Holdenville, Oklahoma | |
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 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Holdenville, Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates:35°05′01″N96°24′06″W / 35.08361°N 96.40167°W /35.08361; -96.40167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Hughes |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Incorporated | 1898 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.04 sq mi (13.05 km2) |
| • Land | 5.02 sq mi (13.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0.015 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 883 ft (269 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 5,934 |
| • Density | 1,182.2/sq mi (456.44/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code | 74848 |
| Area codes | 405 and 572 |
| FIPS code | 40-35400[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410774[2] |
| Website | cityofholdenville.net |
Holdenville is a city in and thecounty seat ofHughes County,Oklahoma, United States.[4] The population was 5,934 at the time of the2020 United States census.[5]
Holdenville traces its origin to a Creek settlement calledecho, when translated means "deer". George B. Fentress operated a general store there. A post office called "Fentress" opened there on May 24, 1895. TheChoctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad was constructed in the 1890s fromArkansas toIndian Territory. Between 1895 and 1897, the construction passed through theCreek Nation. During this period, a railroad camp was set up to service the railroad construction.[6] The railroad workers called the camp "Holden" in honor of J.F. Holden, the Auditor and Traffic Manager of Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railroad.[6] In 1895, a request was delivered to theU.S. Congress to establish a post office in Holden. The request was rejected because the name was too similar to another post office called "Holder."[6] The proposed name was then altered to "Holdenville" and was accepted.[6]
In 1898, settlers petitionedIndian Territory to incorporate Holdenville as a town. A hearing was granted and on November 14, 1898, Holdenville was incorporated as part of Indian Territory.[6] D. J. Red was elected mayor at the first municipal election, held December 27, 1898. The first city council meeting was held January 4, 1899.[7] The St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway (later theSt. Louis and San Francisco Railway) constructed a line between 1900 and 1901 fromSapulpa to theRed River that passed through Holdenville.[7] An election was held on June 27, 1908, to determine the permanent county seat. Contending communities were Holdenville,Wetumka,Calvin, andLamar. None of the candidates won a majority, so a runoff election was held on September 10, 1908, between the two top vote-getters, Holdenville and Wetumka. This time, Holdenville won the election.[7]
Until it was named in a grand jury investigation in 1904, Holdenville was asundown town where African Americans were not allowed to live or even wait for a train.[8][9]
On April 27, 2024,an EF3 tornado struck the town as part of a larger tornado outbreak that affected the Great Plains region, causing two fatalities and extensive damage.[10]
Holdenville is located about 75 miles (121 km) from Oklahoma City.[7]
Holdenville sits approximately five miles north of theHoldenville City Lake, eight miles north of theCanadian River, and six miles north of theLittle River. The area is mostly wooded and flanked by gently rolling hills, interrupted occasionally by smallcreeks and streams.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12 km2), all land.
| Climate data for Holdenville, Oklahoma | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 81 (27) | 90 (32) | 96 (36) | 98 (37) | 98 (37) | 108 (42) | 112 (44) | 118 (48) | 113 (45) | 100 (38) | 88 (31) | 84 (29) | 118 (48) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 50 (10) | 55 (13) | 64 (18) | 73 (23) | 79 (26) | 88 (31) | 94 (34) | 95 (35) | 88 (31) | 76 (24) | 63 (17) | 53 (12) | 73 (23) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 30 (−1) | 33 (1) | 41 (5) | 50 (10) | 59 (15) | 67 (19) | 71 (22) | 70 (21) | 63 (17) | 52 (11) | 40 (4) | 32 (0) | 51 (10) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) | −9 (−23) | −1 (−18) | 21 (−6) | 33 (1) | 46 (8) | 50 (10) | 47 (8) | 32 (0) | 14 (−10) | 11 (−12) | 0 (−18) | −12 (−24) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.1 (53) | 2.0 (51) | 2.8 (71) | 4.2 (110) | 6.0 (150) | 4.6 (120) | 3.3 (84) | 3.2 (81) | 3.9 (99) | 3.3 (84) | 2.4 (61) | 2.2 (56) | 39.9 (1,010) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.3 (5.8) | 1.7 (4.3) | 0.7 (1.8) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.7 (1.8) | 5.6 (14) |
| Average rainy days | 4.8 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 6 | 5.8 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 4.1 | 5 | 69.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 69 | 67 | 61 | 58 | 66 | 64 | 63 | 59 | 56 | 58 | 60 | 66 | 62 |
| Source 1: weather.com | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weatherbase.com[11] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 749 | — | |
| 1910 | 2,296 | 206.5% | |
| 1920 | 2,932 | 27.7% | |
| 1930 | 7,268 | 147.9% | |
| 1940 | 6,632 | −8.8% | |
| 1950 | 6,192 | −6.6% | |
| 1960 | 5,712 | −7.8% | |
| 1970 | 5,181 | −9.3% | |
| 1980 | 5,469 | 5.6% | |
| 1990 | 4,792 | −12.4% | |
| 2000 | 4,732 | −1.3% | |
| 2010 | 5,771 | 22.0% | |
| 2020 | 5,934 | 2.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[12] | |||
As of thecensus[3] of 2000, there were 4,732 people, 1,966 households, and 1,236 families residing in the city. The population density was 975.9 inhabitants per square mile (376.8/km2). There were 2,302 housing units at an average density of 474.7 per square mile (183.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.06%White, 3.44%African American, 14.48%Native American, 0.27%Asian, 0.99% fromother races, and 5.75% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 2.45% of the population.
