Bartlesville, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bartlesville, Oklahoma
City
Downtown Bartlesville viewed from the Price Tower (2008)
Nickname(s):  B-ville
Location of Bartlesville within Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Counties	Washington, Osage
Bartlesville, Indian Territory	January 15, 1897
Area
• Total	22.58 sq mi (58.47 km2)
• Land	22.55 sq mi (58.41 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	702 ft (214 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	37,290
• Density	1,653.59/sq mi (638.45/km2)
• μSA	52,455 (US: 198th)
• CSA	1,153,719 (US: 53rd)
Demonym(s)	Bartian
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	74003-74006
Area codes	539/918
FIPS code	40-04450
GNIS feature ID	2409792
Website	cityofbartlesville.org

Bartlesville is a city located mostly in Washington County and partly in Osage County, Oklahoma. In 2020, about 37,290 people lived there. Bartlesville is about 47 miles north of Tulsa and 18 miles south of the Kansas border. It is the main city of Washington County. The Caney River flows right through Bartlesville.

This city is well-known as the original home of Phillips Petroleum Company. Frank Phillips started Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville in 1905. Back then, this area was still called Indian Territory. Later, the company joined with Conoco to become ConocoPhillips. Even though their main offices moved to Houston, both companies still have some operations in Bartlesville.

Bartlesville is also one of two places in Oklahoma where a Lenape Native American tribe lives. The other place is Anadarko.

History of Bartlesville

How Bartlesville Started

The city of Bartlesville began thanks to a man named Jacob Bartles. He was the son-in-law of a Delaware chief, Charles Journeycake. In 1873, Jacob Bartles moved to Indian Territory from Kansas. He first settled near a lake called Silver Lake.

In 1874, he opened a trading post and a post office. The next year, he bought a mill on the Caney River and changed it to make flour. Jacob Bartles then built a general store, a home, a place for people to stay, a blacksmith shop, and a stable. Soon, other people moved to the area, and they called it Bartles Town. Jacob Bartles also brought electricity, a telephone system, and a water system to the community.

Growth and the Railroad

The city we know today started to grow in 1884. That's when William Johnstone and George B. Keeler opened a store south of the Caney River. The first newspaper, The Weekly Magnet, started in 1895. Bartlesville officially became a town in Indian Territory in January 1897.

In 1898, the town was mapped out. Eighty acres were offered to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad for a train station. The railroad reached the town in 1899.

Phillips Petroleum's Home

Bartlesville was also the home of Frank Phillips. He and his brother, L.E. Phillips Sr., started Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville in 1917. This company made Bartlesville the main office for Phillips 66. The company started small but grew into a huge oil company worth billions of dollars. Even though Bartlesville is no longer the main office, many employees still work there. In 2002, Phillips Petroleum joined with Conoco Oil Company to become ConocoPhillips.

First Pay Cable TV Test

In 1957, Bartlesville was chosen for a special test. It was the first place in the United States to try out pay cable television. This new system, called the Bartlesville Telemovie System, showed the movie The Pajama Game to 300 homes. It was a big deal, with a newspaper headline saying, "First-Run Films Now at Home." However, the service only lasted for nine months.

Recent Tornado Event

On May 6, 2024, a strong tornado hit Bartlesville. It caused a lot of damage, including to a hotel. This was the same tornado that had also caused damage in a nearby town called Barnsdall.

Geography and Climate

Location and Rivers

Pathfinder Parkway bridge crossing the Caney River

Bartlesville covers about 21.1 square miles of land. The Caney River flows through the city, dividing the downtown area from the east side. In 1986, the river flooded badly due to heavy rain, splitting the city in half for several days. It flooded again in 2007.

A paved path called the Pathfinder Parkway runs along the Caney River. It's a great place for walking, running, and biking.

Weather in Bartlesville

Bartlesville has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has cool winters and hot summers. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 115°F, and the coldest was -28°F. Most of the rain falls in the spring, between April and June.

Bartlesville is located in an area known as Tornado Alley. This means that strong storms, including tornadoes, can happen here. These storms are most common in the spring.

People of Bartlesville

In 2000, Bartlesville had 34,748 people living in 14,565 homes. About 30.1% of homes had children under 18. The average age of people in the city was 40 years old.

