Okalhoma county ok

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Oklahoma County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 718,633.

The county seat and principal city is Oklahoma City. Oklahoma County is at the heart of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area and is the most populous county in the state.

the county has a total area of 718 square miles (1,860km2), of which 709 square miles (1,840km2) is land and 9 square miles (23km2) (1.28%) is water.

12.3% Mexican, 10.1% Irish, 7.9% English, and 7.7% American ancestries according to the Census 2010.

84.4% spoke English and 11.5% Spanish as their first language.

There were 277,615 households out Major highways of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% Adjacent counties were married couples living together, • Logan County (north) Oklahoma County is one of seven 15.4% had a female householder • Lincoln County (east) with no husband present, and counties in the United States to • Pottawatomie County share the same name as a state it 37.8% were non-families. 31.9% (southeast) is located in (the other six counties of all households were made up of • Cleveland County (south) are Arkansas County, Arkansas, Hawaii individuals and 9.7% had someone • Canadian County (west) County, Hawaii, Idaho County, Idaho, living alone who was 65 years of • Kingfisher County (northwest) Iowa County, Iowa, New York County, age or older. The average household New York and Utah County, Utah). size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.26.

National protected area

History

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Oklahoma City Memorial

National

Oklahoma County was originally called County Two and was one of Demographics seven counties established by the Organic Act of 1890.

As of the Census of 2010, there County business initially took place were 718,633 people, 277,615 in a building at the intersection of households, and 172,572 families California Avenue and Robinson residing in the county. The population Street until the construction of the density was 1,013 people per square first Oklahoma County Courthouse at mile (391/km²). There were 319,828 520 West Main Street in the 1900s. housing units at an average density In 1937, the county government of 416 per squaremile (161/km²). was moved to a building at 321 Park The racial makeup of the county was Avenue, which now serves only as 64.6% White, 15.4% Black or African American, 3.5% Native American, 3% the county courthouse Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 8.1% from other races, and 5.3% from Geography two or more races. 15.1% of the According to the U.S. Census Bureau, population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 12.4% were of German,

In the county, the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 10.90% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 21.40% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,916, and the median income for a family was $54,721. The per capita income for the county was $25,723. About 11.70% of families and 15.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over.

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Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2012 Party Number of Voters Percentage Democratic 160,360 41.77% Republican 170,993 44.54% Unaffiliated 52,569 13.69% Total 383,922 100%

Politics Year

2012 2008 2004 2000

Presidential election results Republican

58.33% 149,728 58.41% 163,172 64.23% 174,741 62.34% 139,078

Democratic

41.67% 106,982 41.59% 116,182 35.77% 97,298 36.57% 81,590

Communities

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1. Oklahoma City 579,999 (total city population, including areas of the city located in other counties) • 2. Edmond 81,405 • 3. Midwest City 54,371 • 4. Del City 21,332 • 5. Bethany 19,051 • 6. Choctaw 11,146 • 7. Warr Acres 10,043 • 8. The Village 8,929 • 9. Harrah 5,095 • 10. Spencer 3,912 • 11. Nichols Hills 3,710 • 12. Jones 2,692 • 13. Nicoma Park 2,393 • 14. Luther 1,221 • 15. Forest Park 998 • 16. Valley Brook 765 • 17. Arcadia 247 • 18. Woodlawn Park 153 • 19. Lake Aluma 88 • 20. Smith Village 66

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Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is the capital of the U.S. state of Oklahoma and its largest city. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 27th among United States cities in population. The population grew following the 2010 Census, with the population estimated to have increased to 610,613 as of July 2013. As of 2010, the Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,252,987, and the Oklahoma CityShawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,322,249 residents, making it Oklahoma’s largest metropolitan area. Oklahoma City’s city limits extend into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas outside of the core Oklahoma County area are suburban or rural (watershed). The city ranks as the eighth-largest city in the United States by land area (including consolidated city-counties; it is the secondlargest city in the United States by land area whose government is not consolidated with that of a county).

Oklahoma City features one of the largest livestock markets in the world. Oil, natural gas, petroleum products and related industries are the largest sector of the local economy. The city

City has been struck by nine strong tornadoes, eight F/EF4s and one F5. On May 3, 1999, parts of southern Oklahoma City and nearby communities experienced one of the most powerful tornadoes on record, registering as an F5 On May 20, 2013, southern Oklahoma City, Moore, and other surrounding areas and suburbs were struck by another devastating EF5 tornado.

is situated in the middle of an active oil field and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds. The federal government employs large numbers of workers at Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (these two sites house several offices of the Federal Aviation Administration and the History Transportation Department’s Enterprise Service Center, Oklahoma City was settled on respectively).

April 22, 1889, when the area Oklahoma City lies along one known as the “Unassigned of the primary travel corridors Lands” was opened for into Texas and Mexico. settlement in an event known Located in the Frontier as “The Land Run”. Some Country region of the state, the 10,000 homesteaders settled city’s northeast section lies in the area that would become an ecological region known the capital of Oklahoma. as the Cross Timbers. The The town grew quickly; the city was founded during the population doubled between Land Run of 1889, and grew 1890 and 1900. Early leaders to a population of over 10,000 of the development of the city within hours of its founding. included Anton Classen, John The city was the scene of the Shartel, Henry Overholser and James W. Maney.

April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal By the time Oklahoma was Building, in which 168 people admitted to the Union in 1907, died. It was the deadliest terror Oklahoma City had surpassed attack in the history of the Guthrie, the territorial capital, United States until the attacks as the population center and of September 11, 2001, and commercial hub of the new remains the deadliest act of state. Soon after, the capital domestic terrorism in U.S. was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma history.

City was a major stop on Since the time weather records Route 66 during the early have been kept, Oklahoma World Views Guides | June 2014

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part of the 20th century; it was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup’s 1946 jazz classic, “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, later made famous by artist Nat King Cole.

Before World War II, Oklahoma City developed major stockyards, attracting jobs and revenue formerly in Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska. With the 1928 discovery of oil within the city limits (including under the State Capitol), Oklahoma City became a major center of oil production. Post-war growth accompanied the construction of the Interstate Highway System, which made Oklahoma City a major interchange as the convergence of I-35, I-40 and I-44. It was also aided by federal development of Tinker Air Force Base.

In 1950, the Census Bureau reported city’s population as 8.6% black and 90.7% white.

Patience Latting was elected Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1971, becoming the city’s first female mayor. Latting was also the first woman to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city with more than 350,000 residents.

As with many other American cities, center city population declined in the 1970s and 1980s as families followed newly constructed highways to move to newer housing in nearby suburbs. Urban renewal

projects in the 1970s, including the Pei Plan, removed many older historic structures but failed to spark much new development, leaving the city dotted with vacant lots used for parking. A notable exception was the city’s construction of the Myriad Gardens and Crystal Bridge, a botanical garden and modernistic conservatory in the heart of downtown.

Architecturally significant historic buildings lost to clearances were the Criterion Theater, the Baum Building, the Hales Building, and the Biltmore Hotel.

