Lone Grove, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lone Grove, Oklahoma
City
Location of Lone Grove, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Carter
Area
• Total	24.91 sq mi (64.52 km2)
• Land	24.84 sq mi (64.35 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation	942 ft (287 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,993
• Density	200.97/sq mi (77.60/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	73443
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-43750
GNIS feature ID	2410861

Lone Grove is a city located in Carter County, Oklahoma, in the United States. In 2020, about 4,993 people lived there. It's part of the larger Ardmore area.

The city is about 7 miles west of Ardmore, along U.S. Route 70. Many people who live in Lone Grove work in Ardmore, making it a "bedroom community."

History of Lone Grove

Lone Grove was built where an old village used to be. This village was in a place called Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory. It was near a group of cedar trees.

The town of Lone Grove officially started when a post office opened on February 4, 1885. Before that, the community was known as "Price's Store." This name came from a local store owner named Dayton "Big Spicy" James. Sadly, a big fire destroyed many businesses and some homes in Lone Grove on February 30, 1899.

In 1905, a survey showed that 215 people lived in Lone Grove. In the early 1900s, the town had several businesses. These included three grocery stores, a barbershop, a drugstore, and even a movie theater. There was also a blacksmith shop and three doctors.

During the 1910s and 1920s, a lot of oil was found nearby. This led to the discovery of oil fields like Healdton and Hewitt. A railway, called the Oklahoma, New Mexico and Pacific Railway, reached the town in 1913. This railway was later bought by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway but was closed in 1976.

The community grew even more in the 1920s. New buildings and businesses appeared. These included a two-story Masonic Lodge building, a place for wagons, a restaurant, and a mill for grinding grain. There was also a cleaning shop and a garage with a gas station for cars.

February 2009 Tornado

On February 10, 2009, a powerful tornado hit Lone Grove. It was an EF4 tornado, meaning its winds were very strong, over 165 miles per hour. This tornado caused a lot of damage and sadly, eight people lost their lives.

The tornado struck at 7:30 p.m. in the Central Time Zone. Seven people died in Lone Grove, and one truck driver passing through the area also died. About 114 mobile homes were destroyed, and 46 people were hurt.

Even though tornadoes happen in Oklahoma, they are very unusual in February. Many residents were surprised, even though tornado sirens sounded. Since 1950, Oklahoma has had 44 tornadoes in February.

Geography of Lone Grove

Lone Grove is located in the southern part of Carter County. U.S. Highway 70 goes right through the middle of the town. This highway leads east about 7 miles to Ardmore, which is the main city of the county. To the west, the highway goes about 43 miles to Waurika.

The city covers a total area of about 71.4 square kilometers (27.6 square miles). Most of this area, about 71.2 square kilometers (27.5 square miles), is land. A small part, about 0.2 square kilometers (0.07 square miles), is water.

Population Changes

In 2000, there were 4,631 people living in Lone Grove. There were 1,673 households, which are groups of people living together. Out of these households, 43.8% had children under 18 years old. Most households (65.2%) were married couples living together.

The population of Lone Grove is spread out across different age groups. About 30.9% of the people were under 18 years old. About 8.9% were 65 years old or older. The average age in the city was 33 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Lone Grove (Oklahoma) para niños