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C+History
History · Oceana

Oceana dates to 1797

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Most of Oceana was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1972. Below: maps from 1910 on and the census since 1880.

1797founded
0on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Magnolia677 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Oceana began

When was Oceana founded?

1797

Oceana dates its founding to 1797 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 107 in 18802020 census: 1,449229 years

How historic is Oceana?

C+

More historic than 40% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Oceana’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oceana is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oceana’s overall grade.
Founding era1797, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19406.4% of homes (±6.8) · typical WV town 13.0% · U.S. 8.4%C+National RegisterNo listings counted · typical WV town 29.6 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 40%
NewerOlder

West Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical West Virginia town has 29.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Oceana’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (17% of West Virginia towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1797.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 points).

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 Oceana’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Oceana are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 2,143 in 1980; 1,449 people lived here in 2020.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Oceana, and 1 old place names are still on the map.Deep rootsEstablished in 1797: 229 years of Oceana.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Oceana’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Oceana’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Oceana, census by census

05001,0001,5002,00018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,143

Peaked at 2,143 in 1980; 1,449 people lived here in 2020.

9 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Oceana’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Oceana’s post office has been open since 1856. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Ginseng
1826–1856
Oceana
1856–today
Hatcher
1943–1967
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Hatcher
Gone or out of use
Oceana High Schoolschool

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Oceana came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Oceana.

Read it all →

Established in 1797 by early settler and Revolutionary War veteran John Cooke, it was county seat of Wyoming County until 1907, when Pineville was designated after a series of disputed elections.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Oceana, 1797 to 1980

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797
    FoundingOceana is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1826Post officeThe Ginseng post office opens
  5. 1856Post officeThe Ginseng post office closes
  6. 1856Post officeThe Oceana post office opens
  7. 20th century
  8. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1943Post officeThe Hatcher post office opens
  10. 1967Post officeThe Hatcher post office closes
  11. 1974Born hereJamie Lester is born here
  12. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 2,143
By decade

Oceana, decade by decade

Today15 recent
Tribute to the Armed Forces of the United States of America2016Tribute to the Armed Forces of the United States of A…Oceana, West Virginia2016Oceana, West VirginiaOceana, West Virginia - panoramio - Idawriter2016Oceana, West Virginia - panoramio - IdawriterOceana, WV 24870, USA2016Oceana, WV 24870, USAOceana, WV 24870, USA - panoramio - Idawriter2016Oceana, WV 24870, USA - panoramio - IdawriterOceana, WV 24870, USA - panoramio - Idawriter (1)2016Oceana, WV 24870, USA - panoramio - Idawriter (1)Oceana Middle School2016Oceana Middle SchoolHarbor Light Baptist Church and The Promise Land Church2016Harbor Light Baptist Church and The Promise Land Chur…Gino's2016Gino'sFirst Church of God2016First Church of GodCity Hall - panoramio - Idawriter2016City Hall - panoramio - IdawriterChestnut Street2016Chestnut StreetBerlin McKinney Elementary School2016Berlin McKinney Elementary SchoolOceana, West Virginia2014Oceana, West VirginiaWVMap-doton-Oceana2004WVMap-doton-Oceana
On the map

Oceana on the map, 1910 to 1927

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Oceana. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Oceana on the 1910 USGS mapOceana on the 1927 USGS map1910Pineville sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Oceana.

Questions about Oceana’s history

What year was Oceana founded?

In 1797, according to Wikidata. Oceana’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1880 counted 107 people here.

How does Oceana rank for history?

Oceana is more historic than 40% of U.S. towns. 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.

How old are the homes in Oceana?

6% of Oceana’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 13% for a West Virginia town; the median home was built in 1972.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (15), 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.