Oklahoma
() [1] is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles (177,847 km²), [2] Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla
and humma
, meaning "red people", and is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State.
Formed by the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans
, and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City. It is the only state that shares its name with its capital city.
A major producer of natural gas, oil and agriculture, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth and gross domestic product growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living in their metropolitan statistical areas. [3] The state holds a mixed record in education and healthcare, and its largest universities participate in the NCAA and NAIA athletic associations, with two collegiate athletic departments rated among the most successful in American history.
With small mountain ranges, prairie, and eastern forests, most of Oklahoma lies in the Great Plains and the U.S. Interior Highlands—a region especially prone to severe weather. In addition to having a prevalence of German, Irish, British and Native American ancestry, more than 25 Native American languages are spoken in Oklahoma, the most of any state. It is located on a confluence of three major American cultural regions and historically served as a route for cattle drives, a destination for southern settlers, and a government-sanctioned territory for Native Americans. Part of the Bible Belt, widespread belief in evangelical Christianity makes it one of the most politically conservative states, though Oklahoma has more voters registered in the Democratic Party than in any other party.
|
OKLAHOMA! TICKETS
|
Etymology
The name
Oklahoma
comes from the
Choctaw phrase
okla
homma
, literally meaning
land of the red people
. Choctaw Chief Allen Wright suggested the name in 1866 during treaty negotiations with the federal government regarding the use of
Indian Territory, in which he envisioned an all-Indian state controlled by the United States Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Equivalent to the English word
Indian
,
okla humma
was a phrase in the Choctaw language used to describe the Native American race as a whole.
Oklahoma
later became the
de facto name for
Oklahoma Territory, and it was officially approved in 1890, two years after the area was opened to white settlers.
[4] [5] [6]
Geography
Oklahoma is the 20th-largest state in the United States, covering an area of 69,898 square miles (181,035 km²), with 68,667 square miles (177847 km²) of land and 1,231 square miles (3,188 km²) of water.
[7] It is one of six states on the
Frontier Strip, and lies partly in the
Great Plains near the geographical center of the 48
contiguous states. It is bounded on the east by
Arkansas and
Missouri, on the north by
Kansas, on the northwest by
Colorado, on the far west by
New Mexico, and on the south and near-west by
Texas.
Topography
Oklahoma is situated between the
Great Plains and the
Ozark Plateau in the
Gulf of Mexico watershed,
[8] generally sloping from the high plains of its western boundary to the low wetlands of its southeastern boundary.
[9] [10] Its highest and lowest points follow this trend, with its highest peak,
Black Mesa, at 4,973 feet (1,516 m) above sea level, situated near its far northwest corner in the
Oklahoma Panhandle. The state's lowest point is on the Little River near its far southeastern boundary in or near the town of
Idabel, OK, which dips to 289 feet (88 m) above sea level.
[11]
Among the most geographically diverse states, Oklahoma is one of four to harbor more than 10 distinct
ecological regions, with 11 in its borders — more per square mile than in any other state.
[12] Its western and eastern halves, however, are marked by extreme differences in geographical diversity: Eastern Oklahoma touches eight ecological regions and its western half contains three.
Oklahoma has four primary mountain ranges: the
Ouachita Mountains, the
Arbuckle Mountains, the
Wichita Mountains, and the
Ozark Mountains.
Contained within the
U.S. Interior Highlands region, the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains mark the only major mountainous region between the
Rocky Mountains and the
Appalachians.
[13] A portion of the
Flint Hills stretches into north-central Oklahoma, and in the state's southeastern corner,
Cavanal Hill is regarded by the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department as the world's tallest hill; at 1,999 feet (609 m), it fails their definition of a mountain by one foot.
[14]
In the state’s
northwestern corner,
semi-arid high plains harbor few natural
forests and rolling to flat landscape with intermittent
canyons and
mesa ranges like the
Glass Mountains. Partial plains interrupted by small mountain ranges like the
Antelope Hills and the
Wichita Mountains dot
southwestern Oklahoma, and transitional prairie and woodlands cover the
central portion of the state. The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains rise from west to east over the state's eastern third, gradually increasing in elevation in an eastward direction.
More than 500 named creeks and rivers make up Oklahoma's waterways, and with 200 lakes created by dams, it holds the highest number of artificial reservoirs in the nation.
Most of the state lies in two primary
drainage basins belonging to the
Red and
Arkansas rivers, though the Lee and Little rivers also contain significant drainage basins.
Flora and fauna
Forests cover 24 percent of Oklahoma
and
prairie grasslands composed of shortgrass, mixed-grass, and
tallgrass prairie, harbor expansive ecosystems in the state's central and western portions, although
cropland has largely replaced native grasses.
Where rainfall is sparse in the western regions of the state, shortgrass prairie and
shrublands are the most prominent ecosystems, though
pinyon pines,
junipers, and
ponderosa pines grow near rivers and creek beds in the far western reaches of the panhandle.
