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City of Oklahoma City
City
Flag of City of Oklahoma City
Flag
Official seal of City of Oklahoma City
Seal
Nickname(s): 
OKC, "The Big Friendly"
Location in Oklahoma County and the state of Oklahoma.
Location in Oklahoma County and the state of Oklahoma.
CountryUnited States
StateOklahoma
CountiesCanadian, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie
Government
 • TypeMayor-Council
 • MayorMick Cornett (R)
 • City ManagerJim Couch
Area
 • City621.2 sq mi (1,608.8 km2)
 • Land607.0 sq mi (1,572.1 km2)
 • Water14.2 sq mi (36.7 km2)
Elevation
1,201 ft (396 m)
Population
 (2006)
 • City537,734
 • Density872/sq mi (336.5/km2)
 • Metro
1,262,027
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
Area code405
FIPS code40-55000Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1102140Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.okc.gov/

Oklahoma City is the capital of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County,Template:GR the city is the 30th largest in the United States[1] The city's estimated population as of 2006 was 537,734[1], with a 2006 estimated population of 1,192,989[2] in the metropolitan area. In 2007, the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,262,027 residents.[2] Besides Oklahoma County, the city extends into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties. It was founded during the Land Run of 1889.

In 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed by a disaffected, decorated U.S. Army veteran. With the bombing resulting in 168 deaths, Timothy McVeigh caused the most destructive act of domestic terrorism in United States history, and the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

History

Main article: History of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City was settled on April 22, 1889, when the area known as the "unassigned lands" was opened for settlement in "The Oklahoma Land Run". Some 10,000 homesteaders settled what is now downtown Oklahoma City and created a tent city in a single day. Within 10 years the population had doubled in what became a permanent settlement and the future capital of Oklahoma.

By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie, the territorial capital, as the population center and commercial hub of the new state. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was a major stop on Route 66 during the early part of the 20th century and was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup's 1946 jazz classic, "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66," later made famous by Nat King Cole.

Before World War II Oklahoma City developed major stockyards and, with the discovery of oil within the city limits (including under the State Capitol), it became a center of oil production.[citation needed] Post-war growth accompanied Oklahoma City's location as a major interchange on the Interstate Highway System, with the convergence of I-35, I-40 and I-44 in the city. It was also aided by federal development of Tinker Air Force Base.

As with many other American cities, center city population declined in the 1970s and 80s as families moved to newer housing in nearby suburbs. Urban Renewal projects in the 1970s removed many older historic structures but failed to spark much additional development.[citation needed] A notable exception was the construction of the Myriad Gardens and Crystal Bridge, a botanical garden and modernistic conservatory in the heart of the city.

In 1993, the city passed a massive redevelopment package known as the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), which aimed to rebuild the city's core. The city added a new baseball park; central library; renovations to the civic center, convention center and fairgrounds; and a canal to the Bricktown entertainment district. In recent years more housing has been developed downtown. Accompanying the housing growth is an increased demand for residential amenities, such as grocery and other retail stores.

The "Core-to-Shore" project was created to relocate I-40 one mile (1.6 km) south and replace it with a boulevard that will create an entrance to the city.[citation needed] This allows the central portion of the city to expand south toward the Oklahoma River, thus connecting the core of the city to the shore of the Oklahoma River.

The Murrah Federal Building damage

Since the MAPS projects' completion, the downtown area has seen continued development. Several of the downtown buildings are undergoing renovation/restoration projects. Notable among these was the restoration of the Skirvin Hotel in 2007. The famed First National Center is also currently being renovated.

The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial

Residents of Oklahoma City were deeply shocked and suffered substantial losses on April 19, 1995 when Timothy McVeigh set off a bomb in front of the Murrah building. The building was destroyed, more than 100 nearby buildings suffered severe damage, and 168 people were killed. The blast became international news.

Local residents rallied together in an effort to contribute however they could, with the attack serving to unite the city as it began a new era of revival. The site is now home to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Since its opening in 2000, over 3 million people have visited. Every year on April 19, survivors, friends and family return to the memorial to read the names of every victim lost.

