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Wikipedia

Oklahoma City

January 10, 2023

For other uses, see Oklahoma City (disambiguation).

Oklahoma City (/oʊkləˌhoʊmə -/ (listen)), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County,[7] it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and is the 8th largest city in the Southern United States. The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 687,725 in the 2020 census.[8] The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,396,445,[9] and the Oklahoma City–Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,469,124,[9] making it Oklahoma's largest municipality and metropolitan area by population.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
State capital
City of Oklahoma City
Clockwise from top left: Downtown skyline, Skydance Bridge, City Hall, Gold Star Memorial Building, Paycom Center, Oklahoma City National Memorial, State Capitol
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): 
"OKC", "The 405", "The Big Friendly", "The City",[1]
Location within Oklahoma County, Canadian County, Cleveland County and Pottawatomie County in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
Location within the United States
Coordinates: 35°28′7″N 97°31′17″W / 35.46861°N 97.52139°W / 35.46861; -97.52139Coordinates: 35°28′7″N 97°31′17″W / 35.46861°N 97.52139°W / 35.46861; -97.52139
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountiesOklahoma, Canadian, Cleveland, Pottawatomie
FoundedApril 22, 1889[2]
IncorporatedJuly 15, 1890[2]
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • MayorDavid Holt
 • City managerCraig Freeman
Area
[3]
 • City620.79 sq mi (1,607.83 km2)
 • Land606.48 sq mi (1,570.77 km2)
 • Water14.31 sq mi (37.06 km2)
 • Urban
421.73 sq mi (1,092.3 km2)
Elevation
[4]
1,198 ft (365 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City681,054
 • Rank20th in the United States
1st in Oklahoma
 • Density1,122.96/sq mi (433.58/km2)
 • Urban
982,276 (US: 46th)
 • Urban density2,329.2/sq mi (899.3/km2)
 • Metro
[5]
1,441,695 (US: 42nd)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
Zip codes[6]
Area code405 572
FIPS code40-55000
GNIS feature ID1102140[4]
WebsiteOklahoma City official website

Oklahoma City's city limits extend somewhat into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas outside the core Oklahoma County area are suburban tracts or protected rural zones (watershed). The city is the eighth-largest in the United States by area including consolidated city-counties; it is the second-largest, after Houston, not including consolidated cities. The city is also the second largest by area among state capital cities in the United States, after Juneau, Alaska.

Oklahoma City has one of the world's largest livestock markets.[10] Oil, natural gas, petroleum products, and related industries are its economy's largest sector. The city is in the middle of an active oil field and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds. The federal government employs a large number of workers at Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (which house offices of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department's Enterprise Service Center, respectively).

Oklahoma City is on the I-35 Corridor, one of the primary travel corridors south into neighboring Texas and Mexico and north towards Wichita and Kansas City. Located in the state's Frontier Country region, the city's northeast section lies in an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers. The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889 and grew to a population of over 10,000 within hours of its founding. It was the site of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in which 168 people died, the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history until the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

Since weather records have been kept beginning in 1890, Oklahoma City has been struck by 14 violent tornadoes, 11 of which were rated F4 or EF4 on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita scales, and one each rated F5 and EF5.[11]

History

Main articles: History of Oklahoma City and Timeline of Oklahoma City
 
Map of Indian Territory (Oklahoma) 1889, showing Oklahoma as a train stop on a railroad line. Britannica 9th ed.
Native American names for Oklahoma City
Cherokee: ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ ᎦᏚᎲᎢ
Romanized: ogalahoma gaduhvi
Cheyenne: Ma'xepóno'e
Delaware: Oklahoma-utènaii
Iowa-Oto: Chína Chége Itúⁿ[12]
Navajo: Halgai Hóteeldi Kin Haalʼáhí
Meskwaki: Okonohômîheki[13]

Oklahoma City was settled on April 22, 1889,[14] when the area known as the "Unassigned Lands" was opened for settlement in an event known as "The Land Run".[15] Some 10,000 homesteaders settled the area that would become the capital of Oklahoma. The town grew quickly; the population doubled between 1890 and 1900.[16] Early leaders of the development of the city included Anton Classen, John Shartel, Henry Overholser, Oscar Ameringer and James W. Maney.

 
Lithograph of Oklahoma City from 1890

By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie, the territorial capital, as the new state's population center and commercial hub. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City.[17] Oklahoma City was a major stop on Route 66 during the early part of the 20th century; it was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup's 1946 jazz song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" 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.[18] 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 the federal development of Tinker Air Force Base.

In 1950, the Census Bureau reported the city's population as 8.6% black and 90.7% white.[19]

Patience Latting was elected Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1971, becoming the city's first female mayor.[20] Latting was also the first woman to serve as mayor of a U.S. city with over 350,000 residents.[20]

 
Oklahoma City National Memorial at Christmas

Like many other American cities, the 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 older 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,[21][22] the Baum Building,[23] the Hales Building,[24][25] and the Biltmore Hotel.[26]

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; a 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.[27] As a result of MAPS, the population living in downtown housing has exponentially increased, together with the 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 detonated 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.[28] The site has been commemorated as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.[29] 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. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.

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.[30] 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

 
Mid-May 2006 photograph of Oklahoma City taken from the International Space Station (ISS)

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

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 620.34 square miles (1,606.7 km2),[31] of which 601.11 square miles (1,556.9 km2) is land and 19.23 square miles (49.8 km2) is water.

Oklahoma City lies in the Sandstone Hills region of Oklahoma, known for hills of 250 to 400 feet (80 to 120 m) and two species of oak: blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) and post oak (Q. stellata).[32] The northeastern part of the city and its eastern suburbs fall into an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers.[33]

The city is roughly bisected by the North Canadian 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.[34] In the 1940s, a dam was built on the river to manage the flood control and reduce its level.[35] 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.[36] 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 city's sparsely populated far southeast portion.

The population density normally reported for Oklahoma City using the area of its city limits can be misleading. Its urbanized zone covers roughly 244 square miles (630 km2) resulting in a 2013 estimated density of 2,500 per square mile (970/km2), compared with larger rural watershed areas incorporated by the city, which cover the remaining 377 sq mi (980 km2) of the city limits.[37]

Oklahoma City is one of the largest cities in the nation in compliance with the Clean Air Act.[38]

 
Devon Energy Center, tallest building in the state

Tallest buildings

Main article: List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma City
Rank Building Height Floors Built Ref.
1 Devon Energy Center 845 feet (258 m) 50 2012 [39]
2 BancFirst Tower 500 feet (152 m) 36 1971 [40]
3 First National Center 446 feet (136 m) 33 1931 [41]
4 BOK Park Plaza 433 feet (132 m) 27 2017 [42]
5 Oklahoma Tower 410 feet (125 m) 31 1982 [43]
6 Strata Tower 393 feet (120 m) 30 1973 [44]
7 City Place 391 feet (119 m) 33 1931 [45]
8 Valliance Bank Tower 321 feet (98 m) 22 1984 [46]
9 Leadership Square North 285 feet (87 m) 22 1984 [47]
10 Arvest Tower 281 feet (86 m) 16 1972 [48]

Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City
 
Automobile Alley in Oklahoma City
 
Looking up in the heart of Oklahoma City's Central Business District

Oklahoma City neighborhoods are extremely varied, with affluent historic neighborhoods located next to districts that have not wholly recovered from economic and social decline of the 1970s and 1980s.[citation needed]

The city is bisected geographically and culturally by the North Canadian River, which basically divides North Oklahoma City and South Oklahoma City. 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 the center of the city's rapidly growing Latino community.

Downtown Oklahoma City, which has 7,600 residents, is 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 2021 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 one-cent temporary (seven-year) sales tax increase.[49]

Climate

Main article: Climate of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City has a temperate humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa), along with significant continental influences. The city features very hot, humid summers, and cool winters with occasional snowfall. 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;[50] the last sub-zero (Fahrenheit) reading was −14 °F (−26 °C) on February 16, 2021.[51][52] 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.[51] The city receives about 35.9 inches (91.2 cm) of precipitation annually, of which 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) is snow.

The report "Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment" (NCA) from 2013 by NOAA, projects that parts of the Great Plains region can expect up to 30% (high emissions scenario based on CMIP3 and NARCCAP models) increase in extreme precipitation days by mid-century. This definition is based on days receiving more than one inch of rainfall.[53]

Extreme weather

Oklahoma City has an active severe weather season from March through June, especially during April and May. Being in the center of what is colloquially referred to as Tornado Alley, it is prone to especially frequent and severe tornadoes, as well as 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 13 violent tornadoes, eleven rated F/EF4 and two rated F/EF5.[11]

On May 3, 1999, parts of Oklahoma City and surrounding communities were impacted by a tornado. It was the last U.S. tornado to be given a rating of F5 on the Fujita scale before the Enhanced Fujita scale replaced it in 2007. While the tornado was in the vicinity of Bridge Creek to the southwest, wind speeds of 318 mph (510 km/h) were estimated by a mobile Doppler radar, the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth.[54] A second top-of-the-scale tornado occurred on May 20, 2013; South Oklahoma City, along with Newcastle and Moore, was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was 0.5 to 1.3 miles (0.80 to 2.09 km) wide and killed 23 people.[55] On May 31, less than two weeks after the May 20 event, another outbreak affected the Oklahoma City area. Within Oklahoma City, the system spawned an EF1 and an EF0 tornado, and in El Reno to the west, an EF3 tornado occurred. This lattermost tornado, which was heading in the direction of Oklahoma City before it dissipated, had a width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), making it the widest tornado ever recorded. Additionally, winds in excess of 295 mph (475 km/h) were measured, one of the two highest wind records for a tornado.[56]

With 19.48 inches (495 mm) of rainfall, May 2015 was by far Oklahoma City's record-wettest month since record-keeping began in 1890. Across Oklahoma and Texas generally, there was a record flooding in the latter part of the month.[57]

