Since weather records have been kept beginning in 1890, Oklahoma City has been struck by 14 violenttornadoes, 11 of which were rated F4 or EF4 on theFujita andEnhanced Fujita scales, and two rated F5 and EF5.[14]
Lithograph of Oklahoma City from 1890.Looking north on Broadway from present-day Sheridan Ave, 1910.
By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassedGuthrie, the territorial capital, as the new state's population center and commercial hub. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City.[20] Oklahoma City was a significant stop onRoute 66 during the early part of the 20th century; it was prominently mentioned inBobby Troup's 1946 jazz song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" made famous by artistNat King Cole.
BeforeWorld War II, Oklahoma City developed significantstockyards, attracting jobs and revenue formerly inChicago andOmaha, Nebraska. With the 1928 discovery of oil within the city limits (including under the State Capitol), Oklahoma City became a major center of oil production.[21] Post-war growth accompanied the construction of theInterstate Highway System, which made Oklahoma City a major interchange as the convergence ofI-35,I-40, andI-44. It was also aided by the federal development ofTinker Air Force Base after successful lobbying efforts by the director of the Chamber of CommerceStanley Draper.
In 1950, theCensus Bureau reported the city's population as 8.6% black and 90.7% white.[22]
In 1959, the city government launched a "Great Annexation Drive" that expanded the city's area from 80 to 475.55 square miles (207.2 to 1,231.7 square kilometers) by the end of 1961, making it the largest U.S. city by land mass at the time.[23]
Patience Latting was electedMayor of Oklahoma City in 1971, becoming the city's first female mayor.[24] Latting was also the first woman to serve as mayor of a U.S. city with over 350,000 residents.[24]
Oklahoma City National Memorial at Christmas.
Like many other American cities, the center city population declined in the 1970s and 1980s as families followed newly constructed highways to move to newer housing in nearby suburbs.Urban renewal projects in the 1970s, including thePei Plan, removed older structures but failed to spark much new development, leaving the city dotted with vacant lots used for parking. A notable exception was the city's construction of theMyriad Gardens and Crystal Bridge, a botanical garden and modernisticconservatory in the heart of downtown. Architecturally significant historic buildings lost to clearances were the Criterion Theater,[25][26] the Baum Building,[27] the Hales Building,[28][29] and the Biltmore Hotel.[30]
In 1993, the city passed a massive redevelopment package known as theMetropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), intended to rebuild the city's core with civic projects to establish more activities and life in downtown. The city added a newbaseball park; a central library; renovations to thecivic center,convention center, and fairgrounds; and a water canal in theBricktown entertainment district. Water taxis transport passengers within the district, adding color and activity along the canal. MAPS has become one of the most successful public-private partnerships undertaken in the U.S., exceeding $3 billion in private investment as of 2010.[31] As a result of MAPS, the population in downtown housing has exponentially increased, with the demand for additional residential and retail amenities, such as groceries, services, and shops.
Since the completion of the MAPS projects, the downtown area has seen continued development. Several downtown buildings are undergoing renovation/restoration. Notable among these was the restoration of theSkirvin Hotel in 2007. The famedFirst National Center is also being renovated.
Residents of Oklahoma City suffered substantial losses on April 19, 1995, whenTimothy McVeighdetonated a bomb in front of theMurrah building. The building was destroyed (the remnants of which had to be imploded in a controlled demolition later that year), more than 100 nearby buildings suffered severe damage, and 168 people were killed.[32] The site has been commemorated as theOklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.[33] Since its opening in 2000, over three million people have visited. Every year on April 19, survivors, families, and friends return to the memorial to read the names of each person lost. McVeigh was executed bylethal injection on June 11, 2001.
The "Core-to-Shore" project was created torelocate I-40 one mile (1.6 km) south and replace it with aboulevard to create a landscaped entrance to the city.[34] This also allows the central portion of the city to expand south and connect with the shore of the Oklahoma River. Several elements of "Core to Shore" were included in theMAPS 3 proposal approved by voters in late 2009.
Oklahoma City lies along one of the primary corridors intoTexas andMexico and is a three-hour drive from theDallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The city is in theFrontier Country region in the state's center, making it ideal for state government.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 620.34 square miles (1,606.7 km2),[35] of which 601.11 square miles (1,556.9 km2) is land and 19.23 square miles (49.8 km2) is water.
Oklahoma City lies in the Sandstone Hills region of Oklahoma, known for hills of 250 to 400 feet (80 to 120 m) and two species of oak:blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) andpost oak (Q. stellata).[36] The northeastern part of the city and its eastern suburbs fall into an ecological region known as theCross Timbers.[37]
The city is roughly bisected by theNorth Canadian River (recently renamed the Oklahoma River inside city limits). The North Canadian once had sufficient flow to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding areas, including the central business district and the original Oklahoma City Zoo.[38] In the 1940s, a dam was built on the river to manage the flood control and reduce its level.[39] In the 1990s, as part of the citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low-water dams, returning water to the portion of the river flowing near downtown.[40] The city has three large lakes:Lake Hefner andLake Overholser, in the northwestern quarter of the city; and the largest,Lake Stanley Draper, in the city's sparsely populated far southeast portion.
