Oakland City provides quiet living around a unique university
Calm streets lined with established houses form the backbone of Oakland City, a community known in part for its namesake university. This area of southwestern Indiana is home to Oakland City University, the only university in the country affiliated with the General Baptist denomination. A private school, OCU enrolls about 650 students, roughly a quarter of the population in the quiet city. “It’s a nice, small community and a really nice university,” says Tim Mason, broker and owner at the Tim Mason Team with Re/Max Revolution and a licensed Realtor since 1989.
Homes can offer historic character and value
The bulk of Oakland City homes were built between 1900 and 1970. In turn, the area mostly features a mishmash of bungalows and ranch-style options, averaging 1,500 square feet on small lots. Mason says homes are in a mix of conditions — some need work, some are already updated. Properties requiring renovations sell for $10,000 to $70,000, while listings in better condition go for $80,000 to $300,000.
OCU has a long history, and is still growing
Oakland City University dates to 1885. The school started with a single two-story building and now encompasses a 34-acre campus. Though associated with the General Association of General Baptists, OCU accepts students of any denomination, and its undergraduate enrollment has grown about 50% since 2019, to just over 500. Business, criminal justice, education and psychology are the university’s most popular programs. Younger students in Oakland City can enroll in the East Gibson School District, which receives a B-minus grade on Niche. Wood Memorial Primary School, also rated B-minus, includes prekindergarten through second grade and organizes special activities for students, including a storytelling assembly and an Earth Day cleanup. Wood Memorial Intermediate earns a B-plus and covers grades 3 through 5, with boys and girls basketball, archery and cheer teams. Wood Memorial Middle has a B-minus rating, and its girls basketball team recently won a conference title. Wood Memorial High gets a C-plus, and its extracurricular opportunities include multiple academic teams in subjects ranging from science to fine arts.
Close-by interstate is a connection to bigger cities
Oakland City residents are roughly 4 miles from Interstate 69, which heads about 40 miles south to Evansville, the third-largest city in Indiana. The Evansville Regional Airport has daily flights to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago and Dallas. I-69 also carries drivers 144 miles north to Indianapolis. Locals can use Indiana state Route 64 to travel 14 miles to the city of Gibson, home of to the Deaconess Gibson Hospital.
Local lakes make fishing trips convenient
There are two lakes within about 3 miles of the center of town: Old Lake and New Lake. A ball diamond borders Old Lake, and New Lake is next to a campground with an 18-hole disc golf course. Bass fishing is available in both, and New Lake is also popular for swimming. Oakland City has a complex with four tennis courts and two basketball courts by the university, and Mason says locals also like to play the 18-hole course at Oakland City Golf Club. Wirth Park includes a playground and covered picnic tables, while the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge and Management Area offers 10 miles of trails.
Morton Street makes up Oakland City’s commercial core
Morton Street is the main thoroughfare running through the community. The stretch features a selection of restaurants and other businesses, including Taylor's 2 Steakhouse, which serves ribeye and daily specials like meatloaf and country-fried steak. “That’s probably the main restaurant,” Mason says. Las Islas Mexican Restaurant is another draw on Morton Street. “It’s always busy,” Mason says. IGA is an option for groceries just off Morton. Mason says residents head to Evansville for more big-box shopping like Target and an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
Sweet Corn Festival is an established tradition
In a region with an active agricultural scene, the Oakland City Sweet Corn Festival is a summer staple that dates back around 60 years. Based out of Wirth Park, festivities include live music, a corn-eating contest and a parade. The Oakland City Lions Club also sells sweet corn throughout the weeklong festival. “It’s a pretty busy place about that time,” Mason says of Oakland City. “People in the eastern part of [Gibson] County really look forward to that.”
Written By
Wayne Epps Jr.
