Ardmore is located between Oklahoma City and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. It sits where Interstate 35 and U.S. Highway 70 meet. Many people see Ardmore as the center of South Central Oklahoma. This area is also called "Chickasaw Country" for tourists.

The city is about 9 miles (14 km) south of the Arbuckle Mountains. It is also in an area known for its oil, called the Healdton Basin.

Ardmore was named after a town in Pennsylvania. That town was named after Ardmore in County Waterford, Ireland. The name "Ardmore" means "high grounds" or "hill" in the Irish language.

History

Main and Washington streets, downtown Ardmore

Ardmore started in the summer of 1887. It grew because the Santa Fe Railroad was built through the area. At first, it was a trading post for the region.

In 1895, a big fire destroyed much of the young town. People had to rebuild almost everything. In the early 1900s, Ardmore became famous for its many cotton fields. It was even called the world's largest inland cotton port.

The city is near one of Oklahoma's biggest oil fields, the Healdton Oil Field. After oil was found there in 1913, many oil explorers came to the area. Carter County quickly became Oklahoma's top oil-producing county. Ardmore has been an energy center ever since.

In 1915, a train car exploded in Ardmore. This event caused a lot of damage and led to the city creating its first fire department. In 1966, Ardmore was the site of a plane crash. In 1995, a strong tornado hit the city.

Sports

Ardmore has a history with minor league baseball. Teams like the Ardmore Cardinals played in different leagues. They won championships in 1923, 1925, and 1957.

A famous baseball player, Carl Hubbell, played for the Ardmore Bearcats in 1924. He later joined the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Geography

Panorama looking east, downtown Ardmore

Ardmore is in southeastern Carter County. To its west is Lone Grove, and to its east is Dickson.

The city covers about 51.8 square miles (134.1 km²). Most of this is land, with about 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²) being water.

Ardmore is about 10 miles (16 km) south of the Arbuckle Mountains. These are old mountains that stretch across southern Oklahoma. The area around Ardmore has many different types of rocks and land.

The city itself does not have rivers or streams. However, it is part of the Washita and Red River systems. Ardmore is also 3 miles (5 km) north of Lake Murray.

Climate

Climate data for Ardmore, Oklahoma
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	83 (28)	87 (31)	92 (33)	96 (36)	97 (36)	105 (41)	109 (43)	110 (43)	107 (42)	98 (37)	87 (31)	92 (33)	110 (43)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	53 (12)	57 (14)	63 (17)	74 (23)	81 (27)	91 (33)	94 (34)	96 (36)	89 (32)	77 (25)	64 (18)	55 (13)	75 (24)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	29 (−2)	34 (1)	38 (3)	50 (10)	59 (15)	68 (20)	72 (22)	70 (21)	63 (17)	51 (11)	37 (3)	31 (−1)	50 (10)
Record low °F (°C)	−4 (−20)	0 (−18)	6 (−14)	26 (−3)	37 (3)	48 (9)	58 (14)	54 (12)	43 (6)	25 (−4)	13 (−11)	5 (−15)	−4 (−20)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	1.8 (46)	1.8 (46)	2.4 (61)	3.8 (97)	5.8 (150)	3.7 (94)	3 (76)	2.3 (58)	3.5 (89)	3.2 (81)	1.5 (38)	1.7 (43)	34.3 (870)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	2.1 (5.3)	1 (2.5)	0.5 (1.3)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0.1 (0.25)	0.9 (2.3)	4.6 (12)
Source: Weatherbase.com

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	5,681	—
1910	8,618	51.7%
1920	14,181	64.6%
1930	15,741	11.0%
1940	16,886	7.3%
1950	17,890	5.9%
1960	20,184	12.8%
1970	20,881	3.5%
1980	23,689	13.4%
1990	23,079	−2.6%
2000	23,711	2.7%
2010	24,283	2.4%
2020	24,725	1.8%
Sources:

In 2010, Ardmore had 24,283 people. The city had about 483 people per square mile. There were 10,926 homes.

The people living in Ardmore were mostly White (73.02%). There were also African American (11.27%), Native American (8.78%), and Asian (0.99%) residents. Some people were from other races (1.55%) or two or more races (4.37%). About 3.70% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

About 30% of homes had children under 18. About 47.4% were married couples. The average home had 2.36 people. The average family had 2.95 people.

About 25.1% of the people were under 18. About 18.8% were 65 or older. The average age was 39 years.

Economy

Ardmore is a main trading center for a ten-county area in South Central Oklahoma.

Some of Ardmore's biggest employers include Michelin North America and Mercy Hospital Ardmore. Michelin plans to close its Ardmore plant in 2025. Many people also work for distribution centers like Best Buy and Dollar Tree.

The Valero oil refinery in Ardmore employs about 250 people. Ardmore is also home to the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation. This foundation does research in agriculture. In 2001, East Jordan Iron Works opened a factory in Ardmore. The Oklahoma Blood Institute opened a large blood donation center here in 2020.

Arts and culture

Central Park, view towards historic bandstand, downtown Ardmore

Charles B. Goddard Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, downtown Ardmore

Ardmore has a rich history with the oil industry. Wealth from oil has helped fund many good causes and art projects.

Places to visit include:

Ardmore Civic Auditorium, which hosts concerts and events.
Hardy Murphy Coliseum, a historic building for rodeos and shows.

