Comanche County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Comanche County Courthouse | |
 Seal | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOklahoma | |
 Oklahoma's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:34°40′N98°28′W / 34.66°N 98.46°W /34.66; -98.46 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oklahoma |
| Founded | July 8, 1901 |
| Seat | Lawton |
| Largest city | Lawton |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,084 sq mi (2,810 km2) |
| • Land | 1,069 sq mi (2,770 km2) |
| • Water | 14 sq mi (36 km2) 1.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 121,125 |
| • Density | 113.3/sq mi (43.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 4th |
| Website | www |
Comanche County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofOklahoma. As of the2020 census, the population was 121,125,[1] making it the fifth-most populous county in Oklahoma. Itscounty seat isLawton.[2] The county was created in 1901 as part ofOklahoma Territory.[3] It was named for the Comanche tribal nation.[4]
Comanche County is included in the Lawton, OKmetropolitan statistical area.
Built on former reservation lands of theComanche,Kiowa, andApache inIndian Territory, Comanche County was open for settlement on August 16, 1901, by lottery. The region has three cities and seven towns as well as theFort Sill military installation andWichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The landscape of the county is typical of the Great Plains with flat topography and gently rolling hills, while the areas in the north are marked by theWichita Mountains.Interstate 44 and three majorUS Highways serve the county by automobile, theLawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport serves the county by air, andGreyhound Lines andLawton Area Transit System serve the county by bus.
Comanche County's economy is largely based in the government sector which consist of half of the county'sgross domestic product. The governance of the county is led by a three commission board, which are elected in four year staggered terms. The county is served by several school districts andCameron University in education as well as three hospitals for health care.
The land that is present day Oklahoma was first settled by prehistoric American Indians including theClovis 11500BCE,Folsom 10600 BCE andPlainview 10000 BCE cultures. Western explorers came to the region in the 16th century with Spanish explorerFrancisco Vásquez de Coronado visiting in 1541. Most of the region during this time was settled by theWichita andCaddo people. Around the 1700s, two tribes from the North, the Comanches and Kiowas, migrated to the Oklahoma and Texas region.[5]
For most of the 18th century, the Oklahoma region was under French control asLouisiana. In 1803, theLouisiana Purchase byThomas Jefferson brought the area under United States control. In 1830, Congress passed theIndian Removal Act, which removed American Indian tribes and relocated them toIndian Territory. The southern part of the territory was originally assigned to theChoctaw andChickasaw until 1867 when theMedicine Lodge Treaty allotted the southwest portion of the Choctaw and Chickasaw's lands to theComanche,Kiowa, andApache tribes.[5][6]
Fort Sill was established in 1869 by Major GeneralPhilip Sheridan who was leading a campaign in Indian Territory to stop raids into Texas by American Indian tribes.[7] In 1874, theRed River War broke out in the region when the Comanche, Kiowa and Southern Cheyenne left their Indian Territory reservation. Attrition and skirmishes by the US Army finally forced the return of the tribes back to Indian Territory in June 1875.[7]
In 1891, the United States Congress appointed a commission to meet with the tribal leaders and come to an agreement allowing white settlement in the region. Years of controversy and legal maneuvering ensued before PresidentWilliam McKinley issued a proclamation on July 4, 1901, that gave the federal government control over 2,000,000 acres (8,100 km2) of surplus Indian land.[8][9]
