Buffalo, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buffalo, Oklahoma
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Harper County Courthouse (2007)
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Location in Harper County and the state of Oklahoma.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Harper |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.11 sq mi (2.88 km2) |
| • Land | 1.11 sq mi (2.88 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,801 ft (549 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 1,039 |
| • Density | 933.51/sq mi (360.37/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
73834
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| Area code | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-09850 |
| GNIS ID | 2411740 |
Buffalo is a small town in Oklahoma, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of Harper County. In 2020, about 1,039 people lived there. The town got its name from the nearby Buffalo Creek valley.
Contents
History of Buffalo
In 1907, the town of Buffalo was officially started. A post office was set up, and the town was named after the nearby Buffalo Creek.
In 1908, Buffalo became the official county seat for Harper County. This meant it was chosen as the main town for the county's government. The town was also officially made a town that year. The people who founded Buffalo wanted all buildings to be made of stone. Because of this, many old buildings are still standing today.
Railroad Connection
The people of Harper County wanted to connect Buffalo to the railroads. So, they built the Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad. This train line reached Buffalo in May 1920. However, the train tracks were removed in 1982. Today, Buffalo does not have any train service.
Geography and Location
Buffalo is located in the northwestern part of Oklahoma. It sits at the eastern entrance of the state's "Panhandle" area. The town covers about 0.8 square miles (2.1 square kilometers) of land.
Nearby Attractions
Buffalo is located along U.S. Route 64 and U.S. Route 183. It is about 12 miles (19 km) south of the Kansas state line. The Texas state line is about 30 miles (48 km) to the northeast. Oklahoma City is about 174 miles (280 km) to the northwest.
About 11 miles (18 km) west of Buffalo is Doby Springs Park and Campgrounds. This park has a lake for fishing and places to camp. It also has a playground and nature trails. There is even a 9-hole golf course there.
Weather in Buffalo
Buffalo holds the record for the most snowfall in Oklahoma in 24 hours. On February 21, 1971, 23 inches (58 cm) of snow fell!
| Climate data for Buffalo, Oklahoma (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1907–2011) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 87 (31) |
92 (33) |
99 (37) |
105 (41) |
108 (42) |
115 (46) |
115 (46) |
115 (46) |
112 (44) |
102 (39) |
93 (34) |
89 (32) |
115 (46) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 73.5 (23.1) |
78.6 (25.9) |
86.2 (30.1) |
92.2 (33.4) |
98.0 (36.7) |
103.1 (39.5) |
107.4 (41.9) |
107.1 (41.7) |
101.6 (38.7) |
93.2 (34.0) |
82.1 (27.8) |
71.4 (21.9) |
109.7 (43.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 47.3 (8.5) |
52.3 (11.3) |
60.8 (16.0) |
70.1 (21.2) |
79.0 (26.1) |
88.4 (31.3) |
94.3 (34.6) |
93.6 (34.2) |
84.8 (29.3) |
72.0 (22.2) |
58.9 (14.9) |
47.0 (8.3) |
70.7 (21.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 34.1 (1.2) |
38.4 (3.6) |
46.5 (8.1) |
56.0 (13.3) |
66.0 (18.9) |
76.0 (24.4) |
81.3 (27.4) |
80.4 (26.9) |
71.4 (21.9) |
58.5 (14.7) |
45.4 (7.4) |
34.5 (1.4) |
57.4 (14.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 20.8 (−6.2) |
24.5 (−4.2) |
32.2 (0.1) |
41.9 (5.5) |
53.0 (11.7) |
63.6 (17.6) |
68.2 (20.1) |
67.2 (19.6) |
58.1 (14.5) |
45.0 (7.2) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
22.0 (−5.6) |
44.0 (6.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 5.3 (−14.8) |
8.1 (−13.3) |
16.4 (−8.7) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
38.6 (3.7) |
51.2 (10.7) |
57.9 (14.4) |
56.5 (13.6) |
40.6 (4.8) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
16.1 (−8.8) |
6.9 (−13.9) |
−0.8 (−18.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −17 (−27) |
−13 (−25) |
−8 (−22) |
15 (−9) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
45 (7) |
43 (6) |
26 (−3) |
12 (−11) |
0 (−18) |
−10 (−23) |
−17 (−27) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.66 (17) |
1.00 (25) |
1.81 (46) |
2.21 (56) |
3.63 (92) |
4.08 (104) |
2.06 (52) |
2.84 (72) |
2.09 (53) |
2.14 (54) |
1.22 (31) |
0.95 (24) |
24.69 (627) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.1 (5.3) |
3.7 (9.4) |
2.0 (5.1) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
1.8 (4.6) |
3.5 (8.9) |
13.3 (34) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 2.2 | 3.5 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 7.6 | 5.3 | 6.5 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 60.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 4.8 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of Buffalo
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 282 | — | |
| 1920 | 479 | 69.9% | |
| 1930 | 990 | 106.7% | |
| 1940 | 1,209 | 22.1% | |
| 1950 | 1,544 | 27.7% | |
| 1960 | 1,618 | 4.8% | |
| 1970 | 1,579 | −2.4% | |
| 1980 | 1,381 | −12.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,512 | 9.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,200 | −20.6% | |
| 2010 | 1,299 | 8.3% | |
| 2020 | 1,039 | −20.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 1,200 people living in Buffalo. These people made up 495 households and 336 families. The town had about 1,502 people per square mile.
Most people in Buffalo were White (92.92%). Some were Native American (1.17%) or African American (0.08%). About 4.67% were from other races, and 1.17% were from two or more races. About 10.33% of the people were Hispanic or Latino.
About 28.9% of households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (56.0%) were married couples. About 22.8% of the population was under 18 years old. Also, 22.8% of the population was 65 years or older. The average age in Buffalo was 43 years.
Education in Buffalo
The Buffalo School District is in charge of schools in the town. They oversee both elementary and high school education.
Local Media
The Buffalo Weekly News is a newspaper that started in 2014. It is published every Wednesday.
Another newspaper, the Harper County Journal, used to be published in Buffalo. It was printed from 1903 to 2014. Then it joined with another paper to become the Harper County Leader. This paper is now published weekly in Laverne, Oklahoma.
Getting Around Buffalo
U.S. Route 64 and U.S. Route 183 are two main roads that go through Buffalo.
The Buffalo Municipal Airport is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the town.
Historic Places to See
There are several important historic places in the Buffalo area. These places are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are special places that are protected because of their history.
- Buffalo City Park Pavilion
- Farmers’ Co-op Elevator
- Feuquay Elevator
- Harper County Courthouse
- I.O.O.F. Building of Buffalo
- Monhollow Artificial Stone House
- Page Soddy
See also
In Spanish: Buffalo (Oklahoma) para niños