The Ardmore Masonic Lodge is one of the city's oldest groups.

Parts of the movies Dillinger (1973) and Fast Charlie... the Moonbeam Rider (1979) were filmed in Ardmore.

Education

Colleges and universities

Ardmore has the University Center of Southern Oklahoma. This center lets students take classes and earn degrees from four different colleges: Murray State College, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, East Central University, and Oklahoma State University.

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools in Ardmore are run by Ardmore City Schools and Plainview Public Schools. There is also the Ardmore Christian School.

Ardmore-Oak Hall Episcopal School is one of only three Episcopal schools in Oklahoma.

The CareerTech also has a campus here.

Media

Tucker's Tower, on the eastern shore of Lake Murray, which borders the southern city limits of Ardmore

Newspaper

The Daily Ardmoreite has been the local newspaper since 1893.

Television

KTEN – Channel 10 (NBC)
KTEN – DT Channel 10-2 (The CW Texoma)
KTEN – DT Channel 10-3 (ABC)
KXII – Channel 12 (CBS)
KXII – DT Channel 12-2 (My Texoma)
KXII – DT Channel 12-3 (FOX Texoma)
K36KE-D – DT Channel 36 (PBS OETA)

Radio

KVSO – 1240

KLCU – 90.3 (Public/NPR)
KFXI – 92.1 (Country)
KTRX – 92.7 (Classic Rock)
KKAJ – 95.7 (Country)
KICM – 97.7 (Country)
KYNZ – 107.1 (Oldies)

Transportation

Historic Santa Fe Rail Station and adjacent track yard. This facility serves as the Amtrak station for Ardmore on the Heartland Flyer route.

Highways

Interstate 35 goes through the west side of Ardmore. This highway runs all the way from Minnesota to Texas.

Ardmore has four exits off I-35:

Exit 29 (US-70 east)
Exits 31A-B (State Highway 199 east/U.S. 70 west)
Exit 32 (12th St NW)
Exit 33 (State Highway 142)

Ardmore is also where US-70, US-77, SH-142, and SH-199 meet. Ardmore is connected to Lake Murray by State Highway 77S.

Airports

Ardmore has two airports for general aviation: Ardmore Downtown Executive Airport and Ardmore Municipal Airport.

The closest airports with regular flights are Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. These are about 99 miles (159 km) north and 95 miles (153 km) south of Ardmore. You can get to DFW Airport by train from Ardmore.

Rail

Ardmore has a main train line used by Burlington Northern Santa Fe. This line goes from Fort Worth, Texas to Oklahoma City. It is also the route for the Heartland Flyer passenger train.

This train line started in 1887. There are many tracks running through central Ardmore. There is also a smaller track that goes to the Michelin tire plant. This track is mainly for bringing raw materials to the factory.

Mass transit

The historic Santa Fe depot in downtown Ardmore is a stop for Amtrak's Heartland Flyer train. This train offers daily service to Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.

Ardmore also has a stop for the Greyhound/Jefferson Bus Lines system.

The Southern Oklahoma Rural Transportation System (SORTS) started in 1985. It offers transportation services in four counties, including Carter County. They help people get to work, medical appointments, and other places.

Ardmore used to have streetcars. The first streetcar system started in 1906. It grew to include a park. However, the company faced problems and the streetcars stopped running by 1922. The tracks were removed in the 1930s.

Historic buildings

Many historic buildings are still in Ardmore:

Ardmore Carnegie Library
Ardmore Historic Commercial District
Ardmore Municipal Auditorium
Black Theater of Ardmore
Carter County Courthouse
Central Park Bandstand
Dornick Hills Country Club
Douglas High School Auditorium
Dunbar School
Galt-Franklin Home
Hardy Murphy Coliseum
Johnson Home
Lake Murray State Park
Oklahoma, New Mexico and Pacific Railroad Depot
Sayre-Mann House
Turner House

Notable people

Thomas Benson, a football player for the Los Angeles Raiders.
Justin Blackmon, a former football player for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Charles Coe, a two-time U.S. Amateur golf champion.
Eric Fields, a professional boxer.
Mark Gastineau, a former NFL defensive star for the New York Jets.
Sylvan Goldman, who invented the shopping cart.
Jermaine Gresham, a former football player for the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals.
Columbus Marion Joiner, important in the East Texas Oil Field discovery.
Terence C. Kern, a United States District Judge.
Walt Lamb, a football player.
B. P. Loughridge, a cardiovascular surgeon and author.
Rue McClanahan, an Emmy Award-winning actress from The Golden Girls.
Mazola McKerson, Ardmore's first African American mayor and first female mayor of a large U.S. city.
Joe McQueen, a jazz musician.
Tessie Mobley, an opera singer.
Samuel Lloyd Noble, an oilman and philanthropist.
Mike Pouncey, a football player for the Miami Dolphins.
Rex Ryan, a former NFL head coach.
Russ Saunders, a former football player for the Green Bay Packers.
Michael Schwab (designer), an American graphic designer.
Sallie Lewis Stephens Sturgeon, a journalist and social worker.
Tom Tipps, an Oklahoma businessman and legislator.
Mauree Turner, an Oklahoma politician.
Carolyn Warner, an Arizona politician.

Images for kids

Ardmore downtown skyline
Seal of Ardmore, Oklahoma
Location of Ardmore in Oklahoma

Ardmore, Oklahoma facts for kids

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