The city is made up of many different groups of people. In 2000, about 82% of the people were White, 3.2% African American, and 7.18% Native American. About 3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino. By 2010, the population had grown to 35,750 people.

Economy and Fun Things to Do

Oil and Industry

Oklahoma's very first oil well for business, called the Nellie Johnstone, found oil near Bartlesville on April 15, 1897.

Before it joined with Conoco, Phillips Petroleum Company had its main office in Bartlesville. Even after the companies merged and then split into ConocoPhillips and Phillips 66, they still have many employees in Bartlesville. More than 3,800 people work for or with these companies in the area. Chevron Phillips also has an office here.

Bartlesville has two industrial parks. In September 2023, one of these parks got a new factory that recycles lithium-ion batteries.

Places to Visit and See

Price Tower, located downtown, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank and Jane Phillips house

• Price Tower: This famous building in downtown Bartlesville was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It's his only skyscraper ever built!
• Bartlesville Community Center: This center hosts OKM Music, a week-long music event every June. It used to be called the "OK Mozart" International Festival and focused on classical music. Now, it includes many types of music. Famous musicians like Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell have performed here.
• Annual Festivals: The city has several yearly festivals, mostly downtown.
  • Sunfest: This event happens the first weekend of June. It includes art, crafts, music, a kids' festival, and a classic car show.
  • Oklahoma Indian Summer Festival: This festival is held downtown each fall.
• Frank Phillips Home: You can visit Frank Phillips's old home, which is now a museum.
• Woolaroc: This is Frank Phillips's ranch and retreat, about 10 miles southwest of Bartlesville. The name "Woolaroc" comes from "woods, lakes, rocks." It's a working ranch with a museum that shows Phillips's collections of Native American art, Western art, and old Colt firearms. Woolaroc also has a large wildlife preserve where you can see American bison, elk, Texas longhorn cattle, water buffalo, zebra, and many other animals.
• Phillips Petroleum Company Museum: This museum shows how oil production started in Oklahoma and how Phillips Petroleum grew. It's free to visit!
• Wall of Honor: Inside Washington Park Mall, there's a Wall of Honor. It lists the names of service members and displays military items, photos, and stories.

Education in Bartlesville

Bartlesville has several options for schooling:

• Oklahoma Wesleyan University: This is a private religious school with about 1,100 students.
• Rogers State University: This university has a branch campus downtown with about 700 students.
• Tri County Technology Center: This center offers career and technical training for high school students and adults. It has won awards for its excellent performance.
• Bartlesville Public Schools: The public school district includes six elementary schools (PreK-5), two middle schools (6-8), and one high school (9-12).
• Private Schools: Bartlesville also has private schools like St. John School (Catholic), Coram Deo Classical Academy, Wesleyan Christian School, and Paths to Independence (for children and adults with autism).

Getting Around Bartlesville

Roads

Bartlesville is served by two main US Highways and one Oklahoma state highway:

• US-75: This highway goes north and south through the city.
• US-60: This highway goes east and west through the city.
• SH-123

You can also find Intercity bus service through Jefferson Lines.

Airport and Trains

• Bartlesville Municipal Airport: This airport is on the west side of the city. It has one runway and is owned by the City of Bartlesville. For bigger flights, the Tulsa International Airport is about 45 miles south.
• South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad: This railroad serves Bartlesville, helping to move goods in and out of the city.

Famous People from Bartlesville

Many notable people have connections to Bartlesville:

• Boots Adams, a business leader and giver to the community.
• Bud Adams, who owned the Tennessee Titans football team.
• Nancy Barrett, an actress.
• Omar Browning, a basketball player and coach.
• Patrick Cranshaw, an actor.
• Ree Drummond, a famous blogger and TV cook known as "The Pioneer Woman."
• Lyle Goodhue, a scientist.
• Becky Hobbs, a singer.
• Ted Hsu, a Canadian politician.
• Todd Ames Hunter, a Texas politician.
• Bob Kurland, a basketball player.
• Terrence Malick, a cinema director.
• Emeka Okafor, a basketball player.
• Frank Phillips, who founded Phillips Petroleum.
• Mark Price, a basketball player.
• Tim Pugh, a baseball player.
• William Salyers, an actor.
• Gretchen Wyler, an actress.
• Kathleen Zellner, an attorney.

Images for kids

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  A robot for kids