There were 1,966 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% weremarried couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $20,282, and the median income for a family was $27,175. Males had a median income of $21,020 versus $17,951 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $13,326. About 14.8% of families and 20.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.
Historically, the Holdenville area economy has been based on agriculture. The main crops have been cotton, peanuts, pecans, corn, hay, oats, sweet and Irish potatoes and orchard fruits.[7] Other types of business have supplemented the economy. Covey Corporation manufactured plastic products and employed approximately one hundred fifty workers. Other enterprises included Seamprufe Corporation, a manufacturer of lingerie, and F. B. Fly Company, a producer of fishing tackle. Aquafarms, a catfish processing plant, and the Holdenville State Fish Hatchery also provided employment. In the 1990s Tyson Foods' hog breeding operation and the Earl A. Davis Community Work Center created jobs.[7]
It is home to The Pork Group, a subsidiary ofTyson Foods; the Holdenville State Fish Hatchery, one of four operated by theOklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation; the Davis Correctional Facility, a 1,600 bedmedium security prison operated by theCorrections Corporation of America; and the Creek Nation Casino, one of many operated by theMuscogee (Creek) Nation.
Since May 1934 nearbyHoldenville Lake has offered outdoor recreational activities.[7]
Holdenville celebrates the annual Fall Festival on the first Saturday in October. The Festival includes aparade, classiccar show, and an open-air market fair with dozens of booths and vendors. The Fall Festival was originally called Hog Wild Day to celebrate Tyson's contribution to Holdenville's economy, and featured a hog-calling contest, a pigtail contest, a pig-out pie-eating contest, and a greased pig contest.[citation needed]
Stroup Park is the primary recreation area in Holdenville. It contains aplayground,baseball diamond,public swimming pool,basketball court,tennis court,skate park, twopavilions,disc golf course, and numerouspicnic tables. There is also a one-milewalking path,duck pond, and a smaller adjacent park calledRose Park which mainly consists offlower gardens.[citation needed]
Holdenville City Lake, in addition to providing 80% of the drinking water inHughes County, is the area's main source of aquatic and woodland recreation. The lake is surrounded bycampsites, some of which are equipped withRV hook-ups. There is also a publicbath house with restrooms and showers. The lake has twodocks, one is covered and reserved for fishing, the other is open-air and used for boat docking.Boats andjet skis are allowed on the lake, but only in certain areas.Tubing,knee-boarding andwater skiing are allowed depending on the water level. There are also numerousATV trails in the vicinity.[citation needed]
All of the city limits is in theHoldenville Public Schools school district,[13] which providesprimary andsecondary education.
Some areas outside of the city limits are inMoss Public Schools.[citation needed]
The Holdenville Municipal Airport is about 1 mile northwest of the town.[14] It has existed since 1943,[14] andCentral Airlines made it a regularly scheduled stop in the 1950s.[15]
Commercial air service is available out ofWill Rogers World Airport, about 81 miles west-northwest.[16]
In speaking of his trip Mr. Collins said: '…I ran across three towns in the Indian Territory in which negroes are not allowed to live, and they are Holdenville,Norman and Blackmore. In Holdenville there is one negro, and he is cooking at one of the hotels, but there is talk of compelling him to leave. In the three towns mensioned no negro can either rent a house or buy land. …'
Now inDurant and other towns in the Central District, and for that matter, in Holdenville,Ada and other towns in the territory notices had been posted for the Negroes not to let the sun go down on them in said towns.
Municipalities and communities ofHughes County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
