State of Oklahoma - OK

Oklahoma is a state located in the southern Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands regions of the United States, and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." The Congressional Quarterly and Census report place Oklahoma in the Southern United States. However, since Oklahoma is near the geographic center of the U.S., the regional influences add to Oklahoma's unique character.

Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union on November 16th, 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and homma meaning red, literally meaning "red people"[2] and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation between 1866 and 1870. [3] It is a state with a colorful history, including its days as a frontier state, it being a destination of recently freed slaves looking for opportunity and equality, and being at the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th century.

Most notably, Oklahoma has the nation's second largest American Indian population. In honor of its large American Indian population, and for tourism purposes, Oklahoma is called "Native America." Oklahoma's early history is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, which was the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to present-day Oklahoma. As a testament to the state's western and American Indian heritage, Oklahoma (Tulsa) is the home of the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum, which houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of American Western and American Indian art, artifacts, manuscripts, documents, and maps.

Geography
Oklahoma Portal
Oklahoma counties, list of Oklahoma townships, and lakes in Oklahoma
The Ouachita Mountains dominate the southeastern quarter of OklahomaOklahoma is one of the six states on the Frontier Strip. It is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas and northwest by Colorado (both at 37°N), on the far west by New Mexico (at 103°W), and on the south and near-west by Texas. The panhandle's southern boundary is at 36.5°N, then turning due south along 100°W to the southern fork of the Red River), completing the round trip back to Arkansas.

Oklahoma's four main mountain ranges include the Ouachitas, Arbuckles, Wichitas, and the Kiamichis. In addition to several smaller ranges, Oklahoma also notably encompasses a portion of the Ozarks.

The state's highest peak, 4,973 feet (1,515 m) Black Mesa, resides in the far northwestern corner of the panhandle near the town of Kenton. The lowest elevation in the state is in the far southeastern corner, near Idabel, at 324 feet (99 m). Oklahoma also has what is officially considered the highest hill in the world, Cavanal Hill, at 1,999 feet (609 m); this is considering the fact that a "mountain" is anything 2,000 feet or higher. It is located in Poteau, Oklahoma.[4]

With 200 man-made lakes, Oklahoma has more man-made lakes than any other state and boasts over one million surface-acres of water and 2,000 more miles (3,200 km) of shoreline than the Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined. Lake Eufaula is the largest lake in the state, covering 102,000 surface acres (413 km²) of water. [4]

Map of Oklahoma Oklahoma Population Density Map
Regions of Oklahoma
From an ecoregional perspective, Oklahoma is recognized by the EPA as having 11 different ecoregions (one of only four U.S. states to have more than 10 ecoregions). These ecoregions are: Western high plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Central Great Plains, Tall Grass Prairie, Cross Timbers, Caves & Prairie, Ozark Highlands, Ozark Forest, Hardwood Forest, Ouachita Mountains, and Cypress Swamps & Forests.

The Oklahoma Tourism Department divides the state down into six "countries" for tourism promotion purposes: Red Carpet Country (Northwestern Oklahoma and The Panhandle), Great Plains Country (Southwestern Oklahoma), Frontier Country (Central Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area), Green Country (Northeastern Oklahoma, including the Tulsa Metropolitan area), Kiamichi country (Southeastern Oklahoma), and Lake & Trail Country (South Central Oklahoma).

Popular but "unofficial" regional designations include Green Country (most often used to refer to Northeastern Oklahoma, but used by some to refer to either all of Eastern Oklahoma or just the Tulsa Metropolitan Area), Little Dixie (Southeastern Oklahoma), Western Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Climate
Oklahoma is a state dominated by contrasting cold and warm air masses which collide east of the Rocky Mountains. As can be expected, this results in a wide range of weather throughout the state, ranging from a borderline humid subtropical climate zone near the southeast part of the state to a semi-arid climate in the High Plains of the panhandle. While there is some variation in temperature in the state, with the south portion on the Texas border averaging an annual mean temperature of 62 °F, and the panhandle averaging under 54 °F, the main climatic difference in Oklahoma is precipitation. The southeast corner of the state near the Ouachita Mountains averages over 52 inches of precipitation a year. Moving west from that point, the precipitation decreases rapidly- for each 10 miles traveled west, the precipation is approximately 1 inch less. The driest part of the state is the extreme western panhandle with less than 16 inch annually.