Climate data for Oklahoma City (Will Rogers World Airport), 1991−2020 normals,[a] extremes 1890−present[b]
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 83
(28) 		92
(33) 		97
(36) 		100
(38) 		104
(40) 		107
(42) 		110
(43) 		113
(45) 		108
(42) 		97
(36) 		87
(31) 		86
(30) 		113
(45)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 71.7
(22.1) 		77.1
(25.1) 		84.2
(29.0) 		86.9
(30.5) 		92.3
(33.5) 		96.4
(35.8) 		102.4
(39.1) 		101.5
(38.6) 		96.2
(35.7) 		88.9
(31.6) 		79.1
(26.2) 		71.2
(21.8) 		103.8
(39.9)
Average high °F (°C) 49.3
(9.6) 		53.8
(12.1) 		62.9
(17.2) 		71.1
(21.7) 		78.9
(26.1) 		87.5
(30.8) 		93.1
(33.9) 		92.2
(33.4) 		83.9
(28.8) 		72.8
(22.7) 		60.7
(15.9) 		50.4
(10.2) 		71.4
(21.9)
Average low °F (°C) 27.0
(−2.8) 		30.8
(−0.7) 		39.5
(4.2) 		47.5
(8.6) 		57.6
(14.2) 		66.2
(19.0) 		70.3
(21.3) 		69.1
(20.6) 		61.5
(16.4) 		49.4
(9.7) 		37.7
(3.2) 		29.5
(−1.4) 		48.8
(9.3)
Mean minimum °F (°C) 11.7
(−11.3) 		15.4
(−9.2) 		21.5
(−5.8) 		32.3
(0.2) 		43.8
(6.6) 		56.6
(13.7) 		63.6
(17.6) 		61.7
(16.5) 		48.4
(9.1) 		33.8
(1.0) 		21.7
(−5.7) 		14.3
(−9.8) 		7.5
(−13.6)
Record low °F (°C) −11
(−24) 		−17
(−27) 		1
(−17) 		20
(−7) 		32
(0) 		46
(8) 		53
(12) 		49
(9) 		35
(2) 		16
(−9) 		9
(−13) 		−8
(−22) 		−17
(−27)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.32
(34) 		1.42
(36) 		2.55
(65) 		3.60
(91) 		5.31
(135) 		4.49
(114) 		3.59
(91) 		3.60
(91) 		3.72
(94) 		3.32
(84) 		1.68
(43) 		1.79
(45) 		36.39
(924)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 1.8
(4.6) 		1.8
(4.6) 		0.8
(2.0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.5
(1.3) 		1.8
(4.6) 		6.7
(17)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 5.0 5.7 6.9 7.9 10.0 8.6 6.0 6.7 7.1 7.5 5.8 5.7 82.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 1.3 1.3 0.4 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0.3 1.4 4.9
Average relative humidity (%) 66.6 65.7 61.3 61.1 67.5 67.2 60.9 61.6 67.1 64.4 67.1 67.8 64.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 200.8 189.7 244.2 271.3 295.2 326.1 356.6 329.3 263.7 245.1 186.5 180.9 3,089.4
Percent possible sunshine 64 62 66 69 68 75 80 79 71 70 60 60 69
Average ultraviolet index 3 4 6 8 9 10 10 9 8 5 3 2 6.4
Source 1: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)[58][51][59]
Source 2: Weather Atlas [60]
Climate data for Oklahoma City
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily daylight hours 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 15.0 14.0 13.0 12.0 11.0 10.0 10.0 12.1
Source: Weather Atlas[61]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18904,151—
190010,037141.8%
191064,205539.7%
192091,29542.2%
1930185,389103.1%
1940204,42410.3%
1950243,50419.1%
1960324,25333.2%
1970368,16413.5%
1980404,0149.7%
1990444,71910.1%
2000506,13213.8%
2010579,99914.6%
2020681,05417.4%
2021 (est.)687,7251.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[62]
2010–2020[8]

According to the 2020 census, the racial composition of Oklahoma City was as follows:[63]

 
Map of racial distribution in Oklahoma City, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: White, Black, Asian, Hispanic or Other (yellow)

In the 2010 census, there were 579,999 people, 230,233 households, and 144,120 families residing in the city. The population density was 956.4 inhabitants per square mile (321.9/km2). There were 256,930 housing units at an average density of 375.9 per square mile (145.1/km2).

Of Oklahoma City's 579,999 people, 44,541 reside in Canadian County, 63,723 reside in Cleveland County, 471,671 reside in Oklahoma County, and 64 reside in Pottawatomie County.[64]

There were 230,233 households, 29.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. One person households account for 30.5% of all households, and 8.7% of all households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.11.[65]

The median income for a household in the city was $48,557 and the median income for a family was $62,527. The per capita income for the city was $26,208. 17.1% of the population and 12.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.0% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[66][67]

In the 2000 Census, Oklahoma City's age composition was 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

Oklahoma City has experienced significant population increases since the late 1990s. It is the first city in the state to record a population greater than 600,000 residents. It is also the first city in the Great Plains region to record a population greater than 600,000 residents. It is the largest municipal population of the Great Plains region (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota).

Racial composition 2020 [68] 2010[69] 1990[19] 1970[19] 1940[19]
White (Non-Hispanic) 49.5% 56.7% 72.9% 82.2% 90.4%
Hispanic or Latino 21.3% 17.2% 5.0% 2.0% n/a
Black or African American 13.8% 14.8% 16.0% 13.7% 9.5%
Mixed 7.6% 4.0% 0.4% – –
Asian 4.6% 4.0% 2.4% 0.2% –
Native American 3.4% 3.1% 4.2% 2.0% 0.1%

Metropolitan statistical area

 
Old Interstate 40 Crosstown, Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area in Central Oklahoma and is the state's largest urbanized area. As of 2015, the metropolitan area was the 41st largest in the nation based on population.[70]

Crime

Law enforcement claims Oklahoma City has traditionally been the territory of the notorious Juárez Cartel, but the Sinaloa Cartel has been 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.[71]

Oklahoma City also has its share of violent crimes, particularly in the 1970s. The worst occurred in 1978, when six employees of a Sirloin Stockade restaurant on the city's south side were murdered execution-style in the restaurant's freezer. An intensive investigation followed, and the three individuals involved, who also killed three others in Purcell, Oklahoma, were identified. One, Harold Stafford, died in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa not long after the restaurant murders. Another, Verna Stafford, was sentenced to life without parole after being granted a new trial after she had been sentenced to death. Roger Dale Stafford, considered the mastermind of the murder spree, was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1995.[72]

The Oklahoma City Police Department has a uniformed force of 1,169 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.

 
The Murrah Federal Building after the attack

On April 19, 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by a fertilizer bomb manufactured and detonated by Timothy McVeigh. The blast and catastrophic collapse killed 168 people and injured over 680. The blast shock-wave destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 340-meter radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at least an estimated $652 million worth of damage. McVeigh was convicted and subsequently executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.

Economy

See also: List of companies based in Oklahoma City
 
The Sonic Drive-In restaurant chain is headquartered in Oklahoma City.

The economy of Oklahoma City, once just a regional power center of government and energy exploration, has since diversified to include the sectors of information technology, services, health services, and administration. The city is headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies: Chesapeake Energy[73] and Devon Energy,[74] as well as being home to Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, which is ranked thirteenth on Forbes' list of private companies.[75]

As of January 2020, the top 20 employers in the city were:[76]

# Employer # of employees
1 State of Oklahoma (SEAT) 40,000 and over
2 United States Federal Aviation Administration 5,000 and over
3 Integris Health (HQ) 5,000 and over
4 University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 5,000 and over
5 Paycom (HQ) 5,000 and over
6 Hobby Lobby Stores (HQ) 5,000 and over
7 City of Oklahoma City 3,000 and over
8 Mercy Health Center (HQ) 3,000 and over
9 OG+E Energy Corp (HQ) 3,000 and over
10 OU Medicine 3,000 and over
11 SSM Health Care (HQ) 3,000 and over
12 AT&T 3,000 and over
13 Sonic Corp. (HQ) 3,000 and over
14 Devon Energy Corporation (HQ) 1,000 and over
15 Chesapeake Energy Corporation (HQ) 1,000 and over
16 The Boeing Company (Regional HQ) 1,000 and over
17 LSB Industries, Inc. (HQ) 1,000 and over
18 Cox Communications 1,000 and over
19 Dell 1,000 and over
20 American Fidelity Assurance (HQ) 1,000 and over

Other major corporations with a large presence (over 1,000 employees) in the city of Oklahoma City include the United Parcel Service, Farmers Insurance Group, Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Deaconess Hospital, Johnson Controls, MidFirst Bank, Rose State College, and Continental Resources.[76][77]

While not in the city limits, other large employers within the Oklahoma City MSA include United States Air Force – Tinker AFB (27,000); University of Oklahoma (11,900); University of Central Oklahoma (2,900); and Norman Regional Hospital (2,800).[76]

According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the metropolitan area's economic output grew by 33% between 2001 and 2005 due chiefly to economic diversification. Its gross metropolitan product (GMP) was $43.1 billion in 2005[78] and grew to $61.1 billion in 2009.[79] By 2016 the GMP had grown to $73.8 billion.[80]

In 2008, Forbes 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.[81] 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 prices (oil bust).[citation needed]

Business districts

See also: Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City

Business and entertainment districts (and to a lesser extent local 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).[82] Through zoning regulations, historic districts, and other special zoning districts, including overlay districts, are well established.[83] Oklahoma City has three business improvement districts, including one encompassing the central business district.

Culture

Museums and theaters

 
Water taxis in Oklahoma City's downtown Bricktown neighborhood

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.[84] The art deco Civic Center Music Hall, which was totally renovated in 2001, has performances from the Oklahoma City Ballet, the Oklahoma City Opera, the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, and also various concerts and traveling Broadway shows.

 
The Survivor Tree on the grounds of the Oklahoma City National Memorial

Other theaters include Lyric Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre, 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 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center (formerly City Arts Center), moved downtown in 2020, near Campbell Art Park at 11th and Broadway, after being at the Oklahoma State Fair fairgrounds since 1989. It features exhibitions, performances, classes, workshops, camps, and weekly programs.

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

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 National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has galleries of western art and is home to the Hall of Great Western Performers. Opening in September 2021, the city will also be home to the First Americans Museum that began construction in 2009 (although completion of the facility has been held up due to insufficient funding), on the south side of Interstate 40, southeast from Bricktown.

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, 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 American Banjo Museum in the Bricktown Entertainment district is dedicated to preserving and promoting the music and heritage of the banjo. Its collection is valued at $3.5 million[citation needed], and an interpretive exhibit tells the evolution of the banjo from its roots in American slavery, to bluegrass, to folk, and to world music.

The Oklahoma History Center is the history museum of the state of Oklahoma. 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 Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum contains early colonial firefighting tools, the first fire station in Oklahoma, and modern fire trucks.[citation needed]

Sports

Main article: Sports in Oklahoma City
 
Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers and the Big 12 baseball tournament

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. However, the Thunder were formerly the Sonics prior to the movement of the Sonics to OKC in 2008.

Other professional sports clubs in Oklahoma City include the Oklahoma City Dodgers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Oklahoma City Energy FC of the United Soccer League, and the Crusaders of Oklahoma Rugby Football Club of USA Rugby. The Oklahoma City Blazers, a name used for decades of the city's hockey team in the Central Hockey League has been used for a junior team in the Western States Hockey League since 2014.