Three 320-acre (1.3 km2) sites inKiowa,Caddo and Comanche Counties were selected for county seats with Lawton designated as the Comanche County seat. Non-Indian settlement was opened through an auction of lots beginning on August 6, 1901.[10] In December 1906, the south regions of the county reserved for grazing land reserved for American Indian livestock,Big Pasture, were open for settlement.[4][11]
In 1910, the western portion of Comanche County and southern part of Kiowa County were used to create the short lived county ofSwanson. After a lawsuit brought by Comanche County, Swanson County was dissolved by the Supreme Court on June 27, 1911.[12] In 1912, the southern portion of Comanche County, which at the time extended to the Red River, were used to create the new county of Cotton County.[11]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,084 square miles (2,810 km2), of which 1,069 square miles (2,770 km2) is land and 14 square miles (36 km2) (1.3%) is water.[13]
Comanche County lies in an area that is typical of theGreat Plains withprairie, few trees, and generally flat topography with gently rolling hills.[14] The north region of the county consists of theWichita Mountains includingMount Scott andMount Pinchot the area's highest peaks.[15]
The area consists mostly ofPermian Post Oak Conglomeratelimestone on the northern sections of the county. In the south sections of the county, PermianGarber Sandstone is commonly found with someHennessey Group shale. Area creeks including East Cache Creek and West Cache Creek contain deposits ofQuaternaryalluvium. To the northwest, theWichita Mountains consist primarily of Wichita Granite Group from theCambrian Period.[16]
There are three cities in Comanche County. The largest,Lawton is located in the center of the county and is the county seat.[17] According to the US census, the population of Lawton was 96,867 in 2010, which is 78 percent of the county's population.Cache is located to the west of Lawton onUS Highway 62 and has a population of 2,796. In the northeast, Elgin is located alongInterstate 44 and has a population of 2,156. Several towns dot the county including:Fletcher,Sterling in the northeast,Medicine Park in the north central region,Indiahoma in the west,Geronimo in the southeast, andChattanooga andFaxon in the southern regions of the county.[18] Also located in Comanche County is Fort Sill. The 90,000 acre installation is home to the US Army Field Artillery Training Center and the Air Defense Artillery.[19]
Protected areas in Comanche County include the 59,020 acreWichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1901 the refuge is one of the 546 wildlife refuges throughout the United States to provide a natural habitat for native grazing animals like the Bison, Elk, and Texas longhorn cattle.[20]
Comanche County lies in a drysubtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa), with frequent variations in weather daily, except during the constantly hot and dry summer months. Frequent strong winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help to lessen the hotter weather. Northerly winds during the winter can occasionally intensify cold periods.[21]
The average mean temperature for the southwest Oklahoma is 61.9 °F (16.6 °C). The summers can be extremely hot with an average 21 days with temperatures 100 °F (37.8 °C) and above.[22] The winter months are typically mild, though there can be periods of extreme cold. The area averages eight days per year that fail to rise above freezing.[22] The region receives about 31.6 inches (800 mm) of precipitation[22] and less than 3 inches (80 mm) of snow annually.[21]
Typically in late April through early June, Comanche County is prone tosevere weather which can include tornadoes.[23] Notably in1957, anF4 tornado and again in1979 an F3 tornado struck the southern region of Lawton.[24]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 41,489 | — | |
| 1920 | 26,629 | −35.8% | |
| 1930 | 34,317 | 28.9% | |
| 1940 | 38,988 | 13.6% | |
| 1950 | 55,165 | 41.5% | |
| 1960 | 90,803 | 64.6% | |
| 1970 | 108,144 | 19.1% | |