In 1993, the city passed a massive redevelopment package known as the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), intended to rebuild the city’s core with civic projects to establish more activities and life to downtown. The city added a new baseball park; central library; renovations to the civic center, convention center and fairgrounds; and a water canal in the Bricktown entertainment district. Water taxis transport passengers within the district, adding color and activity along the canal.

MAPS has become one of the most successful public-private partnerships undertaken in the U.S., exceeding $3 billion in private investment as of 2010. As a result of MAPS, the population living in downtown

housing has exponentially increased, together with demand for additional residential and retail amenities, such as grocery, services, and shops.

Since the MAPS projects’ completion, the downtown area has seen continued development.

Several downtown buildings are undergoing renovation/ restoration. Notable among these was the restoration of the Skirvin Hotel in 2007. The famed First National Center is being renovated. Residents of Oklahoma City suffered substantial losses on April 19, 1995 when Timothy McVeigh set off a bomb in front of the Murrah building. The building was destroyed (the remnants of which had to be imploded in a controlled demolition later that year), more than 100 nearby buildings suffered severe damage, and 168 people were killed. The site has been commemorated as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Since its opening in 2000, over three million people have visited.

Every year on April 19, survivors, families and friends return to the memorial to read the names of each person lost.

The “Core-to-Shore” project was created to relocate I-40 one mile (1.6 km) south and replace it with a boulevard to create a landscaped entrance to the city.

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This also allows the central portion of the city to expand south and connect with the shore of the Oklahoma River.

Several elements of “Core to Shore” were included in the MAPS 3 proposal approved by voters in late 2009.

Geography Oklahoma City lies along one of the primary corridors into Texas and Mexico, and is a three-hour drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The city is located in the Frontier Country region in the center of the state, making it an ideal location for state government.

River (recently renamed the Oklahoma River inside city limits). The North Canadian once had sufficient flow to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding areas, including the central business district and the original Oklahoma City Zoo. In the 1940s, a dam was built on the river to manage the flood control and reduced its level. In the 1990s, as part of the citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low-water dams, returning water to the portion of the river flowing near downtown. The city has three large lakes: Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser, in the northwestern quarter of the city; and the largest, Lake Stanley Draper, in the sparsely populated far southeast portion of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 621.2 square miles (1,609 km2), of which, 607.0 square miles (1,572 km2) of it is land and 14.2 square miles The population density (37 km2) of it is water. The normally reported for total area is 2.28 percent water.

Oklahoma City using the area Oklahoma City lies in the of its city limits can be a bit Sandstone Hills region of misleading. Its urbanized zone Oklahoma, known for hills of covers roughly 244 sq mi (630 250 to 400 feet (120 m) and km2), compared with larger two species of oak: blackjack rural areas incorporated by the oak (Quercus marilandica) city, which cover the remaining and post oak (Q. stellata). The 377 sq mi (980 km2) of the city northeastern part of the city limits. and its eastern suburbs fall into Oklahoma City is one of the an ecological region known as largest cities in the nation in the Cross Timbers. compliance with the Clean Air The city is roughly bisected Act. by the North Canadian World Views Guides

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Climate Oklahoma City has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), with frequent variations in weather daily and seasonally, except during the consistently hot and humid summer months. Prolonged and severe droughts (sometimes leading to wildfires in the vicinity) as well as very heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding and flooding occur with some regularity. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods. Severe ice storms and snowstorms happen sporadically during the winter.

The average temperature is 61.4 °F (16.3 °C), with the monthly daily average ranging from 39.2 °F (4.0 °C) in January to 83.0 °F (28.3 °C) in July. Extremes range from −17 °F (−27 °C) on February 12, 1899 to 113 °F (45 °C) on August 11, 1936 and August 3, 2012; the last sub-zero (°F) reading was −5 °F (−21 °C) on February 10, 2011.

Temperatures reach 100 °F (38 °C) on 10.4 days of the year, 90 °F (32 °C) on nearly 70 days, and fail to rise above freezing on 8.3 days. The city receives about 35.9 inches (91.2 cm) of precipitation annually, of

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which 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) is miles (0.80 to 2.09 km) wide snow. and killed 23 people. Less than Oklahoma City has a very two weeks later, on May 31, active severe weather season another outbreak affected the from March through June, Oklahoma City area, including especially during April and an EF1 and an EF0 within the May. Being in the center of city and an EF3 several miles what is colloquially referred west of the city that was 2.6 to as Tornado Alley, it is miles (4.2 km) in width, the prone to especially frequent widest tornado ever recorded.

and severe tornadoes, as well as very severe hailstorms and occasional derechoes.

Tornadoes have occurred in every month of the year and a secondary smaller peak also occurs during autumn, especially October.

The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is one of the most tornado-prone major cities in the world, with about 150 tornadoes striking within the city limits since 1890. Since the time weather records have been kept, Oklahoma City has been struck by nine violent tornadoes, eight F/EF4s and one F/EF5. On May 3, 1999 parts of southern Oklahoma City and nearby suburban communities suffered from the most powerful tornado on record, an F5 on the Fujita scale, with wind speeds estimated by radar at 318 mph (510 km/h). On May 20, 2013, far southwest Oklahoma City, along with Newcastle and Moore, was hit again by a EF5 tornado; it was 0.5 to 1.3

Oklahoma City neighborhoods vary as much as Oklahoma’s climate; Pin-neat affluent historic neighborhoods sit next to districts that have not wholly recovered from economic and social decline of the 1970s and 1980s.

The city is bisected geographically and culturally by the North Canadian River, which basically divides North Oklahoma City and South Oklahoma City. The two halves of the city were actually founded and plotted as separate cities, but soon grew together.

The north side is characterized by very diverse and fashionable urban neighborhoods near the city center and sprawling suburbs further north. South Oklahoma City is generally more blue collar working class and significantly more industrial, having grown up around the Stockyards and meat packing plants at the turn of the century, and is currently the center of the city’s rapidly growing Latino community.

Downtown Oklahoma City, which has 7,600 residents, is currently seeing an influx of new private investment and large scale public works projects, which have helped to resuscitate a central business district left almost deserted by the Oil Bust of the early 1980s.

The centerpiece of downtown is the newly renovated Crystal Bridge and Myriad Botanical Gardens, one of the few elements of the Pei Plan to be completed. In the next few years a massive new central park will link the gardens near the CBD and the new convention center to be built just south of it to the North Canadian River, as part of a massive works project known as Core to Shore; the new park is part of MAPS3, a collection of civic projects funded by a 1-cent temporary (seven-year) sales tax increase.

Demographics Historical population Census Pop. %± 1890 4,151 — 1900 10,037 141.8% 1910 64,205 539.7% 1920 91,295 42.2% 1930 185,389 103.1% 1940 204,424 10.3% 1950 243,504 19.1% 1960 324,253 33.2% 1970 368,164 13.5% 1980 404,014 9.7% 1990 444,719 10.1% 2000 506,132 13.8% 2010 579,999 14.6% Est. 2013 610,613 5.3%

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According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial composition of Oklahoma City was as follows: White American: 62.7% (56.7% Non-Hispanic Whites) • African American: 15.1% • Native American: 3.5% • Asian American: 4.0% (1.7% Vietnamese, 0.7% Indian, 0.4% Chinese, 0.2% Korean, 0.2% Filipino, 0.1% Japanese) • Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1% • Some other race: 9.4% • Two or more races: 5.2% • Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 17.2% (14.2% Mexican, 0.7% Guatemalan, 0.4% Puerto Rican, 0.2% Honduran, 0.1% Salvadoran) Oklahoma City has As of the 2010 census, there 3.11. significant were 579,999 people, 230,233 The median income for a experienced households, and 144,120 household in the city was population increases since the families residing in the city. $48,557 and the median income late-1990s, when compared The population density was for a family was $62,527. to the previous two-decades.