The Paycom Center in downtown is the main multipurpose arena in the city which hosts concerts, NHL exhibition games, and many of the city's pro sports teams. In 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the major tenant. Nearby in Bricktown, the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city's baseball team, the Dodgers. "The Brick," as it is locally known, is considered one of the finest minor league parks in the nation.[85]

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 Paycom Center and Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, although most home games are played at their campus stadiums.

Other major sporting events include Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing circuits at Remington Park and numerous horse shows and equine events that take place at the state fairgrounds each year. There are numerous golf courses and country clubs spread around the city.

High school football

The state of Oklahoma hosts a highly competitive high school football culture, with many teams in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) organizes high school football into eight distinct classes based on the size of school enrollment. Beginning with the largest, the classes are: 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, A, B, and C. Class 6A is broken into two divisions. Oklahoma City area schools in this division include Edmond Memorial, Mustang, Moore, Yukon, Deer Creek, Edmond North, Edmond Santa Fe, Norman North, Westmoore, Southmoore, Putnam City North, Norman, Putnam City, Putnam City West, U.S. Grant, Capitol Hill, Northwest Classen, and Midwest City.[86]

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has called Oklahoma City home since the 2008–09 season, when owner Clay Bennett relocated the franchise from Seattle, Washington. The Thunder play home games at the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City. The Thunder is known by several nicknames, including "OKC Thunder" and simply "OKC," and its mascot is Rumble the Bison.

After arriving in Oklahoma City for the 2008–09 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a berth (8th) in the 2010 NBA 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 Finals, but lost to the Miami Heat in five games. In 2013 the Thunder reached the Western Conference semi-finals without All-Star guard Russell Westbrook, who was injured in their 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 six 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 earned Northwest Division titles every year from 2011 to 2014, and again in 2016, and has consistently improved its win record to 59-wins in 2014. The Thunder is led by second year head coach Mark Daigneault and was anchored by All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook prior to a July 2019 trade that sent him to the Houston Rockets.

Hornets

Main article: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the NBA's New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated to the Ford Center, 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 regular-season games in the state of Oklahoma.[citation needed] 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.

Professional sports teams

Parks and recreation

 
Myriad Botanical Gardens, the centerpiece of downtown OKC

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 had a massive renovation in conjunction with the Devon Tower directly north of it.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to 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, Six Flags Frontier City theme park and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City 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 parks masterplan. Will Rogers 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.[87] In March 2009, the Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park was named by the National Geographic Society Travel Guide as one of the "Ten Best."[88][89]

Government

Main article: Government of Oklahoma City
See also: List of mayors of Oklahoma City
 
Oklahoma State Capitol, seen from the OK History Center
 
The Art Deco city hall building, a block from the Civic Center

The City of Oklahoma City has operated under a council-manager form of city government since 1927.[90] David Holt assumed the office of Mayor on April 10, 2018 after being elected two months earlier.[91] Eight councilpersons represent each of the eight wards of Oklahoma City. The City Council appointed current City Manager Craig Freeman on November 20, 2018. Freeman took office on January 2, 2018, succeeding James D. Couch, who had served in the role since 2000. Prior to becoming City Manager, Craig Freeman served as Finance Director for the city.[92]

Politics

Similar to many American cities, Oklahoma City is politically conservative in its suburbs, and liberal in the central city. In the United States House of Representatives, it is represented by Republicans Stephanie Bice and Tom Cole of the 5th and 4th districts, respectively. The city has called on residents to vote for sales tax-based projects to revitalize parts of the city. The Bricktown district is the best example of such an initiative. In the recent MAPS 3 vote, the city's fraternal order of police criticized the project proposals for not doing enough to expand the police presence to keep up with the growing residential population and increased commercial activity. In September 2013, Oklahoma City area attorney David Slane announced he would pursue legal action regarding MAPS3, on claims the multiple projects that made up the plan violate a state constitutional law limiting voter ballot issues to a single subject.[93]

 
Oklahoma City region population dot map and 2016 presidential election results by precinct (click to enlarge).
Oklahoma County Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of November 1, 2020[94]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic 164,628 37.26%
Republican 189,991 43.00%
Libertarian 3,385 0.77%
Unaffiliated 83,799 18.97%
Total 441,803 100%
Oklahoma City presidential election results[95]
Year Republican Democratic Libertarian
2020 49.21% 145,050 48.08% 141,724 1.79% 5,272
2016 51.68% 141,569 41.18% 112,813 7.14% 19,560
2012 58.33% 149,728 41.67% 106,982
2008 58.41% 163,172 41.59% 116,182
2004 64.23% 174,741 35.77% 97,298
2000 62.34% 139,078 36.57% 81,590 0.56% 1,245

International relations

Consulates

Consulate Date Consular District
Guatemalan Consulate-General, Oklahoma City[96] 06.2017 Oklahoma, Kansas

Twin towns – sister cities

Oklahoma City's sister cities are:[97]

Education

Higher education

See also: List of colleges and universities in Oklahoma City
 
OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City

The city is home to several colleges and universities. Oklahoma City University, formerly known as Epworth University, was founded by the United Methodist Church on September 1, 1904, and is known for its performing arts, science, mass communications, business, law, and athletic programs. OCU has its main campus in the north-central section of the city, near the city's Asia District area. OCU Law is located in the Midtown district near downtown, in the old Central High School building.

The University of Oklahoma has several institutions of higher learning in the city and metropolitan area, with OU Medicine and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campuses east of downtown in the Oklahoma Health Center district, and the main campus to the south in the suburb of Norman. OU Medical Center hosts the state's only Level-One trauma center. OU Health Sciences Center is one of the nation's largest independent medical centers, employing more than 12,000 people.[98] OU is one of only four major universities in the nation to operate six medical schools.[clarification needed]

The third-largest university in the state, the University of Central Oklahoma, is just north of the city in the suburb of Edmond. Oklahoma Christian University, one of the state's private liberal arts institutions, is just south of the Edmond border, inside the Oklahoma City limits.[99]

Oklahoma City Community College in south Oklahoma City is the second-largest community college in the state. Rose State College is east of Oklahoma City in suburban Midwest City. Oklahoma State University–Oklahoma City is 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 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 Higher Learning Commission. 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. In addition, The National Academy of Science offers Research Associateship Programs for fellowship and other grants for CAMI research.

Primary and secondary

 
Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School

Oklahoma City is home to the state's largest school district, Oklahoma City Public Schools.[100] 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.[101] 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.[102] 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.

The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, a school for some of the state's most gifted math and science pupils, is also in Oklahoma City.

Due to Oklahoma City's explosive growth, parts of several suburban districts spill into the city, including Putnam City School District in the northwest, Moore Public Schools in the south, and Mid-Del School District in the southeast. The city also 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 include Bishop McGuinness High School and Mount Saint Mary High School. Other private schools include the Advanced Science and Technology Education Center and Crossings Christian School.

CareerTech

Oklahoma City has several public career and technology education schools associated with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, the largest of which are Metro Technology Center and Francis Tuttle Technology Center.

Private career and technology education schools in Oklahoma 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 affecting those who live and work in Central Oklahoma.

Numerous community and international newspapers cater to the city's ethnic mosaic, such as The Black Chronicle, headquartered in the Eastside, the OK VIETIMES and Oklahoma Chinese Times, in Asia District, and various Hispanic community publications. The Campus is the student newspaper at Oklahoma City University. Gay publications include The Gayly Oklahoman.

An upscale lifestyle publication called 405 Magazine (formerly Slice Magazine) is circulated throughout the metropolitan area.[103] In addition, there is a magazine published by Back40 Design Group called The Edmond Outlook. It contains local commentary and human interest pieces direct-mailed to over 50,000 Edmond residents.

Ready Player One is set in Oklahoma City in the year 2045.

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.[104] 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 4) went on the air and later became the first independently owned television station in the U.S. to broadcast in color.[104] 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 owned by Nexstar Media Group as of October 2019).

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, north-central and west-central sections of 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 covering the far northwestern part of the state (requiring cable or satellite to view them), though KFOR-TV, KOCO-TV, KWTV-DT, and KOKH-TV each operate low-power translators in that portion of the market. Oklahoma City is one of the few markets between Chicago and Dallas to have affiliates of two or more of the major Spanish-language broadcast networks: Telemundo affiliate KTUZ-TV (channel 30), Woodward-based Univision affiliate KUOK 35 (whose translator KUOK-CD, channel 36, serves the immediate Oklahoma City area), Azteca affiliate KOHC-CD (channel 45) and Estrella TV affiliate KOCY-LD (channel 48).

Infrastructure

Fire department

Oklahoma City is protected by the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD), which employs 1015 paid, professional firefighters. The current Chief of Department is Richard Kelley, 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 operates out of 37 fire stations throughout the city in six battalions. The OKCFD operates a fire apparatus fleet of 36 engine companies (including 30 paramedic engines), 13 ladder companies, 16 brush pumper units, six water tankers, two hazardous materials units, one Technical Rescue Unit, one Air Supply Unit, six Arson Investigation Units, and one Rehabilitation Unit along with several special units. Each engine Company 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 each shift is 213 personnel. The Oklahoma City Fire Department responds to over 70,000 emergency calls annually.[105][106][107]

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Oklahoma City

Highway

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 north-central Oklahoma City into downtown.

Major state expressways through the city include Lake Hefner Parkway (SH-74), the Kilpatrick Turnpike, Airport Road (SH-152), and Broadway Extension (US-77) 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 World Airport. The Kilpatrick Turnpike loops around north and west Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City also has several major national and state highways within its city limits. Shields Boulevard (US-77) continues from E.K. Gaylord Boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City and runs south eventually connecting to I-35 near the suburb of Moore, Oklahoma. Northwest Expressway (Oklahoma State Highway 3) runs from North Classen Boulevard in north-central Oklahoma City to the northwestern suburbs.

Oklahoma City is traversed by the following major expressways:

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)[108] Will Rogers World Airport is the state's busiest commercial airport, with 4,341,159 passengers served in 2018, a historic record.[109]

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).

 
United Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft at the East Concourse of Will Rogers World Airport

Rail and intercity bus

Amtrak has a station downtown at the Santa Fe Depot, with daily service to Fort Worth and the nation's rail network via the Heartland Flyer. Oklahoma City once was the crossroads of several interstate passenger railroads, at the Santa Fe Depot, the Union Station, and at the station of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad.[110] But service at that level has long since been discontinued. However, several proposals to extend the current train service have been made, including a plan to extend the Heartland Flyer to Newton, Kansas, which is currently being connected through Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach. Freight service is provided by BNSF, Union Pacific, and Stillwater Central.