| 1980 | 112,456 | 4.0% | |
| 1990 | 111,486 | −0.9% | |
| 2000 | 114,996 | 3.1% | |
| 2010 | 124,098 | 7.9% | |
| 2020 | 121,125 | −2.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[25] 1790-1960[26] 1900-1990[27] 1990-2000[28] 2010[29] 2020[30] | |||
As of the2020 United States census, the county had a population of 121,125. Of the residents, 23.9% were under the age of 18 and 13.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 33.8 years. For every 100 females there were 106.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.0 males.[31][32]
The racial makeup of the county was 57.2% White, 16.3%Black or African American, 6.0%American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.6%Asian, 4.3% from some other race, and 12.8% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 13.7% of the population.[32]
There were 44,720 households in the county, of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.8% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[31]
There were 52,603 housing units, of which 15.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 54.3% were owner-occupied and 45.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.4%.[31]
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 124,098 people, 44,982 households, and 30,303 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 116 people per square mile (45 people/km2). There were 50,739 housing units at an average density of 47 units per square mile (18/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 64.5%White, 17.5%Black orAfrican American, 5.9%Native American, 2.2%Asian, 0.6%Pacific Islander, 3.0% fromother races, and 6.5% from two or more races; 11.2% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race (7.0%Mexican, 2.4%Puerto Rican, 0.3%Spanish, 0.2%Panamanian).[33]
There were 44,982 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% weremarried couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.3 years. For every 100 females there were 106.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.3 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $43,817, and the median income for a family was $51,564. Males had a median income of $37,423 versus $31,913 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $21,048. About 14.3% of families and 17.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2024[34] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Republican | 25,487 | 42.76% | |||
| Democratic | 19,191 | 32.19% | |||
| Others | 14,932 | 25.05% | |||
| Total | 59,610 | 100% | |||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 2,437 | 38.42% | 3,481 | 54.88% | 425 | 6.70% |
| 1912 | 1,320 | 34.06% | 1,931 | 49.82% | 625 | 16.12% |
| 1916 | 1,221 | 29.31% | 2,130 | 51.13% | 815 | 19.56% |
| 1920 | 3,332 | 49.18% | 3,037 | 44.83% | 406 | 5.99% |
| 1924 | 3,084 | 41.41% | 3,523 | 47.30% | 841 | 11.29% |
| 1928 | 5,069 | 62.45% | 2,956 | 36.42% | 92 | 1.13% |
| 1932 | 2,046 | 21.24% | 7,586 | 78.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 3,039 | 29.97% | 7,026 | 69.29% | 75 | 0.74% |
| 1940 | 3,703 | 35.15% | 6,796 | 64.51% | 36 | 0.34% |
| 1944 | 4,109 | 35.80% | 7,342 | 63.96% | 28 | 0.24% |
| 1948 | 2,787 | 25.94% | 7,955 | 74.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 8,756 | 49.23% | 9,029 | 50.77% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 7,532 | 46.24% | 8,756 | 53.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 10,691 | 52.79% | 9,562 | 47.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 7,936 | 36.88% | 13,585 | 63.12% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 9,225 | 39.82% | 8,061 | 34.80% | 5,879 | 25.38% |
| 1972 | 19,759 | 79.85% | 4,559 | 18.42% | 427 | 1.73% |
| 1976 | 13,163 | 50.04% | 12,910 | 49.08% | 230 | 0.87% |
| 1980 | 16,609 | 59.51% | 9,972 | 35.73% | 1,329 | 4.76% |
| 1984 | 21,382 | 70.35% | 8,890 | 29.25% | 122 | 0.40% |
| 1988 | 17,464 | 60.02% | 11,441 | 39.32% | 194 | 0.67% |
| 1992 | 15,704 | 44.21% | 12,237 | 34.45% | 7,579 | 21.34% |
| 1996 | 14,461 | 47.76% | 12,841 | 42.41% | 2,976 | 9.83% |
