Wakita, Oklahoma
| Wakita, Oklahoma | |
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| — Town — | |
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| Coordinates: 36°52′54″N 97°55′26″W / 36.88167°N 97.92389°WCoordinates: 36°52′54″N 97°55′26″W / 36.88167°N 97.92389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Grant |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| • Land | 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,178 ft (359 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 344 |
| • Density | 1,275.4/sq mi (492.4/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 73771 |
| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-77950[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1099292[2] |
Wakita is a town in Grant County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1898. The population was 344 at the 2010 census. It was featured in the 1996 blockbuster film Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in which Wakita was destroyed by an F4 tornado that was part of a storm system later spawning an F5 tornado. False fronts were built onto the existing store fronts for some shots and then were removed and replaced with rubble in the streets after the tornado hit and the rest of the building was removed using CGI. Some buildings were demolished, but nothing was put in to replace them.
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[edit] Geography
Wakita is located at 36°52′54″N 97°55′26″W / 36.88167°N 97.92389°W (36.881781, -97.923757)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2), all of it land.
[edit] History
Before the town's founding in 1898, there was a dispute over the right to name the town. The owner of the First General Store, owned by the "White" family, pushed for the town to be named Whiteville. Shortly after his proposal, Deputy U.S. Marshall Arthur Green motioned the town be named after a Cherokee Chief named Wakita (pronounced Wok-ih-taw). Some believe that Green wanted to name the town in the Chief's honor because of a protective spell supposedly cast to protect the area around the town from tornadoes for a time span of 100 years. This is why Wakita was used in the Hollywood blockbuster Twister, because of the paradox created between the spell and the movie setting.
On May 10, 2010, numerous tornadoes touched down in Grant County, causing significant damage in and near the Wakita area. However, the town itself was not destroyed.
-Other Notables-
- First road in town, 1958
- First traffic light, 1962 (Which was run over by the nightwatchman only 1 week later and was never reinstalled)
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 344 people, 165 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,275.4 people per square mile (491.4/km²). There were 205 housing units at an average density of 622.5 per square mile (239.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.67% White, 0.24% African American, 2.38% Native American, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population.
There were 165 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.6% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 85.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,096, and the median income for a family was $34,792. Males had a median income of $22,361 versus $21,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,302. About 11.4% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 22.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable natives
- Virgil A. Richard, retired brigadier general in the United States Army and gay rights activist.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
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