Oklaunion, Texas facts for kids
Oklaunion is a small, unincorporated community located in Wilbarger County, Texas, United States. An unincorporated community means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a city or town with its own local government. In 2000, about 138 people lived there.
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Where is Oklaunion?
Oklaunion is found in the northeastern part of Wilbarger County, Texas. It's about nine miles east of a town called Vernon. If you're looking at a map, it's right where three major roads meet: U.S. Highway 70, U.S. Highway 183, and U.S. Highway 283. The closest big city is Wichita Falls, which is about 42 miles to the east. 34°07′46″N 99°08′39″W / 34.12944°N 99.14417°W
Oklaunion's Weather
The weather in Oklaunion is usually hot and humid during the summer months. Winters are generally mild, meaning they aren't too cold. This type of weather is called a humid subtropical climate.
A Look Back: Oklaunion's History
Oklaunion wasn't always called Oklaunion! It was first known as Mayflower. Around 1888, a man named Joseph S. "Buckskin" Works changed its name to Oklaunion. He hoped this new name would convince a railroad company, the Frisco line, to build tracks connecting to the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway right there.
However, the railroad decided to make the connection in nearby Vernon instead. Even so, Oklaunion still did well as a stop along the Fort Worth and Denver City line. A post office opened in 1889, and a school started in the mid-1890s, showing the community was growing.
In 1928, the people of Oklaunion voted to become an official town. By 1930, about 254 people lived there. But over time, the population started to shrink. By 1950, only 129 people remained. Because the population got smaller, the town later decided to stop being an official city. The number of people living in Oklaunion stayed below 140 in the 1990s and 2000s. Even though it's not an official town anymore, Oklaunion still has its own post office with the zip code 76373.
Who Lives in Oklaunion?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 88 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1850–1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 |
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Oklaunion was officially counted as a "census designated place" for the first time in the 2020 United States census. This means the U.S. Census Bureau recognized it as a specific area for counting people. In 2020, there were 88 people living in Oklaunion.
Power Plants Near Oklaunion
Close to Oklaunion, there's a large power plant called the Oklaunion Power Plant. It used to burn coal to create electricity. This plant could make a lot of power, about 650 megawatts!
Since 1984, there has also been a special station nearby that helps transfer electricity efficiently. It was built by a company called General Electric.
The coal-fired power plant was planned to close in September 2020. This was because it was becoming too expensive to keep its emissions (things released into the air) at safe levels. However, a company called Frontier Energy bought the plant. They plan to change it so it burns natural gas instead of coal. Natural gas is a cleaner-burning fuel, which means it produces less pollution.
Learning in Oklaunion
Kids living in Oklaunion go to public schools managed by the Vernon Independent School District. Before 1967, Oklaunion had its own school district, but it later joined with the Vernon district to provide education for its students.
