Washita County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 TheWashita County Courthouse in 2015. | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOklahoma | |
 Oklahoma's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:35°17′N98°59′W / 35.29°N 98.99°W /35.29; -98.99 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oklahoma |
| Founded | 1891 |
| Named after | Washita River |
| Seat | New Cordell |
| Largest city | New Cordell |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,009 sq mi (2,610 km2) |
| • Land | 1,003 sq mi (2,600 km2) |
| • Water | 5.6 sq mi (15 km2) 0.6% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 10,924 |
| • Density | 10.89/sq mi (4.205/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
Washita County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofOklahoma. As of the2020 census, the population was 10,924.[1] Itscounty seat isNew Cordell.[2] The county seat was formerly located inCloud Chief.[3] The county was created in 1891.[4]
In 1883, John Miles leased 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) of Cheyenne and Arapaho land to seven cattlemen. However, arguments soon developed between the cattlemen and the tribesmen. In 1885, the Federal government terminated all of the leases and ordered the cattlemen to remove their stock.[3]
The area was settled in 1886, whenJohn Seger established a colony along Cobb Creek. Seger convinced 120 Cheyenne and Arapaho to settle near the old ranch headquarters at Cobb Creek. The intent was that "Seger's Colony" would teach these tribes how to farm, using modern agricultural methods.[3] The name, Seger's Colony, would be shortened and become the present day town ofColony, Oklahoma.[5]
After the government declared the excess lands of theCheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation available for non-Indian settlement, the Cheyenne-Arapaho Opening was made available to homesteading on April 19, 1892, in theLand Run of 1892.[3] At that time, the town of Tacola, soon renamed toCloud Chief, was designated by the Secretary of the Interior as the county seat.[3]
Washita County is located in that part of western Oklahoma which was included in County H of theTerritory of Oklahoma, an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with theIndian territory and admitted to the Union as the State of Oklahoma.[3] The county itself was renamed for theWashita River. The French had called the river "Faux Ouachita", literally meaning "false Washita", to distinguish it from the ‘true’ Ouachita in Arkansas and Louisiana. The spelling of the name of the Oklahoma Washita was changed by substituting "w" for "ou".[6]
An election in 1900 designated the town ofCordell as the county seat. It was favored by the majority because it was located in the center of the county. The election result was contested in court. The Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court ruled in 1904 that the seat could not be moved without Federal authorization. The U. S. Congress moved the seat to Cordell in 1906. When the Oklahoma Constitution went into effect at statehood in 1907, it confirmed Cordell (by then relocated and renamed New Cordell) as the county seat.[3]
In 1948, the nation's first flood control dam under the authorization of theFlood Control Act of 1944 was completed in the Cloud Creek Watershed in Washita County.[7]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,009 square miles (2,610 km2), of which 1,006 square miles (2,610 km2) is land and 5.6 square miles (15 km2) (0.6%) is water.[8] The county lies in the Western Redbeds Plains sub-region of theOsage Plains. The Washita River drains most of the county, except that the southwest corner drains into theNorth Fork of the Red River[3]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 25,034 | — | |
| 1920 | 22,237 | −11.2% | |
| 1930 | 29,435 | 32.4% | |
| 1940 | 22,279 | −24.3% | |
| 1950 | 17,657 | −20.7% | |
| 1960 | 18,121 | 2.6% | |
| 1970 | 12,141 | −33.0% | |
| 1980 | 13,798 | 13.6% | |
| 1990 | 11,441 | −17.1% | |
| 2000 | 11,508 | 0.6% | |
| 2010 | 11,629 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 10,924 | −6.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] | |||
As of the2010 United States census, there were 11,629 people, 4,599 households, and 3,186 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 11.5 people per square mile (4.4 people/km2). There were 5,479 housing units at an average density of 5.4 units per square mile (2.1/km2).[14] The racial makeup of the county was 95.8%white, 0.7%black orAfrican American, 3%Native American, 0.2%Asian, less than 0.1%Pacific Islander, 3.6% fromother races, and 4.2% from two or more races. Eight percent of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. Ninety-six percent spoke onlyEnglish and 3.3% spokeSpanish.
There were 4,599 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% weremarried couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5% had a male household with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 27.1% of households, and individuals 65 years of age or older living alone accounted for 13% of households. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,331, and the median income for a family was $56,619. Males had a median income of $42,149 versus $31,402 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $22,781. About 12% of families and 16% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 25% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[15] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 1,586 | 24.18% | |||
| Republican | 4,017 | 61.23% | |||
| Others | 957 | 14.59% | |||
| Total | 6,560 | 100% | |||
Prior to 1952, Washita County was dominated by the Democratic Party as part of theSolid South. However, it backed the national winner in every presidential election from 1928 to 1992 except for 1956 and 1960. It last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1992.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 1,118 | 32.82% | 1,867 | 54.82% | 421 | 12.36% |
| 1912 | 1,100 | 31.14% | 1,665 | 47.14% | 767 | 21.72% |
| 1916 | 958 | 25.32% | 2,107 | 55.68% | 719 | 19.00% |
| 1920 | 2,070 | 45.85% | 2,125 | 47.07% | 320 | 7.09% |
| 1924 | 1,357 | 33.47% | 2,325 | 57.35% | 372 | 9.18% |
| 1928 | 3,572 | 63.28% | 2,024 | 35.85% | 49 | 0.87% |
| 1932 | 887 | 12.79% | 6,049 | 87.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 1,792 | 25.49% | 5,205 | 74.05% | 32 | 0.46% |
| 1940 | 2,978 | 41.10% | 4,256 | 58.74% | 11 | 0.15% |
| 1944 | 2,706 | 43.31% | 3,524 | 56.40% | 18 | 0.29% |
| 1948 | 1,637 | 27.45% | 4,326 | 72.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 3,914 | 55.20% | 3,177 | 44.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 2,552 | 44.44% | 3,191 | 55.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 3,209 | 57.07% | 2,414 | 42.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,147 | 39.14% | 3,339 | 60.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,592 | 49.65% | 1,771 | 33.92% | 858 | 16.43% |
| 1972 | 3,578 | 71.45% | 1,305 | 26.06% | 125 | 2.50% |
| 1976 | 2,165 | 39.14% | 3,304 | 59.74% | 62 | 1.12% |
| 1980 | 3,206 | 59.67% | 2,044 | 38.04% | 123 | 2.29% |
| 1984 | 3,847 | 70.85% | 1,547 | 28.49% | 36 | 0.66% |
| 1988 | 2,402 | 50.62% | 2,290 | 48.26% | 53 | 1.12% |
| 1992 | 1,912 | 35.81% | 1,929 | 36.13% | 1,498 | 28.06% |
| 1996 | 1,994 | 42.65% | 1,913 | 40.92% | 768 | 16.43% |
| 2000 | 2,850 | 63.79% | 1,564 | 35.00% | 54 | 1.21% |
| 2004 | 3,705 | 73.44% | 1,340 | 26.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 3,724 | 77.97% | 1,052 | 22.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 3,494 | 80.95% | 822 | 19.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2016 | 3,854 | 83.22% | 588 | 12.70% | 189 | 4.08% |
| 2020 | 4,086 | 85.53% | 598 | 12.52% | 93 | 1.95% |
| 2024 | 4,030 | 86.63% | 551 | 11.84% | 71 | 1.53% |
School districts include:[17]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Places adjacent to Washita County, Oklahoma | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofWashita County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
35°17′N98°59′W / 35.29°N 98.99°W /35.29; -98.99
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