OCEANA
County Offices
100 South State Street
Hart 231-873-4835
https://oceana.mi.us/
Chamber of Commerce
2388 North Comfort Drive
Hart 231-873-2247
https://thinkdunes.com/
The picturesque agricultural region known as Oceana County is nestled against the shoreline of Lake Michigan approximately an hour’s drive from metropolitan Grand Rapids. Residents of this beautiful area welcome throngs of visitors and vacationers each year, drawn to celebrated natural sites like the Silver Lake Sand Dunes Area. The county is home to one of Michigan’s largest tracts of fruit tree orchards and is known as the “asparagus capital of the world.”
Services
Residents of Oceana County enjoy easy access to first-rate services, including the Hackley Lakeshore Hospital in Shelby that serves both local residents and those in southern Muskegon County. The dynamic merger of Hackley Health and Mercy General Health Partners under the umbrella of Trinity Health has increased the specializations and advancements that are available close to home. Hackley Lakeshore Hospital provides comprehensive medical and surgical services that include 24-hour emergency care, outpatient services, women’s care, physician offices, diagnostic technology, advanced imaging, and an urgent care center. Special birthing rooms and innovations like laproscopic and endoscopic surgery, perinatal testing, and newborn hearing screenings ensure that rural residents enjoy a level of healthcare usually associated with a developed urban area. Other specialties include a sleep studies lab and clinics for cardiology, hearing, neurology, and orthopedics. Outreach, health screenings, and educational programs underline the proactive attitude toward health and wellness. The current staff and employees bring more than 800 years of cumulative experience to the task of providing excellence in patient care in a compassionate, community hospital setting.
Oceana County schools provide a quality education in smaller classrooms that enable more personalized attention, and a strong foundation for those who go on to pursue technical or career training and college degrees. Neighboring Mason County is home to the West Shore Community College, which also serves as one of the off-campus locations for Central Michigan University programs. Newaygo County is home to the bustling city of Muskegon and Muskegon Community College, where students can earn associate degrees and certificates in a wide variety of programs. The Stevenson Center for Higher Education at MCC enables students to earn upper-level degrees from Ferris State, Western Michigan, and Grand Valley State universities. MCC is also home to the Muskegon Area Career Tech Center, providing training for high school students in 20 career programs. The city of Fremont in Newaygo County is home to Baker College of Muskegon, which offers more than 75 diploma, certificate, associate, bachelor, and master’s programs in business, health, human services, and technical fields. Another Baker College campus is located in Muskegon that offers two and four-year degrees as well as a new culinary school and an MBA program. One of the most unique regional assets is the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, a summer school for the arts on 1,300 acres of Manistee National Forest. More than 5,000 gifted students from elementary through high school take advantage of diverse programs in music, art, dance, and drama.
Lifestyle
Oceana County draws newcomers to a recreational wonderland and a scenic rural region where agriculture thrives. The village of Pentwater and the Little Sable Point area with its historic lighthouse are two of the major summer resort destinations in Oceana County. The Silver Lake Sand Dunes Area is distinguished as a Michigan Beachtown and one of the few places in the nation that offers first-class dune schooner rides and allows off-terrain vehicles. Nestled along Lake Michigan’s sweeping coastline, this area is a few miles west of US Highway 31 between Muskegon and Pentwater. The inland sections of the county expand the opportunities for world-class recreation in Manistee National Forest. Canoeing, kayaking, and fishing are outstanding along the White River beginning at the village of Hesperia. Biking, hiking, camping, golfing, horseback riding, picnicking, and winter sports are all available against a backdrop of breathtaking scenery. Other highlights include scenic trails, picturesque farmland, woodland campgrounds, cycling paths, and towering forests. More than 65 inland lakes and countless streams provide world-class fishing.
Enjoy the kaleidoscope of scenery along 22 miles of the Hart-Montague Trail State Park, enjoy the Pentwater Civic Band on the Village Green or Friday night concerts in Hart, boat from full-service marinas, catch the “big one” on a fishing charter, or rent some water thrills at Parrot’s Landing. The Hart Historic District features a number of historical buildings and attractions including a restored 19th century church, a one room schoolhouse, a log cabin, and Chief Cobmoosa’s house. The 1870s Little Sable Point Lighthouse is a celebrated landmark and living visual art. Orchards, farms, roadside stands, and farm markets bring together the region’s bounty of fresh produce and homemade goods. In early June, Oceana County’s number one crop, asparagus, arrives in time to celebrate the National Asparagus Festival. Discover the small-town appeal, rustic charm, and country flavor of beautiful Oceana County.