956.4 inhabitants per square The per capita income for In May 2014, the U.S. Census mile (321.9/km²). There were the city was $26,208. 17.1% announced Oklahoma City 256,930 housing units at an of the population and 12.4% had an estimated population average density of 375.9 per of families were below the of 610,613 in 2013 and that square mile (145.1/km²). poverty line. Out of the total it had grown 5.3 percent There were 230,233 population, 23.0% of those between April 2010 and June households, 29.4% of which under the age of 18 and 9.2% 2013. Since the official Census had children under the age of of those 65 and older were in 2000, Oklahoma City had 18 living with them, 43.4% living below the poverty line. grown 21 percent (a 104,481 were married couples living In the 2000 Census Oklahoma raw increase) according to the together, 13.9% had a female City’s age composition was Bureau estimates. The 2013 householder with no husband 25.5% under the age of 18, estimate of 610,613 is the present, and 37.4% were 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% largest population Oklahoma non-families. One person from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 City has ever recorded. It households account for 30.5% to 64, and 11.5% who were is the first city in the state to of all households and 8.7% of 65 years of age or older. The record a population greater all households had someone median age was 34 years. For than 600,000 residents and is living alone who is 65 years every 100 females there were by far the largest municipal of age or older. The average 95.6 males. For every 100 population of the Great Plains household size was 2.47 and females age 18 and over, there region (OK, KS, NE, SD, ND). the average family size was were 92.7 males.

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Racial composition White

—Non-Hispanic

Black or African American Native American Hispanic or Latino (of any race) Asian

2010 62.7% 56.7% 15.1% 3.5% 17.2% 4.0%

1990 74.8% 72.9% 16.0% 4.2% 5.0% 2.4%

Metropolitan statistical area individuals involved, who also Oklahoma City is the principal killed three others in Purcell, city of the eight-county Oklahoma, were identified.

Oklahoma City Metropolitan One, Harold Stafford, died in Statistical Area in Central a motorcycle accident in Tulsa Oklahoma and is the state’s not long after the restaurant largest urbanized area. Based murders. Another, Verna on population rank, the Stafford, was sentenced to metropolitan area was the 42nd life without parole after being largest in the nation as of 2012. granted a new trial after she had previously been sentenced to death. Roger Dale Stafford, Crime With regards to Mexican drug considered the mastermind of cartels, Oklahoma City has the murder spree, was executed traditionally been the territory by lethal injection at the of the notorious Juárez Cartel, Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1995. but the Sinaloa Cartel has been

The Oklahoma City Police Department, has a uniformed force of 1,116 officers and 300+ civilian employees. The Department has a central police station and five substations covering 2,500 police reporting districts that average 1/4 square mile in size.

Oklahoma City also has its share of very brutal crimes, Economy particularly in the 1970s. The worst of which occurred in The economy of Oklahoma 1978, when six employees of City, once just a regional a Sirloin Stockade restaurant power center of government on the city’s south side were and energy exploration, has murdered execution-style since diversified to include in the restaurant’s freezer. the sectors of information An intensive investigation technology, services, health followed, and the three services and administration. reported as trying to establish a foothold in Oklahoma City. There are many rival gangs in Oklahoma City, one whose headquarters has been established in the city, the Southside Locos, traditionally known as Sureños.

1970 84.0% 82.2% 13.7% 2.0% 2.0% 0.2%

1940 90.4% n/a 9.5% 0.1% n/a -

The city has three Fortune 500 companies: Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Devon Energy Corporation and McKesson Corporation as well as several others that are in the Fortune 1000 along with numerous large privately owned companies. The city is home to the corporate headquarters of Sonic DriveIn, whose office building and corporate restaurant is located in the Bricktown district of downtown Oklahoma City.

Other large employers in Oklahoma City include: AAA, American Fidelity Assurance, AT&T, BancFirst, Bank of America, Bank of Oklahoma, The Boeing Company, Braum’s Restaurants, The Coca-Cola Company, Continental Resources, Cox Communications, Deaconess Hospital, Dell, Express Employment Professionals, FAA, Farmers Insurance Group, The Hartford, The Hertz Corporation, Hobby Lobby, Integris Health System, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson Controls, Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Mercy Health System, MidFirst Bank, Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma World Views Guides | June 2014

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Publishing Company, OU Medicine, Paycom, SandRidge Energy, Southwest Airlines, Sprint, St. Anthony Health System, Taco Mayo Restaurants, Tinker Air Force Base, United Parcel Service, the University of Central Oklahoma, the University of Oklahoma, Williams-Sonoma, Xerox, the Federal government of the United States, the state of Oklahoma, the city of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Public School District.

According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the metropolitan area’s economic output grew by 33 percent between 2001 and 2005 due chiefly to economic diversification.

Its gross metropolitan product was $43.1 billion in 2005 and grew to $61.1 billion in 2009.

In 2008, Forbes magazine named Oklahoma City the most “recession proof city in America”. The magazine reported that the city had falling unemployment, one of the strongest housing markets in the country and solid growth in energy, agriculture and manufacturing. However, during the early 1980s, Oklahoma City had one of the worst job and housing markets due to the bankruptcy of Penn Square Bank in 1982 and then the post-1985 crash in oil World Views Guides

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prices.

In 2013, Forbes ranked Oklahoma City No. 8 on its list of the Best Places for Business and Careers.

Business districts See also: Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City Business Districts, and to a lesser extent, neighborhoods tend to maintain their boundaries and character through the application of zoning regulations and Business Improvement Districts (districts where property owners agree to a property tax surcharge to support additional services for the community).

Through zoning regulations, historic districts, and other special zoning districts, including overlay districts, are established. Oklahoma City currently has three Business Improvement Districts, including one encompassing the Central Business District.

Culture Museums and theater The Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center is the new downtown home for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The museum features visiting exhibits, original selections from its own collection, a theater showing a

variety of foreign, independent, and classic films each week, and a restaurant. OKCMOA is also home to the most comprehensive collection of Chihuly glass in the world including the 55-foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the Museum’s atrium.

The newly renovated art deco Civic Center Music Hall has performances from Oklahoma City Ballet and opera to traveling Broadway shows and concerts. Stage Center for the Performing Arts is home to many of the city’s top theater companies. The building that houses Stage Center, originally called the Mummers Theater and designed by John M. Johansen, is a modernist architectural landmark, with the original model displayed in Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Other theaters include the Lyric Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre, the Kirkpatrick Auditorium, the Poteet Theatre, the Oklahoma City Community College Bruce Owen Theater and the 488-seat Petree Recital Hall, at the Oklahoma City University campus. The university also opened the Wanda L Bass School of Music and auditorium in April 2006.