The population density typically reported for Oklahoma City using the area of its city limits can be misleading. Its urbanized zone covers roughly 244 square miles (630 km2) resulting in a 2013 estimated density of 2,500 per square mile (970/km2), compared with larger rural watershed areas incorporated by the city, which cover the remaining 377 sq mi (980 km2) of the city limits.[41]
Oklahoma City is one of the largest cities in the nation in compliance with theClean Air Act.[42]
Automobile Alley in Oklahoma CityLooking up in the heart of Oklahoma City's Central Business District
Oklahoma City neighborhoods are highly varied, with affluent historic neighborhoods located next to districts that have not wholly recovered from the economic and social decline of the 1970s and 1980s.[citation needed]
The city is bisected geographically and culturally by the North Canadian River, which divides North Oklahoma City and South Oklahoma City. The north side is characterized by diverse and fashionable urban neighborhoods near the city center and sprawling suburbs further north. South Oklahoma City is generally more blue-collar working class and significantly more industrial, having grown up around the Stockyards and meat packing plants at the turn of the century. It is also the center of the city's rapidly growing Latino community.
Downtown Oklahoma City, which has 7,600 residents, is seeing an influx of new private investment and large-scale public works projects, which have helped to revitalize a central business district left almost deserted by the Oil Bust of the early 1980s. The centerpiece of downtown is the newly renovated Crystal Bridge and Myriad Botanical Gardens, one of the few elements of thePei Plan to be completed. In 2021, a massive new central park will link the gardens near the CBD and the new convention center to be built just south of it to the North Canadian River as part of a massive works project known as "Core to Shore"; the new park is part of MAPS3, a collection of civic projects funded by a one-cent temporary (seven-year) sales tax increase.[53]
Oklahoma City has a temperatehumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cfa,Trewartha:Cfak), along with significant continental influences. The city features hot, humid summers and cool winters. Prolonged and severe droughts (sometimes leading to wildfires in the vicinity) and hefty rainfall leading to flash flooding and flooding occur regularly. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods. Severeice storms andsnowstorms happen sporadically during the winter.
The average temperature is 61.4 °F (16.3 °C), with the monthly daily average ranging from 39.2 °F (4.0 °C) in January to 83.0 °F (28.3 °C) in July. Extremes range from −17 °F (−27 °C) onFebruary 12, 1899 to 113 °F (45 °C) on August 11, 1936, andAugust 3, 2012;[54] The last sub-zero (Fahrenheit) reading was −14 °F (−26 °C) on February 16, 2021.[55][56] Temperatures reach 100 °F (38 °C) on 10.4 days of the year, 90 °F (32 °C) on nearly 70 days, and fail to rise above freezing on 8.3 days.[55] The city receives about 35.9 inches (91.2 cm) of precipitation annually, of which 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) is snow.
The report "Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment" (NCA) from 2013 by NOAA projects that parts of the Great Plains region can expect up to 30% (high emissions scenario based on CMIP3 and NARCCAP models) increase in extreme precipitation days by mid-century. This definition is based on days receiving more than one inch of rainfall.[57]
Oklahoma City has an active severe weather season from March through June, especially during April and May. Being in the center of what is colloquially referred to asTornado Alley, it is prone to widespread and severe tornadoes, as well as severehailstorms and occasionalderechoes. Tornadoes occur every month of the year, and a secondary smaller peak also occurs during autumn, especially in October. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is one of the most tornado-prone major cities in the world, with about 150 tornadoes striking within the city limits since 1890. Since the time weather records have been kept, Oklahoma City has been struck by 13 violent tornadoes, eleven rated F/EF4 and two rated F/EF5.[14]
OnMay 3, 1999, parts of Oklahoma City and surrounding communities were impacted by a tornado. It was the last U.S. tornado to be given a rating of F5 on theFujita scale before theEnhanced Fujita scale replaced it in 2007. While the tornado was in the vicinity of Bridge Creek to the southwest, wind speeds of 318 mph (510 km/h) were estimated by a mobile Doppler radar, the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth.[58] Asecond top-of-the-scale tornado occurred on May 20, 2013; South Oklahoma City, along withNewcastle andMoore, was hit by anEF5 tornado. The tornado was 0.5 to 1.3 miles (0.80 to 2.09 km) wide and killed 23 people.[59] On May 31, less than two weeks after the May 20 event,another outbreak affected the Oklahoma City area. Within Oklahoma City, the system spawned an EF1 and an EF0 tornado, and in El Reno to the west, an EF3 tornado occurred.This lattermost tornado, which was heading in the direction of Oklahoma City before it dissipated, had a width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), making it the widest tornado ever recorded. Additionally, winds over 295 mph (475 km/h) were measured, one of the two highest wind records for a tornado.[60]
With 19.48 inches (495 mm) of rainfall, May 2015 was Oklahoma City's record-wettest month since record-keeping began in 1890. Across Oklahoma and Texas generally, there was a recordflooding in the latter part of the month.[61]
In the2010 census, there were 579,999 people, 230,233 households, and 144,120 families in the city. The population density was 956.4 inhabitants per square mile (321.9/km2). There were 256,930 housing units at an average density of 375.9 per square mile (145.1/km2). By the2020 United States census, its population grew to 681,054.[71]
Of Oklahoma City's 579,999 people in 2010, 44,541 resided in Canadian County, 63,723 lived in Cleveland County, 471,671 resided in Oklahoma County, and 64 resided in Pottawatomie County.[72]
In 2010, there were 230,233 households, 29.4% of which had children under 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. One person households account for 30.5% of all households, and 8.7% of all households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.11.[73]