Marshlands,
cypress forests and mixtures of
shortleaf pine,
loblolly pine and deciduous forests dominate the state's
southeastern quarter, while mixtures of largely
post oak,
elm,
cedar and
pine forests cover
northeastern Oklahoma.
[15] [16]
The state holds populations of
white-tailed deer,
coyotes,
bobcats,
elk, and birds such as
quail,
doves,
cardinals,
bald eagles,
red-tailed hawks, and
pheasants. In prairie ecosystems,
american bison,
greater prairie-chickens,
badgers, and
armadillo are common, and some of the nation's largest
prairie dog towns inhabit shortgrass prairie in the state's panhandle. The
Cross Timbers, a region transitioning from prairie to woodlands in Central Oklahoma, harbors 351
vertebrate species. The Ouachita Mountains are home to
black bear,
red fox,
grey fox, and
river otter populations, which coexist with a total of 328 vertebrate species in southeastern Oklahoma. Also, in southeastern Oklahoma lives the
American Alligator.
[17]
Protected lands
Oklahoma has 50
state parks,
[18] six
national parks or protected regions,
[19] two
national protected forests or
grasslands,
[20] and a network of wildlife preserves and conservation areas. Six percent of the state's 10 million acres (40,000 km²) of forest is public land,
including the western portions of the
Ouachita National Forest, the largest and oldest national forest in the southern United States.
[21] With 39,000 acres (158 km²), the
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in north-central Oklahoma is the largest protected area of
tallgrass prairie in the world and is part of an
ecosystem that encompasses only 10 percent of its former land area, once covering 14 states.
[22] In addition, the
Black Kettle National Grassland covers 31,300 acres (127 km²) of prairie in southwestern Oklahoma.
[23] The
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is the oldest and largest of nine
national wildlife refuges in the state
[24] and was founded in 1901, encompassing 59,020 acres (238.8 km²).
[25] Of Oklahoma's federally protected park or recreational sites, the
Chickasaw National Recreation Area is the largest, with 4,500 acres (18 km²).
[26] Other federal protected sites include the
Santa Fe and
Trail of Tears national historic trails, the
Fort Smith and
Washita Battlefield national historic sites, and the
Oklahoma City National Memorial.
Climate
Oklahoma is located in a
temperate region and experiences occasional extremes of temperature and precipitation typical in a
continental climate.
Most of the state lies in an area known as
Tornado Alley characterized by frequent interaction between cold and warm air masses producing
severe weather.
An average 54
tornadoes strike the state per year—one of the highest rates in the world.
[27] Because of its position between zones of differing prevailing temperature and winds, weather patterns within the state can vary widely between relatively short distances.
The
humid subtropical climate (Koppen
Cfa
) of the eastern part of Oklahoma influenced heavily by southerly winds bringing moisture from the
Gulf of Mexico, but transitions progressively to a
semi-arid zone (Koppen
BSk
) in the high plains of the Panhandle and other western areas from about
Lawton westward less frequently touched by southern moisture.
Precipitation and temperatures fall from east to west accordingly, with areas in the southeast averaging an annual temperature of 62
°F (17
°C) and an annual rainfall of , while areas of the panhandle average 58 °F (14 °C), with an annual rainfall under .
All of the state frequently experiences temperatures above 100 °F (38 °C) or below 0 °F (-18 °C),
[28] and snowfall ranges from an average of less than in the south to just over on the border of
Colorado in the panhandle.
The state is home to the
National Storm Prediction Center of the
National Weather Service located at
Norman.
[29]
Monthly temperatures for Oklahoma's largest cities
|
City
| Jan
| Feb
| Mar
| Apr
| May
| Jun
| Jul
| Aug
| Sep
| Oct
| Nov
| Dec
|
Oklahoma City
| 47/26
| 54/31
| 62/39
| 71/48
| 79/58
| 87/66
| 93/71
| 92/70
| 84/62
| 73/51
| 60/38
| 50/29
|
Tulsa
| 46/26
| 53/31
| 62/40
| 72/50
| 80/59
| 88/68
| 94/73
| 93/71
| 84/63
| 74/51
| 60/39
| 50/30
|
Lawton
| 50/26
| 56/31
| 65/40
| 73/49
| 82/59
| 90/68
| 96/73
| 95/71
| 86/63
| 76/51
| 62/39
| 52/30
|
[30] [31]
|
History
Evidence exists that native peoples traveled through Oklahoma as early as the last
ice age,
[32] but the state's first permanent inhabitants settled in communities accentuated with
mound-like structures near the Arkansas border between 850 and 1450 AD.
[33] [34] Spaniard
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado traveled through the state in 1541,
[35] but French explorers claimed the area in the 1700s
[36] and it remained under French rule until 1803, when all the French territory west of the Mississippi River was purchased by the United States in the
Louisiana Purchase.