Government

Main article: Government of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
OKC's art deco City Hall

Oklahoma City has a council-manager form of government, with an elected mayor and council setting policy and an appointed city manager carrying out the day-to-day operations. The center of Oklahoma City's municipal government is historic City Hall, an art deco-style building situated on the western edge of the central business district in downtown. Mick Cornett serves as Mayor, having first been elected in 2004 and then re-elected in 2006. Eight councilpersons represent each of the eight wards of Oklahoma City. The City Manager is Jim Couch, who was appointed in late 2000. He serves on numerous city boards and agencies, and served as Assistant City Manager/MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) Director as well as Water/Wastewater Utilities Director prior to his selection as city manager.

Sister cities

Oklahoma City has six sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 621.2 square miles (1,608.8 km²), of which, 607.0 square miles (1,572.1 km²) of it is land and 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.28% water. Oklahoma City is located in the Frontier Country region of Central Oklahoma, in the Southern Plains of North America; it is on the tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie section of the Great Plains.

Most of the area consists of gently rolling hills, covered in places by stands of dense, low trees, along with shrubs and many varieties of prairie grasses and wildflowers. Those woodlands, mostly to the north and east of the metropolitan area, are known as the Cross Timbers. They consist of blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica), post oak (Q. stellata), hickory (Carya spp.), and other plant species which become more widespread in the southeastern forests, about 100 miles (160 km) east of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

The city is roughly bisected by the North Canadian River (recently renamed the Oklahoma River inside city limits). The North Canadian was once substantial enough to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding areas, including the original Oklahoma City Zoo. In the 1940s the Civilian Conservation Corps built a dam on the river, which reduced its flow for the next 50 years. In the 1990s, as part of the citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low-water dams, returning water to the portion of the river flowing near downtown. The city also has three large lakes: Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser, in the northwestern quarter of the city; and the largest, Lake Stanley Draper, in the sparsely populated far southeast of the city.

Sunset over Lake Hefner in northwest Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City is the seventh largest city in the country in terms of geographic area, and the largest in land area that is not a consolidated city-county[citation needed]. The population density normally reported for the city using area of its city limits can be misleading, as its urbanized zone covers 244 sq mi (630 km2), compared with the rural areas incorporated by the city, which cover 377 sq mi (980 km2).[citation needed]

Oklahoma City is the second largest city in the nation in compliance with the Clean Air Act (after Jacksonville, Florida).[citation needed]

Climate

Main article: Climate of Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City lies in a temperate, sub-humid climate, with frequent variations in weather daily and seasonally, except during the consistently hot and humid summer months. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods.

The summer can be extremely hot, as was evident in 2006 with a few-weeks span of nearly 110 °F (43 °C) temperatures. The average temperature is 60.1 °F (15.6 °C), [citation needed] though colder though the winter months, with a 36.7 °F (2.6 °C) average in January, [citation needed]and warmer during the summer months, with an 82.0 °F (27.8 °C) average in July.[citation needed] The city receives about 32.03 inches (814 mm) of rain annually and 9.0 inches (230 mm) of snow.[citation needed]

Blizzards occur once or twice some winters, while freezing rain occurs a few times most winters. Prolonged periods of either winter precipitation or sub-freezing weather are limited to less than a week in most cases. Over the year, on average, more precipitation falls than is lost to evapotranspiration, unlike drier places to the west.

Due to Oklahoma City's location north of the western edges of the Gulf of Mexico and east of the semi-arid high plains in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, relative humidity also alternates between humid and dry airmasses, though humidity is definitely higher than in areas to the west.

Oklahoma City has a severe weather season from March through August, especially during April and May. Tornadoes have occurred in every month of the year. Oklahoma City has been struck by more tornadoes than any other metropolitan area in the United States.[citation needed] It suffered one of the most powerful tornadoes on record, an F-5 on the Fujita Scale, with wind speeds topping 320 mph (510 km/h). Parts of southern Oklahoma City and nearby communities were devastated by the tornado on May 3, 1999.

