Commerce, Oklahoma Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Commerce, Oklahoma
City
Downtown Commerce, looking eastward down Main Street
Motto(s): Home Of The Tigers
Location within Ottawa County and the state of Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Ottawa
City	March 5, 1915
Named for	Commerce Mining and Royalty Company
Area
• Total	2.31 sq mi (5.99 km²)
• Land	2.31 sq mi (5.99 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	791 ft (241 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,271
• Density	982.27/sq mi (379.23/km²)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	74339
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-16500
GNIS feature ID	2410210
Website	commerceokla.com

Commerce is a city in Oklahoma, United States. It is located in Ottawa County. In 2020, about 2,271 people lived there. The city's population has changed a bit over the years.

Commerce is known for its history in mining. It was also an important stop on the famous Route 66.

History of Commerce
Geography and Location
Population Information
Notable People from Commerce
Images for kids
See also

History of Commerce

Map of Oklahoma Territory

Early Beginnings and Mining

The land where Commerce now stands was once part of the Quapaw Indian Agency. This land was set aside for the Quapaw people in the 1830s. They had lived for hundreds of years near the Mississippi River before moving here.

Later, people came to the area to mine for valuable metals. They formed a mining camp called Hattonville. This camp was named after Amos Hatton. In 1906, Amos Hatton started the Emma Gordon zinc and lead mine. Many workers came to the area because of these mines.

Growth of the Town

To help the mining industry, a railway line was built in 1908. This line connected Miami to the mining area. Over time, the railway became part of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway.

In 1913, the local post office was called North Miami. But by 1914, the name changed to Commerce. This new name came from the Commerce Mining and Royalty Company. This company had bought the mining camp.

In 1914, the mining company planned out the town. Two years later, a city government was formed. By 1920, Commerce had a population of 2,555 people. The town's population has stayed around that size since then.

Route 66 and Famous Residents

Commerce was a stop on Route 66 when it opened in 1926. It was the first town on the route in Oklahoma for travelers coming from Kansas.

In 1935, a famous baseball player's family moved to Commerce. Mickey Mantle's father came to work as a miner. Mickey Mantle later became a Hall of Fame player. He was even nicknamed "The Commerce Comet."

Most of the mines in Commerce closed by 1960. This happened because the demand for the metals went down. Also, mining had caused a lot of damage to the land and water. Today, people in Commerce work in farming and ranching.

Geography and Location

Commerce is located at 36°56′1″N 94°52′17″W / 36.93361°N 94.87139°W / 36.93361; -94.87139. It is about five miles (8 km) north of Miami. You can find it on U.S. Route 69. This road was once part of the historic U.S. Route 66.

The city covers an area of about 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²). All of this area is land.

Population Information

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1920	2,555	—
1930	2,608	2.1%
1940	2,422	−7.1%
1950	2,422	0.0%
1960	2,378	−1.8%
1970	2,593	9.0%
1980	2,556	−1.4%
1990	2,426	−5.1%
2000	2,645	9.0%
2010	2,472	−6.5%
2020	2,271	−8.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

Commerce is part of the larger Joplin, Missouri metropolitan area.

In 2000, there were 2,645 people living in Commerce. There were 968 households, which are groups of people living together. About 693 of these were families. The population density was about 3,232 people per square mile (1,248/km²).

The people living in Commerce came from many different backgrounds. About 68% were White, and 13% were Native American. About 18% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

Many households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 2.65 people. The average family had 3.18 people.

The population included people of all ages. About 29.7% were under 18 years old. About 15.4% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 32 years.

In 2000, the average income for a household was about $25,982 per year. For families, the average income was about $30,547. About 16.7% of the people in Commerce lived below the poverty line. This included 22.8% of those under 18.