Greyhound and several other intercity bus companies serve Oklahoma City at the Union Bus Station in downtown.

Public transit

Main articles: Embark (transit authority) and Oklahoma City Streetcar
 
Streetcar of the OKC Streetcar system passing the historic First United Methodist Church, in downtown

Embark (formerly Metro Transit) is the city's public transit company. The main transfer terminal is downtown at NW 5th Street and Hudson Avenue. Embark maintains limited coverage of the city's main street grid using a hub-and-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 recognized 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.[111] 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 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 a streetcar system in the downtown area, to be fed by 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 under reconstruction.

In December 2009, Oklahoma City voters passed MAPS 3, the $777 million (7-year, 1-cent tax) initiative, which would generate funding (approx. $130 million) for the modern Oklahoma City Streetcar system in downtown Oklahoma City and the establishment of a transit hub.

On September 10, 2013, the federal government announced that Oklahoma City would receive a $13.8-million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's TIGER program. This was the first-ever grant for Oklahoma City for a rail-based initiative and is thought to be somewhat of a turning point by city leaders who have applied for grants in the past, only to continuously be denied. It is believed the city will use the TIGER grant along with approximately $10 million from the MAPS 3 Transit budget to revitalize the city's Amtrak station becoming an Intermodal Transportation Hub, taking over the role of the existing transit hub at NW 5th/Hudson Ave.[citation needed]

Construction of the Oklahoma City Streetcar system in Downtown OKC began in early 2017,[112] and the system opened for service in December 2018.[113][114] Also known as the Maps 3 Streetcar, it connects the areas of Bricktown, Midtown and Downtown. The 6.9 mi (11.1 km) system serves the greater Downtown area using modern, low-floor streetcars. The initial system consists of two lines that connecting Oklahoma City's Central Business District with the entertainment district, Bricktown, and the Midtown District. Expansion to other districts surrounding downtown as well as more routes in the CBD is already underway.[citation needed]

Walkability

A 2013 study by Walk Score ranked Oklahoma City the 43rd most walkable out of the 50 largest U.S. cities. Oklahoma City has 18 neighborhoods with a Walk Score above 60, mainly close to the downtown core.[115]

Health

 
OU Physicians Center

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 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,[116] both of which are in 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 in the northern suburb of Edmond.

 
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center

INTEGRIS Health owns several hospitals, including INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute of Oklahoma,[117] and the INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center.[118] INTEGRIS Health operates hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician clinics, mental health facilities, independent living centers, and home health agencies 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 high-performing in the following categories: Cardiology and Heart Surgery; Diabetes and Endocrinology; Ear, Nose and Throat; Gastroenterology; Geriatrics; Nephrology; Orthopedics; Pulmonology and Urology.

The Midwest Regional Medical Center is in the suburb of Midwest City; other major hospitals in the city include the Oklahoma Heart Hospital and the Mercy Health Center. There are 347 physicians for every 100,000 people in the city.[119]

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.[120] 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.[121]

Notable people

For a more comprehensive list, see List of people from Oklahoma City.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
  2. ^ Official records for Oklahoma City were kept at the Weather Bureau Office from November 1890 to December 1953, and at Will Rogers World Airport since January 1954. For more information, see Threadex

References

  1. ^ U.S. City Monikers, Tagline Guru website, accessed January 5, 2008
  2. ^ a b . Oklahoma History Society. Archived from the original on April 2, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  4. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Oklahoma City
  5. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ . USPS. Archived from the original on November 4, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oklahoma City.
  • Official city website
  • Oklahoma City tourism information
  • Convention & Visitors' Bureau
  • City-Data page
  • Oklahoma City Historic Film Row District website March 11, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  • New York Times travel article about Oklahoma City
  • OKC.NET cultural commentary about Oklahoma City
  • Voices of Oklahoma interview with Ron Norick April 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, mayor during the Oklahoma City bombing