Further information: 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Rec High °F (°C) 80 (26.6) 92 (33.3) 93 (33.8) 100 (37.7) 104 (40) 105 (40.5) 110 (43.3) 110 (43.3) 108 (42.2) 96 (35.5) 87 (30.5) 86 (30)
Norm High °F (°C) 47.1 (8.4) 53.5 (11.9) 62.5 (16.9) 71.2 (21.7) 78.9 (26.0) 87.2 (30.6) 93.1 (33.9) 92.5 (33.6) 84.1 (28.9) 73.4 (23) 59.6 (15.3) 49.8 (9.8)
Norm Low °F (°C) 26.2 (-3.2) 31.1 (-0.5) 39.4 (4.1) 48.1 (8.9) 57.9 (14.4) 66.4 (19.1) 70.8 (21.5) 69.8 (21) 62.2 (16.7) 50.6 (10.3) 38.2 (3.4) 29.2 (-1.5)
Rec Low °F (°C) -4 (-20) -3 (-19.4) 3 (-16.1) 20 (-6.6) 37 (2.7) 47 (8.3) 53 (11.6) 51 (10.5) 36 (2.2) 16 (-8.8) 11 (-11.6) -8 (-22.2)
Precip in (mm) 1.28 (32.5) 1.56 (39.6) 2.9 (73.7) 3 (76.2) 5.44 (138.2) 4.63 (117.6) 2.94 (74.7) 2.48 (63.0) 3.98 (101.1) 3.64 (92.4) 2.11 (53.6) 1.89 (48.0)
Source: USTravelWeather.com [3]

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 506,132 people, 204,434 households, and 129,406 families residing in the city. The population density was 321.9/km² (833.8/sq mi) for the entire city but was more than 2600/sq mi in the urbanized areas[citation needed]. There were 228,149 housing units at an average density of 375.9/sq mi (145.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 66.9% White, 14.7% Black or African American, 3.5% Native American, 3.5% Asian American, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 5.2% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. 12.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 204,434 households, 30.8% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.7% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,947, and the median income for a family was $42,689.Males had a median income of $31,589 versus $24,420 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,098. 16.0% of the population and 12.4% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 23.0% of those under the age of 18 and 9.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

In June, 2007, the U.S. Census announced its estimate that Oklahoma City had grown in population 1.26 percent between July, 2005 and July, 2006. Since the official Census in 2000, Oklahoma City has grown over six percent, according to the Census Bureau's estimates.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

Main article: Oklahoma City metropolitan area

Oklahoma City is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area in Central Oklahoma and is the state's largest urbanized area. The metropolitan area was the 46th largest in the nation as of the year 2000.

Economy

Oklahoma City has an increasingly diverse economy.[citation needed] What was once a city known as a regional center of federal agencies and energy exploration has expanded and diversified to include sectors such as biotechnology, information technology, services, health services, and administration within the past 15 years. Several Oklahoma City-based companies, such as Devon Energy and Chesapeake Energy, rank among the largest corporations (Fortune 500) in the nation.[citation needed]

According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area's economic output grew by 33 percent between 2001 and 2005 due chiefly to economic diversification. Its gross metropolitan product totaled $43.1 billion in 2005.[3]

Neighborhoods

Main article: Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City
A 2008 panoramic view of Downtown Oklahoma City's skyline.

Oklahoma City has a wide variety of neighborhoods. Some inner-city neighborhoods are old and stately whereas others are old and gritty. Some neighborhoods are undergoing renovation and gentrification. Inner-city neighborhoods radiate from those located in downtown and include mostly single-family detached houses with yards. There are a number of apartment dwellings as well, many with a more urban style. Downtown there are numerous condo developments and several high-rise options.

Outside of the inner city, Oklahoma City has choices between suburban and rural neighborhoods. The suburban varieties tend to have large tracts of single-family detached housing with large yards. The tracts are usually concentrated around a common setting, such as a lake or shopping destination. The suburban neighborhoods offer a large number of apartment dwellings and not many multi-family ownership offerings. Rural offerings are relatively extensive given the city's geographic expanse; however, most are not within neighborhoods. In the rural areas, most of the land is protected; however, there are occasional ranch or industrial/office properties.

Education

Higher education

Oklahoma City is home to several colleges and universities, including Oklahoma City University (formerly called Epworth University) in Uptown. This university, founded by the United Methodist Church, is renowned for its performing arts programs. It has one of Oklahoma's three law schools. The university hosts many theater, music, and dance events for the community each year, including a Christmas event. The most recent addition to the campus of OCU is the Wanda L. Bass School of Music, which hosts the Oklahoma City University Symphony Orchestra and the OCU Musical Theatre Company. Three of Oklahoma's Miss Americas are graduates of OCU. The campus includes a sculpture in their honor.