According to the American Community Survey 1-year estimates in 2022, the median income for a household in the city was $63,713, and the median income for a family was $80,833. Married-couple families $99,839, and nonfamily households $40,521.[74] The per capita income for the city was $35,902.[75] 15.5% of the population and 11.2% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 20.1% of those under 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older lived below the poverty line.[76]
In the2000 census, Oklahoma City's age composition was 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
Oklahoma City has experienced significant population increases since the late 1990s. It is the first city in the state to record a population greater than 600,000 residents and the first city in theGreat Plains region to record a population greater than 600,000 residents. It is the largest municipal population of theGreat Plains region (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota).[ambiguous]
Map of racial distribution of the Oklahoma City area, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person:⬤ White⬤ Black⬤ Asian⬤ Hispanic⬤ Multiracial⬤ Native American/Other
Oklahoma City – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Oklahoma City is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City metropolitan statistical Area inCentral Oklahoma and is the state's largest urbanized area. As of 2015, the metro area was the41st largest in the nation based on population.[84]
Law enforcement claims Oklahoma City has traditionally been the territory of the notoriousJuárez Cartel, but theSinaloa Cartel has been reported as trying to establish a foothold in Oklahoma City. There are many rival gangs in Oklahoma City, one whose headquarters has been established in the city, the Southside Locos, traditionally known asSureños.[86]
Oklahoma City also has its share of violent crimes, particularly in the 1970s. The worst occurred in 1978 when six employees of a Sirloin Stockade restaurant on the city's south side were murdered execution-style in the restaurant's freezer. An intensive investigation followed, and the three individuals involved, who also killed three others inPurcell, Oklahoma, were identified. One, Harold Stafford, died in a motorcycle accident inTulsa not long after the restaurant murders. Another, Verna Stafford, was sentenced to life without parole after being granted a new trial after she had been sentenced to death.Roger Dale Stafford, considered the mastermind of the murder spree, was executed by lethal injection at theOklahoma State Penitentiary in 1995.[87]
The Oklahoma City Police Department has a uniformed force of 1,169 officers and 300+ civilian employees. The department has a central police station and five substations covering 2,500 police reporting districts that average 1/4 square mile in size.
On April 19, 1995, theAlfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by a fertilizer bomb manufactured and detonated byTimothy McVeigh. The blast and catastrophic collapse killed 168 people and injured over 680. The blast shock-wave destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 340-meter radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at least an estimated $652 million of damage. McVeigh was convicted and subsequently executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001.
TheSonic Drive-In restaurant chain is headquartered in Oklahoma City.
The economy of Oklahoma City, once just a regional power center of government and energy exploration, has since diversified to include the sectors of information technology,services,health services, and administration. The city is headquarters to twoFortune 500 companies:Expand Energy andDevon Energy,[88] as well as being home toLove's Travel Stops & Country Stores, which is ranked thirteenth onForbes' list of private companies.[89]
As of March 2024, the top 20 employers in the city were:[90]
According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the metropolitan area's economic output grew by 33% between 2001 and 2005 due chiefly to economic diversification. Itsgross metropolitan product (GMP) was $43.1 billion in 2005[93] and grew to $61.1 billion in 2009.[94] By 2016 the GMP had grown to $73.8 billion.[95]
In 2008,Forbes magazine reported that the city had falling unemployment, one of the strongest housing markets in the country and solid growth in energy, agriculture, and manufacturing.[96] However, during the early 1980s, Oklahoma City had one of the worst job and housing markets due to the bankruptcy ofPenn Square Bank in 1982 and then the post-1985 crash in oil prices (oil bust).[citation needed]
Approximately 23.2 million visitors contributed $4.3 billion to Oklahoma City's economy. These visitors directly spent $2.6 billion, sustained nearly 34,000 jobs, and generated $343 million in state and local taxes.[97]
Business and entertainment districts (and, to a lesser extent, local neighborhoods) tend to maintain their boundaries and character by applying zoning regulations and business improvement districts (districts where property owners agree to a property tax surcharge to support additional services for the community).[98] Through zoning regulations, historic districts, and other special zoning districts, including overlay districts, are well established.[99] Oklahoma City has three business improvement districts, including one encompassing thecentral business district.
Water taxis in Oklahoma City's downtown Bricktown neighborhood
The Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center is the new downtown home for theOklahoma City Museum of Art. The museum features visiting exhibits, original selections from its collection, a theater showing various foreign, independent, and classic films each week, and a restaurant. OKCMOA is also home to the most comprehensive collection ofChihuly glass in the world, including the 55-foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the Museum's atrium.[100] The art decoCivic Center Music Hall, which was renovated most recently in 2023,[101] has performances from the Oklahoma City Ballet, the Oklahoma City Opera, theOklahoma City Philharmonic, and also various concerts and travelingBroadway shows.