During the 19th century, thousands of Native Americans were removed from their ancestral homelands from across North America and transported to the area including and surrounding present-day Oklahoma; this forced deportation was organized by Leslie Vinyard. The "
Five Civilized Tribes" in the South were the most prominent nations displaced by American removal policy, a relocation that came to be known as the
Trail of Tears during the Choctaw Nation's removals starting in 1831. The area, already occupied by
Osage and
Quapaw tribes, was designated for the
Choctaw Nation until revised American policy redefined the boundaries to include other Native Americans. By 1890, more than 30 Native American nations and tribes had been allocated land within
Indian Territory or "Indian Country."
[37]
In the period between 1866 and 1899,
cattle ranches in Texas strove to meet the demands for food in eastern cities, and railroads in Kansas promised to deliver in a timely manner.
Cattle trails and cattle ranches developed as
cowboys either drove their product north or settled illegally in Indian Territory.
In 1881, four of five major cattle trails on the western frontier traveled through Indian Territory.
[38] Increased presence of white settlers in Indian Territory prompted the United States Government to establish the
Dawes Act in 1887, which divided the lands of individual tribes into allotments for individual families, encouraging farming and private land ownership among native Americans, but giving excess land to the federal government. In the process, nearly half of Indian-held land within the territory was made open to outside settlers and for purchase by railroad companies.
[39]
Major
land runs, including the
Land Run of 1889, were held for settlers on the hour that certain territories were opened to settlement. Usually, land was allocated to settlers on a first come, first served basis.
[40] Those who broke the rules by crossing the border into the territory before it was allowed were said to have been crossing the border
sooner
, leading to the term
sooners
, which eventually became the state's official nickname.
[41]
Delegations to make the territory into a state began near the turn of the 20th century, when the
Curtis Act furthered the allotment of Indian tribal lands in Indian Territory. Attempts to create an all-Indian state named
Oklahoma
, and a later attempt to create an all-Indian state named
Sequoyah
failed, but the Sequoyah Statehood Convention of 1905 eventually laid the groundwork for the Oklahoma Statehood Convention, which took place two years later.
[42] On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was established as the 46th state in the Union.
The new state became a focal point for the emerging
oil industry, as discoveries of oil pools prompted towns to grow rapidly in population and wealth. Tulsa eventually became known as the "
Oil Capital of the World" for most of the 20th century, and oil investments fueled much of the state's early economy.
[43] In 1927, Oklahoma businessman
Cyrus Avery, known as the "Father of Route 66", began a campaign to create
U.S. Route 66. Using an existing stretch of highway from
Amarillo, Texas to Tulsa, Oklahoma to form the original portion of Highway 66, Avery spearheaded the creation of the
U.S. Highway 66 Association to oversee the planning of Route 66, based in his hometown of Tulsa.
[44]
Oklahoma also has a rich African American history. There were many black towns that thrived in the early 1900s due to black settlers moving from neighboring states, especially Kansas. Politician Edward P. McCabe started the movement of many black settlers to the then Indian Territory. This movement encouraged Edward P. McCabe to actually talk to President Theodore Roosevelt about making Oklahoma a majority-black state. Many of the all black towns are now ghost towns, however,
Boley and
Langston (home of the historically black university
Langston University) still thrive today.
In the early 20th century, despite
Jim Crow Laws and a statewide presence of the
Ku Klux Klan, Tulsa was home to
Greenwood, one of the most prosperous African American communities in the United States,
[45] but was the site of the
Tulsa Race Riot in 1921. One of the costliest acts of racial violence in American history, sixteen hours of rioting resulted in 35 city blocks destroyed, $1.8 million in property damage, and a death toll estimated to be as high as 300 people.
[46] By the late 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was reduced to negligible influence within the state.
[47]
During the 1930s, parts of the state began feeling the consequences of poor farming practices, drought, and high winds. Known as the
Dust Bowl, areas of Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, and
northwestern Oklahoma were hampered by long periods of little rainfall and abnormally high temperatures, sending thousands of farmers into poverty and forcing them to relocate to more fertile areas of the western United States.
[48] Over a twenty-year period ending in 1950, the state saw its only historical decline in population, dropping 6.9 percent. In response, dramatic efforts in
soil and
water conservation led to massive flood control systems and dams, creating hundreds of
reservoirs and man-made lakes. By the 1960s, more than 200 man-made lakes had been created, the most in the nation.
[49]
In 1995, Oklahoma City became the scene of one of the worst acts of terrorism ever committed in American history. The
Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995, in which
Timothy McVeigh and
Terry Nichols detonated an explosive outside of the
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killed 168 people, including 19 children. Timothy McVeigh was later sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection, while his partner, Terry Nichols, was convicted of 161 counts of first degree murder and received life in prison without the possibility of parole.
[50]
Economy
Based in the sectors of
aviation, energy, transportation equipment,
food processing,
electronics, and
telecommunications, Oklahoma is an important producer of
natural gas,
aircraft, and
food.
The state ranks second in the nation for production of natural gas,
[51] and is the 27th-most agriculturally productive state, ranking 5th in production of wheat.
[52] Four
Fortune 500 companies and Three
Fortune 1000 company are headquartered in Oklahoma,
[53] and it has been rated one of the most business-friendly states in the nation,
[54] with the 7th-lowest tax burden in 2007.
