Red Oak, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Red Oak, Oklahoma
|
|
|---|---|
| Nickname(s):
Tha Oak
|
|
| Motto(s):
We are Red Oak
|
|
Location of Red Oak, Oklahoma
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Latimer |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.93 sq mi (2.40 km2) |
| • Land | 0.93 sq mi (2.40 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population
(2010)
|
|
| • Total | 549 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
|
478 |
| • Density | 516.76/sq mi (199.56/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
74563
|
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-62550 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1097108 |
Red Oak is a town in Latimer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census.
Eight miles northeast of the present town is the original site of Red Oak. There in 1850 Thomas Edwards established a trading post on the Fort Smith–Boggy Depot Road. With the advent of the Butterfield Overland Mail and stage line in 1858, Edwards's already prosperous store became a stopping place for mail and passengers. In March 1868 the store became an official post office, with Edwards as postmaster. He named the post office Red Oak, probably because there were trees near the store. The official designation was Red Oak, Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation. Edwards's Store has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR 72001069). The present location of "new" Red Oak, southwest of Edwards's, served as a stage stop between Fort Smith and Texas from the 1860s. For several years there was a sawmill, a lumberyard, and a mill where the business section was located at the turn of the twenty-first century. In 1888 the Choctaw Coal and Railway (later the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway) surveyed a route across present Latimer County, linking Wister to McAlester. With the advent of the railroad a town started to grow. Around 1890 Edwards's Store closed, and the "old" Red Oak post office officially moved to the new community.
Contents
Geography
Red Oak is located at 34°57′6″N 95°4′51″W / 34.95167°N 95.08083°W (34.951669, -95.080890).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 398 | — | |
| 1920 | 593 | 49.0% | |
| 1930 | 460 | −22.4% | |
| 1940 | 484 | 5.2% | |
| 1950 | 568 | 17.4% | |
| 1960 | 453 | −20.2% | |
| 1970 | 609 | 34.4% | |
| 1980 | 676 | 11.0% | |
| 1990 | 602 | −10.9% | |
| 2000 | 581 | −3.5% | |
| 2010 | 549 | −5.5% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 478 | −12.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the census of 2000, there were 581 people, 239 households, and 155 families residing in the town. The population density was 618.7 people per square mile (238.6/km2). There were 283 housing units at an average density of 301.4 per square mile (116.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 70.57% White, 0.52% African American, 21.86% Native American, and 7.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.
There were 239 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.1% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,461, and the median income for a family was $25,625. Males had a median income of $27,188 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,270. About 22.8% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.9% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Red Oak has one elementary, junior high, and one high school. Total enrollment in the 2018–2019 academic year was 314 students, an increase of almost 75 percent in the past decade. The high school was named one of America's Best High Schools in 2017 by U.S. News & World Report. The school is a one-to-one technology school and boasts programs in STEM, technology, 4-H, FCCLA, FFA, and art. KIBOIS also operates a Head Start program in Red Oak.
The high school athletic teams are renowned for their recent state championships: softball teams have won 14 state championships, baseball teams have won 11 championships, and boys' basketball teams have won three state championships. Other activities sanctioned by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association include cross country and academic team. The archery team, affiliated with the OKNASP program, has won two state championships.
Notable people
- Lane Adams, Major League baseball player
- Thomas Edwards. Being the fisrt inhabitant of Red Oak, he also who fought for Choctaw Rights in Indian Territory.
See also
In Spanish: Red Oak (Oklahoma) para niños
