Clinton, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clinton, Oklahoma
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| Motto(s):
"Hub City of Western Oklahoma"
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Location of Clinton, Oklahoma
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Custer, Washita |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council / Manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.97 sq mi (25.81 km2) |
| • Land | 9.95 sq mi (25.76 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,568 ft (478 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,521 |
| • Density | 856.64/sq mi (330.75/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
73601
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| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-15400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2409485 |
Clinton is a city in the state of Oklahoma, USA. It is located in both Custer and Washita counties. In 2020, about 8,521 people lived there.
Contents
History
The story of Clinton began in 1899. Two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, wanted to start a town. They chose a spot in the Washita River Valley.
At first, they bought land from four different Native American individuals. Each person sold them 80 acres. This was because of rules that said Native Americans could only sell half of their 160-acre land grants. They paid $2,000 to each person for the land. This small settlement was first called Washita Junction.
The U.S. government approved the land sales in 1902. After that, Washita Junction grew quickly. The first businesses were a newspaper office and a bank. When a post office was set up, the name Washita Junction was not allowed. So, the town was named Clinton, after Judge Clinton F. Irwin.
Railroads and Early Transport
Clinton had good train service early on. The Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway had a station west of downtown. The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad shared a station east of downtown.
In 1909, local business people started the Clinton Street Railway. It ran between the two train stations. This helped passengers who needed to switch trains. However, their single gas-powered railcar had many problems. Service stopped by 1911.
In 1912, new owners took over and made the line electric. They even talked about extending the tracks to other towns. But in 1914, a trolley crashed with a train engine. One passenger died and others were hurt. Lawsuits followed, and the company closed. By 1915, the tracks were removed to pay legal fees.
Route 66 Era
Clinton became very important because of U.S. Highway 66. This famous road brought many tourists. Like other towns on Route 66, Clinton had lots of places for travelers. These included restaurants, cafés, motels, and gas stations.
The Pop Hicks Restaurant was a very famous spot. It was open from 1936 until a fire closed it in 1999. It was one of the longest-running restaurants on Route 66.
The U.S. Highway 66 Association helped promote the road. It started in 1927 in Tulsa. During World War II, travel slowed down. But after the war, Jack and Gladys Cutberth restarted the group in Clinton. They promoted "Main Street of America" from 1947 until the 1980s. Even famous people visited Clinton. For example, Elvis Presley sometimes stayed at a Best Western motel there in the 1960s.
Today, most cross-country traffic uses Interstate 40. This highway bypassed Clinton in 1970. But Clinton is still a popular stop for tourists who love Route 66. It's one of the biggest Route 66 cities between Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas. Much of the old Route 66 through Clinton is now a business loop for I-40. Clinton is also home to the first state-sponsored Route 66 Museum in the country.
Air Force Base and Local News
In 1942, the government built a naval airfield nearby. It was called Naval Air Station Clinton. During World War II, Clinton's population grew to almost 7,000 people. In 1949, the naval air station closed. The land was given to the City of Clinton.
Later, the government leased the site again. It became Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base. This was a bomber base for the Strategic Air Command (SAC). It used large planes like the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker. The base grew to over 3,500 acres. Both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy used it for training and operations.
In 1969, the Clinton-Sherman base was chosen to close. The entire area was given to the City of Clinton in 1971. Three years later, it became the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark.
Clinton also has its own newspaper, the Clinton Daily News. It has been published since 1927. It comes out five days a week and has about 4,500 copies printed.
Geography
Clinton is located on the historic U.S. Route 66. This road is now part of Interstate 40.
The city covers about 8.9 square miles (23.2 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small amount of water.
Climate
Clinton has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Clinton was 112°F (44°C) on July 19, 2022. The coldest was -6°F (-21°C) on February 15, 2021.