Park on campus of OU Medical Center near downtown

The University of Oklahoma has centers in the city and metropolitan area, with the OU Medical Center due east of downtown and the main OU campus located in the suburb of Norman. OU is one of only four major universities in the nation to have all six medical schools. The OU Medical Center is the nation's largest independent medical center, employing more than 12,000 people.[citation needed]

Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City is located in the Furniture District on the Westside. Oklahoma City Community College in south OKC is the second-largest community college in the state.

The third-largest university in the state, the University of Central Oklahoma, is located just north of the city in the suburb of Edmond. Just east of Oklahoma City is Rose State College located in Midwest City. Northeast of the city is Langston University, the state's historically black college (HBCU).

There are also a number of private colleges and universities throughout the city and surrounding suburbs, including:

The city is also the location of the FAA's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center. This facility provides the first federal training for the nation's Air Traffic Controllers.

Primary and secondary

Oklahoma City Public Schools is the city's largest school district and second-largest in the state.[4] The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City is home to some of the state's most gifted math and science pupils. Classen School of Advanced Studies is located in the Oklahoma City Public School District, a national Blue Ribbon School.[citation needed] It was recently named the No. 17-school in the nation according to Newsweek [7]. In addition, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School in OKCPS was named the top middle school in the state according to the Academic Performance Index, and recently received the Blue Ribbon School Award.[citation needed]

Advanced Science and Technology Education Center (ASTEC), Inc. is an Oklahoma Charter School(both Middle and High School) that began as a summer camp in 1986 while its founder, Dr. Freda Deskin, was on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma. Either the Oklahoma University or Oklahoma City University had, at various times since its inception, sponsored various aspects of ASTEC’s programs. On April 9 2000, ASTEC Charter School became the State of Oklahoma’s first start-up charter school. In addition to the Middle / High School, ASTEC offers an After School Programs, Summer Camp, Virtual School (grades 7-12), and Outreach Programs such as rocketry. In last year's first graduating class, 100% of students are now attending a university. [citation needed]

There are numerous suburban districts which surround the urban OKCPS district, such as Putnam City Public Schools in suburban northwest Oklahoma City, and Mid-Del Schools [8], serving the eastern and southeastern parts of the metropolitan area. The city also has very well developed private and parochial schools, including Casady School, Heritage Hall Schools, Providence Hall, and the schools of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City including Bishop McGuinness High School and Mount Saint Mary High School. Of special note, St. Mary's is the oldest high school in the state, founded in 1903 by the Sisters of Mercy.[citation needed]

A civic initiative named "MAPS for Kids" is attempting to remedy the problems of the inner city district. It will provide new schools for the central city and improve their concatchment areas by moving certain schools closer to wealthier neighborhoods. A sort of "reverse white-flight" is the underlying concept of initiative with the old decrepit inner-city schools being renovated or rebuilt and new technology being made available. An example of this includes John Marshall High School in North Oklahoma City, once said to be the worst public school in the state, is being rebuilt on land closer to Lake Hefner. It is hoped that the new school, complete with facilities and attractions familiar in many suburban districts, will attract the higher income families and thus improve the Oklahoma City district. However, controversy over the relocation of the high school has also raised questions over the wisdom of relocating a historically African-American high school to a predominantly white area. "MAPS for Kids" is funded with a voter-approved one-cent sales tax over seven years, which expires in December 2007. [citation needed]

CareerTech

Oklahoma City has several public career and technology education schools associated with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, the largest of which are Metro Technology Center and Francis Tuttle Technology Center.

Private career and technology education schools in Oklahoma City include Oklahoma Technology Institute, Platt College, Vatterott College, and Heritage College.

