Okmulgee, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Okmulgee is a city in Okmulgee County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek language
. The site was chosen because of the nearby rivers and springs.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 33.8 square miles (33.2 km²), all of it land.
Actually, Okmulgee means "babbling brook", it is also translated as 'Effluvium'. It's located in the heart of Oklahoma's "Green Country", in the North East Quadrant of Oklahoma. It is also home to Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.
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 was $24,344, and the median income for a family was $31,015. Males had a median income of $26,105 versus $19,722 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $13,633. About 19.6% of families and 54.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
, a major national north/south artery for much of its length, currently running from the Canadian border at Noyes Minnesota to Dallas, Texas.
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 poorer communities, primarily in southeast Oklahoma, by providing access to Senior Citizen centers, groceries, medical services, and jobs.
The city is served by 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.
and one of the state's longest running rodeos.
, one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes
, is headquartered in Okmulgee. Okmulgee is also the site of the original Creek Council House. Built by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
as a capitol building in 1878, the Council House was eventually sold to the City of Okmulgee where it served various purposes over the years, including a Sheriff's office, a YMCA, and more recently, a Creek Council House Museum. The City agreed in August of 2010 to resell the building to the Creek Nation, and the ceremony commemorating the repossession of the building was held in November of 2010.
Okmulgee County, Oklahoma
Okmulgee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 39,685. Its county seat is Okmulgee.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,819 km²...
, 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...
. The population at the 2010 census was 12,321 a loss of 5.4 percent since the 2000 census figure of 13,022. It has been the capital of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Muscogee people, also known as the Creek, based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. They are regarded as one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes and call themselves Este Mvskokvlke...
since the United States Civil War. Okmulgee means "boiling waters" in the Creek language
Creek language
The Creek language, also known as Muskogee or Muscogee , is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee and Seminole people primarily in the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Florida....
. The site was chosen because of the nearby rivers and springs.
Geography
Okmulgee is located at 35°37′28"N 95°57′48"W (35.624558, -95.963254).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 33.8 square miles (33.2 km²), all of it land.
Actually, Okmulgee means "babbling brook", it is also translated as 'Effluvium'. It's located in the heart of Oklahoma's "Green Country", in the North East Quadrant of Oklahoma. It is also home to Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology.
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 13,022 people, 5,135 households, and 3,291 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 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
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 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
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, 17.6% 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 was $24,344, and the median income for a family was $31,015. Males had a median income of $26,105 versus $19,722 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 $13,633. About 19.6% of families and 54.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 33.0% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Okmulgee is served by U.S. Route 75U.S. Route 75
U.S. Route 75 is a north–south U.S. Highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Kittson County, Minnesota, at the Canadian border, where it continues as Manitoba Highway 75 on the other side of a closed border crossing. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 30 and Interstate 45 in Dallas,...
, a major national north/south artery for much of its length, currently running from the Canadian border at Noyes Minnesota to Dallas, Texas.
Okmulgee is in the 10-county region served by the KI BOIS Area Transit System
KI BOIS Area Transit System
KI BOIS Area Transit System, known as "KATS" for short, and frequently mis-spelled as the KiBois Area Transit System or Kibois Area Transit System, is a rural public transportation organization centered mostly in Southeastern Oklahoma, and specifically in the counties of Adair, Cherokee, Haskell,...
("KATS"), a low-cost public bus/van service established in 1983 to help poorer communities, primarily in southeast Oklahoma, by providing access to Senior Citizen centers, groceries, medical services, and jobs.
The city is served by the Okmulgee Regional Airport (originally called the Okmulgee Municipal Airport), designated OKM by IATA Code and KOKM by ICAO Code
International Civil Aviation Organization airport code
The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-character alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. These codes are defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location Indicators.The ICAO codes are used by air traffic...
. 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.
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 1150 acres (4,653,889 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. Nearby to Okmulgee is the Deep Fork National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1993, this approximately 9000 acres (36.4 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 rodeoRodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
and one of the state's longest running rodeos.
Native American government
The Muscogee (Creek) NationMuscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Muscogee people, also known as the Creek, based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. They are regarded as one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes and call themselves Este Mvskokvlke...
, one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
, is headquartered in Okmulgee. Okmulgee is also the site of the original Creek Council House. Built by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The Muscogee Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Muscogee people, also known as the Creek, based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. They are regarded as one of the historical Five Civilized Tribes and call themselves Este Mvskokvlke...
as a capitol building in 1878, the Council House was eventually sold to the City of Okmulgee where it served various purposes over the years, including a Sheriff's office, a YMCA, and more recently, a Creek Council House Museum. The City agreed in August of 2010 to resell the building to the Creek Nation, and the ceremony commemorating the repossession of the building was held in November of 2010.
Notable residents
- Patrick CollinsPatrick Collins (American football)Patrick Collins is a former running back in the National Football League.-Career:Collins was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the eighth round of the 1988 NFL Draft and played that season with the team. He played at the collegiate level at the University of Oklahoma.-References:...
, NFL player - Ron GardenhireRon GardenhireRonald Clyde "Gardy" Gardenhire is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and current manager of the Minnesota Twins.He is six feet tall and weighed 175 pounds during most of his baseball career....
, manager of the MLB team the Minnesota Twins - 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 - David Obey, US Congressman, birthplace
- Oscar PettifordOscar PettifordOscar Pettiford was an American jazz double bassist, cellist and composer known particularly for his pioneering work in bebop.-Biography:...
, jazz bass player - Will SampsonWill SampsonWill Sampson was an American actor and artist.-Life and career:Sampson, a Native American Muscogee , was born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. Sampson's most notable roles were as "Chief Bromden" in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and as "Taylor the Medicine Man" in the horror film Poltergeist II...
, actor - Bill SelfBill SelfBill Self is an American college men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship....
, college basketball coach, birthplace
External links
- Memoirs of Jeremiah Curtin in the Indian Territory ethnographer's notes of 1883 visits to Muskogee and Okmulgee; electronic record maintained by Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, accessed January 15, 2007.