The Survivor Tree on the grounds of the Oklahoma City National Memorial
Other theaters include the Lyric Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre, Kirkpatrick Auditorium, the Poteet Theatre, the Oklahoma City Community College Bruce Owen Theater, and the 488-seat Petree Recital Hall at theOklahoma City University campus. The university opened the Wanda L Bass School of Music and Auditorium in April 2006.
TheOklahoma Contemporary Arts Center (formerly City Arts Center) moved downtown in 2020, near Campbell Art Park at 11th and Broadway, after being at theOklahoma State Fair fairgrounds since 1989. It features exhibitions, performances, classes, workshops, camps, and weekly programs.
TheScience Museum Oklahoma (formerly Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum at Omniplex) houses exhibits on science and aviation and anIMAX theater. The museum formerly housed the International Photography Hall of Fame (IPHF), which displays photographs and artifacts from an extensive collection of cameras and other artifacts preserving the history of photography. IPHF honors those who have contributed significantly to the art and/or science of photography and relocated toSt. Louis, Missouri in 2013.
TheMuseum of Osteology displays over 450 real skeletons and houses over 7,000.[102] Focusing on the form and function of the skeletal system, this 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) museum displays hundreds of skulls and skeletons from all corners of the world. Exhibits include adaptation, locomotion, classification, and diversity of the vertebrate kingdom. The Museum of Osteology is the only one of its kind in America.
In September 2021, theFirst Americans Museum opened to the public, focusing on the histories and cultures of the numerous tribal nations and many Indigenous peoples in the state of Oklahoma.[105]
TheOklahoma City National Memorial in the northern part of Oklahoma City's downtown was created as the inscription on its eastern gate of the Memorial reads, "to honor the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995"; the memorial was built on the land formerly occupied by the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building complex before its 1995 bombing. The outdoor Symbolic Memorial can be visited 24 hours a day for free, and the adjacent Memorial Museum, in the formerJournal Record building damaged by the bombing, can be entered for a small fee. The site is also home to the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a non-partisan, nonprofitthink tank devoted to preventing terrorism.
TheAmerican Banjo Museum in theBricktown Entertainment district is dedicated to preserving and promoting the music and heritage of the banjo.[106] Its collection is valued at $3.5 million[citation needed], and an interpretive exhibit tells the evolution of the banjo from its roots in American slavery, to bluegrass, to folk, and to world music.
TheOklahoma History Center is the state's history museum. Across the street from the governor's mansion at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in northeast Oklahoma City, the museum opened in 2005 and is operated by theOklahoma Historical Society. It preserves Oklahoma's history from the prehistoric to the present day.
The historic 23rd Street Armory in Oklahoma City is set to be transformed into a $23 million entertainment venue by Fischer Companies and TempleLive, featuring a 4,500-capacity theater, a 500-capacity venue for local artists, dining options, and a microbrewery, with construction beginning in spring 2024 and anticipated completion in 2026.[109]
TheFood Network showDiners, Drive-Ins, and Dives has been to several restaurants in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Some of these include Cattlemen's Steakhouse, Chick N Beer, Clanton's Cafe, The Diner, Eischen's Bar, Florence's Restaurant, and Guyutes, among several others.[114]
ThePaycom Center indowntown is the main multipurpose arena in the city, which hosts concerts,NHL exhibition games, and many of the city's pro sports teams. In 2008, the Oklahoma City Thunder became the primary tenant. Nearby in Bricktown, theChickasaw Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city's baseball team, the Comets. "The Brick", as it is locally known, is considered one of the finest minor league parks in the nation.[115]
Other major sporting events include Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing circuits atRemington Park and numeroushorse shows and equine events that take place at the state fairgrounds each year. There are multiple golf courses and country clubs spread around the city.
The state of Oklahoma hosts a highly competitive high school football culture, with many teams in theOklahoma City metropolitan area. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association organizes high school football into eight distinct classes based on school enrollment size. Beginning with the largest, the classes are 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, A, B, and C. Class 6A is broken into two divisions. Oklahoma City schools in include: Westmoore, Putnam City North, Putnam City, Putnam City West, Southeast, Capitol Hill, U.S. Grant, and Northwest Classen.[116]
After arriving in Oklahoma City for the 2008–09 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder secured a berth (8th) in the2010 NBA Playoffs the following year after boasting its first 50-win season, winning two games in the first round against theLos Angeles Lakers. In 2012, Oklahoma City made it to theNBA Finals but lost to theMiami Heat in five games. In 2013, the Thunder reached theWestern Conference semi-finals withoutAll-Star guardRussell Westbrook, who was injured in their first-round series against theHouston Rockets, only to lose to theMemphis Grizzlies. In 2014, Oklahoma City reached the NBA's Western Conference Finals again but eventually lost to theSan Antonio Spurs in six games.
Sports analysts have regarded the Oklahoma City Thunder as one of the elite franchises of the NBA's Western Conference and a media darling of the league's future. Oklahoma City earnedNorthwest Division titles every year from 2011 to 2014 and again in 2016 and has consistently improved its win record to 59 wins in 2014. The Thunder is led by third-year head coachMark Daigneault and was anchored by All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook before a July 2019 trade that sent him to the Houston Rockets.
