New Cordell, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
New Cordell, Oklahoma
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Location of New Cordell, Oklahoma
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| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Washita |
| Established | April 20, 1892 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.25 sq mi (5.82 km2) |
| • Land | 2.25 sq mi (5.82 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,555 ft (474 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,775 |
| • Density | 1,233.88/sq mi (476.47/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
73632
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| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-51250 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411230 |
New Cordell is a city in Oklahoma, United States. It is the main city and county seat of Washita County. The city is located along U.S. Route 183. In 2020, about 2,775 people lived there.
The community was first started a few miles from where it is now. It moved around the year 1900. The city was named after Wayne W. Cordell, who worked for the United States Postal Service in Washington D.C.. Even though its official name is New Cordell, most people today just call it Cordell.
Contents
History of New Cordell
Cordell began in 1892 when H. D. Young opened a general store. This was shortly after new lands became available for people to settle. A post office named Cordell was set up in Young's store that same year.
In 1897, A. J. Johnson and J. C. Harrell convinced Young to move his store. They moved it to the current location of New Cordell. This new spot had more and better water. The new place became known as New Cordell.
Moving the County Seat
In 1900, people in Washita County voted to move the county seat. The county seat is the main town where the government offices are. They wanted to move it from Cloud Chief to New Cordell.
This move was challenged in court. People said it was against the law because only the state's legislature could approve such a change. In 1904, the Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court decided that the county seat had to go back to Cloud Chief.
A lawyer from Cordell, Sam Massengale, went to Washington, D.C. He worked hard to get a bill passed. This bill would make Cordell the official county seat. The U.S. Congress passed this bill in 1906.
Important Buildings
The county courthouse was destroyed by a fire in 1909. It was rebuilt by 1911. The same person who designed the Oklahoma State Capitol also designed this courthouse. Governor George Nigh once called it "godfather of all courthouses in the state of Oklahoma."
The Washita County Courthouse is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it is a very important historical building. In 1911, the Carnegie Foundation gave money to build the Cordell Carnegie Community Library.
Geography
New Cordell covers an area of about 5.82 square kilometers (2.25 square miles). All of this area is land. The city is located roughly in the middle of Washita County.
Climate
New Cordell has a climate that is mostly humid subtropical. This means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters. Sometimes it can feel almost like a cool semi-arid climate.
Summers in New Cordell are very hot and usually dry. Winters are generally cool during the day and freezing at night. However, winter temperatures can change a lot. They can be very warm due to winds or very cold when Arctic air comes in.
Most of the rain happens in the spring from thunderstorms. Sometimes, leftover rain systems in summer and fall can also bring heavy rain.
| Climate data for New Cordell, Oklahoma | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 84 (29) |
85 (29) |
95 (35) |
99 (37) |
106 (41) |
114 (46) |
113 (45) |
115 (46) |
109 (43) |
100 (38) |
89 (32) |
90 (32) |
115 (46) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 51 (11) |
56 (13) |
64 (18) |
74 (23) |
82 (28) |
91 (33) |
96 (36) |
97 (36) |
89 (32) |
77 (25) |
63 (17) |
54 (12) |
75 (24) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 26 (−3) |
30 (−1) |
36 (2) |
47 (8) |
57 (14) |
67 (19) |
70 (21) |
70 (21) |
61 (16) |
50 (10) |
36 (2) |
30 (−1) |
48 (9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −12 (−24) |
−2 (−19) |
22 (−6) |
32 (0) |
45 (7) |
55 (13) |
52 (11) |
36 (2) |
26 (−3) |
10 (−12) |
— | — | −12 (−24) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.0 (25) |
1.0 (25) |
1.5 (38) |
2.8 (71) |
4.5 (110) |
3.7 (94) |
2.5 (64) |
1.6 (41) |
2.0 (51) |
2.5 (64) |
0.9 (23) |
1.1 (28) |
25.1 (634) |
| Average precipitation days | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 7.0 | 6.4 | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 50.2 |
| Source 1: weather.com | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weatherbase.com | |||||||||||||
Population Information
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 1,950 | — | |
| 1920 | 1,855 | −4.9% | |
| 1930 | 2,936 | 58.3% | |
| 1940 | 2,776 | −5.4% | |
| 1950 | 2,920 | 5.2% | |
| 1960 | 3,589 | 22.9% | |
| 1970 | 3,261 | −9.1% | |
| 1980 | 3,301 | 1.2% | |
| 1990 | 2,903 | −12.1% | |
| 2000 | 2,867 | −1.2% | |
| 2010 | 2,915 | 1.7% | |
| 2020 | 2,775 | −4.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 2,867 people living in New Cordell. These people lived in 1,192 households. About 816 of these were families.
Most people in the city were White (95.33%). There were also smaller groups of Native American, African American, and Asian people. About 2.62% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
About 32.3% of households had children under 18 living with them. More than half (55.2%) were married couples. About 14.6% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average household had 2.39 people.
The population was spread out by age. About 25.9% were under 18 years old. About 18.4% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 39 years.
Education
New Cordell has several educational options:
- Cordell Public Schools
- Western Technology Center
- Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Notable People
Many interesting people have connections to New Cordell:
- Batsell Barrett Baxter – a preacher and writer
- Betty Ann Elliott – a geologist who studied petroleum
- Glenn English – a politician
- Yvonne Kauger – an associate justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court
- Kelly Mantle – an actor, singer, comedian, musician, and TV personality
- George Grantham (musician) – a drummer and singer known for his work with the country rock band Poco
See also
In Spanish: New Cordell (Oklahoma) para niños
