, used to live in the region during the second half of the 18th century.

She used to live in a house in the region where Oliveira currently exists, when the first Bandeirantes started to travel towards Goiás.

Besides the main city, Oliveira also possess the district of Morro do Ferro, which consists on an approximate population of 1,500 inhabitants.

Oliveira is located near the main urban agglomeration of the southeast of Brazil and the other important cities of the state of Minas Gerais.

Temperate Grasslands are mainly consisted of grasses and can be found in the higher altitudes of Oliveira.

It has the greatest First Aid Post (Emergency Department) of the Middle-West of Minas Gerais, which has been opened.

Its squares and avenues are well decorated and its buildings are remarkable, such as Our Lady of Oliveira Cathedral (Catedral de Nossa Senhora de Oliveira), which is based on Roman Gothic style and the old Matriz Church built in baroque style during the 18th century.

The neighborhoods are: Municipality's social indicators in 2000 Aging is a remarkable fact about Oliveira's population.

According to the IBGE's census,[10] Oliveira's population presents a faster aging process than the average of the state of Minas Gerais and the rest of the country.

In a recent study that has mapped the misery concentration in Brazil, it could be seen that the proportion of people that could be considered miserable in Oliveira is not even 1.5%, which is far lower than the national average that is 8.5% of the entire population.

Furthermore, Oliveira is placed in the top average monthly income per capita when compared with the surrounding municipalities.

As Oliveira's history is highly based on the Iberian culture brought by its Portuguese settlers, Roman Catholicism is predominant in the city.

The Diocese of Oliveira was created on December 20, 1941, by Pope Pius XII (Bula Quo uberiores fructus), as a result of the dismemberment of Belo Horizonte's Archdiocese.

In total, there are 28 parishes distributed in Oliveira's surroundings municipalities: Aguanil, Bom Sucesso, Campo Belo, Cana Verde, Candeias, Carmo da Mata, Carmópolis de Minas, Cristais, Desterro de Entre Rios, Itaguara, Oliveira, Passa Tempo, Perdões, Piracema, Ribeirão Vermelho, Santana do Jacaré, Santo Antônio do Amparo, São Francisco de Paula and São Tiago.

Another important feature of Oliveira's Carnaval is the group "Pelo amor de Deus", which literally means "For God's sake".

The group was created by José Alberto Machado da Silva, followed by Maurício Almeida.

The group usually party in Oliveira's city centre in the Friday night during Carnaval celebrations.

Recently, the main city centre has been protected by the Instituto Estadual do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico de Minas Gerais (IEPHA/MG).