Central Oklahoma facts for kids
Central Oklahoma is the name for the middle part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It's also called Frontier Country by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism. This area includes 12 counties, such as Canadian, Oklahoma, and Cleveland.
The biggest city area in Central Oklahoma is Greater Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is the main center for government, business, and culture in the state. Stillwater, Oklahoma is the only major city in Central Oklahoma that is not considered a suburb of Oklahoma City.
Contents
Geography of Central Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma has a humid-subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. The area is known for its Cross Timbers, which are patches of forest mixed with open grasslands.
This region is a natural meeting point. It sits between the wetter, more forested eastern part of Oklahoma and the drier western plains. Because of this, the weather can change a lot, swinging between very dry and very wet periods. The western side of Central Oklahoma gets much less rain than the eastern side.
Central Oklahoma is right in the middle of what people call Tornado Alley. This makes it one of the places in the United States where tornadoes happen most often.
Media and News
Central Oklahoma is home to The Oklahoman, the state's most widely read newspaper. Its online version is NewsOK.com. There's also okcBIZ, a monthly magazine that shares business news for people in Central Oklahoma.
WKY Radio in Oklahoma City was very important in radio history. It was the first radio station to broadcast west of the Mississippi River. It was also the third radio station in the entire United States! WKY got its license in 1921 and has used the same call letters since 1922.
In 1949, WKY-TV (Channel 4) started broadcasting. It was the first TV station not owned by a big network to broadcast in color. Today, WKY radio is owned by Cumulus Media. WKY-TV is now KFOR-TV and is owned by Tribune Broadcasting.
Many major TV networks have local stations in Central Oklahoma. These include KFOR-TV (NBC), KOCO-TV (ABC), and KWTV-DT (CBS). You can also find KOKH-TV (Fox) and KOCB (The CW).
Getting Around Central Oklahoma
Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City is the main airport for the region. It's also the busiest airport in Oklahoma. The airport has one terminal with 17 gates and is currently being expanded. Other airports nearby, like Wiley Post Airport in Bethany and Max Westheimer Airport in Norman, help handle extra flights.
Central Oklahoma is also home to Tinker Air Force Base. This is the largest military air depot in the United States.
There are no seaports in Central Oklahoma. If goods need to be shipped by water, they usually go through Tulsa in Northeastern Oklahoma.
Four main highways cross Central Oklahoma:
- Interstate 35 connects the region to Texas in the south and Kansas in the north.
- Interstate 40 links Central Oklahoma to West Texas and Arkansas.
- Interstate 44 is a toll road for most of its path through the region. It goes from Southwest Oklahoma to Missouri.
Trains also serve the area. Companies like BNSF and Union Pacific operate here. You can even take a passenger train from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth, Texas, every day through Amtrak.
The main bus station for the region and the state is Union Bus Station in Oklahoma City.
Colleges and Universities
Central Oklahoma is an important place for higher education. It has two of the state's largest universities:
Another well-known school is the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is often ranked as a top public regional university. Other colleges in the area include Oklahoma Christian University, Oklahoma City University, Langston University, and the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha.
