Oklahoma Real Estate
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GENERAL INFORMATION |
| Oklahoma's current population is 3,450,654 ( 2000, estimated). |
| Oklahoma is comprised of 77 counties. |
| Oklahoma covers 69,919 square miles. |
| Guthrie was the first state capitol of Oklahoma. |
| Oklahoma's state capitol is the only one in the world with an oil well drilled beneath it. |
| Oklahoma is the third largest gas producing state in the nation. |
| The Nellie Johnstone oil well located at Johnston Park in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, had the first flowing commercial well in the world. |
| The world's largest air material center is Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City. |
| Fort Sill at Lawton is the Army's principal artillery school. |
| Pawhuska, Oklahoma, had the first Boy Scout troop in America (1909). |
| Sylvan Goldman of Oklahoma created the first rolling supermarket cart. |
| The first parking meter was created in Oklahoma and installed in Oklahoma City in 1935. |
| Oklahoma has 43 colleges and universities. |
| Oklahoma is the winter quarters for more circuses than any other state. |
| Oklahoma's average annual temperature is a pleasant 60.5 degrees. |
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GEOGRAPHY |
| Oklahoma has four mountain ranges: Ouachitas, Arbuckles, Wichitas, and the Ozarks |
| Forests cover 24 percent of Oklahoma |
| The Poteau River is the only river in Oklahoma that flows north. |
| The world's largest single deposit of pure alabaster may be found in the Alabaster caverns near Freedom, Oklahoma. |
| Oklahoma is linked to the world's waters by the McClellan-Kerr Navigation system--flowing on the Arkansas River through Arkansas to the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. |
| The highest elevation in the state is Black Mesa, 4,978 feet, in far northwestern Oklahoma. |
| The lowest elevation in the state is in the southeast corner near Idabel, at 324 feet |
| Oklahoma has the distinction of having the highest hill in the world, Mount Cavanal, at 1,999 feet. |
| Oklahoma has more man-made lakes (200) than any other state, over one million surface-acres of water, and 2,000 more miles of shoreline than the Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined. |
| The largest lake in Oklahoma is Lake Eufaula, covering 102,000 surface acres of water. |
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HISTORY |
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500-1300AD |
Spiro Indians, linked to the Aztecs, thrived and left burial mounds filled with exquisite artwork and clues to their way of life. A museum displaying their artifacts is near Spiro. |
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1012 |
Viking explorers visited eastern Oklahoma and left their mark near the town of Heavener. |
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1541 |
Oklahoma's recorded history began when Spanish explorer Coronado carved his name and the date on a rock near the Cimarron River in western Oklahoma. |
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1803 |
Oklahoma was part of the Louisiana Purchase. |
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1824 |
Ft. Gibson was the first fort to be established in Oklahoma. |
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1889 |
Land in Indian Territory was opened to white settlement by land runs, lotteries, and auctions. The territory was split in half, and the western half became Oklahoma Territory. |
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1889 |
The first land run was held April 22nd. At exactly noon, a cannon boom signaled the start of the run which opened the Unassigned Lands for settlement. |
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1891 |
The Sac and Fox, Pottawatomie-Shawnee Lands, located just east of the original run site, were opened on September 21. |
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1892 |
The Cheyenne and Arapaho lands in western Oklahoma were opened for run on April 19. |
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1893 |
The largest and most spectacular run in northern Oklahoma, the Cherokee Strip, was held on September 16. |
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1895 |
On May 23rd, the Kickapoo Land Run was held in central Oklahoma. |
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1907 |
November 16, Oklahoma became the 46th state to join the Union. |
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NATIVE AMERICAN FACTS |
| Oklahoma's name is derived from two Choctaw words, "okla" meaning people, and "humma" meaning red; literally meaning "red people." |
| The "Trail of Tears" began in the 1830s. It was the journey of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to Indian Territory. The relocation was forced. |
| The Five Civilized Tribes attempted statehood in 1905 under the name Sequoyah |
| There are 39 tribes and nations of American Indians with headquarters in Oklahoma. Descendants of the original 67 tribes inhabiting Indian Territory still live here. |
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FAMOUS OKLAHOMANS |
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| Gene Autry, Actor/Musician | Mickey Mantle, Baseball |
| Johnny Bench, Baseball | Reba McEntire, Singer/songwriter |
| Garth Brooks, Musician | Roger Miller, Musician |
| Roy Clark, Musician | Tom Mix, Cowboy/actor |
| Gordon Cooper, Astronaut | Patti Page, Singer |
| James Garner, Actor | Wiley Post, Aviator |
| Geronimo, Apache Warrior | Dale Robertson, Actor |
| Vince Gill, Musician | Will Rogers, Humorist/Entertainer |
| Woody Guthrie, Singer/songwriter | Sequoyah, Inventor/Cherokee alphabet |
| Paul Harvey, Broadcast Journalist | Thomas P. Stafford, Astronaut |
| Tony Hillerman, Author | Barry Switzer, Football |
| Ben Johnson, Actor | Jim Thorpe, Athlete |
| Wilma Mankiller, Chief/Cherokee Nation | Dennis Weaver, Actor |
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OKLAHOMA SYMBOLS |
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| State Colors | Green and White | |
| State Grass | Indian Grass | |
| State Insect | Bumblebee | |
| State Motto | "Labor Omnia Vincit" - Labor conquers all things | |
| State Nickname | Sooner State | |
| State Song | "OKLAHOMA!" from the Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical of the same name. | |
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State Animal | American Buffalo or Bison |
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State Bird | Scissor-tailed Flycatcher |
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State Fish | White or Sand Bass |
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State Floral Emblem | Mistletoe |
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State Musical Instrument | Fiddle |
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State Reptile | Mountain Boomer or Collared Lizard |
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State Rock | Rose Rock |
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State Tree | Redbud |
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State Wildflower | Indian Blanket/Gallardia |
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The state flag is an Osage warrior shield on a field of blue with the shield crossed by a peace pipe and an olive branch. | |
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The state seal shows a pioneer and an Indian shaking hands beneath the Scales of Justice, centered in the star. The star's five rays each contain symbols of the Five Civilized Tribes | |