Culture

Museums and theatre

File:OKC moa red.jpg
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art

The Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center is the new downtown home for the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The museum features visiting exhibits, original selections from its own collection, a theater showing a variety of foreign, independent, and classic films each week, and a restaurant. OKCMOA is also home to the most comprehensive collection of Chihuly glass in the world including the fifty-five foot Eleanor Blake Kirkpatrick Memorial Tower in the Museum's atrium.[5] The newly renovated art deco Civic Center Music Hall has performances from ballet and opera to traveling Broadway shows and concerts. Stage Center for the Performing Arts is home to many of the city's top theater companies. The building that houses Stage Center, designed by John Johansen is a modernist architectural landmark, with the original model displayed in MOMA in New York City. Also in downtown, the Ford Center was ranked by concert industry group Pollstar as one of the top ten live music venues in the world in ticket sales.[citation needed]

The Survivor Tree on the grounds of the Oklahoma City National Memorial

Other theaters include the Lyric Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre, the Kirkpatrick Auditorium and the 488-seat Petree Recital Hall, at the Oklahoma City University campus. The university also opened the Wanda L Bass School of Music and auditorium in April of 2006.

The Science Museum Oklahoma (formerly Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum at Omniplex) houses exhibits on science, photography, aviation, and an IMAX theater. The International Photography Hall of Fame (IPHF) exhibits photographs and artifacts from a large collection of cameras and other artifacts preserving the history of photography. IPHF honors those who have made significant contributions to the art and/or science of photography. http://www.iphf.org

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has galleries of western art and is home to the Hall of Great Western Performers. The Oklahoma City National Memorial in the northern part of Oklahoma City's downtown was created and the inscription on its eastern gate says, "to honor the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995". The outdoor Symbolic Memorial can be visited 24 hours a day for free, and the adjacent Memorial Museum, located in the former Journal Record building damaged by the bombing, can be entered for a small fee. The site is also home to the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a non partisan, non profit thinktank devoted to the prevention of terrorism.

Outdoor recreation

The Myriad Botanical Gardens in downtown OKC

One of the more prominent landmarks downtown is the Crystal Bridge at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, a large downtown urban park. Designed by I. M. Pei, the Crystal Bridge is a tropical conservatory in the area. The park has an amphitheater, known as the Water Stage. In 2007, following a renovation of the stage, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park relocated to the Myriad Gardens. There is also a lake in the middle of the park inhabited by large Japanese Koi replete with waterfalls and fountains.

The Oklahoma City Zoological Park is home to numerous natural habitats, WPA era architecture and landscaping, and hosts major touring concerts during the summer at its amphitheater. Oklahoma City also has two amusement parks, Frontier City theme park and White Water Bay water park. Frontier City is an 'Old West' themed amusement park. The park also features a recreation of a western gunfight at the 'OK Corral' and many shops that line the "Western" town's main street. Frontier City also hosts a national concert circuit at its amphitheater during the summer. White Water Bay is located north of Will Rogers World Airport.

Walking trails line Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser in the northwest part of the city and downtown at the canal and the Oklahoma River. Part of the east shore of Lake Hefner has been developed into upscale offices and restaurants, but the majority of the area around the lake is taken up by parks and trails, including a new leashless dog park and the postwar era Stars and Stripes Park. Lake Stanley Draper is the city's largest and most remote lake. The city is implementing a new trail system that will be akin to a bicycle freeway system.[citation needed]

File:The Oklahoman front page.jpg
The Oklahoman

Media

See also: Broadcast Media in Oklahoma City

The Oklahoman is Oklahoma City's major metro newspaper, the most widely circulated in the state. The Oklahoma Gazette is Oklahoma City's independent newsweekly, featuring such staples as local commentary, feature stories, classifieds, restaurant reviews and movie listings. The Journal Record is Oklahoma City's daily business newspaper and OKC Business is a bi-monthly business publication. The MidCity Advocate is Oklahoma City's newest weekly broadsheet, covering positive developments in downtown, the State Capitol district, and the neighborhoods in Oklahoma City's historic core.

In addition, there are various community and international papers in the city that cator to the ethnic mosaic of the city; such as The Black Chronicle, headquartered in the Eastside, the OK VIETIMES and Oklahoma Chinese Times, located in Asia District, and various Hispanic publications. Gay publications include Hard News Online and Standout Magazine.

There are also five metro lifestyle magazines produced by local publisher, Southwestern Publishing: Nichols Hills News, Edmond Monthly, Norman Living, Northwest Style and Downtown Monthly. In addition are two magazines published by Back40 Design: The Edmond Outlook and the Shawnee Outlook. Both contain local commentary and human interest pieces provided to over 150,000 Oklahomans.