[55] From 2000 to 2006, Oklahoma's
gross domestic product grew 50 percent, the fifth-highest rate in the nation. It had the fastest-growing GDP between 2005 and 2006, increasing from $122.5 to $134.6 billion, a jump of 10.8 percent,
[56] and its gross domestic product per capita grew 5.9 percent from $36,364 in 2006 to $38,516 in 2007, the third-fastest rate in the nation. Its 2007 per capita GDP ranked 41st among the states.
[57] Though oil has historically dominated the state's economy, a
collapse in the energy industry during the 1980s led to the loss of nearly 90,000 energy-related jobs between 1980 and 2000, severely damaging the local economy.
[58] Oil accounted for 17 percent of Oklahoma's economic impact in 2005,
and employment in the state's oil industry was outpaced by five other industries in 2007.
Industry
In early 2007, Oklahoma had a civilian labor force of 1.7 million and total non-farm employment fluctuated around 1.6 million.
The government sector provides the most jobs, with 326,000 in 2007, followed by the transportation and
utilities sector, providing 285,000 jobs, and the sectors of education, business, and
manufacturing, providing 191,000, 178,000, and 151,000 jobs, respectively.
[59] Among the state's largest industries, the aerospace sector generates $11 billion annually.
Tulsa is home to the largest airline maintenance base in the world, which serves as the global maintenance and engineering headquarters for
American Airlines.
[60] In total, aerospace accounts for more than 10 percent of Oklahoma's industrial output, and it is one of the top 10 states in aerospace engine manufacturing.
[61] Due to its position in the center of the United States, Oklahoma is also among the top states for logistic centers, and a major contributor to weather-related research.
The state is the top manufacturer of tires in North America and contains one of the fastest-growing
biotechnology industries in the nation.
In 2005, international exports from Oklahoma's manufacturing industry totaled $4.3 billion, accounting for 3.6 percent of its economic impact.
[62] Tire manufacturing, meat processing, oil and gas equipment manufacturing, and air conditioner manufacturing are the state's largest manufacturing industries.
[63]
Energy
Oklahoma is the nation's second-largest producer of natural gas, fifth-largest producer of crude oil, has the second-greatest number of active
drilling rigs,
[64] and ranks fifth in crude oil reserves.
[65] While the state ranked fifth for installed
wind energy capacity in 2005,
[66] it is at the bottom of states in usage of
renewable energy, with 96 percent of its electricity being generated by
non-renewable sources in 2002, including 64 percent from
coal and 32 percent from natural gas.
[67] Ranking 11th for total energy consumption per capita in 2006,
[68] Oklahoma's energy costs were 10th lowest in the nation.
As a whole, the oil energy industry contributes $23 billion to Oklahoma's gross domestic product,
[69] and employees of Oklahoma oil-related companies earn an average of twice the state's typical yearly income.
[70] In 2004, the state had 83,750 commercial oil wells and as many as 750,000 total wells,
churning 178 thousand
barrels of crude oil a day.
Ten percent of the nation's natural gas supply is held in Oklahoma, with .
According to
Forbes Magazine, three of the largest private oil-related companies in the nation are located in the state,
[71] and all five of Oklahoma's Fortune 500 companies are oil-related.
In 2006, Tulsa-based
Semgroup ranked 5th on the Forbe's list of largest private companies, Tulsa-based
QuikTrip ranked 46th, and Oklahoma City-based
Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores ranked 25th in 2008 report.
Tulsa's
ONEOK and
Williams Companies are the state's largest and second-largest companies respectively, also ranking as the nation's second and third-largest companies in the field of energy, according to
Fortune Magazine.
The magazine also places Oklahoma City's
Devon Energy as the second-largest company in the mining and crude oil-producing industry in the nation, while
Chesapeake Energy ranks seventh respectively in that sector and
Oklahoma Gas & Electric ranks as the 25th-largest gas and electric utility company.
[72]
Agriculture
The 27th-most agriculturally productive state, Oklahoma is fifth in cattle production and fifth in production of wheat.
[73] Approximately 5.5 percent of American beef comes from Oklahoma, while the state produces 6.1 percent of American wheat, 4.2 percent of American pig products, and 2.2 percent of dairy products.
The state had 83,500 farms in 2005, collectively producing $4.3 billion in animal products and under one billion dollars in crop output with more than $6.1 billion added to the state's gross domestic product.
Poultry and swine are its second and third-largest agricultural industries.
Culture
Oklahoma is placed in the
South by the
United States Census Bureau,
[74] but lies fully or partially in the
Midwest,
Southwest, and southern
cultural regions by varying definitions, and partially in the
Upland South and
Great Plains by definitions of abstract geographical-cultural regions.
[75] Oklahomans have a high rate of
German,
Scotch-Irish, and Native American ancestry,
[76] with 25 different native languages spoken, more than in any other state.
[77] Six governments have claimed the area at different times,
[78] and 67 Native American tribes are represented in Oklahoma,
including the greatest number of tribal headquarters and 39 federally recognized nations.