| Climate data for Clinton, Oklahoma, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1945–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 83 (28) |
91 (33) |
94 (34) |
99 (37) |
106 (41) |
110 (43) |
112 (44) |
111 (44) |
108 (42) |
100 (38) |
92 (33) |
79 (26) |
112 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 72.9 (22.7) |
76.4 (24.7) |
83.4 (28.6) |
89.0 (31.7) |
96.4 (35.8) |
101.4 (38.6) |
105.1 (40.6) |
104.3 (40.2) |
98.5 (36.9) |
90.6 (32.6) |
79.5 (26.4) |
71.3 (21.8) |
105.2 (40.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 51.1 (10.6) |
55.2 (12.9) |
64.7 (18.2) |
73.8 (23.2) |
81.8 (27.7) |
90.6 (32.6) |
95.2 (35.1) |
94.3 (34.6) |
86.4 (30.2) |
74.8 (23.8) |
61.4 (16.3) |
51.2 (10.7) |
73.4 (23.0) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 38.1 (3.4) |
41.9 (5.5) |
51.3 (10.7) |
59.6 (15.3) |
69.1 (20.6) |
78.3 (25.7) |
82.8 (28.2) |
81.5 (27.5) |
73.9 (23.3) |
61.5 (16.4) |
48.9 (9.4) |
39.2 (4.0) |
60.5 (15.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 25.1 (−3.8) |
28.7 (−1.8) |
37.9 (3.3) |
45.4 (7.4) |
56.3 (13.5) |
66.0 (18.9) |
70.3 (21.3) |
68.7 (20.4) |
61.5 (16.4) |
48.2 (9.0) |
36.4 (2.4) |
27.2 (−2.7) |
47.6 (8.7) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 11.9 (−11.2) |
15.8 (−9.0) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
31.0 (−0.6) |
42.7 (5.9) |
56.6 (13.7) |
62.4 (16.9) |
61.1 (16.2) |
49.6 (9.8) |
32.8 (0.4) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
12.7 (−10.7) |
7.0 (−13.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −4 (−20) |
−6 (−21) |
1 (−17) |
20 (−7) |
26 (−3) |
45 (7) |
53 (12) |
53 (12) |
38 (3) |
20 (−7) |
11 (−12) |
0 (−18) |
−6 (−21) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.92 (23) |
1.23 (31) |
2.68 (68) |
2.63 (67) |
3.76 (96) |
3.63 (92) |
2.51 (64) |
4.16 (106) |
3.98 (101) |
2.28 (58) |
1.77 (45) |
1.46 (37) |
31.01 (788) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 2.6 (6.6) |
2.0 (5.1) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
trace | 0.4 (1.0) |
1.7 (4.3) |
7.2 (18.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.7 | 5.4 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 72.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 4.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA (average snow/snow days 1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
People Living in Clinton
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 2,781 | — | |
| 1920 | 2,596 | −6.7% | |
| 1930 | 7,512 | 189.4% | |
| 1940 | 6,736 | −10.3% | |
| 1950 | 7,555 | 12.2% | |
| 1960 | 9,617 | 27.3% | |
| 1970 | 10,359 | 7.7% | |
| 1980 | 9,730 | −6.1% | |
| 1990 | 9,248 | −5.0% | |
| 2000 | 8,833 | −4.5% | |
| 2010 | 9,033 | 2.3% | |
| 2020 | 8,521 | −5.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2015, the city had about 989 people per square mile. There were 3,818 homes. The people living in Clinton come from many different backgrounds. About 52.2% were White, 3.2% African American, and 3.4% Native American. About 34.8% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino background.
In 2015, about 27.6% of the people were under 18 years old. The average age was 36 years. The average income for a household was about $27,051. About 18.9% of the population lived below the poverty line.
Economy
SportChassis, a company that makes special trucks, has its main office in Clinton.
Events
The Clinton Regional Airport was the site of an important event. On September 27, 1974, the first crash of a C-5 Galaxy airplane happened there.
Famous People from Clinton
- Gordon Gore, a professional football player
- Scott Hendricks, a music producer
- Captain Frederick F. Henry, a soldier who received the Medal of Honor
- Toby Keith, a famous singer
- Earl Plumlee, a soldier who received the Medal of Honor
- Meg Randall, an actress
- James R. Winchester, a judge
Education
Clinton has its own school district, called Clinton Public Schools. The public school system includes three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. There is also an alternative school.
Sports
Clinton is very well known for its high school football team, the "Red Tornadoes." They have won 17 state championships! This is the second-highest number of wins in Oklahoma. The Red Tornadoes also have the most all-time wins in the state.
Besides football, Clinton is good at many other sports. These include boys' and girls' basketball, baseball, girls' softball, wrestling, tennis, soccer, girls' volleyball, and track and field. The girls' soccer team won the State Championship in 2017.
The school's colors are maroon and gold. Their mascot is an animated tornado named "Tony."
Clinton also used to have a Minor league baseball team. The Clinton Bulldogs played in a league in 1922 and 1923.
Places to Visit
Museums
- Oklahoma Route 66 Museum: This is the official museum for Route 66 in Oklahoma. It is run by the Oklahoma Historical Society and is located right on historic U.S. Route 66.
- The Cheyenne Cultural Center: This center was created to help keep the Cheyenne people's way of life alive. It teaches visitors about Cheyenne history and culture.
Historic Places
Several places in Clinton are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are important buildings and sites that are protected for their history.
- Clinton Armory
- Crawford House
- McLain Rogers Park
- Y Service Station & Café
See also
In Spanish: Clinton (Oklahoma) para niños
