Central Oklahoma is the geographical name for the central region of the U.S. state ofOklahoma. It is also known by theOklahoma Department of Tourism designation,Frontier Country, defined as the 12-county region includingCanadian,Grady,Logan,Oklahoma,Cleveland,McClain,Payne,Lincoln,Pottawatomie,Seminole,Okfuskee, andHughes counties.[1]
Central Oklahoma is dominated by the largest urban area in the state, theGreater Oklahoma City area.Oklahoma City is the political, economic, tourism, commercial, industrial, financial, and geographical hub of the state, as well as being its primary cultural center. The only Central Oklahoma city which is not officially considered a suburb of Oklahoma City isStillwater, Oklahoma.
Central Oklahoma is a humid-subtropical region dominated by theCross Timbers, an area of prairie and patches of forest at the eastern extent of theGreat Plains.[2] The region is essentially a transition buffer between the wetter and more forestedEastern Oklahoma and the semi-arid high plains of Western Oklahoma, and experiences extreme swings between dry and wet weather patterns. Climate is dominated by large differences in annual rainfall totals, with Central Oklahoma's western boundary receiving far less rain than compared to its eastern boundary.
Because of these convergences of dry and wet weather patterns, Central Oklahoma is at the heart of what is known asTornado Alley, and is one of the most tornado-prone areas in the United States.
Central Oklahoma is home toThe Oklahoman, the most widely circulated in the state. NewsOK.com is the Oklahoman's online presence.okcBIZ is a monthly publication that covers business news affecting those who live and work in Central Oklahoma.
WKY Radio inOklahoma City was the first radio station transmitting west of theMississippi River and the third radio station in the United States.[3] WKY received its federal license in 1921 and has broadcast under the same call letters since 1922. In 1928, the station was purchased by the Oklahoma Publishing Company and affiliated with theNBC 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.[3] In mid-2002, WKY radio was purchased outright byCitadel Broadcasting; in 2011, Citadel merged withCumulus Media, who owns and operates WKY to this day. WKY-TV, which is nowKFOR-TV, is currently owned byTribune Broadcasting as of December 2013.
The major U.S. broadcast television networks haveaffiliates in Central Oklahoma includingNBC affiliateKFOR-TV,ABC affiliateKOCO-TV,CBS affiliateKWTV-DT (owned by locally basedGriffin Communications),PBS station KETA-TV (owned by theOklahoma Educational Television Authority member network),Fox affiliateKOKH-TV,CW affiliateKOCB,independent stationKAUT-TV,MyNetworkTV affiliateKSBI, andIon Televisionowned-and-operated stationKOPX-TV. The region is also home to theTrinity Broadcasting Network owned-and-operated stationKTBO-TV and Norman-basedDaystar owned-and-operated stationKOCM.
Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City is the primary airport of the region and the busiest in the state. The airport has one terminal with 17 gates, but is in the process of expansion.[4]Wiley Post Airport inBethany andMax Westheimer Airport inNorman serve as reliever airports for Will Rogers Airport.[5] The region is also home toTinker Air Force Base, the largest military air depot in the nation;Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport, a city-owned public use airport inCanadian County, Oklahoma; andSundance Airpark, a privately owned public use airport in Canadian County.
There are no sea ports in Central Oklahoma, as water exports must go throughNortheastern Oklahoma viaTulsa, which has one of two large-scale seaport in the state.
There are four primary highways in Central Oklahoma.Interstate 35 connects the region with Texas and Kansas to the south and north,Interstate 40 connects withWest Texas andArkansas, andInterstate 44 is a turnpike its entire duration through the region (except within Oklahoma City), and traverses from Southwest Oklahoma toMissouri.
The region is served byBNSF,Union Pacific and severalshort-line railroads. Daily passenger service from Oklahoma City toFort Worth,Texas, is provided by theOklahoma Department of Transportation through a fee-for-service contract withAmtrak.
Union Bus Station in Oklahoma City is the principal bus terminal in the region and the state.
Central Oklahoma is an important hub ofhigher education. The region contains both theUniversity of Oklahoma, inNorman, andOklahoma State University, inStillwater, the state's largest universities. A notable regional university is theUniversity of Central Oklahoma inEdmond, Oklahoma which is routinely ranked as the top public regional university by the U.S. News Rankings. Other colleges includeOklahoma Christian University,Oklahoma City University,Langston University, and theUniversity of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, inChickasha.
Central Oklahoma is home to the state's oldest and largest single site hospital, St. Anthony Hospital and Physicians Medical Center, and the state's largest teaching hospital and only level-1 trauma center,OU Medical Center. INTEGRIS Health owns multiple hospitals in Central Oklahoma. INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center was named inU.S. News & World Report's 2012 list of Best Hospitals.
Other hospitals include the Midwest Regional Medical Center inMidwest City, theOklahoma Heart Hospital and the Mercy Health Center,Deaconess Hospital, theEdmond Medical Center,Griffin Memorial Hospital in Norman, theGrady Memorial Hospital in Chickasha,Lakeside Women's Hospital.