January 10, 2023
oklahoma, city, other, uses, disambiguation, listen, officially, city, often, shortened, capital, largest, city, state, oklahoma, county, seat, oklahoma, county, ranks, 20th, among, united, states, cities, population, largest, city, southern, united, states, p. For other uses see Oklahoma City disambiguation Oklahoma City oʊ k l e ˌ h oʊ m e listen officially the City of Oklahoma City and often shortened to OKC is the capital and largest city of the U S state of Oklahoma The county seat of Oklahoma County 7 it ranks 20th among United States cities in population and is the 8th largest city in the Southern United States The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 687 725 in the 2020 census 8 The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1 396 445 9 and the Oklahoma City Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1 469 124 9 making it Oklahoma s largest municipality and metropolitan area by population Oklahoma City OklahomaState capitalCity of Oklahoma CityClockwise from top left Downtown skyline Skydance Bridge City Hall Gold Star Memorial Building Paycom Center Oklahoma City National Memorial State CapitolFlagSealNickname s OKC The 405 The Big Friendly The City 1 Location within Oklahoma County Canadian County Cleveland County and Pottawatomie County in OklahomaOklahoma CityLocation within the United StatesCoordinates 35 28 7 N 97 31 17 W 35 46861 N 97 52139 W 35 46861 97 52139 Coordinates 35 28 7 N 97 31 17 W 35 46861 N 97 52139 W 35 46861 97 52139CountryUnited StatesStateOklahomaCountiesOklahoma Canadian Cleveland PottawatomieFoundedApril 22 1889 2 IncorporatedJuly 15 1890 2 Government TypeCouncil manager MayorDavid Holt City managerCraig FreemanArea 3 City620 79 sq mi 1 607 83 km2 Land606 48 sq mi 1 570 77 km2 Water14 31 sq mi 37 06 km2 Urban421 73 sq mi 1 092 3 km2 Elevation 4 1 198 ft 365 m Population 2020 City681 054 Rank20th in the United States1st in Oklahoma Density1 122 96 sq mi 433 58 km2 Urban982 276 US 46th Urban density2 329 2 sq mi 899 3 km2 Metro 5 1 441 695 US 42nd Time zoneUTC 6 Central CST Summer DST UTC 5 CDT ZIP CodesZip codes 6 73101 73132 73134 73137 73139 73157 73159 73160 73162 73165 73167 73169 73170 73172 73173 73178 73179 73184 73189 73190 73194 73196Area code405 572FIPS code40 55000GNIS feature ID1102140 4 WebsiteOklahoma City official websiteOklahoma City s city limits extend somewhat into Canadian Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties though much of those areas outside the core Oklahoma County area are suburban tracts or protected rural zones watershed The city is the eighth largest in the United States by area including consolidated city counties it is the second largest after Houston not including consolidated cities The city is also the second largest by area among state capital cities in the United States after Juneau Alaska Oklahoma City has one of the world s largest livestock markets 10 Oil natural gas petroleum products and related industries are its economy s largest sector The city is in the middle of an active oil field and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds The federal government employs a large number of workers at Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center which house offices of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department s Enterprise Service Center respectively Oklahoma City is on the I 35 Corridor one of the primary travel corridors south into neighboring Texas and Mexico and north towards Wichita and Kansas City Located in the state s Frontier Country region the city s northeast section lies in an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889 and grew to a population of over 10 000 within hours of its founding It was the site of the April 19 1995 bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building in which 168 people died the deadliest terror attack in U S history until the attacks of September 11 2001 and the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U S history Since weather records have been kept beginning in 1890 Oklahoma City has been struck by 14 violent tornadoes 11 of which were rated F4 or EF4 on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita scales and one each rated F5 and EF5 11 Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Tallest buildings 2 2 Neighborhoods 2 3 Climate 2 3 1 Extreme weather 3 Demographics 3 1 Metropolitan statistical area 3 2 Crime 4 Economy 4 1 Business districts 5 Culture 5 1 Museums and theaters 6 Sports 6 1 High school football 6 2 Oklahoma City Thunder 6 3 Hornets 6 4 Professional sports teams 7 Parks and recreation 8 Government 8 1 Politics 9 International relations 9 1 Consulates 9 2 Twin towns sister cities 10 Education 10 1 Higher education 10 2 Primary and secondary 10 3 CareerTech 11 Media 11 1 Print 11 2 Broadcast 12 Infrastructure 12 1 Fire department 12 2 Transportation 12 2 1 Highway 12 2 2 Air 12 2 3 Rail and intercity bus 12 2 4 Public transit 12 2 5 Walkability 12 3 Health 13 Notable people 14 See also 15 Notes 16 References 17 External linksHistory EditMain articles History of Oklahoma City and Timeline of Oklahoma City Map of Indian Territory Oklahoma 1889 showing Oklahoma as a train stop on a railroad line Britannica 9th ed Native American names for Oklahoma CityCherokee ᎣᎦᎳᎰᎹ ᎦᏚᎲᎢRomanized ogalahoma gaduhviCheyenne Ma xepono eDelaware Oklahoma utenaiiIowa Oto China Chege Ituⁿ 12 Navajo Halgai Hoteeldi Kin HaalʼahiMeskwaki Okonohomiheki 13 Oklahoma City was settled on April 22 1889 14 when the area known as the Unassigned Lands was opened for settlement in an event known as The Land Run 15 Some 10 000 homesteaders settled the area that would become the capital of Oklahoma The town grew quickly the population doubled between 1890 and 1900 16 Early leaders of the development of the city included Anton Classen John Shartel Henry Overholser Oscar Ameringer and James W Maney Lithograph of Oklahoma City from 1890 By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907 Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie the territorial capital as the new state s population center and commercial hub Soon after the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City 17 Oklahoma City was a major stop on Route 66 during the early part of the 20th century it was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup s 1946 jazz song Get Your Kicks on Route 66 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 18 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 the federal development of Tinker Air Force Base In 1950 the Census Bureau reported the city s population as 8 6 black and 90 7 white 19 Patience Latting was elected Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1971 becoming the city s first female mayor 20 Latting was also the first woman to serve as mayor of a U S city with over 350 000 residents 20 Oklahoma City National Memorial at Christmas Like many other American cities the 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 older 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 21 22 the Baum Building 23 the Hales Building 24 25 and the Biltmore Hotel 26 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 a 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 27 As a result of MAPS the population living in downtown housing has exponentially increased together with the 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 detonated 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 28 The site has been commemorated as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum 29 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 McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11 2001 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 30 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 Edit Mid May 2006 photograph of Oklahoma City taken from the International Space Station ISS Oklahoma City lies along one of the primary corridors into Texas and Mexico and is a three hour drive from the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex The city is in the Frontier Country region in the center of the state making it an ideal location for state government According to the United States Census Bureau the city has a total area of 620 34 square miles 1 606 7 km2 31 of which 601 11 square miles 1 556 9 km2 is land and 19 23 square miles 49 8 km2 is water Oklahoma City lies in the Sandstone Hills region of Oklahoma known for hills of 250 to 400 feet 80 to 120 m and two species of oak blackjack oak Quercus marilandica and post oak Q stellata 32 The northeastern part of the city and its eastern suburbs fall into an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers 33 The city is roughly bisected by the North Canadian 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 34 In the 1940s a dam was built on the river to manage the flood control and reduce its level 35 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 36 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 city s sparsely populated far southeast portion The population density normally reported for Oklahoma City using the area of its city limits can be misleading Its urbanized zone covers roughly 244 square miles 630 km2 resulting in a 2013 estimated density of 2 500 per square mile 970 km2 compared with larger rural watershed areas incorporated by the city which cover the remaining 377 sq mi 980 km2 of the city limits 37 Oklahoma City is one of the largest cities in the nation in compliance with the Clean Air Act 38 Devon Energy Center tallest building in the state Tallest buildings Edit Main article List of tallest buildings in Oklahoma City Rank Building Height Floors Built Ref 1 Devon Energy Center 845 feet 258 m 50 2012 39 2 BancFirst Tower 500 feet 152 m 36 1971 40 3 First National Center 446 feet 136 m 33 1931 41 4 BOK Park Plaza 433 feet 132 m 27 2017 42 5 Oklahoma Tower 410 feet 125 m 31 1982 43 6 Strata Tower 393 feet 120 m 30 1973 44 7 City Place 391 feet 119 m 33 1931 45 8 Valliance Bank Tower 321 feet 98 m 22 1984 46 9 Leadership Square North 285 feet 87 m 22 1984 47 10 Arvest Tower 281 feet 86 m 16 1972 48 Neighborhoods Edit Main article Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City Automobile Alley in Oklahoma City Looking up in the heart of Oklahoma City s Central Business District Oklahoma City neighborhoods are extremely varied with affluent historic neighborhoods located next to districts that have not wholly recovered from economic and social decline of the 1970s and 1980s citation needed The city is bisected geographically and culturally by the North Canadian River which basically divides North Oklahoma City and South Oklahoma City 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 the center of the city s rapidly growing Latino community Downtown Oklahoma City which has 7 600 residents is 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 2021 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 one cent temporary seven year sales tax increase 49 Climate Edit Main article Climate of Oklahoma City Oklahoma City has a temperate humid subtropical climate Koppen Cfa along with significant continental influences The city features very hot humid summers and cool winters with occasional snowfall 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 50 the last sub zero Fahrenheit reading was 14 F 26 C on February 16 2021 51 52 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 51 The city receives about 35 9 inches 91 2 cm of precipitation annually of which 8 6 inches 21 8 cm is snow The report Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U S National Climate Assessment NCA from 2013 by NOAA projects that parts of the Great Plains region can expect up to 30 high emissions scenario based on CMIP3 and NARCCAP models increase in extreme precipitation days by mid century This definition is based on days receiving more than one inch of rainfall 53 Extreme weather Edit Oklahoma City has an active severe weather season from March through June especially during April and May Being in the center of what is colloquially referred to as Tornado Alley it is prone to especially frequent and severe tornadoes as well as 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 13 violent tornadoes eleven rated F EF4 and two rated F EF5 11 On May 3 1999 parts of Oklahoma City and surrounding communities were impacted by a tornado It was the last U S tornado to be given a rating of F5 on the Fujita scale before the Enhanced Fujita scale replaced it in 2007 While the tornado was in the vicinity of Bridge Creek to the southwest wind speeds of 318 mph 510 km h were estimated by a mobile Doppler radar the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth 54 A second top of the scale tornado occurred on May 20 2013 South Oklahoma City along with Newcastle and Moore was hit by an EF5 tornado The tornado was 0 5 to 1 3 miles 0 80 to 2 09 km wide and killed 23 people 55 On May 31 less than two weeks after the May 20 event another outbreak affected the Oklahoma City area Within Oklahoma City the system spawned an EF1 and an EF0 tornado and in El Reno to the west an EF3 tornado occurred This lattermost tornado which was heading in the direction of Oklahoma City before it dissipated had a width of 2 6 miles 4 2 km making it the widest tornado ever recorded Additionally winds in excess of 295 mph 475 km h were measured one of the two highest wind records for a tornado 56 With 19 48 inches 495 mm of rainfall May 2015 was by far Oklahoma City s record wettest month since record keeping began in 1890 Across Oklahoma and Texas generally there was a record flooding in the latter part of the month 57 Climate data for Oklahoma City Will Rogers World Airport 1991 2020 normals a extremes 1890 present b Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearRecord high F C 83 28 92 33 97 36 100 38 104 40 107 42 110 43 113 45 108 42 97 36 87 31 86 30 113 45 Mean maximum F C 71 7 22 1 77 1 25 1 84 2 29 0 86 9 30 5 92 3 33 5 96 4 35 8 102 4 39 1 101 5 38 6 96 2 35 7 88 9 31 6 79 1 26 2 71 2 21 8 103 8 39 9 Average high F C 49 3 9 6 53 8 12 1 62 9 17 2 71 1 21 7 78 9 26 1 87 5 30 8 93 1 33 9 92 2 33 4 83 9 28 8 72 8 22 7 60 7 15 9 50 4 10 2 71 4 21 9 Average low F C 27 0 2 8 30 8 0 7 39 5 4 2 47 5 8 6 57 6 14 2 66 2 19 0 70 3 21 3 69 1 20 6 61 5 16 4 49 4 9 7 37 7 3 2 29 5 1 4 48 8 9 3 Mean minimum F C 11 7 11 3 15 4 9 2 21 5 5 8 32 3 0 2 43 8 6 6 56 6 13 7 63 6 17 6 61 7 16 5 48 4 9 1 33 8 1 0 21 7 5 7 14 3 9 8 7 5 13 6 Record low F C 11 24 17 27 1 17 20 7 32 0 46 8 53 12 49 9 35 2 16 9 9 13 8 22 17 27 Average precipitation inches mm 1 32 34 1 42 36 2 55 65 3 60 91 5 31 135 4 49 114 3 59 91 3 60 91 3 72 94 3 32 84 1 68 43 1 79 45 36 39 924 Average snowfall inches cm 1 8 4 6 1 8 4 6 0 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 3 1 8 4 6 6 7 17 Average precipitation days 0 01 in 5 0 5 7 6 9 7 9 10 0 8 6 6 0 6 7 7 1 7 5 5 8 5 7 82 9Average snowy days 0 1 in 1 3 1 3 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 4 4 9Average relative humidity 66 6 65 7 61 3 61 1 67 5 67 2 60 9 61 6 67 1 64 4 67 1 67 8 64 9Mean monthly sunshine hours 200 