The most notable feature of Oklahoma's climate is, of course, its thunderstorms. While Oklahoma averages from 40-60 days of thunderstorms throughout the entire state, which is less frequent than thunderstorm activity in parts of the Southeast United States and the central Colorado Rockies, Oklahoma thunderstorms, which occur in what locals call a "fifth season" from April through July tend to among the most severe in the world. During this "fifth season" colliding cold and warm air masses turn the entire state, especially the central part of the state into the heart of Tornado Alley. Central Oklahoma is the most tornado-prone area in the world, not only in terms of number of tornadoes(which exceeds 10 per 10,000 square miles), but also in terms of intensity.[5] Some of the most severe tornadoes in history have occurred in Oklahoma, and it is no accident that the National Severe Weather Forecast Center is located in Norman. While central Oklahoma is the epicenter of Tornado Alley, other parts of the state are not immune.

Snowfall is common in Oklahoma every winter, although it is not extreme, ranging from an average of less than 4 inches in the southern part of the state to just over 20 inches on the Colorado border in the panhandle.

History
Main article: History of Oklahoma

Law and Government
Oklahoma


This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Oklahoma


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Constitution
State government
Governor

Lieutenant Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
State Treasurer
State Cabinet
Legislature

Senate
President of the Senate
President pro tempore
House of Representatives
Speaker
Court System

Supreme Court
Court on the Judiciary
Court of Impeachment
Nominating Commission
Political Parties

Democratic
Republican
Minor parties
Counties

Federal government
United States Senate
James Inhofe (R)
Tom Coburn (R)
United States House
John Sullivan (R)
Dan Boren (D)
Frank Lucas (R)
Tom Cole (R)
Ernest Istook (R)

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State Government
Main article: Government of Oklahoma
The capital of the state is Oklahoma City and the Governor of Oklahoma is Brad Henry (Democrat). Other Executive Branch elected officials include Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin (Republican), Secretary of State of Oklahoma M. Susan Savage (Democrat), State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan (Democrat), Attorney General Drew Edmondson (Democrat), State Treasurer Scott Meacham (Democrat), Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett (Democrat), Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau (Republican), Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland (Democrat), and the three member State Corporation Commission which currently consists of Bob Anthony (Republican), Jeff Cloud (Republican), and Denise Bode (Republican).

The state capitol building of Oklahoma, located in eastern Oklahoma City.The Legislature of Oklahoma consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 48 members serving four-year terms, while the House has 101 members with two year terms. The state has term limits for their legislature that restrict any one person to a total of twelve years service in both the House and Senate. In the 2005–2006 state legislature, control is split between the major parties, the Democrats control the Senate (26 to 22) while the Republicans control the House (57 to 44). This changes the government's make-up; before the 2004 election the Democrats had controlled both chambers since 1921. Republicans have never controlled the State Senate.

The state's judicial branch consists of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and 77 District Courts which serve one county apiece. The Oklahoma judiciary also contains two independent courts: a Court of Impeachment (which is the Senate sitting) and the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary. Oklahoma is unusual in that it has two courts of last resort, the state Supreme Court hears civil cases, and the state Court of Criminal Appeals hears criminal cases (the state of Texas uses a similar system). 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.

Due to Oklahoma's restrictive ballot access laws (deemed by many to be the most restrictive in the nation), no third parties have access to the primary ballots, however the state does have the following active third parties: Oklahoma Libertarian Party, Green Party of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Constitution Party. There are also organizers from the Communist Party USA working in the state.

Governor of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Legislature
Oklahoma Supreme Court

Local Governance
The state is divided into 77 counties which deliver local government. Each is governed by a three member commission. Other county elected officials are the tax assessor, clerk, court clerk, treasurer, and sheriff.

Cities and towns are established under the rights granted in the Oklahoma statutes (in comparison, Oklahoma gives municipal governments a great deal of latitude in chartering new governments). Towns are municipalities of under 1000 residents, while cities have more than 1000 residents. Major cities are also allowed to form "charter governments," in which the voters choose the form of government they want to use in place of the statutory forms.

Other local government units in Oklahoma include independent and dependent school districts, Technology Center Districts (once known as VOTECH), community college districts, rural fire departments, rural water districts, and other special use districts.

National Politics
After the 2000 census the Oklahoma delegation to the U.S. House was reduced from six to five representatives. For the 109th Congress (2005–2006) there are no changes in party strength, and the delegation has four Republicans and one Democrat. Oklahoma's two U.S. senators are James M. Inhofe (Republican) and Tom Coburn (Republican). The U.S. Representatives are John Sullivan (Republican) of District 1, Dan Boren (Democrat) of District 2, Frank D. Lucas (Republican) of District 3, Tom Cole (Republican) of District 4, and Ernest Istook (Republican) of District 5.