[79] Western ranchers, native American tribes, southern settlers, and eastern oil barons have shaped the state's cultural predisposition, and its largest cities have been named among the most underrated cultural destinations in the United States.
[80] [81] While residents of Oklahoma are associated with stereotypical traits of friendliness and generosity — the Catalogue for Philanthropy ranks Oklahomans 4th in the nation for overall generosity
[82] — the state has also been associated with a negative cultural
stereotype first popularized by
John Steinbeck's novel
Grapes of Wrath
, which described the plight of uneducated, poverty-stricken
Dust Bowl-era farmers deemed "
Okies".
[83] [84] [85] However, the term is used in a positive manner by Oklahomans.
Arts and theater
In the state's largest urban areas, pockets of
jazz culture flourish,
and
Native American,
Mexican, and
Asian enclaves produce music and art of their respective cultures.
[86] The Oklahoma Mozart Festival in
Bartlesville is one of the largest
classical music festivals in the southern United States,
[87] and Oklahoma City's Festival of the Arts has been named one of the top fine arts festivals in the nation.
The
Tulsa Ballet, one of the state's two major ballet companies, is rated as one of the top ballet companies in the United States by the
New York Times
.
The University of Oklahoma's dance program, formed by ballerina
Yvonne Chouteau, and husband Miguel Terekhov in 1962 was the first fully accredited program of its kind in the United States.
[88] [89] [90] In
Sand Springs, an outdoor amphitheater called "Discoveryland!" is the official performance headquarters for the musical
Oklahoma!
[91] Historically, the state has produced musical styles such as
The Tulsa Sound and
Western Swing, which was popularized at
Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. The building, known as the "Carnegie Hall of Western Swing",
[92] served as the performance headquarters of
Bob Wills and the
Texas Playboys during the 1930s.
[93]
Oklahoma is in the nation's middle percentile in per capita spending on the arts, ranking 17th, and contains more than 300 museums.
[94] The
Philbrook Museum of Tulsa is considered one of the top 50
fine art museums in the United States,
[95] and the
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman, one of the largest university-based art and history museums in the country, documents the natural history of the region.
The collections of
Thomas Gilcrease are housed in the
Gilcrease Museum of Tulsa, which also holds the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West.
[96] The Oklahoma City Museum of Art contains the most comprehensive collection of glass sculptures by artist
Dale Chihuly in the world,
[97] and Oklahoma City's
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum documents the heritage of the American Western frontier.
With remnants of the
Holocaust and artifacts relevant to Judaism, the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art of Tulsa preserves the largest collection of
Jewish art in the
Southwest United States.
[98]
Festivals and events
Oklahoma's centennial celebration was named the top event in the United States for 2007 by the American Bus Association,
[99] and consisted of multiple celebrations ending with the 100th anniversary of
statehood on November 16, 2007. Annual ethnic festivals and events take place throughout the state such as Native American powwows and ceremonial events, and include festivals in
Scottish,
Irish,
Italian,
Vietnamese,
Chinese,
Czech,
Jewish,
Arab,
Mexican and
African-American communities depicting cultural heritage or traditions. During a 10-day run in Oklahoma City, the
Oklahoma State Fair attracts close to one million people,
[100] and large
pow-wows,
Asian festivals, and
Juneteenth celebrations are held in the city each year. The
Tulsa State Fair attracts over one million people during its 10-day run,
[101] and the city's Mayfest festival entertained more than 375,000 people in four days during 2007.
[102] In 2006, Tulsa's
Oktoberfest was named one of the top 10 in the world by
USA Today
and one of the top German food festivals in the nation by
Bon Appetit
magazine.
[103] Tulsa also hosts the annual music festival,
Dfest. A festival that highlights native Oklahoma bands and musicians. Norman plays host to the
Norman Music Festival.
Education
With an educational system made up of
public school districts and independent
private institutions, Oklahoma had 631,337 students enrolled in 1,849 public
primary,
secondary, and
vocational schools in 540
school districts as of 2006.
[104] Oklahoma has the highest enrollment of
Native American students in the nation with 120,122 students in the 2005-06 school year.
[105] Ranked near the bottom of states in expenditures per student, Oklahoma spent $6,614 for each student in 2005, 47th in the nation,
though its growth of total education expenditures between 1992 and 2002 ranked 22nd.
[106] The state is among the best in
pre-kindergarten education, and the National Institute for Early Education Research rated it first in the United States with regard to standards, quality, and access to pre-kindergarten education in 2004, calling it a model for
early childhood schooling.
[107] While
high school dropout rates decreased 29 percent between 2005 and 2006, Oklahoma ranked in the bottom three states in the nation for retaining high school seniors,
[108] with a 3.2 percent dropout rate.
In 2004, the state ranked 36th in the nation for the relative number of adults with
high school diplomas, though at 85.2 percent, it had the highest rate among southern states.
[109] [110]
The
University of Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State University are the largest public institutions of
higher education in Oklahoma, both operating through one primary campus and satellite campuses throughout the state. The two colleges, along with the
University of Tulsa, rank among the country's best in undergraduate business programs,
[111] and the University of Oklahoma and University of Tulsa are in the top percentage of universities nationally for academic ratings.