The Science Museum (formerly Oklahoma Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum at Omniplex)

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houses exhibits on science, aviation, and an IMAX theater.

The museum formerly housed the International Photography Hall of Fame (IPHF) that exhibits photographs and artifacts from a large collection of cameras and other artifacts preserving the history of photography.

IPHF honors those who have made significant contributions to the art and/or science of photography and relocated to St. Louis, Missouri in 2013.

southeast from Bricktown.

and world music.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial in the northern part of Oklahoma City’s downtown was created as the inscription on its eastern gate of the Memorial reads, “to honor the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995”; the memorial was built on the land formerly occupied by the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building complex prior to its 1995 bombing. The outdoor Symbolic Memorial can be visited 24 hours a day for free, and the adjacent Memorial Museum, located in the former Journal Record building damaged by the bombing, can be entered for a small fee.

The site is also home to the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a non-partisan, nonprofit think tank devoted to the prevention of terrorism.

The Oklahoma History Center is the history museum of the State of Oklahoma. Located across the street from the Governor’s mansion at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in northeast Oklahoma City, the museum opened in 2005 and is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. It preserves the history of Oklahoma from the prehistoric to the present day.

The Museum of Osteology houses more than 300 real animal skeletons. Focusing on the form and function of the skeletal system, this 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) museum displays hundreds of skulls and skeletons from all corners of the world. Exhibits include adaptation, locomotion, classification and diversity of the vertebrate kingdom. The Museum of Osteology is the only one of its kind in America. The American Banjo Museum The National Cowboy & located in the Bricktown Western Heritage Museum Entertainment district is has galleries of western art dedicated to preserving and and is home to the Hall of promoting the music and Great Western Performers. In heritage of America’s native contrast, the city will also be musical instrument – the home to The American Indian banjo. With a collection Cultural Center and Museum valued at $3.5 million it is that began construction in truly a national treasure. An 2009 (although completion of interpretive exhibits tells the the facility has been held up evolution of the banjo from due to insufficient funding), on its humble roots in American the south side of Interstate 40, slavery, to bluegrass, to folk

Sports Oklahoma City is home to several professional sports teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association.

The Thunder is the city’s second “permanent” major professional sports franchise after the now-defunct AFL Oklahoma Wranglers and is the third major-league team to call the city home when considering the temporary hosting of the New Orleans/ Oklahoma City Hornets for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 NBA seasons.

Other professional sports clubs in Oklahoma City include the Oklahoma City RedHawks, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, the Oklahoma City Barons, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, the Oklahoma City Energy FC of the USL and the Crusaders World Views Guides | June 2014

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of Oklahoma Rugby Football Quarter horse racing circuits at Club USA Rugby.

Remington Park and numerous Chesapeake Energy Arena horse shows and equine events in downtown is the principle that take place at the state multipurpose arena in the fairgrounds each year. There city which hosts concerts, are numerous golf courses and NHL exhibition games, and country clubs spread around the city. many of the city’s pro sports teams. In 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the major tenant. Located nearby in Bricktown,Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city’s baseball team, the RedHawks. “The Brick”, as it is locally known, is considered one of the finest minor league parks in the nation.

Oklahoma City is the annual host of the Big 12 Baseball Tournament, the World Cup of Softball, and the annual NCAA Women’s College World Series. The city has held the 2005 NCAA Men’s Basketball First and Second round and hosted the Big 12 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments in 2007 and 2009.

The major universities in the area – University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and Oklahoma State University – often schedule major basketball games and other sporting events at Chesapeake Energy Arena and Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, although most home games are played at their campus stadiums.

Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association has called Oklahoma City home since 2008 when owner Clay Bennett relocated the franchise from Seattle. The Thunder plays home games at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in downtown Oklahoma City, known affectionately in the national media as ‘the Peake’ and ‘Loud City’. The Thunder is known by several nicknames including “OKC Thunder” and simply “O-K-C”, and its mascot is a bison named “Rumble”.

After a lackluster arrival to Oklahoma City for the 20082009 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a berth (8th) in the 2010 NBA Western Conference Playoffs the next year after boasting its first 50-win season, winning two games in the First Round against the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2012, Oklahoma City made it to the NBA Other major sporting events Finals, but lost to the Miami include Thoroughbred and Heat in 5 games. In 2013 the

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Thunder reached the Western Conference Semifinals without Allstar Russell Westbrook who was injured in the First Round series against the Houston Rockets, only to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies. In 2014 Oklahoma City again reached the NBA’s Western Conference Finals but eventually lost to the San Antonio Spurs in 6 games.

The Oklahoma City Thunder has been regarded by sports analysts as one of the elite franchises of the NBA’s Western Conference and that of a media darling as the future of the league. Oklahoma City has earned Northwest Division titles every year since 2009 and has consistently improved its win record to 59-wins in 2014. The Thunder is led by 2009-2010 Coach of the Year winner Scott Brooks and is anchored by several NBA superstars including perennial Allstar point-guard Russell Westbrook, 2014 most valuable player and four-time NBA Scoring Champion Kevin Durant, and Defensive Player of the Year nominee and shotblocker Serge Ibaka.

Hornets In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the NBA’s New Orleans Hornets (now the New Orleans Pelicans) temporarily relocated to the Ford Center,

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playing the majority of its home games there during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.

The team became the first NBA franchise to play regularseason games in the state of Oklahoma. The team was known as the New Orleans/ Oklahoma City Hornets while playing in Oklahoma City. The team ultimately returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season. The Hornets played their final home game in Oklahoma City during the exhibition season on October 9, 2007 against the Houston Rockets.

Parks and recreation One of the more prominent landmarks downtown is the Crystal Bridge at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, a large downtown urban park.

Designed by I. M. Pei, the Crystal Bridge is a tropical conservatory in the area. The park has an amphitheater, known as the Water Stage. In 2007, following a renovation of the stage, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park relocated to the Myriad Gardens. The Myriad Gardens will undergo a massive renovation in conjunction with the recently built Devon Tower directly north of it.

numerous natural habitats, WPA era architecture and landscaping, and hosts major touring concerts during the summer at its amphitheater.

Oklahoma City also has two amusement parks, Frontier City theme park and White Water Bay water park. Frontier City is an ‘Old West’-themed amusement park. The park also features a recreation of a western gunfight at the ‘OK Corral’ and many shops that line the “Western” town’s main street. Frontier City also hosts a national concert circuit at its amphitheater during the summer. Oklahoma City also has a combination racetrack and casino open year-round, Remington Park, which hosts both Quarter horse (March - June) and Thoroughbred (August - December) seasons.

Walking trails line Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser in the northwest part of the city and downtown at the canal and the Oklahoma River. The majority of the east shore area is taken up by parks and trails, including a new leashless dog park and the postwar-era Stars and Stripes Park. Lake Stanley Draper is the city’s largest and most remote lake.

Oklahoma City has a major park in each quadrant of the city, going back to the first The Oklahoma City Zoo and parks masterplan. Will Rogers Botanical Garden is home to Park, Lincoln Park, Trosper

Park, and Woodson Park were once connected by the Grand Boulevard loop, some sections of which no longer exist.