In the aftermath ofHurricane Katrina, the NBA's New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated to theFord Center, playing the majority of its home games there during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons. The team became the first NBA franchise to play regular-season games in Oklahoma.[citation needed] The team was known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets while playing in Oklahoma City.The team returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007–08 season. The Hornets played their final home game in Oklahoma City during the exhibition season on October 9, 2007, against theHouston Rockets.
Venues in Oklahoma City will host two events during the2028 Summer Olympics, which will primarily be held inLos Angeles. The LA Olympic Organizing Committee opted to havecanoe slalom andsoftball in Oklahoma City, given the lack of acceptable venues for those sports in Los Angeles. Riversport OKC will host the canoe slalom competition, whileDevon Park will host the softball competition. Oklahoma City is located approximately 1,300 miles away from Los Angeles.[117]
Myriad Botanical Gardens, the centerpiece of downtown OKC's central business district
One of the more prominent landmarks of downtown Oklahoma City is the Crystal Bridgetropicalconservatory at theMyriad Botanical Gardens, a large downtown urban park. Designed byI. M. Pei, the park also includes the Water Stage amphitheater, a bandshell, and lawn, a sunken pond complete with koi, an interactive children's garden complete with a carousel and water sculpture, various trails and interactive exhibits that rotate throughout the year including the ice skating in the Christmas winter season. In 2007, following a renovation of the stage,Oklahoma Shakespeare In The Park relocated to the Myriad Gardens. Bicentennial Park, also downtown located near the Oklahoma City Civic Center campus, is home to the annualFestival of the Arts in April.
The Scissortail Park is just south of the Myriad Gardens, a large interactive park that opened in 2021. This park contains a large lake with paddleboats, a dog park, a concert stage with a great lawn, a promenade including the Skydance Bridge, a children's interactive splash park and playground, and numerous athletic facilities. Farmers Market is a common attraction at Scissortail Park during the season, and there are multiple film showings, food trucks, concerts, festivals, and civic gatherings.
Returning to the city's first parks masterplan, Oklahoma City has at least one major park in each quadrant outside downtown.Will Rogers Park, the Grand Boulevard loop once connected Lincoln Park, Trosper Park, and Woodson Park, some sections of which no longer exist. Martin Park Nature Center is a natural habitat in far northwest Oklahoma City. Will Rogers Park is home to theLycan Conservatory, the Rose Garden, and the Butterfly Garden, all built in the WPA era. In April 2005, theOklahoma City Skate Park at Wiley Post Park was renamed theMat Hoffman Action Sports Park to recognizeMat Hoffman, an Oklahoma City area resident and businessman who was instrumental in the design of the skate park and is a 10-time BMX World Vert champion.[118]
Walking trails line theBricktown Canal and theOklahoma River in downtown. The city's bike trail system follows around Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser in the northwest and west quadrants of the city. The majority of the east shore area of Lake Hefner is taken up by parks and bike trails, including a new leashless dog park and the postwar-eraStars and Stripes Park, and eateries near the lighthouse. Lake Stanley Draper, in southeast Oklahoma City, is the city's largest and most remote lake, offering a genuine rural yet still urban experience.
TheOklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to numerous natural habitats,WPA era architecture and landscaping, and major touring concerts during the summer at its amphitheater. Nearby is a combination racetrack and casino,Remington Park, which hosts bothQuarter Horse (March – June) andThoroughbred (August—December) seasons.
Oklahoma City is also home to theAmerican Banjo Museum, which houses a large collection of highly decorated banjos from the early 20th century and exhibits the banjo's history and its place in American history. Concerts and lectures are also held there.
Oklahoma State Capitol, seen from the OK History CenterTheArt Deco city hall building, a block from the Civic Center
The City of Oklahoma City has operated under acouncil-manager form of city government since 1927.[119]David Holt assumed the office of Mayor on April 10, 2018, after being elected two months earlier.[120] Eight councilpersons represent each of the eight wards of Oklahoma City. TheCity Council appointed current City Manager Craig Freeman on November 20, 2018. Freeman took office on January 2, 2018, succeeding James D. Couch, who had served in the role since 2000. Before becoming City Manager, Craig Freeman served as Finance Director for the city.[121]
Similar to many American cities, Oklahoma City is politicallyconservative in its suburbs andliberal in the central city. In theUnited States House of Representatives, it is represented byRepublicansStephanie Bice andTom Cole of the 5th and 4th districts, respectively. The city has called on residents to vote for sales tax-based projects to revitalize parts of the city. TheBricktown district is the best example of such an initiative. In the recentMAPS 3 vote, the city's fraternal police order criticized the project proposals for not doing enough to expand the police presence to keep up with the growing residential population and increased commercial activity. In September 2013, Oklahoma City area attorney David Slane announced he would pursue legal action regarding MAPS3 on claims the multiple projects that made up the plan violate a state constitutional law limiting voter ballot issues to a single subject.[122]
Oklahoma City region population dot map and 2016 presidential election results by precinct (click to enlarge).