Oklahoma City was home to several pioneers in radio and television broadcasting. Oklahoma City's WKY Radio was the first radio station transmitting west of the Mississippi River and the third radio station in the United States.[citation needed] WKY received its federal license in 1921 and has continually broadcast under the same call letters since 1922. In 1928 WKY was purchased by E.K. Gaylord's Oklahoma Publishing Company and affiliated with NBC [9]; in 1949, WKY-TV went on the air and became the first independently-owned television station in the U.S. to broadcast in color.[citation needed]

Sports

File:Ballpark mosaic.jpg
"The Brick", home of the Oklahoma Redhawks and Big XII Baseball.

Oklahoma City is home to several professional sports clubs including the Oklahoma RedHawks, a AAA affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The Redhawks play in the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, which is considered one of the finest minor league parks in the nation. Other teams include the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of arena football, the Oklahoma City Lightning of the National Women's Football Association, and the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League.

The Ford Center in downtown is the large multipurpose arena which hosts concerts, NHL exhibition games, and the city's pro sports teams. Located in Bricktown near the Ford Center, AT&T Bricktown Ballpark is the home to the city's baseball team. There are several other stadiums and arenas in the city, including the arena inside the Cox Convention Center, the State Fair Arena, Taft Stadium, the Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium, and Abe Lemons Arena at Oklahoma City University.

Oklahoma City is host to numerous major college and amateur sporting events. The major universities in the area - (University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, and Oklahoma State University) - often schedule several basketball games and major sporting events at Ford Center, although most games are played in their campus arenas.

The Oklahoma City University Stars has a slate of sporting clubs which play on campus including a top-rated rowing program which has events on the Oklahoma River. Of special note, the university had announced its desire to possibly enter the NCAA during the 2007 athletic season.

Oklahoma City is the annual host of the Big 12 Baseball Tournament, the World Cup of Softball, and the annual NCAA Women's College World Series. The city has held the 2005 NCAA Men's Basketball First and Second Round and hosted the Big 12 Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments in 2007; the city will be the site again in 2009.

Other major sporting events include Thoroughbred and Quarterhorse racing circuits at Remington Park and numerous horse shows and equine events that take place at the state fairgrounds each year. There are numerous golf courses and country clubs spread around the city in addition to tennis clubs and highschool level sporting activities.

Ford Center at night

In the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, Louisiana and surrounding area, the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association temporarily relocated to the Ford Center, playing the majority of its home games there during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. The team became the first major-league sports franchise to play regular-season games in the state of Oklahoma. The Hornets permanently returned to New Orleans for the 2007-08 season, and host the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. The Hornets played an exhibition game, attended by 6,324 fans [6], in Oklahoma City on October 9, 2007 against the Houston Rockets, as a way to say thanks for the temporary hosting. The Hornets won the game 94-92.

Possible Relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics

Main article: Seattle SuperSonics proposed relocation to Oklahoma City

On April 18, 2008, the NBA gave conditional approval for the Seattle Supersonics to move for the 2008-2009 season to Oklahoma City provided they can free themselves from the legal challenges to the move and ownership of the team. With a 28-2 vote by its board of owners it became possible that the Sonics will become Oklahoma's first permanent major league professional sports team. The Sonics could re-apply for relocation in 2010 upon the expiration of its current lease with Seattle's KeyArena, or sooner if legally possible. The City of Seattle has filed a lawsuit, scheduled to begin on June 16, to keep the Sonics at KeyArena through its lease. The former ownership group headed up by Howard Schultz is also filing a lawsuit to rescind the sale of the team. Although NBA Commissioner David Stern has urged the city to reconsider its lawsuit on the basis that the Sonics would became a "lame duck" team if they were forced to stay until 2010, he said the Sonics are prepared to play two more seasons if they lost in court. The City of Seattle responded that the lawsuit only exists because of Bennett's attempt to break the lease and the city will not accept a cash only settlement. The team could become the fourth NBA franchise to relocate since 1985; the Kansas City Kings moved to Sacramento, the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis and the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans.[7]

