Weatherford, Oklahoma facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Weatherford
City
Weatherford, Oklahoma Location in Oklahoma Show map of Oklahoma Weatherford, Oklahoma Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Custer
Area
• Total	7.66 sq mi (19.84 km2)
• Land	7.66 sq mi (19.83 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	1,627 ft (496 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	12,076
• Density	1,576.91/sq mi (608.87/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	73096
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-79450
GNIS feature ID	2412198

Weatherford is a city located in Custer County, Oklahoma, in the United States. In 2020, about 12,076 people lived there. This was a bit more than the 10,833 people counted in 2010.

Geography and Location

Weatherford covers an area of about 7.05 square miles (18.26 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

History of Weatherford

Weatherford was founded on land that became available to settlers during the Land Run of 1892. This event was part of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Roundup and Removal on April 19, 1892. The city officially became a town on August 3, 1898.

The location for the town was chosen by a banking and community leader named Beeks Erick. By 1900, Weatherford had a population of 1,017 people. The first post office was about two miles north of the town. It was on the land of William John and Lorinda Powell Weatherford, and Lorinda Weatherford was the first postmaster. The town was named after her.

In its early years, farming and ranching were the main ways people made a living. Crops like corn, cotton, and maize were very important. Weatherford also had a brick plant, a cement plant, and a broom factory. These businesses provided jobs and supplies for the people living there.

Population Information

As of 2015, about 12,126 people lived in Weatherford. There were about 3,991 households. The average household had 2.27 people.

The population included people of different ages. About 19.8% were under 18 years old. About 32.1% were between 18 and 24 years old. The median age in the city was 24 years.

Local Economy

Weatherford is home to a Kodak manufacturing plant. In 2017, this plant had a $15 million expansion. It now focuses on making plates for flexographic packaging.

The city is also a center for companies in the oil and natural gas industry. These include Oneok Field Services and Chesapeake Energy. Weatherford also plays a role in producing wind power.

Fun Things to See and Do

Gemini 6A space capsule at the Stafford Air & Space Museum

The Stafford Air & Space Museum is a large museum, about 40,000 square feet. It has many amazing items related to space and flight. You can see the actual Gemini 6A spacecraft and a real Titan II missile. The museum also displays a WWII V-2 rocket and a Saturn V F-1 engine. You can also see space suits that have been to space, flight equipment, Space Shuttle engines, and even a Moon rock.

The museum has many aircraft on display. These include a real Sopwith Pup, an F-86, an F-104, a T-33, a T-38, an F-16, and a rare MIG-21. There are also full-size copies of famous planes like the Wright Flyer, the Bleriot, and the Spirit of St. Louis.

Weatherford is the hometown of astronaut Thomas P. Stafford. He flew in space four times. He commanded the Gemini 9 and Apollo 10 missions, and the Apollo–Soyuz project. The museum is located at the Thomas P. Stafford Airport.

Weatherford also has The Oklahoma Heartland of America Museum. It opened in 2007. This 12,000 square foot building has many old items from the late 1800s to the 1950s. It features thirty-two main historical exhibits, including a 1931 Model A Ford sports coupe. On the museum grounds, there are three historic themed buildings: a diner, a school house, and a blacksmith's shop.

The City of Weatherford has twelve parks, covering over eight hundred acres. Heritage Park, which is across from City Hall, has a wind turbine blade on display that you can see up close.

Historic Places to Visit

Weatherford has four sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One of these is the Owl Blacksmith Shop at 208 W. Rainey.

Education in Weatherford

At the start of the 1900s, Weatherford was chosen to be the home of Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU). It was first known as Southwestern State Teachers College and was founded in 1901. SWOSU grew to be the largest higher education school in Western Oklahoma. By 2015, it had over 4,200 students. SWOSU offers different types of degrees, including associate, bachelor's, master's, and professional doctorate programs. It is one of only two universities in Oklahoma with an accredited school of pharmacy.

There are also private schools in the area. Western Oklahoma Christian School has campuses in Weatherford, Clinton, and Elk City. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Corn Bible Academy, located in Corn, teaches students in grades seven through twelve.

Weatherford Public Schools provides public education for the city and nearby rural areas. The district has three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.

Western Technology Center (WTC) helps adults and high school students get training for specific jobs. Weatherford Public Schools is part of the WTC district. High school juniors and seniors from the Weatherford School District can attend classes at WTC. High school students who live in the WTC District can go to WTC for free. Adults can also take classes by paying tuition.

Wind Energy Production

Wind turbine blade on display in Weatherford

Wind power promotional poster near the blade display

Weatherford is home to the Weatherford Wind Energy Center. This facility has 98 large GE wind turbines. Each turbine can produce 1.5 megawatts of power. In total, the center can produce 147 megawatts of electricity.

Transportation Routes

For many years, Weatherford was on a main line of the Rock Island Railroad. This railroad is now operated by Farmrail Corporation. When cars became popular, the city was first on State Highway 3 in the early 1920s. This road became U.S. Route 66 in 1926. By 1932, Route 66 was fully paved across Western Oklahoma.

Route 66 went along Main Street through Weatherford. Many tourist businesses like cafes, motels, and gas stations were built along it. Parts of Main Street were paved with brick until the mid-1950s when it was made wider into a four-lane road.

Interstate 40 was finished east and west of Weatherford in 1960. It generally followed the old U.S. 66 path, which became a frontage road. The I-40 bypass around Weatherford to the south was completed in July 1970.

Besides Route 66 and I-40, Weatherford is also served by Oklahoma State Highway 54. This highway runs north and south.

The Thomas P Stafford Airport (KOJA; FAA ID: OJA) is two miles northeast of town. It has a paved runway that is 5100 feet long and 75 feet wide. For commercial flights, the closest major airport is Will Rogers World Airport. It is about 69 miles to the east.

Famous People from Weatherford

• Jeff Banister – A manager for the Texas Rangers (baseball) baseball team.
• Brett Chapman – An attorney who works for Native American civil rights.
• Paul D. Eaton – A retired U.S. Army Major General. He was a commanding general in Iraq.
• Gordon Friesen – A writer.
• Cliff Keen – A former head wrestling coach at the University of Michigan.
• Braden Looper – A Major League Baseball pitcher.
• James C. Nance – A newspaper publisher in Oklahoma. He was also a Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and a President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate.
• Wes Sims – A professional football player.
• Thomas P. Stafford – An astronaut who orbited the Moon on Apollo 10.
• Stanley Vestal – An author who wrote about the American Old West.

See also

In Spanish: Weatherford (Oklahoma) para niños