Spencer, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Spencer, Oklahoma
|
|
|---|---|
Location in Oklahoma County and the state of Oklahoma.
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Oklahoma |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.38 sq mi (13.94 km2) |
| • Land | 5.38 sq mi (13.94 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,168 ft (356 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 3,978 |
| • Density | 739.27/sq mi (285.42/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
73084
|
| Area code(s) | 405 |
| FIPS code | 40-69200 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411952 |
Spencer is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 3,978 at the 2020 census, a 1.7% increase from 2010.
Established in 1903, the City of Spencer is a historic community located just east of the North Canadian River. Spencer is approximately ten miles from downtown Oklahoma City and borders the cities of Nicoma Park to the east and Midwest City to the south.
Contributing to the cultural fabric of Spencer are the Spencer Chamber of Commerce, the Facebook page-Whats going on in Spencer Oklahoma, Spencer Senior Center, Spencer Parks Board and the Spencer Historical Society.
History
The region where Spencer was developed was opened to settlement in the Land Run of 1889. Louis F. and Henry W. Kramer, businessmen originally from Spencer County, Indiana, first arrived in Guthrie in 1889 and then moved to Oklahoma City.
Originally an agricultural area, Spencer grew after World War II with the nearby General Motors Assembly Plant and Tinker Air Force Base offering employment.
On January 20, 1982, seven children were killed by the explosion of a water heater in the cafeteria of the city's Star Elementary School.
CPT Riley L. Pitts, the first black commissioned officer to receive the Medal of Honor, is buried in Spencer's Hillcrest Memory Gardens. Captain Pitts was a graduate of Wichita University (now Wichita State University.)
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (14 km2), all land.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1960 | 1,189 | — | |
| 1970 | 3,714 | 212.4% | |
| 1980 | 4,064 | 9.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,972 | −2.3% | |
| 2000 | 3,746 | −5.7% | |
| 2010 | 3,912 | 4.4% | |
| 2020 | 3,978 | 1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 1,170 | 1,045 | 29.91% | 26.27% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 2,191 | 2,029 | 56.01% | 51.01% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 113 | 114 | 2.89% | 2.87% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 20 | 23 | 0.51% | 0.58% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 1 | 5 | 0.03% | 0.13% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 9 | 24 | 0.23% | 0.60% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 242 | 295 | 6.19% | 7.42% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 166 | 443 | 4.24% | 11.14% |
| Total | 3,912 | 3,978 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Education
It is in Oklahoma City Public Schools. Zoned schools include Willow Brook Elementary School (PreKindergarten-Grade 1), Spencer Elementary School (grades 2-4), and Rogers Intermediate School (grades 5-6). The zoned secondary school is Star Spencer Mid-High School.
Dunjee School
Dundjee School was all-Black school that was built in 1934 and opened as a segregated school in 1935 serving black students in Spencer. The school is named after Black Oklahoma City civil rights leader Roscoe Dunjee. The school served 1st through 12th-grade students and according to Dr. Donnie Nero the school was nurturing, and enriching, but also tough. “Those teachers those educators made sure that we focused on being the best that we possibly could be so there wasn't a lot of time for foolishness or time to waste,” said Nero. The school featured some of the best and brightest black teachers, such as civil rights leader Clara Luper, and the Rev. W.B. Parker, pastor of nearby St. James Baptist Church. Dunjee school closed in 1972, devastating the community of Spencer.
The residents of the Dunjee area had long suffered at the hand of segregation in Oklahoma. Before 1963 it was part of the Choctaw school system. After years of substandard support from the City of Choctaw, they fought to be integrated into the Oklahoma City school system and won. However, in 1972 the school board closed all Dunjee schools and began bussing as part of the mandated laws of de-segregation. The community was stunned.
Because of de-segregation Dunjee closed its doors in 1972, a move that in many eyes damaged the Spencer community. When the school's doors shut for good, "it devastated this community," said Theotis Payne. In 2012 a fire causing $250,000 in damage made the school uninhabitable.
See also
In Spanish: Spencer (Oklahoma) para niños