The process of relocation began in July 2006, when a group of Oklahoma City businessmen, led by Clay Bennett, purchased the SuperSonics. After a failed attempt to build a new arena in a Seattle suburb the group requested permission from the NBA to move the team to Oklahoma City.[8] The ownership group left open the possibility of remaining in the Seattle area if financing for a new arena can be arranged before completion of the relocation process.[8] The group is attempting to break the Sonics’ lease with Key Arena in 2008, before its 2010 termination. The city of Seattle has rejected offers to buy the lease. A court date in June 2008 is set to decide if the Sonics can break their Key Arena lease.[citation needed]

On March 4, 2008, Oklahoma City voters approved a renovation of the Ford Center, including construction of a new NBA practice facility, in anticipation of an NBA team. Bennett reached a preliminary agreement with Oklahoma City on March 14 over a 15-year lease of the Ford Center, which will be presented to the city council and become official if the NBA approves the move and upon termination of the Key Arena lease in 2008 or 2010.[9] The Oklahoma State Legislature also passed a bill that provides tax incentives to the Sonics.[7]

Professional teams

Club Sport League Stadium
Oklahoma City Sonics Basketball National Basketball Association Ford Center
Oklahoma RedHawks Baseball Pacific Coast League AT&T Bricktown Ballpark
Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Arena Football af2 Ford Center
Oklahoma City Lightning Football Women's Football: National Women's Football Association Taft Stadium
Oklahoma City Blazers Hockey Central Hockey League Ford Center

Additionally, Oklahoma City was home to several now defunct sports teams:

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City is an integral point on the U.S. Interstate Network. Interstate 35, Interstate 40, and Interstate 44 bisect the city, Interstate 240 connects I-40 to I-44 in South OKC, the Lake Hefner Parkway (SH-74) runs through Northwest Oklahoma City, Kilpatrick Turnpike makes a loop around North and West Oklahoma City, Airport Rd. (SH-152) runs through Southwest Oklahoma City and leads to Will Rogers World Airport, Broadway Extension (US-77) connects Central Oklahoma City to Edmond, and Interstate 235 spurs from I-44 in North Central OKC into downtown Oklahoma City.

As reported by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in 2005, the busiest freeway in Oklahoma City, and in the state of Oklahoma, is Interstate 44, with an average of 118,000 to 132,000 vehicles daily.[citation needed] The I-40 Crosstown Oklahoma City Crosstown Construction Project will relocate a stretch of highway near downtown several blocks to the south. It was expected to be completed by the end of 2008, however new reports now say it could be as late as 2012 that the new Crosstown will be complete.[citation needed]

Riders prepare to board the Amtrak Heartland Flyer

Oklahoma City is served by two primary airports, Will Rogers World Airport and the much smaller Wiley Post Airport (incidentally, the two honorees died in the same plane crash in Alaska). Will Rogers World Airport is currently completing a major reconstruction period. Tinker Air Force Base, in East OKC, is the largest military air depot in the nation, a major maintenance and deployment facility for the Navy and the Air Force, and the second largest military institution in the state (after Fort Sill in Lawton).

Amtrak has a train station downtown, with daily service to Fort Worth and the nation's rail network via the Heartland Flyer. There is also a heritage rail line under re-construction that will connect Bricktown and the Adventure District in NE Oklahoma City. [citation needed]

Greyhound and several other intercity bus companies serve Oklahoma City at Union Bus Station, Downtown. METRO Transit is the public transit company. Their bus terminal and headquarters is located downtown at NW 5th Street and Hudson Avenue.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-01.csv
  2. ^ "CBSA-EST2006-02.com".
  3. ^ City area enjoys increase in jobs | NewsOK.com
  4. ^ "General Information". Oklahoma City Public Schools. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
  5. ^ Dale Chihuly: The Exhibition | Oklahoma City Museum Of Art
  6. ^ New Orleans Hornets, Chris Paul, Hilton Armstrong, Bobby Jackson, National Basketball Association, Houston Rockets - CBSSports.com
  7. ^ a b "NBA approves Sonics' move to Oklahoma amid legal wrangling". KOMO-TV. 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  8. ^ a b Johns, Greg (2007-11-02). "Bennett says Sonics going to Oklahoma". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
  9. ^ Jojo Doria (2008-03-15). "Oklahoma's Sonics offer gets sweeter all the time". All Headline News. Retrieved 2008-03-15.

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