Woods County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Historic Central National Bank inAlva (2017) | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOklahoma | |
| Coordinates:36°46′N98°52′W / 36.77°N 98.86°W /36.77; -98.86 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oklahoma |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Named after | Samuel Newitt Wood |
| Seat | Alva |
| Largest city | Alva |
| Area | |
• Total | 1,290 sq mi (3,300 km2) |
| • Land | 1,286 sq mi (3,330 km2) |
| • Water | 3.5 sq mi (9.1 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,624 |
| • Density | 6.706/sq mi (2.589/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
Woods County is acounty located in the northwestern part of theU.S. state ofOklahoma. As of the2020 census, the population was 8,624.[1] Itscounty seat isAlva.[2] The county is named afterSamuel Newitt Wood, a renowned Kansaspopulist.[3]
TheBurnham site in Woods County is apre-Clovis site, that is, an archaeological site dating before 11,000 years ago.[4]The region of Woods County, Oklahoma, was home to theAntelope Creek Phase ofSouthern Plains Villagers, a precontact culture ofNative Americans, who are related to theWichita and Affiliated Tribes.
An early European explorer of the area now contained within Woods County wasGeorge C. Sibley, who traveled through in 1811. He visited a salt formation near the present town ofFreedom, Oklahoma, then followed the Mountain Fork of theArkansas River southeastward to theGreat Salt Plains. In 1843,Nathan Boone traveled along theCimarron River.[3]
The area was part ofCherokee Outlet, guaranteed to theCherokee Nation under theTreaty of New Echota. It later became important for cattle ranching. The Dodge City and Red Fork Trail, a branch of theChisholm Trail followed the north bank of the Cimarron River en route to Kansas. The U. S. Government acquired the Cherokee Outlet under Congressional Acts in 1889, 1891 and 1893, and divided the area into counties. One of these was designated M County, prior to opening the area for settlement. The Secretary of the Interior designated Alva as the county seat. M County was renamed Woods County by a ballot measure on November 6, 1894. The name was one of three put forth on the ballot, and was the Populists party's submission to honorSamuel Newitt Wood, a Kansas Populist. Despite the name being misspelled on the ballot, the election committee "decided to keep the s for euphony sake".[3] Woods County became part of Oklahoma Territory.
The Constitutional Convention of 1906 createdMajor County andAlfalfa County from southern and eastern parts of Woods County and added a part ofWoodward County to Woods County.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,290 square miles (3,300 km2), of which 1,286 square miles (3,330 km2) is land and 3.5 square miles (9.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.[5] It is located along theKansas border.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 17,567 | — | |
| 1920 | 15,939 | −9.3% | |
| 1930 | 17,005 | 6.7% | |
| 1940 | 14,915 | −12.3% | |
| 1950 | 14,526 | −2.6% | |
| 1960 | 11,932 | −17.9% | |
| 1970 | 11,920 | −0.1% | |
| 1980 | 10,923 | −8.4% | |
| 1990 | 9,103 | −16.7% | |
| 2000 | 9,089 | −0.2% | |
| 2010 | 8,878 | −2.3% | |
| 2020 | 8,624 | −2.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8] 1990-2000[9] 2010[10] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 8,624. Of the residents, 19.8% were under the age of 18 and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.6 males.[11][12]
The racial makeup of the county was 83.4% White, 2.7%Black or African American, 3.1%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%Asian, 2.9% from some other race, and 7.0% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.1% of the population.[12]
There were 3,346 households in the county, of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.3% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
There were 4,456 housing units, of which 24.9% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.5% were owner-occupied and 33.5% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 5.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 22.3%.[11]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 8,878 people, 3,533 households, and 2,133 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 7 people per square mile (2.7 people/km2). There were 4,478 housing units at an average density of 3.5 units per square mile (1.4/km2).[13] The racial makeup of the county was 88.4%white, 3.3%black orAfrican American, 2.4%Native American, 0.9%Asian, less than 0.1%Pacific Islander, 2.3% fromother races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 4.8% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 3,533 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% weremarried couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 32.3% of households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 8.2% of the population was institutionalized The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females there were 114.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,255, and the median income for a family was $60,500. Males had a median income of $39,754 versus $23,897 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $22,935. About 8% of families and 16% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[14] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 838 | 17.23% | |||
| Republican | 3,404 | 69.97% | |||
| Others | 623 | 12.81% | |||
| Total | 4,865 | 100% | |||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 1,557 | 47.61% | 1,420 | 43.43% | 293 | 8.96% |
| 1912 | 1,679 | 48.43% | 1,247 | 35.97% | 541 | 15.60% |
| 1916 | 1,358 | 41.14% | 1,417 | 42.93% | 526 | 15.93% |
| 1920 | 2,827 | 60.32% | 1,530 | 32.64% | 330 | 7.04% |
| 1924 | 2,615 | 52.43% | 1,533 | 30.73% | 840 | 16.84% |
| 1928 | 3,941 | 70.38% | 1,550 | 27.68% | 109 | 1.95% |
| 1932 | 2,008 | 31.94% | 4,279 | 68.06% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 2,346 | 35.71% | 4,179 | 63.62% | 44 | 0.67% |
| 1940 | 3,440 | 49.09% | 3,506 | 50.04% | 61 | 0.87% |
| 1944 | 3,226 | 56.85% | 2,426 | 42.75% | 23 | 0.41% |
| 1948 | 2,871 | 49.90% | 2,882 | 50.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 4,892 | 70.99% | 1,999 | 29.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,787 | 64.08% | 2,123 | 35.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 4,064 | 68.12% | 1,902 | 31.88% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,886 | 51.21% | 2,750 | 48.79% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 3,449 | 63.81% | 1,439 | 26.62% | 517 | 9.57% |
| 1972 | 4,413 | 76.23% | 1,234 | 21.32% | 142 | 2.45% |
| 1976 | 2,788 | 51.43% | 2,530 | 46.67% | 103 | 1.90% |
| 1980 | 3,592 | 68.97% | 1,364 | 26.19% | 252 | 4.84% |
| 1984 | 3,741 | 74.55% | 1,231 | 24.53% | 46 | 0.92% |
| 1988 | 2,835 | 60.95% | 1,735 | 37.30% | 81 | 1.74% |
| 1992 | 2,225 | 46.58% | 1,361 | 28.49% | 1,191 | 24.93% |
| 1996 | 2,151 | 52.44% | 1,431 | 34.89% | 520 | 12.68% |
| 2000 | 2,774 | 68.56% | 1,235 | 30.52% | 37 | 0.91% |
| 2004 | 3,166 | 77.26% | 932 | 22.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 3,043 | 77.71% | 873 | 22.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 2,727 | 80.25% | 671 | 19.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2016 | 2,947 | 80.34% | 522 | 14.23% | 199 | 5.43% |
| 2020 | 2,993 | 81.38% | 591 | 16.07% | 94 | 2.56% |
| 2024 | 2,955 | 81.23% | 614 | 16.88% | 69 | 1.90% |
A 1911 map of Woods County[16] shows a large number of settlements which either no longer exist or remain only as small populated places, including:
There are multiple NRHP sites in the county, mostly in Alva but with some in Waynoka.
Places adjacent to Woods County, Oklahoma | |
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Municipalities and communities ofWoods County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Other communities | ||
36°46′N98°52′W / 36.77°N 98.86°W /36.77; -98.86
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