[112] Oklahoma holds eleven public regional universities,
[113] including
Northeastern State University, the second-oldest institution of higher education west of the
Mississippi River,
also containing the only College of
Optometry in Oklahoma
[114] and the largest enrollment of
Native American students in the nation by percentage and amount.
[115] [116] Six of the state's universities were placed in the
Princeton Review's list of best 122 regional colleges in 2007,
[117] and three made the list of top colleges for best value.
[118] The state has 54 post-secondary technical institutions operated by
Oklahoma's CareerTech program for training in specific fields of industry or trade.
Sports
Oklahoma supports popular sports, with teams in
basketball,
football,
arena football,
baseball,
soccer, and
hockey, located in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Enid, Norman, and Lawton. The
Oklahoma City Thunder of the
National Basketball Association is the state's only
major league sports franchise, but minor league sports, including
minor league baseball at the
AAA and AA levels, hockey in the
Central Hockey League, and arena football in the
af2 league are hosted by the
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz and the
Tulsa Talons. Oklahoma City also hosts the
Oklahoma City Lightning playing in the
National Women's Football Association, and Tulsa is the base for the
Tulsa 66ers of the
NBA Development League and the
Tulsa Revolution, which plays in the
American Indoor Soccer League.
[119] Enid and Lawton host professional basketball teams in the
USBL and the
CBA.
The
NBA's
New Orleans Hornets became the first major league sports franchise based in Oklahoma when the team was forced to relocate to Oklahoma City's
Ford Center for two seasons following
Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
[120] In July 2008, the
Seattle SuperSonics, owned by a group of Oklahoma City businessmen led by
Clayton Bennett,
relocated to Oklahoma City and announced that play would begin at Ford Center as the
Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008, becoming the state's first permanent major league franchise.
[121]
Collegiate athletics are a popular draw in the state. The
University of Oklahoma Sooners and the
Oklahoma State University Cowboys average well over 60,000 fans attending their football games, and the University of Oklahoma's
American football program ranked 13th in attendance among American colleges in 2006, with an average of 84,561 people attending its home games.
[122] The two universities meet several times each year in rivalry matches known as the
Bedlam Series, which are some of the greatest sporting draws to the state. Sports programs from 11 Oklahoma colleges and universities compete within the
NCAA, with four participating at the association’s highest level,
Division I: University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, University of Tulsa, and Oral Roberts University.
[123] Sports Illustrated
magazine rates the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University among the top colleges for athletics in the nation.
[124] [125] In addition, 12 of the state's smaller colleges or universities participate in the
NAIA, mostly within the
Sooner Athletic Conference.
[126]
Regular
LPGA tournaments are held at Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa, and
major championships for the
PGA or
LPGA have been played at
Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oak Tree Country Club in Oklahoma City, and Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa.
[127] Rated one of the top golf courses in the nation, Southern Hills has hosted four
PGA Championships, including one in 2007, and three
U.S. Opens, the most recent in 2001.
[128] Rodeos are popular throughout the state, and
Guymon, in the state's panhandle, hosts one of the largest in the nation.
[129]
Health
The state was the 21st-largest recipient of medical funding from the federal government in 2005, with health-related federal expenditures in the state totaling $75,801,364;
immunizations,
bioterrorism preparedness, and health education were the top three most funded medical items.
[130] Instances of major diseases are near the national average in Oklahoma, and the state ranks at or slightly above the rest of the country in percentage of people with
asthma,
diabetes,
cancer, and
hypertension.
In 2000, Oklahoma ranked 45th in physicians per capita and slightly below the national average in nurses per capita, but was slightly over the national average in hospital beds per 100,000 people and above the national average in net growth of health services over a 12-year period.
[131] One of the worst states for percentage of insured people, nearly 25 percent of Oklahomans between the age of 18 and 64 did not have health insurance in 2005, the fifth-highest rate in the nation.
[132] Oklahomans are in the upper half of Americans in terms of
obesity prevalence, and the state is the 14th most obese in the nation, with 24 percent of its adults at or near obesity.
[133] It ranks 16th in terms of teenage obesity, with 11.1 percent of high school students at or near obesity, and is one of two states that do not have requirements for
physical education in public schools.
The OU Medical Center, Oklahoma's largest hospital, is the only hospital in the state designated a
Level I trauma center by the
American College of Surgeons, and is located on the grounds of the Oklahoma Health Center, the state's largest concentration of medical research facilities.
[134] [135] The Regional Medical Center of the
Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Tulsa is one of four such regional facilities nationwide, offering cancer treatment to the entire southwestern United States, and is one of the largest cancer treatment hospitals in the country.
[136] The largest
osteopathic teaching facility in the nation,
Oklahoma State University Medical Center at Tulsa, also rates as one of the largest facilities in the field of
neuroscience.