Martin Park Nature Center is a natural habitat in far northwest Oklahoma City. Will Rogers Park is home to the Lycan Conservatory, the Rose Garden, and Butterfly Garden, all built in the WPA era. Oklahoma City is home to the American Banjo Museum, which houses a large collection of highly decorated banjos from the early 20th century and exhibits on the history of the banjo and its place in American history.

Concerts and lectures are also held there.

In April 2005, the Oklahoma City Skate Park at Wiley Post Park was renamed the Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park to recognize Mat Hoffman, an Oklahoma City area resident and businessman that was instrumental in the design of the skate park and is a 10-time BMX World Vert champion. In March 2009, the Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park was named by the National Geographic Society Travel Guide as one of the “Ten Best.”

Government The City of Oklahoma City has operated under a council-manager form of city government since 1927. Mick Cornett serves as Mayor, having World Views Guides | June 2014

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first been elected in 2004, and re-elected in 2006, 2010, and 2014. Eight councilpersons represent each of the eight wards of Oklahoma City.

City Manager Jim Couch was appointed in late 2000. Couch previously served as assistant city manager, Metropolitan Area Projects Plan (MAPS) director and utilities director prior to his service as city manager.

Oklahoma City University, formerly known as Epworth University, was founded by the United Methodist Church on September 1, 1904 and is renowned for its performing arts, medical services, mass communications, business, law, and athletic programs.

OCU has its main campus in the north-central section of the city, near the city’s chinatown area. OCU Law is located The city has called on residents in the Midtown district near to vote for sales tax-based downtown, in the old Central High School building. projects to revitalize parts of the city. The Bricktown district The University of Oklahoma is the best example of such an has several institutions of initiative. In the recent MAPS higher learning in the city and 3 vote, the city’s fraternal metropolitan area, with OU order of police criticized the Medicine and the University project proposals for not doing of Oklahoma Health Sciences enough to expand the police Center campuses located east presence to keep up with the of downtown in the Oklahoma growing residential population Health Center district, and the and increased commercial main campus located to the activity. In September 2013, south in the suburb of Norman.

Oklahoma City area attorney The OU Medicine hosting the David Slane announced that state’s only Level-One trauma he would pursue legal action center. OU Health Sciences regarding MAPS3, on claims Center is one of the nation’s that the multiple projects that largest independent medical made up the plan violate a state centers, employing more than constitutional law limiting 12,000 people. OU is one of voter ballot issues to a single only four major universities subject. in the nation to operate six medical schools.

Education The third-largest university

in the state, the University of Central Oklahoma, is The city is home to several located just north of the city colleges and universities. in the suburb of Edmond, Higher education

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as is Oklahoma Christian University, one of the state’s private liberal arts institutions.

Oklahoma City Community College in south Oklahoma City is the second-largest community college in the state. Rose State College is located east of Oklahoma City in suburban Midwest City.

Oklahoma State University– Oklahoma City is located in the “Furniture District” on the Westside. Northeast of the city is Langston University, the state’s historically black college (HBCU). Langston also has an urban campus in the eastside section of the city.

Southern Nazarene University, which was founded by the Church of the Nazarene, is a university located in suburban Bethany, which is surrounded by the Oklahoma City city limits.

Although technically not a university, the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center has many aspects of an institution of higher learning. Its FAA Academy is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Its Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) has a medical education division responsible for aeromedical education in general as well as the education of aviation medical examiners in the U.S. and 93 other countries.

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In addition, The National Academy of Science offers Research Associateship Programs for fellowship and other grants for CAMI research.

Primary and secondary Oklahoma City is home to the state’s largest school district, Oklahoma City Public Schools.

The district’s Classen School of Advanced Studies and Harding Charter Preparatory High School rank high among public schools nationally according to a formula that looks at the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by the school’s students divided by the number of graduating seniors. In addition, OKCPS’s Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School was named the top middle school in the state according to the Academic Performance Index, and recently received the Blue Ribbon School Award, in 2004 and again in 2011. KIPP Reach College Preparatory School in Oklahoma City received the 2012 National Blue Ribbon along with its school leader, Tracy McDaniel Sr., being awarded the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership.

school for some of the state’s most gifted math and science pupils, is also located in Oklahoma City.

Numerous suburban school districts surround the urban Oklahoma City Public Schools district, including Putnam City Public Schools in the northwest, Moore Public Schools in the south, and MidDel Schools in the southeast.

The city boasts a number of private and parochial schools. Casady School and Heritage Hall School are both examples of a private college preparatory school with vigorous academics that range among the top in Oklahoma.

Providence Hall is a Protestant school.

Two prominent schools of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are Bishop McGuinness High School and Mount Saint Mary High School. Other private schools include Crossings Christian School.

City include Oklahoma Technology Institute, Platt College, Vatterott College, and Heritage College. The Dale Rogers Training Center in Oklahoma City is a nonprofit vocational training center for individuals with disabilities.

Media See also: Media in Oklahoma City Print

The Oklahoman is Oklahoma City’s major daily newspaper and is the most widely circulated in the state. NewsOK.com is the Oklahoman’s online presence. Oklahoma Gazette is Oklahoma City’s independent newsweekly, featuring such staples as local commentary, feature stories, restaurant reviews and movie listings and music and entertainment. The Journal Record is the city’s daily business newspaper and okcBIZ is a monthly publication that covers business news CareerTech affecting those who live and Oklahoma City has several work in Central Oklahoma. public career and technology There are numerous education schools associated community and international with the Oklahoma Department newspapers locally that cater of Career and Technology to the city’s ethnic mosaic; Education, the largest of which such as The Black Chronicle, are Metro Technology Center headquartered in the Eastside, and Francis Tuttle Technology the OK VIETIMES and Center.

Oklahoma Chinese Times, The Oklahoma School of Private career and technology located in Asia District, and Science and Mathematics, a education schools in Oklahoma various Hispanic community World Views Guides | June 2014

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publications. The Campus is the student newspaper at Oklahoma City University.

Gay publications include Gossip Boy, which despite its name has become known for adventurous undercover work and investigative journalism that has attracted a national audience, and The Gayly Oklahoman.

An upscale lifestyle publication called Slice Magazine is circulated throughout the metropolitan area. In addition, there is a magazine published

by Back40 Design Group called The Edmond Outlook. It contains local commentary and human interest pieces directmailed to over 50,000 Edmond residents.

Broadcast Oklahoma City was home to several pioneers in radio and television broadcasting.

Oklahoma City’s WKY Radio was the first radio station transmitting west of the Mississippi River and the third radio station in the United States. WKY received its federal license in 1921 and has continually broadcast under the same call letters since 1922. In 1928, WKY was purchased by E.K. Gaylord’s Oklahoma Publishing Company and affiliated with the NBC Red Network; in 1949, WKY-TV (channel World Views Guides

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4) went on the air and later became the first independently owned television station in the U.S. to broadcast in color.

In mid-2002, WKY radio was purchased outright by Citadel Broadcasting, who was bought out by Cumulus Broadcasting in 2011. The Gaylord family earlier sold WKY-TV in 1976, which has gone through a succession of owners (what is now KFOR-TV is currently owned by Tribune Broadcasting as of December 2013).

