Okmulgee, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Okmulgee, Oklahoma
City
Elks Lodge and Water Tower in Okmulgee, originally the Wilson Mansion
Okmulgee, Oklahoma Location in Oklahoma Show map of Oklahoma Okmulgee, Oklahoma Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Okmulgee
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
Area
• Total	19.88 sq mi (51.48 km2)
• Land	17.10 sq mi (44.30 km2)
• Water	2.77 sq mi (7.18 km2)
Elevation	686 ft (209 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	12,321
• Estimate  (2019)	11,711
• Density	684.73/sq mi (264.37/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74447
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-55150
GNIS feature ID	1096218
Website	okmulgeeonline.com

Okmulgee is a city in, and the county seat of, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma. The name is from the Mvskoke word okimulgee, which means "boiling waters". The site was chosen because of the nearby rivers and springs. Okmulgee is 38 miles south of Tulsa and 13 miles north of Henryetta via US-75. Okmulgee is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area.

History

Okmulgee was founded in 1868, when the Creek Nation began restoring order after the Civil War. In 1869, a post office (originally spelled Okmulkee) was established, with Captain Frederick B. Severs as the first postmaster. The name of the post office was officially changed to the present spelling on November 15, 1883. The Creeks initially built a two-story log council house to serve as their capital. This building burned in 1878 and was replaced with a stone building that stands today. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a local history museum.

The St. Louis, Oklahoma and Southern Railway (later absorbed by the Frisco railroad) arrived in 1900 and triggered a building boom. By the time of statehood in 1907, the town had 2,322 residents and had been named the seat of Okmulgee County. The present county court house was built in 1916. The discovery of oil nearby in 1907, further expanded Okmulgee, and brought several new industries to town. These included three glass factories, a bottle factory, foundry and machine shops. The population was 4,176 in the 1920 census.

Geography

Okmulgee is located at 35°37′28″N 95°57′48″W / 35.62444°N 95.96333°W / 35.62444; -95.96333 (35.624558, -95.963254). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.8 square miles (33.2 km²), all of its land. It is located in the heart of Oklahoma's "Green Country", in the North East Quadrant of Oklahoma.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,022 people, 5,135 households, and 3,291 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,015.7 people per square mile (392.2/km²). There were 5,948 housing units at an average density of 463.9 per square mile (179.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 58.85% White, 21.29% African American, 13.61% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 5.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.

There were 5,135 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 17.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 12.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city, for the period 2013–2017 and in 2017 dollars, was $29,593. The per capita income for the city in the last 12 months, also for the period 2013–2017 and in 2017 dollars, was $17,141. About 26.8% are considered persons in poverty.

Transportation

Okmulgee is served by U.S. Route 75, a major national north/south artery for much of its length, currently running from the Canada-US border at Noyes, Minn. to Dallas, Texas, as well as by U.S. Route 62, which runs from the Mexico-US border at El Paso, Texas to Niagara Falls, New York near the Canada-US border.

Okmulgee is in the 10-county region served by the KI BOIS Area Transit System ("KATS"), a low-cost public bus/van service established in 1983 to help communities, primarily in southeast Oklahoma, by providing access to Senior Citizen centers, groceries, medical services, and jobs. This includes transportation to certain out-of-town destinations such as Henryetta, Beggs, Preston, Morris, and Schulter. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation partners with KATS on certain on-demand transportation services; and, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Transit provides regularly-scheduled trolley-style bus services to various locations around the city. These services are not limited to tribal citizens.

The city has the Okmulgee Regional Airport (originally called the Okmulgee Municipal Airport), designated OKM by IATA Code and KOKM by ICAO Code. Construction of this airport was authorized in 1942 as a national defense project, and was completed on September 7, 1943. The main runway (18-36) is concrete-surfaced, 100' wide and 5,150' long. Effective July 1, 2015, the airport is managed by the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust.

Commercial air transportation is available at Tulsa International Airport, about 47 miles to the north.

Rail freight service is provided by BNSF Railway.

Parks and Recreation

Recreational opportunities include Okmulgee and Dripping Springs State Parks, which offer RV and camping facilities. The parks also offer swimming, fishing, and boating opportunities through the adjacent Dripping Springs Lake, which has 18 miles (29 km) of shoreline and 1,150 acres (4,700,000 m²) of water, and the separate Okmulgee Lake. The end of Okmulgee Lake features the Okmulgee Lake Spillway, which on occasions of heavy rains and high lake levels creates an intense man-made waterfall. Near Okmulgee is the Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1993, this approximately 9,000 acres (36 km²) habitat for waterfowl along the Deep Fork River features opportunities for wildlife viewing such as along the Cussetah Bottoms Boardwalk, as well as fishing and certain archery, muzzle-loading, and small-game hunting opportunities.

Events

Okmulgee is known for its annual Okmulgee Invitational Rodeo and Festival, which is the nation's oldest African-American rodeo and one of the state's longest running rodeos.

Economy

Along with coal mining, agriculture supported the early economy. Cotton, corn, feed grains, and forage were the main crops. Truck farming, dairying, and poultry raising were also important.

Discovery of the Morris and Lucky oil pools in 1907 brought prosperity to Okmulgee. It also attracted new manufacturing facilities to the city.

In the 21st century, the most important business sectors in Okmulgee are: construction, retail trade, health care & social assistance, and accommodation & food services. Okmulgee's major employers include the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Anchor Glass (plant is in Henryetta), PACCAR Winch-Okmulgee, C.P. Kelco US Inc., Callidus Technologies, Inc., East Central Electric Cooperative, Covington Aircraft, G&H Decoy (in Henryetta), and PolyVision. Dlubak Glass Oklahoma runs a glass recycling facility, while wood pallet producer Mid-America Pallet is operated by The Hodges Companies.

Education

Okmulgee Public Schools

Okmulgee Public Schools include the Primary School, Dunbar, and High School.

CareerTech

• Green Country Technology Center, part of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education system.

College of the Muscogee Nation

Post secondary

• College of the Muscogee Nation
• Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology ("OSUIT"), also known as Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee, or informally, as Okmulgee Tech. The school site in 1943 was Glennan Military Hospital, constructed on land formerly belonging to the Creek Orphan Home. The hospital originally treated WWII American servicemen, but later served wounded POWs. In 1946 the site was sold to Oklahoma State Technical College to provide technical training for returning GIs. This evolved into the current OSUIT.

Notable people

See also

In Spanish: Okmulgee (Oklahoma) para niños