Oklahoma County Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of November 1, 2020[123]
The city is home to several colleges and universities.Oklahoma City University, formerly known asEpworth University, was founded by theUnited Methodist Church on September 1, 1904, and is known for its performing arts, science, mass communications, business,law, and athletic programs. OCU has its main campus in the north-central section of the city, near the city'sAsia District area. OCU Law is in the old Central High School building in the Midtown district near downtown.
The third-largest university in the state, theUniversity of Central Oklahoma, is just north of the city in the suburb ofEdmond.Oklahoma Christian University, one of the state's private liberal arts institutions, is just south of the Edmond border, inside the Oklahoma City limits.[128]
Although technically not a university, the FAA'sMike Monroney Aeronautical Center has many aspects of an institution of higher learning. Its FAA Academy is accredited by theHigher Learning Commission. ItsCivil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) has a medical education division responsible for aeromedical education in general, as well as the education of aviation medical examiners in the U.S. and 93 other countries. In addition, TheNational Academy of Science offers Research Associateship Programs for fellowship and other grants for CAMI research.
Oklahoma City is home to (as of 2009) the state's largest school district,Oklahoma City Public Schools,[129] which covers the most significant portion of the city.[130] The district'sClassen School of Advanced Studies andHarding Charter Preparatory High School rank high among public schools nationally according to a formula that looks at the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by the school's students divided by the number of graduating seniors.[131] In addition, OKCPS's Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School was named the top middle school in the state according to the Academic Performance Index and recently received theBlue Ribbon School Award, in 2004 and again in 2011.[132]
There are alsocharter schools.KIPP Reach College Preparatory School in Oklahoma City received the 2012 National Blue Ribbon, and its school leader, Tracy McDaniel Sr., was awarded the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership.
The Oklahoman is Oklahoma City's major daily newspaper and is the most widely circulated in the state. NewsOK.com is the Oklahoman's online presence.Oklahoma Gazette is Oklahoma City's independent newsweekly, featuring such staples as local commentary, feature stories, restaurant reviews, movie listings, and music and entertainment.The Journal Record is the city's daily business newspaper, andokcBIZ is a monthly publication that covers business news affecting those who live and work in Central Oklahoma.
Numerous community and international newspapers cater to the city's ethnic mosaic, such asThe Black Chronicle, headquartered in theEastside, the OK VIETIMES andOklahoma Chinese Times, inAsia District, and various Hispanic community publications.The Campus is the student newspaper at Oklahoma City University. Gay publications includeThe Gayly Oklahoman.
An upscale lifestyle publication called405 Magazine (formerly Slice Magazine) is circulated throughout the metropolitan area.[135] In addition, there is a magazine published byBack40 Design Group calledThe Edmond Outlook. It contains local commentary and human interest pieces directly mailed to over 50,000 Edmond residents.
Oklahoma City was home to several pioneers in radio and television broadcasting. Oklahoma City'sWKY Radio was the first radio station transmitting west of theMississippi River and the third radio station in the United States.[136] WKY received its federal license in 1921 and has continually broadcast under the same call letters since 1922. In 1928, WKY was purchased byE.K. Gaylord's Oklahoma Publishing Company and affiliated with theNBC Red Network; in 1949, WKY-TV (channel 4) went on the air and later became the first independently owned television station in the U.S. to broadcast in color.[136] In mid-2002, WKY radio was purchased outright byCitadel Broadcasting, who was bought out byCumulus Broadcasting in 2011. The Gaylord family earlier sold WKY-TV in 1976, which has gone through a succession of owners (what is nowKFOR-TV is owned byNexstar Media Group as of October 2019).
The major U.S. broadcast television networks haveaffiliates in the Oklahoma Citymarket (ranked 41st for television byNielsen and 48th for radio byArbitron, covering a 34-county area serving the central, north-central and west-central sections of Oklahoma); includingNBC affiliate KFOR-TV (channel 4),ABC affiliateKOCO-TV (channel 5),CBS affiliateKWTV-DT (channel 9, theflagship of locally basedGriffin Media),PBS station KETA-TV (channel 13, the flagship of the state-runOETA member network),Fox affiliateKOKH-TV (channel 25),independent stationKOCB (channel 34),CWowned-and-operated stationKAUT-TV (channel 43),MyNetworkTV affiliateKSBI-TV (channel 52), andIon Television affiliateKOPX-TV (channel 62). The market is also home to several religious stations, includingTBN owned-and-operated stationKTBO-TV (channel 14) and Norman-basedDaystar owned-and-operated stationKOCM (channel 46).
Despite the market's geographical size, none of the English-language commercial affiliates in the Oklahoma City designated market area operate full-power satellite stations covering the far northwestern part of the state (requiring cable or satellite to view them). However, KFOR-TV, KOCO-TV, KWTV-DT, and KOKH-TV each operate low-power translators in that portion of the market. Oklahoma City is one of the few markets between Chicago and Dallas to have affiliates of two or more of the significant Spanish-language broadcast networks:Telemundo affiliateKTUZ-TV (channel 30),Woodward-basedUnivision/UniMás affiliateKUOK 35 (whose translator KUOK-CD, channel 36, serves the immediate Oklahoma City area), andEstrella TV affiliateKOCY-LD (channel 48). (Locally basedTyler Media Group, which owns the three stations above, also owns eight radio stations in the market, includingRegional Mexican-formattedKTUZ-FM (106.7) and news–talk outletKOKC (1520 AM).)