8 189 7 244 2 271 3 295 2 326 1 356 6 329 3 263 7 245 1 186 5 180 9 3 089 4Percent possible sunshine 64 62 66 69 68 75 80 79 71 70 60 60 69Average ultraviolet index 3 4 6 8 9 10 10 9 8 5 3 2 6 4Source 1 NOAA relative humidity and sun 1961 1990 58 51 59 Source 2 Weather Atlas 60 Climate data for Oklahoma CityMonth Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec YearMean daily daylight hours 10 0 11 0 12 0 13 0 14 0 15 0 14 0 13 0 12 0 11 0 10 0 10 0 12 1Source Weather Atlas 61 Demographics EditHistorical populationCensus Pop 18904 151 190010 037141 8 191064 205539 7 192091 29542 2 1930185 389103 1 1940204 42410 3 1950243 50419 1 1960324 25333 2 1970368 16413 5 1980404 0149 7 1990444 71910 1 2000506 13213 8 2010579 99914 6 2020681 05417 4 2021 est 687 7251 0 U S Decennial Census 62 2010 2020 8 According to the 2020 census the racial composition of Oklahoma City was as follows 63 White or European American 49 5 Hispanic or Latino 21 3 Black or African American 13 8 Asian 4 6 Native American 2 8 Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 2 Other race 0 4 Two or more races non Hispanic 7 6 Map of racial distribution in Oklahoma City 2010 U S Census Each dot is 25 people White Black Asian Hispanic or Other yellow In the 2010 census there were 579 999 people 230 233 households and 144 120 families residing in the city The population density was 956 4 inhabitants per square mile 321 9 km2 There were 256 930 housing units at an average density of 375 9 per square mile 145 1 km2 Of Oklahoma City s 579 999 people 44 541 reside in Canadian County 63 723 reside in Cleveland County 471 671 reside in Oklahoma County and 64 reside in Pottawatomie County 64 There were 230 233 households 29 4 of which had children under the age of 18 living with them 43 4 were married couples living together 13 9 had a female householder with no husband present and 37 4 were non families One person households account for 30 5 of all households and 8 7 of all households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older The average household size was 2 47 and the average family size was 3 11 65 The median income for a household in the city was 48 557 and the median income for a family was 62 527 The per capita income for the city was 26 208 17 1 of the population and 12 4 of families were below the poverty line Out of the total population 23 0 of those under the age of 18 and 9 2 of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line 66 67 In the 2000 Census Oklahoma City s age composition was 25 5 under the age of 18 10 7 from 18 to 24 30 8 from 25 to 44 21 5 from 45 to 64 and 11 5 who were 65 years of age or older The median age was 34 years For every 100 females there were 95 6 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92 7 males Oklahoma City has experienced significant population increases since the late 1990s It is the first city in the state to record a population greater than 600 000 residents It is also the first city in the Great Plains region to record a population greater than 600 000 residents It is the largest municipal population of the Great Plains region Oklahoma Kansas Nebraska South Dakota North Dakota Racial composition 2020 68 2010 69 1990 19 1970 19 1940 19 White Non Hispanic 49 5 56 7 72 9 82 2 90 4 Hispanic or Latino 21 3 17 2 5 0 2 0 n aBlack or African American 13 8 14 8 16 0 13 7 9 5 Mixed 7 6 4 0 0 4 Asian 4 6 4 0 2 4 0 2 Native American 3 4 3 1 4 2 2 0 0 1 Metropolitan statistical area Edit Old Interstate 40 Crosstown Oklahoma City Oklahoma City is the principal city of the eight county Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area in Central Oklahoma and is the state s largest urbanized area As of 2015 the metropolitan area was the 41st largest in the nation based on population 70 Crime Edit Law enforcement claims Oklahoma City has traditionally been the territory of the notorious Juarez Cartel but the Sinaloa Cartel has been 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 Surenos 71 Oklahoma City also has its share of violent crimes particularly in the 1970s The worst occurred in 1978 when six employees of a Sirloin Stockade restaurant on the city s south side were murdered execution style in the restaurant s freezer An intensive investigation followed and the three individuals involved who also killed three others in Purcell Oklahoma were identified One Harold Stafford died in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa not long after the restaurant murders Another Verna Stafford was sentenced to life without parole after being granted a new trial after she had been sentenced to death Roger Dale Stafford considered the mastermind of the murder spree was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1995 72 The Oklahoma City Police Department has a uniformed force of 1 169 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 The Murrah Federal Building after the attack On April 19 1995 the Alfred P Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by a fertilizer bomb manufactured and detonated by Timothy McVeigh The blast and catastrophic collapse killed 168 people and injured over 680 The blast shock wave destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 340 meter radius destroyed or burned 86 cars and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings causing at least an estimated 652 million worth of damage McVeigh was convicted and subsequently executed by lethal injection on June 11 2001 Economy EditSee also List of companies based in Oklahoma City The Sonic Drive In restaurant chain is headquartered in Oklahoma City The economy of Oklahoma City once just a regional power center of government and energy exploration has since diversified to include the sectors of information technology services health services and administration The city is headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies Chesapeake Energy 73 and Devon Energy 74 as well as being home to Love s Travel Stops amp Country Stores which is ranked thirteenth on Forbes list of private companies 75 As of January 2020 the top 20 employers in the city were 76 Employer of employees1 State of Oklahoma SEAT 40 000 and over2 United States Federal Aviation Administration 5 000 and over3 Integris Health HQ 5 000 and over4 University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 5 000 and over5 Paycom HQ 5 000 and over6 Hobby Lobby Stores HQ 5 000 and over7 City of Oklahoma City 3 000 and over8 Mercy Health Center HQ 3 000 and over9 OG E Energy Corp HQ 3 000 and over10 OU Medicine 3 000 and over11 SSM Health Care HQ 3 000 and over12 AT amp T 3 000 and over13 Sonic Corp HQ 3 000 and over14 Devon Energy Corporation HQ 1 000 and over15 Chesapeake Energy Corporation HQ 1 000 and over16 The Boeing Company Regional HQ 1 000 and over17 LSB Industries Inc HQ 1 000 and over18 Cox Communications 1 000 and over19 Dell 1 000 and over20 American Fidelity Assurance HQ 1 000 and overOther major corporations with a large presence over 1 000 employees in the city of Oklahoma City include the United Parcel Service Farmers Insurance Group Great Plains Coca Cola Bottling Company Deaconess Hospital Johnson Controls MidFirst Bank Rose State College and Continental Resources 76 77 While not in the city limits other large employers within the Oklahoma City MSA include United States Air Force Tinker AFB 27 000 University of Oklahoma 11 900 University of Central Oklahoma 2 900 and Norman Regional Hospital 2 800 76 According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce the metropolitan area s economic output grew by 33 between 2001 and 2005 due chiefly to economic diversification Its gross metropolitan product GMP was 43 1 billion in 2005 78 and grew to 61 1 billion in 2009 79 By 2016 the GMP had grown to 73 8 billion 80 In 2008 Forbes 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 81 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 prices oil bust citation needed Business districts Edit See also Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City Business and entertainment districts and to a lesser extent local 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 82 Through zoning regulations historic districts and other special zoning districts including overlay districts are well established 83 Oklahoma City has three business improvement districts including one encompassing the central business district Culture EditMuseums and theaters Edit This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Oklahoma City news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Water taxis in Oklahoma City s downtown Bricktown neighborhood 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 84 The art deco Civic Center Music Hall which was totally renovated in 2001 has performances from the Oklahoma City Ballet the Oklahoma City Opera the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and also various concerts and traveling Broadway shows The Survivor Tree on the grounds of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Other theaters include Lyric Theatre Jewel Box Theatre 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 Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center formerly City Arts Center moved downtown in 2020 near Campbell Art Park at 11th and Broadway after being at the Oklahoma State Fair fairgrounds since 1989 It features exhibitions performances classes workshops camps and weekly programs The Science Museum Oklahoma formerly Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum at Omniplex 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 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 National Cowboy amp Western Heritage Museum has galleries of western art and is home to the Hall of Great Western Performers Opening in September 2021 the city will also be home to the First Americans Museum that began construction in 2009 although completion of the facility has been held up due to insufficient funding on the south side of Interstate 40 southeast from Bricktown 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 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 American Banjo Museum in the Bricktown Entertainment district is dedicated to preserving and promoting the music and heritage of the banjo Its collection is valued at 3 5 million citation needed and an interpretive exhibit tells the evolution of the banjo from its roots in American slavery to bluegrass to folk and to world music The Oklahoma History Center is the history museum of the state of Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum contains early colonial firefighting tools the first fire station in Oklahoma and modern fire trucks citation needed Sports EditMain article Sports in Oklahoma City Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark home of the Oklahoma City Dodgers and the Big 12 baseball tournament 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 However the Thunder were formerly the Sonics prior to the movement of the Sonics to OKC in 2008 Other professional sports clubs in Oklahoma City include the Oklahoma City Dodgers the Triple A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers the Oklahoma City Energy FC of the United Soccer League and the Crusaders of Oklahoma Rugby Football Club of USA Rugby The Oklahoma City Blazers a name used for decades of the city s hockey team in the Central Hockey League has been used for a junior team in the Western States Hockey League since 2014 The Paycom Center in downtown is the main multipurpose arena in the city which hosts concerts NHL exhibition games and many of the city s pro sports teams In 2008 the Oklahoma City Thunder became the major tenant Nearby in Bricktown the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city s baseball team the Dodgers The Brick as it is locally known is considered one of the finest minor league parks in the nation 85 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 Paycom Center and Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark although most home games are played at their campus stadiums Other major sporting events include Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing circuits at Remington Park and numerous horse shows and equine events that take place at the state fairgrounds each year There are numerous golf courses and country clubs spread around the city High school football Edit The state of Oklahoma hosts a highly competitive high school football culture with many teams in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association OSSAA organizes high school football into eight distinct classes based on the size of school enrollment Beginning with the largest the classes are 6A 5A 4A 3A 2A A B and C Class 6A is broken into two divisions Oklahoma City area schools in this division include Edmond Memorial Mustang Moore Yukon Deer Creek Edmond North Edmond Santa Fe Norman North Westmoore Southmoore Putnam City North Norman Putnam City Putnam City West U S Grant Capitol Hill Northwest Classen and Midwest City 86 Oklahoma City Thunder Edit The Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association NBA has called Oklahoma City home since the 2008 09 season when owner Clay Bennett relocated the franchise from Seattle Washington The Thunder play home games at the Paycom Center in downtown Oklahoma City The Thunder is known by several nicknames including OKC Thunder and simply OKC and its mascot is Rumble the Bison After arriving in Oklahoma City for the 2008 09 season the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a berth 8th in the 2010 NBA 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 Finals but lost to the Miami Heat in five games In 2013 the Thunder reached the Western Conference semi finals without All Star guard Russell Westbrook who was injured in their 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 six 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 earned Northwest Division titles every year from 2011 to 2014 and again in 2016 and has consistently improved its win record to 59 wins in 2014 The Thunder is led by second year head coach Mark Daigneault and was anchored by All Star point guard Russell Westbrook prior to a July 2019 trade that sent him to the Houston Rockets Hornets Edit Main article Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina the NBA s New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated to the Ford Center 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 regular season games in the state of Oklahoma citation needed 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 Professional sports teams Edit Team Sport League StadiumOklahoma City Thunder Basketball National Basketball Association Paycom CenterOklahoma City Blue Basketball NBA G League Cox Convention CenterOklahoma City Dodgers Baseball Pacific Coast League Chickasaw Bricktown BallparkOklahoma City Energy Men s soccer USL Championship Division 2 Taft StadiumOklahoma City Football Club Women s soccer Women s Premier Soccer League Stars FieldParks and recreation Edit Myriad Botanical Gardens the centerpiece of downtown OKC 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 had a