County Overviews 7# - Alpine County, CA & Oakland County, MI

Hello everybody and welcome back to part seventh of the County Overviews. Today, we're doing another two counties this time! Alpine County, California (suggested by FlabberBapper) and Oakland County, Michigan (suggested by Noivern). Let's go!

Alpine County is a county located in eastern California near the bend. Its county seat is Markleeville. The county is located in the Sierra Nevada, which resembles the Swiss Alps, hence the name of Alpine. The county was found on March 16, 1864.

As of 2022, the population was 1,190 at a total area of 743 mi², making the total population density 1.6/mi². Over 47% of the population is over 50 years old. The median household income is $101,125. The poverty rate is 13.7%.

Before explorers, the Washoe people lived in the vicinity of what is now Alpine County. But, in 1844, Kit Carson and John Fremont discovered the land near the vicinity of Alpine County within the Sierra Nevada, bringing attention to the land.

Comstrock Lode was founded near Virginia City, Nevada, which attracted gold miners to the area. Then, silver was found in Alpine County, causing the county's growth in population and development. The county was then later formed on March 16, 1864. The population peaked at about 11,000, but later went crashing down after the silver mines ran out and weren't as good as the ones in Nevada. The population went up after some ski resorts were made.

It is the least-populated county in all of California. Over 96% of Alpine County's land is owned by the government, largely due to most of it being national forests. In 2004, the county shifted to the Democratic party and would side with the Democratic party with the percentages growing to 60% in 2024. On December 28, 1969, there was once a gay liberation conference in Berkeley, California to take over Alpine County. This never came into fruition.

Visit the ski resorts of Bear Valley and Kirkwood and the national forests of Eldorado, Humboldt-Toiyabe, and Stanislaus.

Oakland County is a county in southeastern Michigan. It has two county seats, Pontiac (legislative and judicial; usually regarded as the main county seat) and Waterford (executive). It's largest city is Troy. Take a wild guess on why it's called Oakland... yep that's right there were oak trees in the area. In 1819, the county was created but wasn't formed and organized until March 28, 1820.

As of 2022, the population was 1,269,431 at a total area of 907 mi², making the total population density 1399.6/mi². Most residents are over 50 years old, making up about 40% of the population. Though, the age ranges of 20 to 49 come close in second, making up about 38% of the population. The median household income is $92,620. The most common foreign-born residents are from India and Mexico.

Before colonization, many native tribes lived in the area near the vicinity of southeast Michigan, such as the Kickapoo, Miami, Potawatomi, and Fox. The land was then settled by various European powers.

The Northwest Territory was created by Congress on 13 July 1787, which included much of what is today Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Then, the Michigan Territory was made in 1805. Then, the 1807 Treaty of Detroit allowed U.S. settlers in the area, though 1812 kind of delayed it as well as the belief that the area was swampy. To debunk this idea, Lewis Cass, the governor of the Michigan Territory, and others would explore the area. The formation of Oakland County was a part of this from an executive order made in March 28, 1820.

Oakland County is the second most-populated county behind Wayne County. It is however, the most populated county in the U.S. without a city over 100,000 residents. In the next sixteen years of its existence from formation, sixteen new counties were made out of portions of Oakland County. The county is shifted towards Democratic, most likely due to its urban-like population. It is the wealthiest county in Michigan.

In the county, visit Oakland University, Detroit Zoo, National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, Cranbrook House & Gardens, and the many malls within, such as the Oakland Mall and Great Lakes Crossing Outlet. Also see the Clinton and Huron Rivers too.

I hope you enjoyed and learned something for the seventh blog of the series! Hope you enjoyed...

Here's the current list of upcoming counties:

8# - Santa Clara County, CA (Gekko0923)

8# - Santa Barbara County, CA (ItzIngenious)

9# - McLennon County, TX (Capybarra)

9# - Athens County, OH (Gademotsili99)

9# - Charleston County, SC (LuckyCat)

10# - Allegheny County, PA (Neodymium)

?? - The Washington Counties (Rockum99) {Sorry Rockum! This one might be a bit difficult!}

Again, you can recommend a county and you'll be on the list! See you next time!