Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's estimated population as of 2008 was 551,789, with an estimated metro-area population of 1,206,142. In 2008, the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,275,758 residents.
Besides the core Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City's city limits extend into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas are rural or suburban. The city ranks as the seventh-largest city in the United States by land area which includes consolidated city-counties; it is the largest city in the United States by land area whose government is not consolidated with that of a county (or, in the case of Alaska, a borough). The city is the largest city and metro area in population of the traditional 'plains states' as well as the South Central United States outside of Texas.
Oklahoma City is an important livestock market, featuring one of the top livestock markets in the world. Oil, Natural Gas, and Petroleum products are a major product of the economy, as the city is situated in the middle of an oil field, with oil derricks even on the capitol grounds. Several prominent Energy companies are headquartered in Oklahoma City. The city has varied light and heavy industries, Tinker Air Force Base and the Federal Government are also vital sources of employment.
The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889. In 1995, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was bombed by Timothy McVeigh. With the Oklahoma City bombing, which resulted in 168 deaths, McVeigh committed 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 CityOklahoma 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 state 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 and Depeche Mode.
Before World War II, Oklahoma City developed major stockyards and, with the 1928 discovery of oil within the city limits (including under the State Capitol), it became a center of oil production. 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. 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. MAPS has become one of the most aggressive and successful public-private partnerships ever undertaken in the U.S. exceeding $3 billion. As a result of MAPS downtown housing has skyrocketed as well as increased demand for residential amenities, such as grocery and other retail stores.
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 "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. 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.
Residents of Oklahoma City 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.
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 CitySee also: List of mayors of Oklahoma CityOklahoma 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.
Sister cities
Oklahoma City has six sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
Haikou, China
Puebla, Mexico
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tainan, Taiwan
Ulyanovsk, Russia
Geography
Main article: List of schools in Oklahoma CityAccording 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
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