Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City grew from a pioneer tent city to a bustling oil capital in less than 120 years. The city is the state capital and Oklahoma's largest metropolitan area. Oklahoma City is a robust city with one of the largest livestock markets in the world and strong natural gas and oil industries. The city is well located between Dallas, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. However, the city's location, in what is known as Tornado Alley, leaves it vulnerable to powerful thunderstorms and destructive tornadoes.

Landscape

Oklahoma City is located in the center of the state, on the banks of the North Canadian River. The city rests on gently rolling hills that slowly level out to grassy plain in the west. The North Canadian River flows east through the city before emptying into Lake Eufaula approximately 125 miles to the east. In addition, there are several smaller rivers and creeks running through the city, as well as several reservoirs and lakes.

It is interesting to note that the flood threat posed by the North Canadian River has done much to shape the river and the surrounding landscape. The US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s straightened the river and removed many of the trees and shrubs lining the banks. During the 1990s, the city kicked off a large-scale effort to beautify the area by building three flood-control dams, creating what is now known as the "String of Pearls." The project also saw the creation of seven miles-worth of parks, three wetlands, and other recreational areas.

At 606 square miles, Oklahoma City is one of the top-ten largest cities in the United States. The city is divided into several sections, including Downtown/Bricktown, which is the city's dining and entertainment center, and Stockyards City, a commercial district for cattle. The State Capitol building and other government-related offices are clustered in the northeast part of the city, while the Southside area is home to the Will Rogers World Airport.

Oklahoma City enjoys hot, humid, long summers. Winters are short and cold enough to allow the city to maintain an ice skating rink for a few months. The average January temperature is 36 degrees Fahrenheit. The average temperature for July is 82 degrees Fahrenheit, although temperatures often climb into the high 90s and occasionally surpass 100 degrees. Average precipitation in the area is approximately 34 inches each year.

Violent thunderstorms, droughts, and tornadoes are some of the natural disasters that threaten the city. Snowstorms, while rare, are not unheard of, as in the case of a January 1988 storm that dumped more than a foot of snow on the city. The tornado season generally runs from May through August, although they can occur at any time of the year.

While global warming and climate change have not significantly affected the city in the early 2020s, temperatures are expected to rise in the future, increasing the number of days with temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit as well as the number of heat waves per year.

People

According to an estimate from the US Census Bureau Oklahoma City's population was approximately 694,800 in 2022. The major ethnic groups in the city were White (52.5 percent of the population), African American (13.7) and Hispanic and Latino (20.1 percent), with most Latino residents claiming Mexican ethnicity.

Oklahoma City offers a large number of attractions and festivals that draw on its cowboy, American Indian, and frontier past. The Red Earth Festival, held at the beginning of June, is one of the largest American Indian festivals in the country. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum sponsors the annual Chuck Wagon Gathering and Children's Cowboy Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors interested in getting a taste of the "cowboy life." The Oklahoma State Fair, held near the end of September, celebrates everything the state has to offer, including creative arts, agriculture, and rodeo.

Economy

Oklahoma City's economy is built on cattle and oil, even as the city continues to diversify by catering to the retail, health care, and business services sectors.

Even before Oklahoma was settled, cowboys used the territory lands to drive cattle from Texas to Kansas. As white settlers moved into the area, ranches were set up to take advantage of the welcoming climate for raising and herding cattle. To this day, ranching plays an important role in the city's economy. Stockyards City, founded in 1909 as a meatpacking district, was responsible for sparking the city's first economic boom. Although many of the packing plants had closed by the early 1960s, the Oklahoma National Stockyards Company is still located in the district, and serves as one of the world's largest stocker and cattle feeder markets in the world.

The oil boom in Oklahoma began in 1901, when "black gold" was discovered in surrounding areas. Oklahoma City did not get involved until 1928, when oil was discovered inside the city limits. Even today, working oil wells can be found in the heart of downtown, around the state capitol building, at Will Rogers World Airport, and even in residents' backyards. It is estimated that the oil field under Oklahoma City has produced tens of millions of barrels of oil since it was first tapped.

The city's workforce also counts a large number of aeronautical workers among its ranks. The Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center employs more than six thousand people from the surrounding area, and has the largest concentration of US Department of Transportation employees outside of Washington, DC. It primarily serves as a logistics and training center for air traffic controllers and other airport personnel. Tinker Air Force Base, in nearby Midwest City, is another major employer.

Will Rogers World Airport is a driving economic force in the region. First opened in 1927, the airport currently sits on more than eight thousand acres, making it one of the largest US airports by size. More than 4.3 million passengers flew in or out of the airport in 2018.