| 2000 | 17,103 | 58.31% | 11,971 | 40.81% | 259 | 0.88% |
| 2004 | 21,170 | 63.78% | 12,022 | 36.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 20,127 | 58.77% | 14,120 | 41.23% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 17,664 | 58.52% | 12,521 | 41.48% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2016 | 19,183 | 58.91% | 11,463 | 35.20% | 1,918 | 5.89% |
| 2020 | 20,905 | 58.67% | 13,747 | 38.58% | 979 | 2.75% |
| 2024 | 20,823 | 60.74% | 12,823 | 37.40% | 638 | 1.86% |
Comanche County has acounty commission comprising three members elected bydistrict. Commissioners from each district serve four-year staggered terms in partisan elections. Boundaries are set once every 10 years following the federalcensus. The Board is responsible for inspecting and approving county programs and facilities, supervise the performance county officials, maintaining the county infrastructure, as well as overseeing the financial affairs of the county.[36] In 2011, the commissioners were District 1 Gail Turner, District 2 Ron Kirby, and District 3 Don Hawthorne.[37][38][39] In addition to the county commissioners, other elected county officials include:District Attorney,County Sheriff,Treasurer,Assessor,County Clerk, andCourt clerk.[40]
At the federal level, Lawton lies inOklahoma 4th Congressional district, represented byTom Cole.[41] In theState Senate, the county is represented by District 31 (Don Barrington) and 32 (Dusty Deevers).[42][43] In theHouse, District 50 (Dennis Johnson), 62 (T.W. Shannon), 63 (Don Armes), 64 (Ann Coody), 65 (Joe Dorman) covers the county.[44]
Comanche County's economy is primarily centered on government, manufacturing and retail trade industries. The Lawton MSA has aGross Domestic Product of $4.89 Billion in 2010 with half (2.66 Billion) in the Government sector. Private industries accounted for 2.23 Billion in GDP in which Manufacturing (451 Million), Real estate and rental and leasing (305 Million), and Retail Trade (255 Million) were the largest fields.[45] In May 2010, it was estimated there were 41,720 people employed. The largest occupation fields included, the Office and Administrative Support Occupations field which had 6,760 employed, the Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations which employed 4,630, and the Sales and Related Occupations which had 4,150 employed.[46]
The Lawton Constitution is the only daily newspaper published in the county and has a circulation of 30,000. In addition the Fort Sill newspaper,The Cannoneer, is published weekly primarily for military personnel as well as the newspaperThe Cameron Collegian whose main audience is Cameron University students.[47] Additionally,Okie Magazine is a monthly magazine that focuses on news and entertainment in the Southwest Oklahoma area.[48] Fletcher News publishes online news of northeastern Comanche County, including Fletcher, Elgin and Sterling.[49]
Radio stations in Lawton include, two AM StationsKXCA 1050 andKKRX 1380 as well as several FM stations including,NPR affiliateKCCU 89.3,KZCD 94.1,KMGZ 95.3,KJMZ 97.9,KBZQ 99.5, KLAW-FM 101.3 andKVRW 107.3[47]
Comanche County is located in theWichita Falls and Lawton Media Market which encompasses 154,450 households with a television, making it the 149th largest in the nation according to Nelson Media Research in 2009–2010.[50]KSWO-TV channel 7, anABC affiliate, is the only broadcast television station in the area that provides local news.[51] All other major stations including,KFDX-TV 3 (NBC),KAUZ-TV (CBS), andKJTL-TV (Fox) are based in Wichita Falls.
Comanche County is primarily served byInterstate 44, designated as theH. E. Bailey Turnpike. It connects the county toOklahoma City to the northeast and toWichita Falls, Texas to the south. The county is also connected byUS Highway 62, which connects to the regional towns ofAltus to the west andAnadarko to the north. Other major thoroughfares includeUS Highway 277 and281, which parallels the H. E. Bailey Turnpike to Wichita Falls to the south and leads to regional towns ofAnadarko andChickasha, respectively, to the north.
