Sayre, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Buildings in Sayre, 2016 | |
| Motto: "Main Street On Historic Route (66)" | |
 Location inBeckham County and the state ofOklahoma | |
| Coordinates:35°17′48″N99°37′43″W / 35.29667°N 99.62861°W /35.29667; -99.62861 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Beckham |
| Government | |
| • Type | Aldermanic |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.41 sq mi (14.00 km2) |
| • Land | 5.39 sq mi (13.95 km2) |
| • Water | 0.019 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,893 ft (577 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,809 |
| • Density | 892.8/sq mi (344.72/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 73662 |
| Area code | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-65700[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411836[2] |
| Website | Sayre, Oklahoma |
Sayre is a city in and thecounty seat ofBeckham County, in westernOklahoma, United States.[4] It is halfway betweenOklahoma City andAmarillo onInterstate 40 and the formerU.S. Route 66. The population was 4,809 at the time of the2020 census,[5] an increase over the 4,375 figure from the2010 census, and the largest population ever recorded by a census since Sayre's founding.[6]
After theCivil War,Congress wanted to stimulate the economy and aid the growth of the nation. One way that they achieved this was to promote the building of the western railroads. Upon completion of theUnion Pacific-Central Pacific joining in 1869 with theGolden Spike, other railroads trying to capitalize on commerce and trade also began crossing the western country. This included theGreat Northern andBurlington in the far north, and theSouthern Pacific on the extreme southern border.
Eventually this would lead to rails crossingIndian Territory, present-day Oklahoma, around the start of the 20th century. A new rail line was extended fromWeatherford toTexola by McCabe & Steen Contractors in July 1901.Entrepreneurs would buy land near where the new tracks were being laid, and also near a source of water. The Choctaw Town Site and Improvement Company did this, and when theChoctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad crossed the North Fork of theRed River in Western Indian Territory an instant town sprang up, which incorporated on 14 September 1901.
The Choctaw Townsite & Improvement Company began selling lots to new "Sooners" arriving to start a new life. The seeds of a new town were sown, businessmen came to sell their wares to the new town folk, and within one year the town's population was up to around 1,000.PennsylvanianRobert Heysham Sayre, a stockholder of the railroad, gave his name to the newly formed town in 1901.[7]
TheChicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company (called the "Rock Island") leased the new line. The Rock Island would complete its march to the Pacific by filling in the line toTucumcari, New Mexico.
During the period of 1901–1907, Sayre was part of Roger Mills County inOklahoma Territory. At the time Oklahoma became a state, Beckham County was created and Sayre, which was within the boundary of Beckham County, was named as the temporary county seat. An election in 1908 confirmed Sayre as the permanent seat, with voters preferring it to the town ofErick. The Beckham County Courthouse was completed in 1911, and is still in service over a century later. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]
The discovery of oil and gas nearby caused the population to boom between 1920 and 1930. In the 1930sU.S. Route 66, a dream forwarded by fellow OklahomanCyrus Avery, would come through Sayre, cementing the town's fate to fuel the cars and feed the people exploring the country.
In 1940 film directorJohn Ford used Sayre's Beckham County Courthouse in the filmThe Grapes of Wrath, based on the famous book byJohn Steinbeck.
During the 1970s Sayre and the surrounding area benefited from thenatural gas andoil development in thePanhandle-Hugoton field, the largest-volume gas field in the United States, and the world's largest known source ofhelium. Between 1973 and 1993 the field produced over 8 trillion cubic feet (230,000,000 m³) of gas.
Sayre is located on the North Fork of theRed River, at an elevation of 1,800 feet (550 m) and 128 miles (206 km) west of Oklahoma City.[7] The area is dominated by low rolling red clay hills.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 square miles (14.5 km2), of which 0.019 square miles (0.05 km2), or 0.36%, is water.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 1,881 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,703 | −9.5% | |
| 1930 | 3,157 | 85.4% | |
| 1940 | 3,037 | −3.8% | |
| 1950 | 3,362 | 10.7% | |
| 1960 | 2,913 | −13.4% | |
| 1970 | 2,712 | −6.9% | |
| 1980 | 3,177 | 17.1% | |
| 1990 | 2,881 | −9.3% | |
| 2000 | 4,114 | 42.8% | |
| 2010 | 4,375 | 6.3% | |
| 2020 | 4,809 | 9.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] | |||
As of thecensus[3] of 2000, there were 4,114 people, 1,132 households, and 678 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,215.9 inhabitants per square mile (469.5/km2). There were 1,399 housing units at an average density of 413.5 units per square mile (159.7 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 74.99%White, 18.25%African American, 2.53%Native American, 0.41%Asian, 1.92% fromother races, and 1.90% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.35% of the population.
There were 1,132 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% weremarried couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 14.6% under the age of 18, 14.0% from 18 to 24, 40.9% from 25 to 44, 16.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 197.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 216.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $21,713, and the median income for a family was $30,000. Males had a median income of $22,167 versus $18,147 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $10,378. About 15.9% of families and 20.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26.1% of those under age 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Sayre's economy has been based on agriculture and the production of oil and gas. By the 1930s, the town had five oil companies and one gasoline plant in operation. United Carbon Company built acarbon black plant there.[7] Circa 2000 theFlying J truck stop opened on a 28-acre (11 ha) plot of land alongInterstate 40 in Sayre; As of 2001[update] it paid $150,000 in annual sales taxes and had 117 employees. The city government had purchased the land and sold it to the developer at cost in order to attract the development.[9]
TheNorth Fork Correctional Facility, a privately owned, medium-security prison opened in 1998.[7] This prison had 270 employees as of 2001, and that year Peter T. Kilborn ofThe New York Times wrote that the prison "is responsible for lifting Sayre's spirits and reigniting its economy."[9] Circa 2003 the community experienced economic issues when prisoners from Wisconsin were recalled from the prison.[10]
Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Sayre or SWOSU@Sayre, is an accredited junior college serving western Oklahoma.[11] It was founded in 1938 as Sayre Junior College and merged with SWOSU by an act of the Oklahoma Legislature in 1987.[12]
Western Technology Center, Sayre campus provides the opportunity for adults and high school students to get occupationally-specific training. Sayre Public Schools is a member of the WTC district.
Sayre Public Schools is a school district serving the cities of Sayre andElk City inOklahoma.[13] It includes the following schools:
In 1994–5, the district was the defendant in a liability suit eventually decided by theSupreme Court of Oklahoma.[14]
Sayre has an aldermanic form of city government.[7]
The following sites in and around Sayre are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:
Municipalities and communities ofBeckham County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