Although there are more registered Democrats in Oklahoma than registered Republicans, it has become a solid Republican state in presidential elections, voting for the Republican in every election since 1968. (The 1976 Carter-Ford race was close). In 2004, George W. Bush carried every county in the state and 65.6% of the vote.

Economy
Oklahoma is a major fuel and food-producing state; thousands of oil and natural gas wells dot the Oklahoma landscape, and the state is among the highest food producing states in the nation. Its main agricultural outputs are soy, wheat, cattle, dairy, poultry, and cotton. Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in the production of all wheat, fourth in cattle and calf production; fifth in the production of pecans; sixth in peanuts and eight in peaches. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, and food processing. Its 1999 total gross state product was $86 billion, placing it 29th in the nation. Its 2000 per capita personal income was $23,517, 43rd in the nation. Oklahoma City suburb Nichols Hills is ranked first on Oklahoma locations by per capita income at $73,661.

Oklahoma City is a primary economic engine of the state, centered on the finance, retail, governance, entertainment, and tourism sectors. The city has numerous manufacturing and processing plants as well as a growing biotech research and health center. Oklahoma City has a large aviation market and its location at the intersection of I-35, I-40, and I-44 makes Oklahoma City an important distribution point.

Oklahoma City is home to many corporate and regional headquarters including Devon Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Sonic Drive-In, AT&T, The Hertz Corporation, BancFirst, OGE Energy, Midfirst Bank, Hobby Lobby, Dobson Communications, Express Personnel Services, Oklahoma Publishing Company, Globe Life and Accident Insurance, AOL, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., and Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce.

Tulsa is a major economic center for the state.Tulsa is another primary economic engine of the state, centered on energy, aerospace, telecommunications, and transportation. The city has the nation's most inland sea port and Oklahoma's only connection to the ocean, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa [2], which connects the state with international ocean trade routes through the Arkansas River and Mississippi River. Despite an oil bust that plagued the entire state in the 1980's, Tulsa is still among the top cities in the nation for the number of oil and energy related company headquarters. Tulsa is also home to an extensive aviation market, exemplified by its American Airlines maintenance center, the largest airline maintenance base in the world.

Recently, Forbes magazine rated Tulsa as second in the nation in job income growth, and one of the best 50 cities to do business in the country. [6]

Companies based in Tulsa include The NORDAM Group, BOK Financial Corporation (BOKF), Bank of Oklahoma, Williams Companies, Oneok, Wiltel, QuikTrip, Public Service of Oklahoma, Mazzio's Corporation, Dollar-Thrifty, Hilti USA, and Vanguard.

Both of Oklahoma's major metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, are engaged in large-scale economic development and tourism initiatives.

Transportation
Primary interstate highways in Oklahoma include I-35, which traverses the state from north to south, I-40, which traverses the state from east to west, and I-44, which enters Oklahoma in the southwest and leaves the state in the northeast corner. These highways all run through Oklahoma City.

The state's other interstate highways are Interstates 235, 240, 244 and (unsigned) 444. I-235 (Centennial Expressway) is a north-south freeway connecting I-35 and I-44 through the center of Oklahoma City. I-240 (South Bypass) is an east-west freeway serving as a southern bypass of Oklahoma City. I-244 (Crosstown Expressway/MLK Expressway) is a loop that connects downtown Tulsa to I-44, and I-444, which is unsigned, forms the south and east sides of the "Inner Dispersal Loop" in downtown Tulsa.

Oklahoma is served by two major airports:

Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City
Tulsa International Airport
There are also numerous other regional and general aviation airports:

airports in Oklahoma

Amtrak also operates a daily train between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, the Heartland Flyer.

Heartland Flyer Official Website

Education
Main articles: List of Oklahoma school districts by county, List of school districts in Oklahoma, List of private schools in Oklahoma, List of vocational technical schools in Oklahoma, and List of colleges and universities in Oklahoma

Culture
Oklahoma PrairieThe various government sponsored arts, community, and tourism programs emphasize Oklahoma's Native American heritage heavily. There are many central areas of Native American heritage in Oklahoma, including one of the most notable, Tahlequah, which is near Muskogee in Eastern Oklahoma. Native American culture runs deep in the lives of Oklahomans and one may experience it through various cultural programs including pow wows, the Tsa-La-Gi village in Tahlequah, OK and the International Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Other ethnic celebrations include those of Yukon & Prague (celebrating the Czech heritage of some early immigrants), Tulsa's Greek Holiday, the Tulsa Scottish Games, Shalomfest (in Tulsa), Tulsa's German Oktoberfest, the Mennonite Relief Sale (in Enid, OK), Italian festivals and neighborhoods in the McAlester and Krebs area, traditional Asian, African American, and Hispanic celebrations in Oklahoma City as well as the pride parade and festival in the city's GLBT district, and the Juneteenth Celebrations found all across the state.