Oklahoma City is protected by the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD), which employs 1015 paid, professional firefighters. The current Chief of Department is Richard Kelley, and the department is commanded by three Deputy Chiefs, who – along with the department chief – oversee the Operational Services, Prevention Services, and Support Services bureaus. The OKCFD operates out of 37 fire stations throughout the city in six battalions. The OKCFD operates a fire apparatus fleet of 36 engine companies (including 30 paramedic engines), 13 ladder companies, 16 brush pumper units, six water tankers, two hazardous materials units, one Technical Rescue Unit, one Air Supply Unit, six Arson Investigation Units, and one Rehabilitation Unit along with several special units. Each engine Company is staffed with a driver, an officer, and one to two firefighters, while each ladder company is staffed with a driver, an officer, and one firefighter. The minimum staffing for each shift is 213 personnel. The Oklahoma City Fire Department responds to over 70,000 emergency calls annually.[137][138][139]
Oklahoma City is an integral point on theUnited States Interstate Network, with three major interstate highways –Interstate 35,Interstate 40, andInterstate 44 – bisecting the city.Interstate 240 connectsInterstate 40 andInterstate 44 in south Oklahoma City. At the same time,Interstate 235 spurs from Interstate 44 in north-central Oklahoma City into downtown. Interstate 44, between NW 23rd St and NW 36th St, is the busiest roadway in the city and state, with an average daily traffic count of 167,200 vehicles per day in 2018.[140]
Major state expressways through the city include Lake Hefner Parkway (SH-74), theKilpatrick Turnpike, Airport Road (SH-152), andBroadway Extension (US-77) which continues from I-235 connecting Central Oklahoma City to Edmond. Lake Hefner Parkway runs through northwest Oklahoma City, while Airport Road runs through southwest Oklahoma City and leads toWill Rogers World Airport. The Kilpatrick Turnpike loops around north and west Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City also has several major national and state highways within its city limits. Shields Boulevard (US-77) continues from E.K. Gaylord Boulevard in downtown Oklahoma City and runs south, eventually connecting to I-35 near the suburb ofMoore, Oklahoma. Northwest Expressway (Oklahoma State Highway 3) runs from North Classen Boulevard in north-central Oklahoma City to the northwestern suburbs.
The following significant expressways traverse Oklahoma City:
Oklahoma City is served by two primary airports,Will Rogers World Airport and the much smallerWiley Post Airport (incidentally, the two honorees died in the same plane crash inAlaska)[141] Will Rogers World Airport is the state's busiest commercial airport, with 4,341,159 passengers served in 2018, a historical record.[142]
Tinker Air Force Base, in southeast Oklahoma City, is the largest military air depot in the nation. It is a major maintenance and deployment facility for theNavy and theAir Force and the second largest military institution in the state (afterFort Sill inLawton).
United Airlines Embraer 170 aircraft at the East Concourse of Will Rogers World Airport
Amtrak has a station downtown at theSanta Fe Depot, with daily service toFort Worth and the nation's rail network via theHeartland Flyer. Oklahoma City once was the crossroads of several interstate passenger railroads at the Santa Fe Depot, the Union Station, and theMissouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad station.[143] But service at that level has long since been discontinued. However, several proposals to extend the current train service have been made, including a plan to expand the Heartland Flyer toNewton, Kansas, which is currently being connected throughAmtrak Thruway. Freight service is provided byBNSF Railway,Union Pacific Railroad, and Stillwater Central.
Streetcar of the OKC Streetcar system passing the historic First United Methodist Church, in downtown
Embark (formerly Metro Transit) is the city's public transit company. The primary transfer terminal is downtown at NW 5th Street and Hudson Avenue. Embark maintains limited coverage of the city's primary street grid using ahub-and-spoke system from the main terminal, making many journeys impractical due to the relatively small number of bus routes offered and that most trips require a transfer downtown. The city has recognized transit as a significant issue for the rapidly growing and urbanizing city. It has initiated several recent studies to improve the existing bus system, starting with a plan known as the Fixed Guideway Study.[144] This study identified several potential commuter transit routes from the suburbs into downtown OKC as well as feeder-line bus and/or rail routes throughout the city.
Though Oklahoma City has nolight rail orcommuter rail service, city residents identified improved transit as one of their top priorities. From the fruits of the Fixed Guideway and other studies, city leaders strongly desire to incorporate urban rail transit into the region's future transportation plans. The greater Oklahoma City metropolitan transit plan identified from the Fixed Guideway Study includes astreetcar system in the downtown area, to be fed by enhanced city bus service and commuter rail from the suburbs includingEdmond,Norman, andMidwest City. There is a significant push for a commuter rail line connecting downtown OKC with the eastern suburbs ofDel City,Midwest City, andTinker Air Force Base. In addition to commuter rail, a short heritage rail line that would run from Bricktown just a few blocks away from the Amtrak station to theAdventure District in northeast Oklahoma City is under reconstruction.