The major U.S. broadcast television networks have affiliates in the Oklahoma City market (ranked 41st for television by Nielsen and 48th for radio by Arbitron, covering a 34-county area serving the central, northern-central and west-central sections Oklahoma); including NBC affiliate KFOR-TV (channel 4), ABC affiliate KOCO-TV (channel 5), CBS affiliate KWTV-DT (channel 9, the flagship of locally based Griffin Communications), PBS station KETA-TV (channel 13, the flagship of the state-run OETA member network), Fox affiliate KOKH-TV (channel 25), CW affiliate KOCB (channel 34), independent station KAUT-TV (channel 43), MyNetworkTV affiliate KSBI-TV (channel 52), and Ion Television owned-and-operated station

KOPX-TV (channel 62). The market is also home to several religious stations including TBN owned-and-operated station KTBO-TV (channel 14) and Norman-based Daystar owned-and-operated station KOCM (channel 46).

Despite the market’s geographical size, none of the English-language commercial affiliates in the Oklahoma City designated market area operate full-power satellite stations to the far northwest part of the state (requiring cable or satellite to view them), though KFOR-TV, KOCOTV, KWTV-DT and KOKHTV each operate low-power translators in that portion of the market. Oklahoma City is one of the few markets located between Chicago and Dallas to have affiliates of two or more of the major Spanishlanguage broadcast networks: Telemundo affiliate KTUZTV (channel 30), Woodwardbased Univision affiliate KUOK 35 (whose translator KUOK-CD, channel 36, serves the immediate Oklahoma City area), Azteca América affiliate KOHC-CD (channel 45) and Estrella TV affiliate KOCY-LP (channel 48).

Infrastructure Fire Department Oklahoma City is protected

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by the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD), which employs 1015 paid, professional firefighters. The current Chief of Department is G. Keith Bryant, the department is also commanded by three Deputy Chiefs, who – along with the department chief – oversee the Operational Services, Prevention Services, and Support Services bureaus.

The OKCFD currently operates out of 37 fire stations, located throughout the city in four battalions. The OKCFD also operates a fire apparatus fleet of 36 engines (including 20 paramedic engines), 13 ladders, 16 brush patrol units, six water tankers, two hazardous materials units, one Technical Rescue Unit, one Air Supply Unit, six Arson Investigation Units, and one Rehabilitation Unit. Each engine is staffed with a driver, an officer, and one to two firefighters, while each ladder company is staffed with a driver, an officer, and one firefighter. Minimum staffing per shift is 213 personnel. The Oklahoma City Fire Department responds to over 70,000 emergency calls annually.

Transportation Oklahoma City is an integral point on the United States Interstate Network, with three major interstate highways –

Interstate 35, Interstate 40, and Interstate 44 – bisecting the city. Interstate 240 connects Interstate 40 and Interstate 44 in south Oklahoma City, while Interstate 235 spurs from Interstate 44 in northcentral Oklahoma City into downtown.

Air Oklahoma City is served by two primary airports, Will Rogers World Airport and the much smaller Wiley Post Airport (incidentally, the two honorees died in the same plane crash in Alaska) Will Rogers World Airport is the state’s busiest commercial airport, with over 3.6 million passengers annually. Tinker Air Force Base, in southeast Oklahoma City, is the largest military air depot in the nation; a major maintenance and deployment facility for the Navy and the Air Force, and the second largest military institution in the state (after Fort Sill in Lawton).

Major state expressways through the city include Lake Hefner Parkway (SH74), the Kilpatrick Turnpike, Airport Road (SH-152), and Broadway Extension (US77) which continues from I-235 connecting Central Oklahoma City to Edmond.

Lake Hefner Parkway runs through northwest Oklahoma City, while Airport Road runs through southwest Oklahoma City and leads to Will Rogers Rail and bus World Airport. The Kilpatrick Amtrak has a train station Turnpike loops around north downtown, with daily service and west Oklahoma City. to Fort Worth and the nation’s Oklahoma City also has rail network via the Heartland several major national and Flyer. Oklahoma City once state highways within its city was the crossroads of several limits. Shields Boulevard interstate passenger railroads, (US-77) continues from but service at that level has E.K. Gaylord Boulevard in long since been discontinued. downtown Oklahoma City Greyhound and several other and runs south eventually intercity bus companies serve connecting to I-35 near the Oklahoma City at the Union suburb of Moore. Northwest Bus Station in downtown.

Expressway (Oklahoma State Highway 3) runs from North Public transit Classen Boulevard in northMETRO Transit is the city’s central Oklahoma City to the public transit company. The northwestern suburbs. main transfer terminal is located downtown at NW 5th World Views Guides | June 2014

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Street and Hudson Avenue.

METRO Transit maintains limited coverage of the city’s main street grid using a huband-spoke system from the main terminal, making many journeys impractical due to the rather small number of bus routes offered and that most trips require a transfer downtown. The city has recognizes that transit as a major issue for the rapidly growing and urbanizing city and has initiated several studies in recent times to improve upon the existing bus system starting with a plan known as the Fixed Guideway Study. This study identified several potential commuter transit routes from the suburbs into downtown OKC as well as feeder-line bus and/or rail routes throughout the city.

Though Oklahoma City currently has no light rail or commuter rail service, city residents identified improved transit as one of their top priorities and from the fruits of the Fixed Guideway and other studies city leaders strongly desire to incorporate urban rail transit into the region’s future transportation plans. The greater Oklahoma City metropolitan transit plan identified from the Fixed Guideway Study includes streetcar in the downtown section that would be fed by World Views Guides

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enhanced city bus service and commuter rail from the suburbs including Edmond, Norman, and Midwest City.

There is a significant push for a commuter rail line connecting downtown OKC with the eastern suburbs of Del City, Midwest City, and Tinker Air Force Base. In addition to commuter rail, a short heritage rail line that would run from Bricktown just a few blocks away from the Amtrak station to the Adventure District in northeast Oklahoma City is currently under reconstruction.

On December 2009, Oklahoma City voters passed MAPS 3, the $777 million (7-year 1-cent tax) initiative, which will include funding (appx $130M) for an estimated 5-to-6-mile (8.0 to 9.7 km) modern streetcar in downtown Oklahoma City and the establishment of a transit hub. It is believed the streetcar would begin construction in 2014 and be in operation around 2017.

On September 10, 2013 the Federal Government announced Oklahoma City would receive $13.8M grant from the US Department of Transportation’s TIGER program. This is the first ever grant for Oklahoma City for rail-based initiative and is thought to be somewhat of a turning point by city leaders who have previously applied

for grants only to continuously be denied. It is believed the city will use the TIGER grant along with approximately $10M from the MAPS 3 Transit budget to revitalize the city’s Amtrak station as an Intermodal Transportation Hub, taking over the role of the existing transit hub at NW 5th/ Hudson Ave. Walkability A 2013 study by Walk Score ranked Oklahoma City 43rd most walkable out of the 50 largest U.S. cities.

Health Oklahoma City and the surrounding metropolitan area are home to a number of health care facilities and specialty hospitals.