Benona Township
Town Hall
231-861-2154
www.benonatownship.org
Chamber of Commerce
231-873-2247
https://thinkdunes.com/
Picturesque Benona Township is located in the heart of one of Michigan’s most fertile areas, known for its abundance of apples, cherries, peaches, squash, pears, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, corn, pumpkins, and others. Most notably, this area is known as the “Asparagus Capital of the United States” and celebrates that title each year with the colorful National Asparagus Festival. Lake Michigan serves as the western border of the township, providing a natural playground that stretches more than six miles in length to offer some of the area’s finest white-sand beaches and water recreation. A portion of the southern boundary of the township encompasses Stony Lake, which is 270 acres in size, and Stony Creek, both providing an outlet to Lake Michigan. Stony Lake is superb for water sports like water skiing, fishing, sailing, snorkeling, and sunbathing. At the mouth of Stony Creek, the township park offers a boat ramp and a boardwalk.
Hart, Silver Lake, Mears
City Offices
231-873-2488
https://cityofhart.org/
Chamber of Commerce
231-873-2247
https://thinkdunes.com/
The county seat of government is the city of Hart, located along US Highway 31 in the western portion of the county about seven miles from Lake Michigan. This scenic town is nestled between the natural beauty of Hart and John Gurney lakes, bodies of water that were formed by dams on the Pentwater River. The lakes can be viewed from the north side of town on a hill overlooking the water or from the Veterans’ Park below. Mears is an unincorporated community in this area that has grown up along with Hart as a center of tourism. The Hart Historic District preserves a number of buildings and structures from the past, from a restored 19th century church to a grist mill. The downtown district in Hart is especially charming during the holiday season when streetscape decorations create a postcard-perfect image. This area is closely aligned with the Silver Lake and the internationally famous Silver Lake Sand Dunes Area that offer world-class recreational activities to throngs of seasonal visitors and vacationers.
Village of Hesperia
Village Hall
231-854-6205
Chamber of Commerce
http://www.webdesignfiles.com/HespChamber/index.html
Picturesque Hesperia is a small village that is situated on the border of Oceana and Newaygo counties along the beautiful White River, known for some of the finest salmon and rainbow trout fishing in Michigan. The quaint Main Street district serves village residents and those in the surrounding townships with a medley of shops and services. Other highlights in the village include the riverside boardwalk with views of fish jumping near the dam, opportunities for swimming on Millpond, and quiet walks out to the gazebo that graces the island. The more adventurous canoe or kayak down the river and camp along the river’s edge. Year-round hunting is another popular pastime, as are winter sports like ice fishing and snowmobiling. Colorful festivals and celebrations bring friends and neighbors together and draw regional crowds. Two of the largest are the Family FunFest on Independence Day and the Salmon Festival with fishing contests. The village is located at the junction of M-20 and M-120 highways with approximately half of the community in Oceana County and half in Newaygo County.
Village of Pentwater, Pentwater Township
Village Hall
231-869-8301
https://pentwatervillage.org/
Town Hall
231-869-6231
https://www.pentwatertwp.org/
Chamber of Commerce
231-869-4150
www.pentwater.org
The bustling village of Pentwater serves as a welcoming and charming hometown but also as a host to vacationers and tourists. Downtown shopping, Pentwater Pier, and scenic Pentwater Channel create a picturesque environment for residential development and outdoor enjoyment. The community has been described by many as “a little piece of heaven” on the shores of Lake Michigan. The sandy beaches are unrivaled for their unspoiled beauty and visual appeal, set against a backdrop of wooded sand dunes stretching from north to south along the township shoreline. This environment provides an ideal habitat for an abundance of wildlife from white-tailed deer to coyotes. The village nestles along the shores of panoramic Pentwater Lake, which has served as a popular vacation and resort community since the early part of the 20th century. This area offers a wonderful state park and one of Michigan’s most desirable camping areas.
Village of Shelby, Shelby Township
Village Hall
231-861-4400
https://shelbyvillage.com/
Chamber of Commerce
http://www.shelbyareachamber.com/
Nestled within the larger expanse of rural Shelby Township, the village of Shelby is easily accessible from US Highway 31. This major thoroughfare runs just one mile west of Shelby, ensuring easy commutes from this welcoming small town into regional employment centers. The village has developed an impressive business and industry community of its own in this area where tourism drives many of the stores, services, and businesses. A growing number of enterprises are located in the new industrial park located to the north of Shelby. Not all tourists arrive by car in Shelby, which is one of the places along the Hart-to-Montague Bicycle Trail. This popular attraction traverses through communities and open space to offer an outstanding multi-recreational resource. Shelby is also positively affected by the agricultural activity that surrounds it. This rich fruit belt is best known for its apples.