massive renovation in conjunction with the Devon Tower directly north of it The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to 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 Six Flags Frontier City theme park and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Oklahoma City 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 parks masterplan Will Rogers 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 87 In March 2009 the Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park was named by the National Geographic Society Travel Guide as one of the Ten Best 88 89 Government EditMain article Government of Oklahoma City See also List of mayors of Oklahoma City Oklahoma State Capitol seen from the OK History Center The Art Deco city hall building a block from the Civic Center The City of Oklahoma City has operated under a council manager form of city government since 1927 90 David Holt assumed the office of Mayor on April 10 2018 after being elected two months earlier 91 Eight councilpersons represent each of the eight wards of Oklahoma City The City Council appointed current City Manager Craig Freeman on November 20 2018 Freeman took office on January 2 2018 succeeding James D Couch who had served in the role since 2000 Prior to becoming City Manager Craig Freeman served as Finance Director for the city 92 Politics Edit Similar to many American cities Oklahoma City is politically conservative in its suburbs and liberal in the central city In the United States House of Representatives it is represented by Republicans Stephanie Bice and Tom Cole of the 5th and 4th districts respectively The city has called on residents to vote for sales tax based projects to revitalize parts of the city The Bricktown district is the best example of such an initiative In the recent MAPS 3 vote the city s fraternal order of police criticized the project proposals for not doing enough to expand the police presence to keep up with the growing residential population and increased commercial activity In September 2013 Oklahoma City area attorney David Slane announced he would pursue legal action regarding MAPS3 on claims the multiple projects that made up the plan violate a state constitutional law limiting voter ballot issues to a single subject 93 Oklahoma City region population dot map and 2016 presidential election results by precinct click to enlarge Oklahoma County Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of November 1 2020 94 Party Number of Voters PercentageDemocratic 164 628 37 26 Republican 189 991 43 00 Libertarian 3 385 0 77 Unaffiliated 83 799 18 97 Total 441 803 100 Oklahoma City presidential election results 95 Year Republican Democratic Libertarian2020 49 21 145 050 48 08 141 724 1 79 5 2722016 51 68 141 569 41 18 112 813 7 14 19 5602012 58 33 149 728 41 67 106 9822008 58 41 163 172 41 59 116 1822004 64 23 174 741 35 77 97 2982000 62 34 139 078 36 57 81 590 0 56 1 245International relationsConsulates Edit Consulate Date Consular DistrictGuatemalan Consulate General Oklahoma City 96 06 2017 Oklahoma KansasTwin towns sister cities Edit Oklahoma City s sister cities are 97 Haikou China Kigali Rwanda Piura Peru Puebla Mexico Rio de Janeiro Brazil Tainan Taiwan Taipei Taiwan Ulyanovsk Russia suspended August 2022 Education EditHigher education Edit See also List of colleges and universities in Oklahoma City OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City The city is home to several colleges and universities Oklahoma City University formerly known as Epworth University was founded by the United Methodist Church on September 1 1904 and is known for its performing arts science mass communications business law and athletic programs OCU has its main campus in the north central section of the city near the city s Asia District area OCU Law is located in the Midtown district near downtown in the old Central High School building The University of Oklahoma has several institutions of higher learning in the city and metropolitan area with OU Medicine and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center campuses east of downtown in the Oklahoma Health Center district and the main campus to the south in the suburb of Norman OU Medical Center hosts the state s only Level One trauma center OU Health Sciences Center is one of the nation s largest independent medical centers employing more than 12 000 people 98 OU is one of only four major universities in the nation to operate six medical schools clarification needed The third largest university in the state the University of Central Oklahoma is just north of the city in the suburb of Edmond Oklahoma Christian University one of the state s private liberal arts institutions is just south of the Edmond border inside the Oklahoma City limits 99 Oklahoma City Community College in south Oklahoma City is the second largest community college in the state Rose State College is east of Oklahoma City in suburban Midwest City Oklahoma State University Oklahoma City is 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 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 Higher Learning Commission 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 In addition The National Academy of Science offers Research Associateship Programs for fellowship and other grants for CAMI research Primary and secondary Edit Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School Oklahoma City is home to the state s largest school district Oklahoma City Public Schools 100 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 101 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 102 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 The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics a school for some of the state s most gifted math and science pupils is also in Oklahoma City Due to Oklahoma City s explosive growth parts of several suburban districts spill into the city including Putnam City School District in the northwest Moore Public Schools in the south and Mid Del School District in the southeast The city also 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 include Bishop McGuinness High School and Mount Saint Mary High School Other private schools include the Advanced Science and Technology Education Center and Crossings Christian School CareerTech Edit Oklahoma City has several public career and technology education schools associated with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education the largest of which are Metro Technology Center and Francis Tuttle Technology Center Private career and technology education schools in Oklahoma 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 EditSee also Media in Oklahoma City Print Edit 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 affecting those who live and work in Central Oklahoma Numerous community and international newspapers cater to the city s ethnic mosaic such as The Black Chronicle headquartered in the Eastside the OK VIETIMES and Oklahoma Chinese Times in Asia District and various Hispanic community publications The Campus is the student newspaper at Oklahoma City University Gay publications include The Gayly Oklahoman An upscale lifestyle publication called 405 Magazine formerly Slice Magazine is circulated throughout the metropolitan area 103 In addition there is a magazine published by Back40 Design Group called The Edmond Outlook It contains local commentary and human interest pieces direct mailed to over 50 000 Edmond residents Ready Player One is set in Oklahoma City in the year 2045 Broadcast Edit 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 104 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 4 went on the air and later became the first independently owned television station in the U S to broadcast in color 104 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 owned by Nexstar Media Group as of October 2019 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 north central and west central sections of 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 covering the far northwestern part of the state requiring cable or satellite to view them though KFOR TV KOCO TV KWTV DT and KOKH TV each operate low power translators in that portion of the market Oklahoma City is one of the few markets between Chicago and Dallas to have affiliates of two or more of the major Spanish language broadcast networks Telemundo affiliate KTUZ TV channel 30 Woodward based Univision affiliate KUOK 35 whose translator KUOK CD channel 36 serves the immediate Oklahoma City area Azteca affiliate KOHC CD channel 45 and Estrella TV affiliate KOCY LD channel 48 Infrastructure EditFire department Edit Oklahoma City is protected by the Oklahoma City Fire Department OKCFD which employs 1015 paid professional firefighters The current Chief of Department is Richard Kelley 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 operates out of 37 fire stations throughout the city in six battalions The OKCFD operates a fire apparatus fleet of 36 engine companies including 30 paramedic engines 13 ladder companies 16 brush pumper units six water tankers two hazardous materials units one Technical Rescue Unit one Air Supply Unit six Arson Investigation Units and one Rehabilitation Unit along with several special units Each engine Company 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 each shift is 213 personnel The Oklahoma City Fire Department responds to over 70 000 emergency calls annually 105 106 107 Transportation Edit Main article Transportation in Oklahoma City Highway Edit 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 north central Oklahoma City into downtown Major state expressways through the city include Lake Hefner Parkway SH 74 the Kilpatrick Turnpike Airport Road SH 152 and Broadway Extension US 77 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 World Airport The Kilpatrick Turnpike loops around north and west Oklahoma City Oklahoma City also has several major national and state highways within its city limits Shields Boulevard US 77 continues from E K Gaylord Boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City and runs south eventually connecting to I 35 near the suburb of Moore Oklahoma Northwest Expressway Oklahoma State Highway 3 runs from North Classen Boulevard in north central Oklahoma City to the northwestern suburbs Oklahoma City is traversed by the following major expressways Interstate 35 Interstate 40 Crosstown Expressway Stanley Draper Expressway Tinker Diagonal Tom Stead Memorial Highway Interstate 44 Turner Turnpike Belle Isle Freeway Will Rogers Expressway H E Bailey Turnpike Interstate 235 Centennial Expressway U S 77 Broadway Extension Interstate 240 Southwest Expressway Lake Hefner Parkway State Highway 74 Airport Road State Highway 152 Kilpatrick TurnpikeAir Edit 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 108 Will Rogers World Airport is the state s busiest commercial airport with 4 341 159 passengers served in 2018 a historic record 109 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 United Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft at the East Concourse of Will Rogers World Airport Rail and intercity bus Edit Amtrak has a station downtown at the Santa Fe Depot with daily service to Fort Worth and the nation s rail network via the Heartland Flyer Oklahoma City once was the crossroads of several interstate passenger railroads at the Santa Fe Depot the Union Station and at the station of the Missouri Kansas Texas Railroad 110 But service at that level has long since been discontinued However several proposals to extend the current train service have been made including a plan to extend the Heartland Flyer to Newton Kansas which is currently being connected through Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Freight service is provided by BNSF Union Pacific and Stillwater Central Greyhound and several other intercity bus companies serve Oklahoma City at the Union Bus Station in downtown Public transit Edit Main articles Embark transit authority and Oklahoma City Streetcar Streetcar of the OKC Streetcar system passing the historic First United Methodist Church in downtown Embark formerly Metro Transit is the city s public transit company The main transfer terminal is downtown at NW 5th Street and Hudson Avenue Embark maintains limited coverage of the city s main street grid using a hub and 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 recognized 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 111 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 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 a streetcar system in the downtown area to be fed by 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 under reconstruction In December 2009 Oklahoma City voters passed MAPS 3 the 777 million 7 year 1 cent tax initiative which would generate funding approx 130 million for the modern Oklahoma City Streetcar system in downtown Oklahoma City and the establishment of a transit hub On September 10 2013 the federal government announced that Oklahoma City would receive a 13 8 million grant from the U S Department of Transportation s TIGER program This was the first ever grant for Oklahoma City for a rail based initiative and is thought to be somewhat of a turning point by city leaders who have applied for grants in the past only to continuously be denied It is believed the city will use the TIGER grant along with approximately 10 million from the MAPS 3 Transit budget to revitalize the city s Amtrak station becoming an Intermodal Transportation Hub taking over the role of the existing transit hub at NW 5th Hudson Ave citation needed Construction of the Oklahoma City Streetcar system in Downtown OKC began in early 2017 112 and the system opened for service in December 2018 113 114 Also known as the Maps 3 Streetcar it connects the areas of Bricktown Midtown and Downtown The 6 9 mi 11 1 km system serves the greater Downtown area using modern low floor streetcars The initial system consists of two lines that connecting Oklahoma City s Central Business District with the entertainment district Bricktown and the Midtown District Expansion to other districts surrounding downtown as well as more routes in the CBD is already underway citation needed Walkability Edit A 2013 study by Walk Score ranked Oklahoma City the 43rd most walkable out of the 50 largest U S cities Oklahoma City has 18 neighborhoods with a Walk Score above 60 mainly close to the downtown core 115 Health Edit OU Physicians Center 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 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 116 both of which are in 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 in the northern suburb of Edmond INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center INTEGRIS Health owns several hospitals including INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute of Oklahoma 117 and the INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center 118 INTEGRIS Health operates hospitals rehabilitation centers physician clinics mental health facilities independent living centers and home