In Oklahoma City’s MidTown district near downtown resides the state’s oldest and largest single site hospital, St. Anthony Hospital and Physicians Medical Center.

OU Medicine, an academic medical institution located on the campus of The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, is home to OU Medical Center. OU Medicine operates Oklahoma’s only level-one trauma center at the OU Medical Center and the state’s only level-one trauma center for children at Children’s Hospital at OU Medicine, both of which are located in

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the Oklahoma Health Center district. Other medical facilities operated by OU Medicine include OU Physicians and OU Children’s Physicians, the OU College of Medicine, the Oklahoma Cancer Center and OU Medical Center Edmond, the latter being located in the northern suburb of Edmond.

and the Mercy Health Center.

There are 347 physicians for • every 100,000 people in the city.

• In the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual ranking of the United States’ 50 most populous metropolitan areas on the basis of community health, Oklahoma City took last place in 2010, falling five places from its 2009 rank of 45.

The ACSM’s report, published as part of its American Fitness Index program, cited, among other things, the poor diet of residents, low levels of physical fitness, higher incidences of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than the national average, low access to recreational facilities like swimming pools and baseball diamonds, the paucity of parks and low investment by the city in their development, the high percentage of households below the poverty level, and the lack of state-mandated physical education curriculum as contributing factors.

INTEGRIS Health owns several hospitals, including INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute of Oklahoma, and the INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center. INTEGRIS Health operates hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician clinics, mental health facilities, independent living centers and home health agencies located throughout much of Oklahoma. INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center was named in U.S. News & World Report’s 2012 list of Best Hospitals. INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center ranks highperforming in the following categories: Cardiology and Heart Surgery; Diabetes and Endocrinology; Ear, Nose Notable people and Throat; Gastroenterology; • Lexi Ainsworth, actress Geriatrics; Nephrology; • Suzy Amis, actress and Orthopedics; Pulmonology model, most notable from film and Urology.

Titanic 0 The Midwest Regional Medical • Rick Bayless, celebrity Center located in the suburb chef of Midwest City; other major • Skip Bayless, author, hospitals in the city include sports journalist and TV the Oklahoma Heart Hospital personality, most notable for

“ESPN First Take” Johnny Bench, baseball Hall of Famer Tisha Campbell-Martin, actress and singer • Antoine Carr, retired American basketball player • Joe Carter, former right fielder in Major League Baseball • Lon Chaney, Jr., actor • Don Cherry, jazz cornetist • Charlie Christian, musician, “father of the electric guitar” • Mason Cook, actor • Jimmy Edwards, Professional football player • Ronnie Claire Edwards, actress, most notable as Corabeth Godsey in The Waltons • Ralph Ellison, Novelist • Kay Francis, actress • Gennifer Flowers, actress • Vince Gill, musician (born in Norman, Oklahoma) • Max Gleason, better known by his stage name Smooth McGroove, musician known for his a cappella covers of video game music.

• Ace Greenberg, Wall Street financier • Blake Griffin, NBA basketball player • Ray William Johnson, vlogger know best for the popular Equals Three videos.

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• Lauren Lane, actress, most notable as C.C. Babcock in The Nanny • Bryan McCann, NFL player • Barry McGuire, singer/ songwriter • Bobby Ray Murcer, Major League Baseball player and later broadcaster for the Yankees.

• Eugene Nida, linguist and translator • Ted Quillin, radio personality • Edward Ruscha, Painter • John Michael Talbot, monk and guitarist • Pamela Tiffin, actress • Wes Welker, NFL player • Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator from Massachusetts • Shelden Williams, NBA player Notable current residents of the greater Oklahoma City metropolitan area • Clayton Bennett, owner of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder franchise • David Boren, President of University of Oklahoma, former U.S. Senator and Governor • Sam Bradford, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner • Anita Bryant, singer, conservative activist • Greyson Chance, pop World Views Guides

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music artist • Graham Colton, pop music artist • Nadia Comăneci, Olympic gymnast • Bart Conner, Olympic gymnast • Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City since 2004, and former television personality • Wayne Coyne, lead singer of the band The Flaming Lips • Steven Drozd, musician in The Flaming Lips • Kevin Durant, All-Star forward for the Oklahoma City Thunder • Mary Fallin, Governor of Oklahoma since 2010, and former congresswoman • Blake Griffin, NBA player • Harold Hamm, oil billionaire • Robert Harlan Henry, President of Oklahoma City University, former federal judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit • Hinder, rock band • Mat Hoffman, world record holder BMX Rider • Jerome Holmes, federal judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit • Wanda Jackson, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame • Jane Anne Jayroe, Miss America 1967 • Toby Keith, country singer

Desmond Mason, former NBA player • Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy • Gerald McCoy, NFL player • Lauren Nelson, Miss America 2007 • Larry Nichols, CEO of Devon Energy • Sean O’Grady, boxer • Thomas P. Stafford, astronaut • Bob Stoops, University of Oklahoma football coach • Barry Switzer, national championship and Super Bowl-winning football coach • Russell Westbrook, AllStar guard for Oklahoma City Thunder •

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Edmond, Oklahoma

(228 km2), of which 85.1 square miles (220 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) or 3.19% is water. Arcadia Lake on the east side of the city is a fishing spot for the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and contains bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish, The city limits are located on the and largemouth bass. Twin northern border of Oklahoma Bridges Lake is a second lake in the city.

City. Two major highways connect Edmond to downtown Edmond lies in the Sandstone Oklahoma City: U.S. Route Hills region of Central 77 (the Broadway Extension), Oklahoma, known for hills, which runs through the center blackjack oak, and post oak. of Edmond, and Interstate 35, The city falls into an ecological which runs along the eastern region known as the Cross side. Public transportation is Timbers. provided by Citylink Edmond bus service.

Climate Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma.

In 2011, Edmond was #1 on CNBC’s “10 Perfect Suburbs” list. Edmond was listed as one of the “Top 100 Places to Live in 2007” by Relocate America.

Edmond was selected the most outstanding community in its class for five years in a row by the State Chamber of Commerce and State Industrial Development Department.

Geography Edmond is located just north of Oklahoma City in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 87.9 square miles

Edmond has a humid subtropical climate with frequent variations in weather during part of the year and consistently hot summers.

Prolonged and severe droughts often lead to wildfires and heavy rainfall often leads to flash flooding and flooding.

Consistent winds, usually from the south or southsoutheast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather.

Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods. Severe ice storms and snowstorms happen sporadically during the winter.

Alley and is subject to frequent and severe tornadoes and hailstorms. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is one of the most tornado-prone major cities in the world.

Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 81,405 people residing in the city. The population density was 930 people per square mile (360/km2). There were 33,178 housing units in the city. Most residents selfidentified as white. Less than 10% self-identified as black or African American, Native American, or Asian. A small portion self-identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The population was 48.4% male and 51.6% female. The media age of residents was 34.8 years, lower than the Oklahoma median age of 40.6 years.

The estimated median household income in 2011 was $66,535, up from $54,556 in 2000, and higher than Oklahoma City.