Sports
Because of the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, the NBA's New Orleans Hornets relocated to Oklahoma City and are currently known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The Hornets are the first major professional sports league franchise to play in the state.

The minor league baseball teams are:

Oklahoma RedHawks (AAA in Oklahoma City)
Tulsa Drillers (AA in Tulsa)
Other Oklahoma City teams include

Oklahoma City Blazers (Ice Hockey: CHL)
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (Arena Football League: AF2)
Oklahoma City Lightning (Women's Football: NWFA)
New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (National Basketball Association)
Other Enid teams include

Oklahoma Storm (Basketball: United States Basketball League)
Other Tulsa teams include

Tulsa Oilers (Ice Hockey: CHL)
Tulsa Talons (Arena Football: AF2)
Tulsa 66ers (Basketball: NBA Development League)
Oklahoma's major college teams are

the Oklahoma State Cowboys (Oklahoma State University)
the Oklahoma Sooners (University of Oklahoma)
the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (University of Tulsa)

Important Cities and Metropolitan Areas

Oklahoma City
Main article: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, with a population of 523,303 in the immediate city limits[7] and 1.3 million in the metro area,[8] is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City Metroplex and is the Oklahoma's largest urbanized area. As of 2000, it was the 47th largest metro in the nation, with 1.3 million people.[9] Some of the major cities comprising the Oklahoma City Metro include Norman, Edmond, Guthrie, Moore, Mustang, Yukon, and Shawnee.

Oklahoma City is the capital of Oklahoma, as well as its main civic, business, and entertainment hub. Oklahoma City is steadily recovering from the oil bust that destroyed the city's identity.

Tulsa
Main article: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma, with 387,807 within the city limits[7] and 890,000 in the statistical metropolitan area.[10]. The city is an important Southern and Midwest regional economic hub, is the architectural and arts center of the state. It is Oklahoma's second largest urbanized area. As of 2000, it was the 53rd largest metropolitan area in the nation.[9]

Other important cities
Bartlesville
Broken Arrow
Claremore
Owasso
Sand Springs
Jenks
Enid
Lawton
Norman
Ponca City
Stillwater
Muskogee
See also: List of cities in Oklahoma and List of towns in Oklahoma

Miscellaneous Topics

Religion
The people of Oklahoma participate in 73 major religious affiliations ranging from the Southern Baptist Convention with 1578 churches and 967,223 members to the Holy Orthodox Church in North America, 1 church, 6 members.

The 10 most popular religious affiliations (including "none") account for more than 90% of all Oklahomans:[11]

No religious affiliation - 39.24%
Southern Baptist – 28.03%
United Methodist Church – 9.35%
Catholic Church – 4.89%
Assemblies of God – 2.56%
Church of Christ – 2.41%
Disciples of Christ - 1.56%
Evangelical Christian Churches - 1.24%
Church of the Nazarene - 1.06
Presbyterian Church (USA) - 1.02%
Note: Terms shown are the ones used by ARDA; Catholic Church, for instance, versus Roman Catholic Church. The ARDA also notes that their data undercounts traditionally-black churches.

