Oakland Township dates to 1820, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 70% of U.S. towns · #197 of 701 in Michigan. What drives it
Most of Oakland Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1996. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 14 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1822.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Oakland Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oakland Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #197 of 701 in Michigan. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oakland Township’s overall grade.
Few Michigan towns list much on the Register (a typical Michigan town has 0.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Oakland Township’s 7.9 sits above most of its state (81% of Michigan towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A−. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Oakland Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Founded by Territorial Governor Lewis Cass in 1819, sparsely populated Oakland County was formed from Macomb County on 28 March 1820. As was customary at the time, as populations increased, other counties were organized from its land area. Over the next 16 years, Oakland lost territory to the creation of the counties of Lapeer (10 Sep 1822), Saginaw (10 Sep 1822), Sanilac (10 Sep 1822), Shiawassee (10 Sep 1822), Washtenaw (10 Sep 1822), Barry (29 Oct 1829), Calhoun (29 Oct 1829), Eaton (29 Oct 1829), Ingham (29 Oct 1829), Jackson (29 Oct 1829), Kalamazoo (29 Oct 1829), Arenac (2 Mar 1831), Gladwin (2 Mar 1831), Midland (2 Mar 1831), Livingston (21 Mar 1833), and Genesee (28 Mar 1835).
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oakland Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1943Lake Orion sheet · 1:24,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Oakland Township.
Then & now
Stand where they stood
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.
Retake this viewPontiac Asylum c 1912, c. 1912
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Oakland Township’s page.
In 1820, according to Wikidata. Oakland Township’s post office opened in 1822, and the census of 1820 counted 330 people here.
How does Oakland Township rank for history?
Oakland Township is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns, #197 of 701 in Michigan. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Oakland Township?
Three places: the Axford-Coffin Farm (listed 2002), the Eli and Sidney Teeter Albertson House (2002) and the Walter P. and May Wolf Reuther House (2002).
How old are the homes in Oakland Township?
5% of Oakland Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 12% for a Michigan town; the median home was built in 1996.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1913
2005
2005
2005
2005