health agencies throughout much of Oklahoma INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center was named in U S News amp World Report s 2012 list of Best Hospitals INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center ranks high performing in the following categories Cardiology and Heart Surgery Diabetes and Endocrinology Ear Nose and Throat Gastroenterology Geriatrics Nephrology Orthopedics Pulmonology and Urology The Midwest Regional Medical Center is in the suburb of Midwest City other major hospitals in the city include the Oklahoma Heart Hospital and the Mercy Health Center There are 347 physicians for every 100 000 people in the city 119 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 45 120 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 121 Notable people EditFor a more comprehensive list see List of people from Oklahoma City See also EditCoyle v Smith History of Oklahoma List of mayors of Oklahoma CityPortals Geography North America Oklahoma United States CitiesNotes Edit Mean monthly maxima and minima i e the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020 Official records for Oklahoma City were kept at the Weather Bureau Office from November 1890 to December 1953 and at Will Rogers World Airport since January 1954 For more information see ThreadexReferences Edit U S City Monikers Tagline Guru website accessed January 5 2008 a b Oklahoma City Oklahoma History Society Archived from the original on April 2 2016 Retrieved April 12 2016 ArcGIS REST Services Directory United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 20 2022 a b U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Oklahoma City 2020 Population and Housing State Data United States Census Bureau Retrieved August 22 2021 Zip Code Lookup USPS Archived from the original on November 4 2010 Retrieved December 11 2008 Find a County National Association of Counties Archived from the original on May 31 2011 Retrieved June 7 2011 a b U S Census Bureau QuickFacts Oklahoma City city Oklahoma a b Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas 2018 Population Estimates United States Census Bureau Population Division April 15 2019 Retrieved April 18 2019 permanent dead link Stockyards City Oklahoma City Districts Visitokc com a b Tornadoes Which Have Occurred in the Oklahoma City Oklahoma Area Since 1890 National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma Archived from the original on February 17 2017 Retrieved December 8 2015 2009 Kansas Historical Society Ioway Otoe Missouria Language Project English to Ioway Otoe Missouria Dictionary Dictionary N O English to Baxoje Oklahoma City Okla Link Gordon Whittaker 2005 A Concise Dictionary of the Sauk Language The Sac amp Fox National Public Library Stroud Oklahoma 1 Hoig Stan Land Run of 1889 Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History amp Culture Oklahoma Historical Society Archived from the original on February 21 2014 Retrieved January 29 2014 Wilson Linda D Oklahoma City Archived May 25 2011 at the Wayback Machine Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived February 1 2015 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 26 2010 Wilson Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Archived February 1 2015 at the Wayback Machine Curtis Gene Only in Oklahoma State capital location was a fight to the finish Tulsa World Retrieved February 4 2010 Oklahoma Oil Past Present and Future PDF Ogs ou edu a b c d Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places Earliest Census to 1990 U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on August 12 2012 a b Dean Bryan December 28 2012 Former Oklahoma City Mayor Patience Latting dies at age 94 The Oklahoman Retrieved January 11 2013 Criterion Group OKCHistory com Archived from the original on October 7 2011 Retrieved October 20 2009 The Criterion Group main page The Criterion Group Archived from the original on October 29 2009 Retrieved October 20 2009 Baum Building OKCHistory org Archived from the original on July 7 2009 Retrieved October 20 2009 Hales Building OKCHistory org Archived from the original on July 7 2009 Retrieved October 21 2009 Lackmeyer and Money pp 20 42 Biltmore Hotel OKCHistory org Archived from the original on July 25 2009 Retrieved October 20 2009 Metropolitan Area Projects Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Retrieved February 5 2010 Victims of the Oklahoma City bombing USA Today Associated Press June 20 2001 Archived from the original on February 15 2012 Oklahoma City National Memorial National Park Service Archived from the original on May 14 2011 Core to Shore at City of Oklahoma City Okc gov Archived from the original on May 27 2010 About Oklahoma City okc gov Archived from the original on February 23 2016 Retrieved February 25 2016 Oklahoma Geography NetState com Retrieved February 4 2010 Ecoregions of Oklahoma PDF Retrieved September 24 2008 permanent dead link History of the Oklahoma City Zoo Archived January 17 2016 at the Wayback Machine Oklahoma City Life Web site Retrieved February 5 2010 Elmias Thomas Collection Projects Series Archived November 15 2014 at the Wayback Machine University of Oklahoma Retrieved February 5 2010 2008 Oklahoma River permanent dead link City of Oklahoma City Retrieved February 4 2010 dead link American Fact Finder Table GCT PH1 retrieved on July 17 2008 About Archived May 16 2009 at the Wayback Machine Modern Transit Project Retrieved February 5 2010 Devon Energy Center Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 Cotter Ranch Tower Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 First National Center Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 BOK Park Plaza Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 First Oklahoma Tower Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 Strata Tower Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 City Place Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 Valliance Bank Tower Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 One Leadership Square Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 Bank of Oklahoma Plaza Oklahoma City SkyscraperPage com Retrieved February 16 2022 Scissortail Park City of OKC Okc gov Climatological averages and records NWS Norman Oklahoma Retrieved August 22 2012 a b c NowData NOAA Online Weather Data National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved May 31 2021 Miller Brandon February 16 2021 These US cities had the coldest morning in decades with some reaching all time record lows CNN Retrieved February 16 2021 NOAA 2013 Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U S National Climate Assessment PDF p 58 The Great Plains Tornado Outbreak of May 3 4 1999 National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma Retrieved May 30 2013 The Tornado Outbreak of May 20 2013 National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma 2013 Retrieved May 30 2013 The May 31 June 1 2013 Tornado and Flash Flooding Event National Weather Service Norman Oklahoma 2013 Retrieved June 10 2013 After massive storms in Oklahoma and Texas at least nine killed and 30 people missing Washington Post May 26 2015 Station Name OK OKLAHOMA CITY WILL ROGERS AP U S Climate Normals 2020 U S Monthly Climate Normals 1991 2020 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved May 31 2021 WMO Climate Normals for OKLAHOMA CITY WSFO AP OK 1961 1990 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Retrieved March 11 2014 Oklahoma City Oklahoma USA Monthly weather forecast and Climate data Weather Atlas Retrieved January 28 2019 Oklahoma City Oklahoma USA Monthly weather forecast and Climate data Weather Atlas Retrieved January 28 2019 United States Census Bureau Census of Population and Housing Retrieved June 8 2015 Hispanic or Latino and Not Hispanic or Latino By Race data census gov United States Census Bureau August 12 2021 Retrieved February 12 2022 Oklahoma 2010 Summary Population and Housing Statistics PDF Census gov Retrieved March 15 2020 Data Access and Dissemination Systems DADS American FactFinder Results Census gov Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Oklahoma City Oklahoma OK income earnings and wages data City data com Retrieved March 29 2013 Oklahoma City city QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau Quickfacts census gov Archived from the original on March 28 2009 Retrieved March 29 2013 Indianapolis Star October 21 2014 Oklahoma City city Oklahoma Demographics and Housing 2020 Decennial Census indystar com Data indystar com Retrieved February 16 2022 State amp County QuickFacts Oklahoma City city Oklahoma United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on March 28 2009 Results American Factfinder United States Census Bureau Retrieved March 24 2016 permanent dead link Narcotics agents arrest suspected cartel member in Oklahoma City Newsok com June 29 2010 Archived from the original on May 15 2012 Retrieved February 15 2012 Stover Jean 2009 Sirloin Stockade Slaughter Murder on the Run Durham Connecticut Eloquent Books ISBN 978 1 60860 924 6 Fortune 500 2014 Chesapeake Energy Corporation Forbes Archived from the original on October 25 2014 Retrieved November 29 2014 Fortune 500 2014 Devon Energy Corporation Forbes Archived from the original on November 29 2014 Retrieved November 29 2014 Love s Travel Stops amp Country Stores Forbes October 2014 Archived from the original on October 19 2014 Retrieved November 29 2014 a b c Oklahoma City MSA Major Employer List Greater Oklahoma City July 2014 Archived from the original on November 29 2014 Retrieved November 29 2014 Oklahoma City Economy City Data com Retrieved January 26 2010 City area enjoys increase in jobs NewsOK com Retrieved May 1 2010 2 Bureau of Economic Analysis Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on September 18 2016 Retrieved October 2 2016 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link US Mayors study Zumbrun Joshua April 29 2008 America s Recession Proof Cities Forbes com Business Improvement Districts The City of Oklahoma City Archived from the original on December 18 2014 Retrieved November 29 2014 Special Zoning District Map PDF City of Oklahoma City Archived from the original PDF on December 18 2014 Retrieved November 29 2014 Dale Chihuly The Exhibition Oklahoma City Museum of Art Archived from the original on April 5 2008 Michael Davis in Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark Oklahoma City Dodgers https stadiumjourney com stadiums chickasaw bricktown ballpark s282 29 September 2019 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on August 6 2015 Retrieved September 1 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Couch James D Council Agenda Item No VIII I April 26 2005 PDF Memorandum The City of Oklahoma City Archived from the original PDF on October 29 2013 Retrieved July 23 2012 Magasmen Susan 2009 The 10 Best of Everything Families An Ultimate Guide For Families Washington D C National Geographic pp 174 175 ISBN 978 1 4262 0394 7 OKC Skatepark named one of Ten Best in National Geographic Travel Guide News The City of Oklahoma City Archived from the original on May 16 2012 Retrieved July 23 2012 Mayor and Council Archived February 1 2015 at the Wayback Machine City of Oklahoma City Retrieved January 27 2010 About Mayor Holt City of Oklahoma City April 10 2018 Retrieved April 10 2018 Craig Freeman sworn in as Oklahoma City Manager News Releases City of OKC Okc gov January 2 2019 Retrieved January 16 2019 Oklahoma City responds to David Slane s challenge of MAPS 3 KOKH TV September 3 2013 Voter registration as of November 1 2020 by county PDF Archived from the original PDF on December 13 2020 Retrieved December 14 2020 Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections Retrieved June 11 2011 Guatemala opens consulate in Oklahoma to serve growing population The Oklahoman June 20 2017 Our Cities sistercitiesokc org Sister Cities OKC Inc Retrieved May 6 2021 中国赌城最佳在线 中国在线赌城 中国赌城亚洲在线 Oumedical com Archived from the original on September 24 2001 University Profile Oc edu OKC District s enrollment growth a tale of demographic shifts Daily Oklahoman November 6 2009 Archived from the original ASP on June 14 2011 Retrieved November 6 2009 The Top of the Class 2008 Newsweek May 17 2008 Retrieved April 28 2010 Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Retrieved January 26 2010 Archived September 5 2008 at the Wayback Machine About 405 Magazine 405 Magazine Retrieved March 15 2020 a b Oklahoma Fast Facts and Trivia Archived April 21 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 26 2009 City of Oklahoma City Fire Department Okc gov Retrieved on July 21 2013 City of Oklahoma City Fire Department Archived May 26 2013 at the Wayback Machine Okc gov Retrieved on July 21 2013 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on November 13 2013 Retrieved July 12 2013 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Wiley Post Archived October 8 2012 at the Wayback Machine U S Centennial of Flight Commission Retrieved February 1 2010 Current Statistics Will Rogers World Airport Retrieved January 12 2018 Official Guide of the Railways 1949 Index of Stations Oklahoma Fixed Guideway Study Archived June 5 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved April 21 2010 Crum William February 8 2017 Streetcar work begins in Bricktown The Oklahoman Retrieved February 8 2017 permanent dead link Crum William December 14 2018 Lines form to catch first rides on the Oklahoma City streetcar The Oklahoman GateHouse Media Inc Retrieved December 14 2018 OKC Streetcar service begins Press release City of Oklahoma City December 14 2018 Retrieved December 14 2018 2011 City and Neighborhood Rankings Walk Score 2011 Retrieved August 28 2011 Trauma Centers American College of Surgeons Archived from the original on July 7 2014 Retrieved September 16 2013 INTEGRIS Cancer Institute of Oklahoma Stogner Todd Oklahoma Hospital Health Center amp Clinic Locations INTEGRIS OK Integrisok com Best Places to Live in Oklahoma City Oklahoma Health Retrieved May 6 2010 ACSM American Fitness Index Ranks 50 Largest Metro Areas on Health And Community Fitness 2009 Archived from the original on July 5 2010 Retrieved May 26 2010 Oklahoma City OK MSA 2010 AFI Report PDF Archived from the original PDF on August 15 2011 Retrieved May 26 2010 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Oklahoma at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Travel information from Wikivoyage Resources from Wikiversity Official city website Oklahoma City tourism information Convention amp Visitors Bureau City Data page Oklahoma City Historic Film Row District website Archived March 11 2018 at the Wayback Machine New York Times travel article about Oklahoma City OKC NET cultural commentary about Oklahoma City Voices of Oklahoma interview with Ron Norick Archived April 25 2010 at the Wayback Machine mayor during the Oklahoma City bombing Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oklahoma City amp oldid 1131159367, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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