Oklahoma state symbols
Flora
Floral emblem Mistletoe
Wildflower Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella 1910
Tree Redbud Cercis canadensis 1971
Grass Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans 1972
Flower Oklahoma Rose 2004
Fauna
Bird Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Muscivora forficata 1951
Reptile Collared Lizard (Mountain Boomer) Crotaphytus collaris) 1969
Animal Bison Bison bison 1972
Fish White bass (Sand bass) Morone chrysops 1974
Furbearer Animal Common Raccoon Procyon lotor 1989
Insect Honeybee Apis millifera 1992
Game Animal White-tail deer Odocoileus virginians 1990
Game Bird Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo 1990
Butterfly Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes 1996
Amphibian Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana 1997
Fossil Allosaurid dinosaur Saurophaganax maximus 2000
Music
waltz "Oklahoma Wind"
Anthem "Oklahoma!"
lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
music: Richard Rodgers 1953
Song "Oklahoma Hills"
lyrics: Woody Guthrie
music: Woody Guthrie
Musical Instrument Fiddle 1984
Country and Western Song "Faded Love"
by John Willis
and Bob Wills 1988
Folk Dance Square Dance 1988
Percussive Musical Instrument Drum 1993
Children's Song "Oklahoma, My Native Land"
by Martha Kemm Barrett 1996
Western Band The Sounds of the Southwest 1997
Folk Song "Oklahoma Hills"
by Woody Guthrie
and Jack Guthrie 2001
Other
Colors Green and White 1915
Rock Rose Rock (Barite rose) 1968
Theatre Lynn Riggs Players of Oklahoma, Inc. 1971
Poem "Howdy Folks" by David Randolph Milsten 1973
Pin "OK" pin 1982
Beverage Milk 1985
Soil Port Silt Loam Cumulic haplustolls 1987
Meal Fried okra,
squash,
cornbread,
barbecue pork,
biscuits,
sausage and gravy,
grits,
corn,
strawberries,
chicken fried steak,
pecan pie,
and black-eyed peas. 1988
Poet Laureate biennial gubernatorial appointment 1994
Tartan Oklahoma Tartan 1999

Demographics
Historical populations
Census
year Population Change Percent
Change

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1890 258,657 - -
1900 790,391 531,734 206%
1910 1,657,155 866,764 110%
1920 2,028,283 371,128 22%
1930 2,396,040 367,757 18%
1940 2,336,434 -59,606 -2%
1950 2,233,351 -103,083 -4%
1960 2,328,284 94,933 4%
1970 2,559,229 230,945 10%
1980 3,025,290 466,061 18%
1990 3,145,585 120,295 4%
2000 3,450,654 305,069 10%
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, Oklahoma has an estimated population of 3,547,884, which is an increase of 24,338, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 97,232, or 2.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 80,753 people (that is 264,324 births minus 183,571 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 21,128 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,546 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 15,418 people.

Demographics of Oklahoma (csv)
By race White Black AIAN Asian NHPI
AIAN is American Indian or Alaskan Native - NHPI is Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
2000 (total population) 82.59% 8.31% 11.39% 1.71% 0.15%
2000 (hispanic only) 4.73% 0.19% 0.37% 0.05% 0.02%
2005 (total population) 82.20% 8.55% 11.31% 1.92% 0.16%
2005 (hispanic only) 6.10% 0.24% 0.35% 0.06% 0.03%
Growth 2000-2005 (total population) 2.33% 5.76% 2.04% 15.49% 9.51%
Growth 2000-2005 (non-hispanic only) 0.50% 5.17% 2.22% 15.19% 9.47%
Growth 2000-2005 (hispanic only) 32.58% 31.44% -3.27% 25.17% 9.69%

The five largest ancestry groups in Oklahoma are German (14.5%), American (13.1%), Irish (11.8%), English (9.6%), Native American (7.9%, with Cherokees as the largest tribe).

German-Americans are present in the northwestern part of the state. American Indians predominate in eastern Oklahoma. Oklahomans of British ancestry dominate Tulsa and some other areas. Americans of African descent are a plurality in Lawton and Oklahoma City, while Pittsburg county has many Irish-Americans. Oklahoma City has the largest Asian and Asian American populations. A few western counties have significant Mexican American populations.

6.8% of Oklahoma's population was reported as under 5, 25.9% under 18, and 13.2% was 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.9% of the population.

Descendants of these people still live in Oklahoma today. Counties with the names of these tribes also exist. Oklahoma has the second highest number of Native Americans/Amerindians in the country estimated at 395,219 as of 2003. Only California has a higher Amerindian population at 682,720 [3]. Oklahoma also has the second highest concentration of Native Americans/Amerindians in the nation with 11.4% of the state's population, topped only by Alaska at 19% of that state's population. [4]. 39 of the Amerindian tribes currently living in Oklahoma are headquartered in the state.