Railroads are still an important part of Oklahoma City's infrastructure. Amtrak offers passenger rail service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas. Two major railroads, Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific, and a number of smaller railroad lines offer freight service.

Since the city is equidistant between the two coasts, the highway system is an important feature of the landscape. Interstate 35, the north-south "NAFTA Corridor" used for Mexican-US trade, and Interstate 40, which runs east-west, both pass through the city. This crossroads has made Oklahoma City a major distribution center for the southwest region. Other major highways that run through the city include Interstates 44, 235, and 240.

In December 2023, the largest employers in the area of Oklahoma City were in government; trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; and professional and business services, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. At that time, the unemployment rate was 3.0 percent.

Landmarks

One of the most striking landmarks in Oklahoma City is the Oklahoma City National Memorial, commemorating the 168 people killed in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. The memorial consists of two gateways and a field of 168 chairs representing the men, women, and children killed in the bombing. The chairs overlook a reflecting pool at the former site of the building. In addition, the memorial includes an American elm tree to represent the city's resilience in the face of adversity and an orchard to commemorate the rescue workers who responded to the tragedy.

Attractions that celebrate the city's Old West heritage include the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, which features a recreation of a Western town. Other popular sites are Read Ranch, which includes a petting zoo and an Old West Town film set that is still in use, and Frontier City, a Six Flags amusement theme park. Stockyard City boasts the largest cattle market in the world, as well as the ninety-year-old Cattlemen's Steakhouse. The Red Earth Museum showcases American Indian historical artifacts, arts, and crafts.

Nature-lovers flock to the Martin Park Nature Center, the city's 140-acre wildlife sanctuary that highlights native species such as prairie dogs, coyotes, armadillos, and deer. The Myriad Botanical Gardens and Crystal Bridge gives the city's plains-dwelling residents a taste of the tropics. The Crystal Bridge in the center of the seventeen-acre botanical garden houses a tropical conservatory with more than one thousand exotic plants.

The Oklahoma City Zoo, first opened in 1902, houses approximately 1,900 animals. The American Pigeon Museum and Library runs the World of Wings Pigeon Center to commemorate the use of the homing pigeon as a message-carrier. For sports fans, Oklahoma City is home to the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

History

The site of present-day Oklahoma City first came into the possession of the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase from France. The area was initially dubbed "Indian Territory" in the 1820s since it was used for the "relocation" of the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole people that were removed from their lands east of the Mississippi River. These tribes eventually adapted to their new environment, but after the Civil War they were forced off the land to make way for permanent white settlement.

Oklahoma City was founded during the Great Land Run of 1889, when approximately ten thousand homesteaders staked claims near the Santa Fe railroad tracks at what was then known as Oklahoma Station. The city was incorporated the following year.

The city of Guthrie was named the state capital when Oklahoma entered the Union on November 16, 1907. It was not until 1910 that the seat of state government was moved to Oklahoma City, by popular vote.

Thanks to oil (the city's oil field was discovered in 1928) and cattle, the city's economic life remained relatively stable, despite the Great Depression that began in 1929. The Dust Bowl years, between 1935 and 1939, significantly altered the ecology and landscape of the Great Plains, as dust storms swept across the center of the country and resulted in updated farming and irrigation practices. Severe drought conditions sent Oklahoma farmers scattering in all directions, mostly to California, in search of prosperity.

Oklahoma City was a major petroleum supplier for the United States for nearly twenty years. The local economy received another boost during World War II, with the opening of Tinker Air Force Base.

On April 19, 1995, a bomb blast ripped through the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, killing 168 men, women, and children. For many Americans, the event underscored the dangers of homegrown extremism and terrorism. The bomber, Timothy McVeigh, targeted the federal building in retaliation for the government's response to the Waco siege in 1993. McVeigh, a former US Army soldier, was executed in June 2001 for the crime while his accomplice, Terry Nichols, was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the terrorist bombing.

In the summer of 1999, a series of violent tornadoes hit Oklahoma City, killing more than forty people and causing almost $1 billion in damage to the surrounding area. A tornado in May 2003 caused no loss of life, but inflicted $100 million worth of damage on the city. On May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado struck the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, killing twenty-three people and causing an estimated $2 billion in damages as it passed through Moore, just south of Oklahoma City.

The city continues to invest heavily in urban improvement, historic restoration, and economic development programs to further boost the quality of life in the city, while building a more diversified economy. In late 2018, the city opened a new multibillion-dollar streetcar system operating on two routes that had been voted on as part of a larger economic redevelopment plan almost ten years prior.

Bibliography

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