Checotah, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Checotah is a city in McIntosh County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. It was named for Samuel Checote, the first chief of the Creek Nation elected after the Civil War
. The population was 3,481 at the 2000 census
.
Checotah is home to numerous antique malls, a Civil War battle site and a downtown historic district. Checotah claims to be the steer wrestling
capital of the world. The telephone area code is 539/918 and the postal ZIP code is 74426.
and U.S. Route 69
. Nearby is Eufaula Lake
, which was once the largest man-made lake in the nation, with 640 miles (1,030 km) of shoreline.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 9 sq mi (23.3 km²). 8.9 square miles (23.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.67%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,481 people, 1,389 households, and 912 families residing in the city. The population density
was 389.3 per square mile (150.3/km²). There were 1,576 housing units at an average density of 176.3 per square mile (68.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.91% White, 6.92% African American, 15.91% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races
, and 8.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 1,389 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples
living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,029, and the median income for a family was $30,741. Males had a median income of $26,094 versus $17,298 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $15,921. About 16.1% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. The median house value is $50,500.
McIntosh County, Oklahoma
McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 19,456. Its county seat is Eufaula.-Geography:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was named for Samuel Checote, the first chief of the Creek Nation elected after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The population was 3,481 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Checotah is home to numerous antique malls, a Civil War battle site and a downtown historic district. Checotah claims to be the steer wrestling
Steer wrestling
Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns. Like all rodeo events, there are concerns from the animal rights community that the competition...
capital of the world. The telephone area code is 539/918 and the postal ZIP code is 74426.
Geography
Checotah is located at an elevation of 652 feet (198.7 m) at the intersection of I-40Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
and U.S. Route 69
U.S. Route 69
U.S. Route 69 is a north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus is in Port Arthur, Texas at an intersection with State Highway 87...
. Nearby is Eufaula Lake
Eufaula Lake
Eufaula Lake is a reservoir in Oklahoma. It is located on the Canadian River, upstream from its confluence with the Arkansas River and near the town of Eufaula. It is the largest lake in the state of Oklahoma with and of shoreline....
, which was once the largest man-made lake in the nation, with 640 miles (1,030 km) of shoreline.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 9 sq mi (23.3 km²). 8.9 square miles (23.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.67%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,481 people, 1,389 households, and 912 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 389.3 per square mile (150.3/km²). There were 1,576 housing units at an average density of 176.3 per square mile (68.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.91% White, 6.92% African American, 15.91% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.40% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 8.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 1,389 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 77.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $22,029, and the median income for a family was $30,741. Males had a median income of $26,094 versus $17,298 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $15,921. About 16.1% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. The median house value is $50,500.
Popular culture
- American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
Season 4 winner Carrie UnderwoodCarrie UnderwoodCarrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
wrote a song on her album Some Hearts called "I Ain't in Checotah Anymore". It includes references to the local high school team (Wildcats), Highways 69 and 40, the Okra Fest, and Lake EufaulaLake EufaulaLake Eufaula may refer to:*Eufaula Lake, an artificial lake on the Canadian River in Oklahoma, USA*Walter F. George Lake, an artificial lake on the Chattahoochee River between Alabama and Georgia, USA that is also known known as Lake Eufaula, from the town of Eufaula, Alabama on its western banks...
.
Notable citizens
- Paul H. CarrPaul H. CarrPaul Henry Carr was a U.S. Navy Gunner's Mate Third Class who received a Silver Star posthumously for his actions aboard USS Samuel B. Roberts at the Battle off Samar during World War II. Carr served as the gun mount captain of the Roberts aft 5-inch gun...
- Silver StarSilver StarThe Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
recipient - Woody CrumboWoody CrumboWoodrow "Woody" Crumbo was an American Indian artist, flautist, and dancer of Potawatomi descent. As an independent prospector, he found one of the largest beryllium veins in the nation. His paintings are held by several prominent museums, including the Smithsonian Institution and the...
, Native AmericanNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, lived and worked in Checotah during the later part of his career. - Jim G. LucasJim G. LucasJim G. Lucas was a war correspondent for Scripps-Howard Newspapers who won a 1954 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting "for his notable front-line human interest reporting of the Korean War, the cease-fire and the prisoner-of-war exchanges, climaxing 26 months of distinguished service as a...
(1914–1970), Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent. - Mel McDanielMel McDanielMel McDaniel was an American country music artist. His chart making years were mainly the 1980s and his hits from that era include "Louisiana Saturday Night", "Big Ole Brew", "Stand Up", the Number One "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On", "I Call It Love", "Stand on It", and a remake of Chuck Berry's...
, country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
ian - Carrie UnderwoodCarrie UnderwoodCarrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
ian