Trivia
Oklahoma is one of only two states whose capital city's name includes the state name. The other is Indianapolis, Indiana.
The first YIELD sign was used in a trial bases in Tulsa.
Oklahoma was the last state in the Union to legalize tattooing (Bill passed in June 2006, and officially becomes legal November 1, 2006)
The world's first installed parking meter was in Oklahoma City, on July 16, 1935. Carl C. Magee, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is generally credited with originating the parking meter. He filed for a patent for a "coin controlled parking meter" on May 13, 1935.
Vinita is the oldest incorporated town on Oklahoma Route 66 being established in 1871. Vinita was the first town in Oklahoma to enjoy electricity. Originally named Downingville. The town's name was later changed to Vinita, in honor of Vinnie Ream, the sculptress who created the life-size statue of Lincoln at the United States Capitol.
Rural Oklahoma, similar to problems faced by other Plains states (Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa), is seeing populations fall in many communities. Between 1996 and 2004 nearly 500,000 people, half of them with college degrees, left the six states. The effects of rural flight in Oklahoma have mostly been felt in Western Oklahoma.
The Amateur Softball Association of America - a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, OK - was founded in 1933 and has evolved into the strongest softball organization in the country.
Boise City, Oklahoma was the only city in the United States to be bombed during World War II. On Monday night, July 5, 1943, at approximately 12:30 a.m., a B-17 Bomber based at Dalhart Army Air Base (50 miles to the south of Boise City) dropped six practice bombs on the sleeping town.
An Oklahoman, Sylvan Goldman, invented the first shopping cart.
Bob Dunn, a musician from Beggs, invented the first electric guitar in 1935.
In Guthrie, nearly 20,000 lighters and "fire starters" are displayed at the National Lighter Museum. It is the nation's only museum devoted to the collection of lighters.
Oklahoma has approximately 11,611 miles of shoreline, slightly less than the estimated combined general (nontidal) coastline of the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and Arctic Coasts which has 12,383 miles.[12]
In recent years, Oklahoma has become the second largest natural gas-producing state in the nation. Only Texas surpasses Oklahoma in natural gas production.
See also:

More Oklahoma Trivia
Full Auto Shoot

Cavanal Hill, World's tallest hill
List of people from Oklahoma
Partial list of Oklahoma casinos
List of Oklahoma numbered highways
Scouting in Oklahoma
Okie

Further reading
Baird, W. David, and Danney Goble (1994). The Story of Oklahoma. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2650-7.
Dale, Edward Everett, and Morris L. Wardell (1948). History of Oklahoma. New York: Prentice-Hall.
Gibson, Arrell Morgan (1981). Oklahoma: A History of Five Centuries, 2nd ed., Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1758-3.
Goble, Danney (1980). Progressive Oklahoma: The Making of a New Kind of State. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1510-6.
Jones, Stephen (1974). Oklahoma Politics in State and Nation, vol. 1 (1907-62), Enid, Okla.: Haymaker Press.
Joyce, Davis D. (ed.) (1994). An Oklahoma I Had Never Seen Before: Alternative Views of Oklahoma History. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2599-3.
Morgan, Anne Hodges, and H. Wayne Morgan (eds.) (1982). Oklahoma: New Views of the Forty-sixth State. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1651-X.
Morgan, David R., Robert E. England, and George G. Humphreys (1991). Oklahoma Politics and Policies: Governing the Sooner State. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-3106-7.
Morris, John W., Charles R. Goins, and Edwin C. McReynolds (1986). Historical Atlas of Oklahoma, 3rd ed., Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1991-8.
Wishart, David J. (ed.) (2004). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-4787-7.

References
^ a b Oklahoma QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau (English). State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau (2006-01-12). Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
^ Oklahoma State History and Information. A Look at Oklahoma. Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
^ Merserve, John (December 1941). Chief Allen Wright (English). Chronicles of Oklahoma. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
^ a b About Oklahoma (English). TravelOK.com. Retrieved on 2006-07-10.
^ [1] NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.
^ Tulsa, OK: Best Places to do Business 2006 (English) (web). Forbes Magazine pp. 1. Forbes Magazine (2006). Retrieved on 2006-07-23.
^ a b Oklahoma City (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau (English). State & County QuickFacts. U.S. Census Bureau (2006-01-12). Retrieved on 2006-09-16.
^ Population and Housing Profile: Oklahoma City, OK MSA (2003) Retrieved September 16, 2006
^ a b Population in Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas Ranked by 2000 Population for the United States and Puerto Rico: 1990 and 2000 (English) (PDF). United States Census 2000 pp. 3. United State Census Bureau (2003-12-30). Retrieved on 2006-06-08.
^ Population and Housing Profile: Tulsa, OK MSA (2003) Retrieved September 16, 2006
^ Association of Religion Data Archives
^ Oklahoma Water Resources Board, Oklahoma Water Facts: "Oklahoma has approximately 11,611 miles of shoreline ...". (Retrieved August 3, 2006)
U.S. Census Bureau.
Oklahoma QuickFacts. Geographic and demographic information.
Oklahoma - Race and Hispanic Origin: 1890 to 1990

 

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