History

The Santa Fe rail line in Oklahoma Territory, established a water and coaling station for steam engines at this location when the Santa Fe Railroad built into Indian The city is located in Tornado Territory in 1887. The site for World Views Guides | June 2014

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the station was chosen because it was the highest point on the line in Oklahoma County; train could more easily accelerate going downhill while leaving the station in either direction.

The railroad then named the station for Edmond Burdick, the Santa Fe’s traveling freight agent. When the town was formed after the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, early settlers decided to adopt the name. Though most of the remnants of the old railroad infrastructure are gone, the Santa Fe, now BNSF, freight line still runs through the same course.

a historic monument on 2nd Street between Boulevard and Broadway and is open to the public on the first two Saturdays of each month or by appointment.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, the first church opened after the land run, was located on the southwest corner of East First and South Boulevard.

The congregation still exists, although not in its original building or location.

In December 1890, the territorial legislature established three universities: the state university in Norman, the agricultural and mechanical college in Stillwater, and a “normal” or teaching school in Edmond. The first classes for the Territorial Normal School (University of Central Oklahoma) were held November 9, 1891, in the Methodist Church on the southwest corner of North Broadway and West Hurd. Old North, the Territorial Normal School’s iconic first building, was opened for classes on January 2, 1893, and ahead of Oklahoma State University’s Central Hall or Oklahoma University’s Science Hall.

The town of Edmond sprang up overnight during the great Oklahoma land run on April 22, 1889, when homesteads were staked around the Santa Fe station. The original plat for Edmond was prepared by the Seminole Town and Development Company, a newly formed syndicate with ties to the railroad. Many of the original streets were named for men associated with either the Santa Fe Railroad or the town syndicate. The first mayor and city officers were elected in May 1889, and Edmond’s population was 394 in the 1890 The Edmond Sun, established census.

by Milton W. “Kicking Bird” The first public schoolhouse Reynolds on July 18, 1889, is in Oklahoma Territory, the state’s oldest continuous completed in August 1889, is newspaper dating from in Edmond. It still stands as Oklahoma Territorial days.

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Events Edmond was the site of the post office massacre on August 20, 1986, in which 14 people were killed and six wounded

by Patrick Sherrill, an expostman who then committed suicide. This event was the first in a string of postal employee murder-suicides throughout the U.S and remains the deadliest. A memorial to the victims of that tragic event stands outside of the U.S. Post Office in downtown Edmond.

Edmond is the home town of Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller, America’s most decorated Olympic gymnast.

She won five medals (2 silver, 3 bronze) in the 1992 Summer Olympics and 2 gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Interstate 35 has been designated as the Shannon Miller Parkway from the Memorial Road exit to the Logan/Oklahoma County line.

The city was also the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case in which a Christian cross was depicted on the city seal, raising issues concerning the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In May 1996, the Supreme Court let stand a Federal Appeals Court ruling ordering the city to remove the cross from the seal.

A replacement icon has yet to be agreed upon, resulting in the curiously vacant spot on

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the city’s seal.

A memorial service for famed Oklahoman baseball player Bobby Murcer was held in Edmond on August 6, 2008, at the Memorial Road Church of Christ. Among the some 2,000 attending the memorial were Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, and current Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

the “Top 25 Most Uniquely American Cities and Towns,” a piece written by current CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg. In determining his ranking, Greenberg cited the city’s 10-day LibertyFest event, which includes the state’s largest parade, as well as fireworks, a beauty pageant, kite festival, and rodeo.

Economy The supermarket chain Homeland is based in Edmond.

The University of Central Oklahoma, one of the fastest growing in the state, is a major employer. The city’s economy is centered on technology, manufacturing, construction, wholesale, and retail trade.

Top employers In 2009, Edmond appeared on Newsmax magazine’s list of According to the City’s 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Parks

Employer

# of Employees 2,558 1,178 City of Edmond 667 Adfitech 474 OU Medical Center Edmond 350 Petra Industries 250 Remy International 200 Cox Communications 182 Pelco Products 118 Innovative Healthcare Systems 85 Edmond Public Schools University of Central Oklahoma

Shannon Miller Park • Stephenson Park • There are many parks in • Ted Anderson Park Edmond: • • Westborough Park • Bickham-Rudkin Park • Whispering Heights • Brookhaven Park • Park • Centennial Park • Chitwood Park • Education • Clegern Park • Dog Park • Elementary schools • E.C. Hafer Park (or • Angie Debo Elementary simply Hafer Park) • School • Fink Park • Centennial Elementary • Gossett Park • School • J.L. Mitch Park (or • Charles Haskell simply Mitch Park) • Elementary School • Johnson Park • Chisholm Elementary • Kelly Park • School • Meadow Lakes Park • Clegern Elementary • Penick Park • •

School Clyde Howell Elementary School Cross Timbers Elementary School Deer Creek Elementary School Frontier Elementary School Ida Freeman Elementary School John Ross Elementary School Northern Hills Elementary School Oakdale Elementary School Orvis Risner Elementary School Prairie Vale Elementary

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School Rose Union Elementary School Russell Dougherty Elementary School Sunset Elementary School Washington Irving Elementary School West Field Elementary School Will Rogers Elementary School

• • • • • •

Middle schools • • • • • • •

Central Middle School Cheyenne Middle School Cimarron Middle School Deer Creek Middle School Oakdale Middle School Sequoyah Middle School Summit Middle School High schools

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Deer Creek High School Edmond Memorial High School Edmond North High School Edmond Santa Fe High School Colleges and universities

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Herbert W. Armstrong College Oklahoma Christian University

World Views Guides

| June 2014

University of Central • Edmond North High Oklahoma School became a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2007.

Private schools • Edmond Santa Fe High • Edmond Christian School became a National Blue Academy Ribbon School of Excellence • Holy Trinity Christian in 2012.

School • Mercy School Institute Public art and landmarks • Oklahoma Christian School The city of Edmond is making • Oklahoma Christian efforts to promote public art Academy with murals, stained glass and • Providence Hall steel sculptures. On a portion Classical Christian School of mainstreet, statuary lines • St. Elizabeth Ann Seton nearly every corner. On July Catholic School 4, 2007, the City inaugurated • St. Mary’s Episcopal a bronze statue of Nannita School R.H. Daisey, believed to be the first woman laying claim on Oklahoma land in the first Awards for schools (1889) land run.

• Cheyenne Middle School became a blue ribbon Edmond residents have access to 57 Protestant and 2 Catholic school in 2009 • Deer Creek Middle congregations, 4 LDS church School became a National Blue congregations, one Unitarian church, one Ribbon School of Excellence Universalist Islamic mosque, and one in 2002.

Bahá’í center.

• Edmond Memorial High School became a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence Rugby Football in Edmond in 2001.

Rugby union is a developing • Edmond Memorial High sport in Edmond as well School was named the Siemens as in the Oklahoma City Foundation 2007-2008 metropolitan area. Edmond award winner for the state of boasts two rugby clubs: The Oklahoma. This award is given Edmond Rugby Club (aka “The to one high school per state, Storm”) and the University and only .033 high schools in of Central Oklahoma Rugby the nation, in recognition of Football Club. outstanding performance in AP math, science, and technology.

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