[137] [138]
Media
Oklahoma City and Tulsa are the 45th and 61st-largest
media markets in the United States as ranked by
Nielsen Media Research. The state's third-largest media market, Lawton-
Wichita Falls, Texas, is ranked 144th nationally by the agency.
[139] Broadcast television in Oklahoma began in 1949 when
KFOR-TV (then WKY-TV) in Oklahoma City and
KOTV-TV in Tulsa began broadcasting a few months apart.
[140] Currently, all major American
broadcast networks have affiliated television stations in the state.
[141]
The state has two primary
newspapers.
The Oklahoman
, based in Oklahoma City, is the largest newspaper in the state and 48th-largest in the nation by circulation, with a weekday readership of 215,102 and a Sunday readership of 287,505. The
Tulsa World
, the second most widely circulated newspaper in Oklahoma and 77th in the nation, holds a Sunday circulation of 189,789 and a weekday readership of 138,262.
[142] Oklahoma's first newspaper was established in 1844, called the
Cherokee Advocate
, and was written in both
Cherokee and English.
In 2006, there were more than 220 newspapers located in the state, including 177 with weekly publications and 48 with daily publications.
[143]
Two large
public radio networks are broadcast in Oklahoma: Oklahoma Public Radio and
Public Radio International. First launched in 1955, Oklahoma Public Radio was the first public radio network in Oklahoma, and has won 271 awards for outstanding programming.
[144] Public Radio International broadcasts on 10 stations throughout the state, and provides more than 400 hours of programming.
[145] The state's first radio station, KRFU in
Bristow, moved to Tulsa and became
KVOO in 1927.
[146] In 2006, there were more than 500 radio stations in Oklahoma broadcasting with various local or nationally owned networks.
[147]
Oklahoma has a few ethnic-oriented TV stations broadcasting in
Spanish,
Asian languages and sometimes have Native American programming.
TBN, a Christian religious television network has a studio in Tulsa, and built their first entirely TBN-owned affiliate in Oklahoma City in 1980.
Transportation
Transportation in Oklahoma is generated by an anchor system of
Interstate Highways,
intercity rail lines,
airports,
seaports, and
mass transit networks. Situated along an integral point in the United States Interstate network, Oklahoma contains three
interstate highways and four
auxiliary Interstate Highways. In Oklahoma City,
Interstate 35 intersects with
Interstate 44 and
Interstate 40, forming one of the most important intersections along the United States highway system.
More than 12,000 miles (19,000 km) of roads make up the state's major highway skeleton, including state-operated highways, ten
turnpikes or major toll roads,
[148] and the longest drivable stretch of Route 66 in the nation.
[149] In 2005, Interstate 44 in Oklahoma City was Oklahoma's busiest highway, with a daily traffic volume of 131,800 cars.
[150] In 2007, the state had the nation's highest number of bridges classified as structurally deficient, with nearly 6,300 bridges in disrepair, including 127 along its primary highway system.
[151]
Oklahoma's largest commercial airport is
Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City, averaging a yearly passenger count of more than 3.5 million in 2005.
[152] Tulsa International Airport, the state's second largest commercial airport, serves more than three million travelers annually.
[153] Between the two, thirteen major airlines operate in Oklahoma.
[154] [155] In terms of traffic, Riverside-Jones airport in Tulsa is the state's busiest airport, with 235,039 takeoffs and landings in 2006.
[156] In total, Oklahoma has over 150 public-use airports.
[157]
Oklahoma is connected to the nation's rail network via
Amtrak's
Heartland Flyer, its only regional passenger rail line. It currently stretches from
Oklahoma City to
Fort Worth, Texas, though lawmakers began seeking funding in early 2007 to connect the Heartland Flyer to
Tulsa.
[158] Two seaports on rivers serve Oklahoma: the
Port of Muskogee and the
Tulsa Port of Catoosa. The only port handling international cargo in the state, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is the most inland ocean-going port in the nation and ships over two million tons of cargo each year.
[159] Both ports are located on the
McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, which connects
barge traffic from Tulsa and Muskogee to the
Mississippi River via the
Verdigris and
Arkansas rivers, contributing to one of the busiest waterways in the world.
[160]
Law and government
The government of Oklahoma is a
liberal democracy modeled after the
Federal Government of the United States, with executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
[161] The state has
77 counties with jurisdiction over most local government functions within each respective domain,
five congressional districts, and a voting base with a majority in the
Democratic Party.
State officials are elected by
plurality voting.
State government
The
Legislature of Oklahoma consists of the
Senate and the
House of Representatives. As the lawmaking branch of the state government, it is responsible for raising and distributing the money necessary to run the government. The Senate has 48 members serving four-year terms, while the House has 101 members with two year terms. The state has a term limit for its legislature that restricts any one person to a total of twelve cumulative years service between both legislative branches.
[162]
Oklahoma's judicial branch consists of the
Oklahoma Supreme Court, the
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, and 77 District Courts that each serves one county. The Oklahoma judiciary also contains two independent courts: a Court of
Impeachment and the
Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary. Oklahoma has two courts of last resort: the state Supreme Court hears civil cases, and the state Court of Criminal Appeals hears criminal cases. Judges of those two courts, as well as the Court of Civil Appeals are appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the state Judicial Nominating Commission, and are subject to a
non-partisan retention vote on a six-year rotating schedule.