In December 2009, Oklahoma City voters passedMAPS 3, the $777 million (7-year, 1-cent tax) initiative. This initiative would generate funding (approx. $130 million) for the modernOklahoma City Streetcar system in downtown Oklahoma City and the establishment of a transit hub.
On September 10, 2013, the federal government announced that Oklahoma City would receive a $13.8-million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation'sTIGER program. This was the first-ever grant for Oklahoma City for a rail-based initiative and is thought to be a turning point for city leaders who have applied for grants in the past, only to be denied continuously. It is believed the city will use the TIGER grant along with approximately $10 million from the MAPS 3 Transit budget to revitalize the city's Amtrak station, becoming an Intermodal Transportation Hub, taking over the role of the existing transit hub at NW 5th/Hudson Ave.[citation needed]
Construction of theOklahoma City Streetcar system in Downtown OKC began in early 2017,[145] and the system opened for service in December 2018.[146][147] Also known as the Maps 3 Streetcar, it connects the areas of Bricktown, Midtown and Downtown. The 6.9 mi (11.1 km) system serves the greaterDowntown area using modernlow-floor streetcars. The initial system consists of two lines connecting Oklahoma City's Central Business District with the entertainment district,Bricktown, and the Midtown District. Expansion to other districts surrounding downtown and more routes in the CBD is already underway.[citation needed]
A 2013 study byWalk Score ranked Oklahoma City the 43rd most walkable out of the 50 largest U.S. cities. Oklahoma City has 18 neighborhoods with a Walk Score above 60, mainly close to the downtown core.[148]
Oklahoma City and the surrounding metropolitan area have several healthcare facilities and specialty hospitals. In Oklahoma City's MidTown district near downtown resides the state's oldest and largest single-site hospital,St. Anthony Hospital and Physicians Medical Center.
OU Medicine, an academic medical institution on the campus of TheUniversity of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, is home to OU Medical Center. OU Medicine operates Oklahoma's only level-one trauma center at the OU Medical Center and the state's only level-one trauma center for children at Children's Hospital at OU Medicine,[149] both of which are in theOklahoma Health Center district. Other medical facilities operated by OU Medicine include OU Physicians and OU Children's Physicians, the OU College of Medicine, the Oklahoma Cancer Center, and OU Medical Center Edmond, the latter in the northern suburb ofEdmond.
INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center
INTEGRIS Health owns several hospitals, including INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center, the INTEGRIS Cancer Institute of Oklahoma,[150] and the INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center.[151] INTEGRIS Health operates hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician clinics, mental health facilities, independent living centers, and home health agencies throughout much of Oklahoma. INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center ranks high-performing in the following categories: Cardiology and Heart Surgery; Diabetes and Endocrinology; Ear, Nose and Throat; Gastroenterology; Geriatrics; Nephrology; Orthopedics; Pulmonology and Urology.
The Midwest Regional Medical Center is in the suburb ofMidwest City; other significant hospitals include the Oklahoma Heart Hospital and the Mercy Health Center. There are 347 physicians for every 100,000 people in the city.
In theAmerican College of Sports Medicine's annual ranking of the United States' 50 most populous metropolitan areas on the basis of community health, Oklahoma City took last place in 2010, falling five spots from its 2009 rank of 45.[152] The ACSM's report, published as part of itsAmerican Fitness Index program, cited, among other things, the poor diet of residents, low levels of physical fitness, higher incidences of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than the national average, low access to recreational facilities like swimming pools and baseball diamonds, the paucity of parks and low investment by the city in their development, the high percentage of households below the poverty level, and the lack of state-mandated physical education curriculum as contributing factors.[153]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the expected highest and lowest temperature readings at any point during the year or given month) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Oklahoma City were kept at the Weather Bureau Office from November 1890 to December 1953, and at Will Rogers World Airport since January 1954. For more information, seeThreadex
^(2009) Kansas Historical Society, Ioway-Otoe-Missouria Language Project, English to Ioway-Otoe-Missouria Dictionary, "Dictionary N-O (English to Baxoje)", "Oklahoma City, Okla.".Link
^Gordon Whittaker, 2005, "A Concise Dictionary of the Sauk Language", The Sac & Fox National Public Library Stroud, Oklahoma.[1]
^Hoig, Stan."Land Run of 1889".Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Archived fromthe original on February 21, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2014.
^U.S. Census Bureau. "Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1901, 2022,https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901?t=Income and Poverty&g=160XX00US4055000. Accessed on May 1, 2024.
^U.S. Census Bureau. "Per Capita Income in the Past 12 Months (in 2022 Inflation-Adjusted Dollars)." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables, Table B19301, 2022,https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2022.B19301?t=Income and Poverty&g=160XX00US4055000. Accessed on May 1, 2024.
^U.S. Census Bureau. "Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S1701, 2022,https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1701?t=Income and Poverty&g=160XX00US4055000. Accessed on May 1, 2024.
^U.S. Census Bureau. "COUPLED HOUSEHOLDS, BY TYPE." Decennial Census, DEC Demographic and Housing Characteristics, Table PCT15, 2020,https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDHC2020.PCT15?q=Oklahoma City city, Oklahoma&t=Relationship. Accessed on April 30, 2024.
