Oceana, West Virginia
human settlement in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States of America
Oceana is a town in Wyoming County, West Virginia. The population was 1,462 at the time of the 2020 census. Oceana is the oldest city in Wyoming County and was the county seat until 1907.
History
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.
Geography
Oceana is located at 37°41′35″N 81°38′4″W (37.692976, -81.634386). The confluence of the Clear Fork and the Laurel Fork is in the town.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.33 square miles (3.44 km2), of which 1.29 square miles (3.34 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) is water.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Oceana has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 1,394 people, 595 households, and 408 families living in the town.
The public source identifies “Oceana, West Virginia” as human settlement in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States of America. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Oceana, West and Virginia.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Oceana, West Virginia”, the useful work is to connect “human settlement in Wyoming County, West Virginia, United States of America” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2220102. Authority coordinates are 37.693, -81.634. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1907, 1797 and 2010.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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This entry incorporates text from “Oceana, West Virginia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.