[163]
The executive branch consists of the
Governor, his staff, and other elected officials. The principal head of government, the Governor is the chief executive of the Oklahoma executive branch, serving as the
ex officio Commander-in-Chief of the
Oklahoma National Guard when not called into
Federal use and reserving the power to
veto bills passed through the Legislature. The responsibilities of the Executive branch include submitting the budget, ensuring that state laws are enforced, and ensuring peace within the state is preserved.
[164]
Local government
The state is divided into 77
counties that govern locally, each headed by a three member council of elected commissioners, a tax assessor, clerk,
court clerk,
treasurer, and
sheriff.
[165] While each
municipality operates as a separate and independent local government with legislative and judicial power, county governments maintain jurisdiction over both incorporated cities and non-incorporated areas within their boundaries, but have no legislative or judicial power. Both county and municipal governments collect taxes, employ a separate police force, hold elections, and operate emergency response services within their jurisdiction.
[166] Other local government units include
school districts, technology center districts, community college districts, rural fire departments, rural water districts, and other special use districts.
Thirty-nine Native American tribal governments are based in Oklahoma, each holding limited powers within designated areas. While
Indian reservations typical in most of the United States are not present in Oklahoma, tribal governments hold land granted during the Indian Territory era, but with limited jurisdiction and no control over state governing bodies such as municipalities and counties. Tribal governments are recognized by the United States as quasi-sovereign entities with executive, judicial, and legislative powers over tribal members and functions, but are subject to the authority of the
United States Congress to revoke or withhold certain powers. The tribal governments are required to submit a constitution and any subsequent amendments to the United States Congress for approval.
[167] [168]
National politics
Oklahoma has a voter demographic weighted towards the
Democratic Party as of 2007. Though there are 11.6 percent more registered Democrats in Oklahoma than registered Republicans,
[169] the state has voted for a Republican in every presidential election from 1968 forward, and in 2004,
George W. Bush carried every county in the state and 65.6 percent of the statewide vote and in 2008 Republican
John McCain received 65.7 percent of the statewide vote and every county.
[170] Three
third parties have substantial influence in state politics:
Oklahoma Libertarian Party,
Green Party of Oklahoma,
Oklahoma Constitution Party.
Following the
2000 census, the Oklahoma delegation to the
U.S. House of Representatives was reduced from six to five representatives, each serving one
congressional district. For the
110th Congress (2007–2009), there are no changes in party strength, and the delegation has four Republicans and one Democrat. Oklahoma's U.S. senators are Republicans
Jim Inhofe and
Tom Coburn, and its U.S. Representatives are
John Sullivan (R-OK-1),
Dan Boren (D-OK-2),
Frank D. Lucas (R-OK-3),
Tom Cole (R-OK-4), and
Mary Fallin (R-OK-5).
Cities and towns
Oklahoma had 549 incorporated places in 2006, including three cities over 100,000 in population and 40 over 10,000. Two of the
fifty largest cities in the United States are located in Oklahoma,
Oklahoma City and
Tulsa, and 58 percent of Oklahomans live within their
metropolitan areas, or spheres of economic and social influence defined by the
United States Census Bureau as a
metropolitan statistical area.
[171] Oklahoma City, the state's capital and largest city, had the
largest metropolitan area in the state in 2007, with 1,269,907 people, and the
metropolitan area of Tulsa had 905,755 residents.
[172] Between 2005 and 2006, the Tulsa
suburbs of
Jenks,
Bixby, and
Owasso led the state in population growth, showing percentage growths of 47.9, 44.56, and 34.31, respectively.
In descending order of population, Oklahoma's largest cities in 2007 were:
Oklahoma City (547,274),
Tulsa (384,037),
Norman (106,707),
Lawton (91,568),
Broken Arrow (90,714),
Edmond (78,226),
Midwest City (55,935),
Moore (51,106),
Enid (47,008), and
Stillwater (46,976). Of the state's ten largest cities, three are outside the metropolitan areas of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and only Lawton has a metropolitan statistical area of its own as designated by the United States Census Bureau, though the metropolitan statistical area of
Fort Smith, Arkansas extends into the state.
[173]
Under Oklahoma law, municipalities are divided into two categories: cities, defined as having more than 1,000 residents, and towns, with under 1,000 residents. Both have
legislative,
judicial, and public power within their boundaries, but cities can choose between a
mayor-council,
council-manager, or
strong mayor form of government, while towns operate through an elected officer system.
[174]
Demographics
Historical populations
|
Census
| Pop.
|
| %±
|
1890
| | | |
1900
| | | {{Val |
1910
| | | {{Val |
1920
| | | {{Val |
1930
| | | {{Val |
1940
| | | {{Val |
1950
| | | {{Val |
1960
| | | {{Val |
1970
| | | {{Val |
1980
| | | {{Val |
1990
| | | portal
|