BigDaddyData.Com: Oklahoma Oklahoma City

    Oklahoma City, city in central Oklahoma, lying on a level plain on both sides of the North Canadian River. It is the capital of the state and seat of Oklahoma County, and is also in Canadian, Cleveland, McClain, and Pottawatomie counties.

    In addition to being the seat of the state government, Oklahoma City is the state's principal financial, commercial, and transportation center. It is also a center for producing and refining crude petroleum, and working oil towers appear on the skyline in many areas of the city. Other manufactures include fabricated metal, aerospace and electronic equipment, cars, and tires. Cattle and wheat produced in the area are processed and shipped from the city. Nearby Tinker Air Force Base, a large aircraft supply and repair depot, is a major employer. The city is served by Will Rogers World Airport.

    Among the points of interest in Oklahoma City are the State Capitol, one of the few in the nation without a dome, and probably the only one in the world with a working oil well on its grounds; the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center; the National Softball Hall of Fame; and the State Museum of History. Enterprise Square, USA is an entertainment complex which aims to explain the American system of free enterprise with games and hands-on exhibits, such as a doughnut shop that teaches the law of supply and demand. The Kirkpatrick Center includes the Air Space Museum, the International Photography Hall of Fame, and the Omniplex, a hands-on science museum.

    The city is the site of Oklahoma City University (1904), the Health Sciences Center (established in 1910) of the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts (1950), and two junior colleges. Major annual events in the city are the Red Earth Festival, a celebration of Native American Arts, in June, and the large State Fair of Oklahoma, which begins in mid-September.

    From early times the Oklahoma City region was inhabited by Native Americans including the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole peoples. In 1889 President Rutherford B. Hayes opened the area to settlement by whites with a famous land run for staking out claims. In a single day (April 22) a tent city of nearly 10,000 inhabitants sprang up at the site of the city. A railroad stop, opened in 1887, also encouraged settlement. Oklahoma City incorporated in 1890. By 1910, when Oklahoma City replaced Guthrie as the state capital, it was already the largest city in Oklahoma. It enjoyed great economic growth after productive oil and gas fields in and near the city were discovered in 1928. Subsequently, oil derricks, or towers, were built throughout the city, some situated on the lawns of private homes and near public buildings, notably the capitol.

    In the 1970s and 1980s the city center was renewed according to a plan drawn up in the early 1960s by Chinese American architect I. M. Pei. On April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City became the site of the most deadly terrorist attack in the history of the United States. A massive bomb exploded in a truck in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people, destroying much of the structure, and damaging many other buildings in the surrounding area. On June 2, 1997, Timothy McVeigh was found guilty of 11 counts of murder and conspiracy in connection with the bombing. Terry L. Nichols was convicted of conspiracy and involuntary manslaughter for his part in the attack. In the aftermath of the bombing, the city began work on a number of downtown redevelopment projects. A new stadium for the Triple A baseball team, the Oklahoma Redhawks, opened in 1998.

    Oklahoma City covers a land area of 1574.2 sq km (607.8 sq mi), with a mean elevation of 365 m (1197 ft). According to the 1990 census, whites are 74.9 percent of the population, blacks 15.9 percent, Native Americans 4.2 percent, and Asians and Pacific Islanders 2.3 percent. The remainder are of mixed heritage or did not report ethnicity. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are 4.8 percent of the people. Population (1980) 403,213; (1990) 444,719; (1994 estimate) 463,201.