Several State Highways cross the county including,State Highway 7 which connects Lawton toDuncan.State Highway 17 starts at US Highway 62 and connects the city of Elgin to the town of Sterling and leads toRush Springs in Grady County.State Highway 36 connects the towns of Chattanooga to Faxon and has its eastern terminus at Interstate 44.State Highway 49 enters the county from Kiowa County and becomes unsigned through the Wichita Wildlife refuge heading east. Leaving the refuge it becomes signed and leads through Medicine Park to its eastern terminus at Interstate 44.State Highway 58 connects toCarnegie in Caddo County to State Highway 49 near Medicine Park.State Highway 115 leads fromMountain View in Kiowa County through Meers to the Wichita Mountain Refuge. There it becomes unsigned as it leads to the south. Exiting the refuge, it becomes signed and leads to its southern terminus north of Cache on US Highway 62.[18]
Lawton Area Transit System (LATS) provides public transit locally for Lawton and Fort Sill. LATS main terminal is located near the Lawton Public Library and provides five major routes throughout the city.[52]
Intercity transit is provided byGreyhound Lines, with buses traveling towards Oklahoma City and Dallas.[53] Formerly,Jefferson Lines served Lawton up until at least 2016.[54]
By air, Comanche County is served by theLawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport (LAW, KLAW). At present, it offers daily American Eagle flights toDallas/Fort Worth International Airport and is also used for military transport.[55][56]
The following K-12 school districts include parts of the county.[57]
Elementary only districts includeBishop Public School andFlower Mound Public School.[57] Residents of the Bishop and Flower Mound districts go to Lawton Public Schools for middle and high school grades.[58]
The largest school district is Lawton Public Schools which had 16,398 in 2009. The district operates two pre-kindergarten centers, twenty-six elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools –Eisenhower,Lawton, andMacArthur.[59] Other major school districts in the area includeCache Public Schools andElgin Public Schools. Cache Public Schools had an enrollment of 1,648 and consists of five schools.[60][61] Elgin Public Schools had an enrollment of 16,98 and three schools.[60] Other public school districts in the region include, Bishop Chattanooga, Fletcher, Flower Mound, Geronimo, Indiahoma, and Sterling.[60]
Comanche County includes several private schools.[62] The largest is Lawton Christian School with an enrollment of 426 students in 2009.[63] Lawton Academy of Arts & Science offers classes from PK-12 and had an enrollment of 115.[62] St. Mary's Catholic School offers classes for elementary and middle school.[64] Trinity Christian Academy offers classes from K-3 through the 8th grade.[65]
There is one university in Comanche County,Cameron University. Cameron is the largest four year, state-fundeduniversity, in southwest Oklahoma, offering more than 50 degree programs in areas of Business, Education, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.[66] Founded in 1909, Cameron has an average fall enrollment of 6,000 students with 70 endowed faculty positions.[67]
Comanche County is also served by theGreat Plains Technology Center, which is part of theOklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education System. Great Plains provides occupational education, training, and development opportunities to area residents.[68]
Comanche County has three major hospitals in the area. The largest, Comanche County Memorial Hospital, is a 283-bed non-profit hospital that employs 250 physicians.[69] Southwestern Medical Center is a 199-bed hospital with a staff of 150 physicians.[70] In addition, theU.S. Public Health Lawton Indian Hospital is located in the city to provide health services for the largeAmerican Indian population. It has 26 beds with a staff of 23 physicians.[71]
Notable residents include country singers:Bryan White,[72]Kelly Willis,[73] andLeon Russell,[74]Grammy nominated jazz trombonistConrad Herwig,[75] andFlaming Lips drummerSteven Drozd.[76] Notable authors includePulitzer Prize winning authorN. Scott Momaday,[77] poetDon Blanding,[78] andHugo Award winner,C. J. Cherryh.[79]
Politicians from Comanche County include: U.S. SenatorThomas Gore, US Representatives:Scott Ferris,L. M. Gensman,Toby Morris, andElmer Thomas.[11] Other politicians include Democratic State SenatorRandy Bass[80] and former U.S. Ambassador to CzechoslovakiaJulian Niemczyk.
Other notable residents include: World War IIComanche Code TalkerCharles Chibitty,[81] World War II Nurse and POW Col.Rosemary Hogan,[82]Academy Award winning actressJoan Crawford,[83] World War II aceRobert S. Johnson,[84] three time NBA championStacey King,[85] former NBA All-StarMichael Ray Richardson,[86] Miss America 2007Lauren Nelson,[87] infamous University of Oklahoma quarterbackCharles Thompson,[88] NFL Pro BowlersWill Shields[89] andJammal Brown[90]
Quanah Parker built his final residence in the town of Cache, Comanche County.
Places adjacent to Comanche County, Oklahoma | |
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Municipalities and communities ofComanche County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
34°40′N98°28′W / 34.66°N 98.46°W /34.66; -98.46
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