Harrah, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Harrah City Hall | |
| Motto: "Heart of the Heartland" | |
 Location inOklahoma County and the state ofOklahoma. | |
| Coordinates:35°28′43″N97°11′14″W / 35.47861°N 97.18722°W /35.47861; -97.18722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Oklahoma |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.42 sq mi (32.16 km2) |
| • Land | 12.42 sq mi (32.16 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,139 ft (347 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,245 |
| • Density | 503/sq mi (194.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 73045 |
| Area code | 405 |
| FIPS code | 40-32750 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410705[2] |
| Website | cityofharrah |
Harrah is a city inOklahoma County,Oklahoma, United States, and a part of theOklahoma City metropolitan area. Located 25 miles (40 km) east of downtown Oklahoma City, Harrah had a population of 6,245 people as of the2020 Census, a 22.6% increase from 2010.
The first settler of the area, who wasPotawatomi, arrived in the 1870s, but the town was not incorporated until 1908. The town was settled by Americans, Polish immigrants, and other groups and had a cotton ginning center. The city is overseen by a city council andmayor and includes a police department and fire station.
Harrah is a small city in Oklahoma with a total land area of 11.9 square miles (31 km2), all land. The city's elevation is 925 feet (282 m) above sea level.[3] It lies partly in theGreat Plains near the geographical center of the 48contiguous states in theUnited States. It lies between the larger cities ofOklahoma City to the west andShawnee, to the east, in Oklahoma County.
Harrah is located in theCrosstimbersecoregion and theFrontier Countrytourism region.[4][5]
Oklahoma is located in atemperate region and experiences occasional extremes of temperature and precipitation typical of acontinental climate.[6] Harrah lies in an area known asTornado Alley characterized by frequent interaction between cold and warm air masses producingsevere weather. An average of 54tornadoes strike the state per year.[7]
The city frequently experiences temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C).[6]
The land that would become the town of Harrah had its first settler, Louis Navarre, in the 1870s.[8] Navarre, was a member of thePotawatomi people who had signed an 1867 treaty to sell theirKansas lands in order to purchase lands inNative Territory with the proceeds. They also became citizens of the United States and thus became known as the Citizen Potawatomi.[9]
In 1890, Navarre and the Citizen Potawatomi participated, unwillingly, in the allotment process implemented through theDawes Act of 1887. With this Act, the Citizen Potawatomi people were forced to accept individual allotments.[9] In theLand Run of 1891, the remainder of the Potawatomi reservation in Oklahoma was opened up to non-Indian settlement, with about 450 square miles (1,200 km2) of the reservation given away by the government to settlers.
Frank Harrah, for whom the town is named, purchased 40 acres (160,000 m2) from Louis Navarre's allotment in April 1898 and early settlers included a large number of Polish immigrants.[8] More than two million Poles entered American ports between 1897 and 1913, and the immigrants formed small communities aroundChoctaw Nation coal mines.[10]
Originally named Sweeney, after E.W. Sweeney, who operated a ferry beginning in 1891, the town was renamed Harrah on December 22, 1898, and was incorporated in 1908.[8] The town was almost renamed Clubb.[8]
In the 1940s Harrah was a center ofcotton ginning. Its population was 741 in 1950.[11] By 1990 4,206 people lived in Harrah.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 356 | — | |
| 1920 | 365 | 2.5% | |
| 1930 | 693 | 89.9% | |
| 1940 | 620 | −10.5% | |
| 1950 | 741 | 19.5% | |
| 1960 | 934 | 26.0% | |
| 1970 | 1,931 | 106.7% | |
| 1980 | 2,897 | 50.0% | |
| 1990 | 4,206 | 45.2% | |
| 2000 | 4,719 | 12.2% | |
| 2010 | 5,095 | 8.0% | |
| 2020 | 6,245 | 22.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] | |||
As of the2020 census, Harrah had a population of 6,245. The median age was 37.3 years, 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18, and 16.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.1 males age 18 and over.[14]
There were 2,413 households in Harrah, of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.8% were married-couple households, 15.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[14]
There were 2,574 housing units, of which 6.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 70.7% were owner-occupied and 29.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.[14]
13.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 86.4% lived in rural areas.[15]
| Race | Percent |
|---|---|
| White | 77.6% |
| Black or African American | 1.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 6.2% |
| Asian | 0.8% |
| Native Hawaiian andOther Pacific Islander | <0.1% |
| Some other race | 1.1% |
| Two or more races | 12.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 5.0% |
As of the 2010 census, thepopulation density was 503 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84%white, 1%African American, 7.3%Native American, 0.7%Asian, 0.7% fromother races, and 6.3% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race made up 4% of the population.[17]
Of the 1,960 households, 33% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% consisted ofmarried couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.7% of the households were occupied by a single individual, and 26.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.02.[17]
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 30.3% from 18 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. The population was 52.1% female and 47.9% male.[17]
According to the 2022 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the median income for a household in the city was $68,661, and the median income for a family was $76,725. Theper capita income for the city was $32,778. About 6.1% of families and 8.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 17.1% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.[18]
The City of Harrah has acity council made up of elected officials and led by amayor. A council-appointed city manager runs the day-to-day administration of the city and oversees city staff.[19] The city also holds a municipal court twice a month.[19]
As of April 2024, the city council consists of Mayor Danny Trent and council members Bernadette Klimkowski, Tim Rudek, Jeff Brzozowski, and Steve Scalzo.[20]
The City of Harrah includes several departments, including a small fire department consisting of several paid firefighters and many volunteer firefighters. The police department includes full-time detectives, patrol officers, part-time officers, and voluntary reserve officers. The city also offers a comprehensive set of public utilities managed by the utility department and a public works department.[19]
Most of the city lies in theHarrah school district, with some western parts of the city in theChoctaw-Nicoma Park school district.[21] Both districts offer primary and secondary school education. Harrah schools spend approximately $3,204 per student and have 24 students per teacher.[22]
No higher education institutions exist in Harrah.Oklahoma Baptist University is located approximately 30 miles to the southeast inShawnee, Oklahoma, and other options lie 30–45 minutes to the west in Oklahoma City and to the southwest in Norman.
Municipalities and communities ofOklahoma County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
