West Tulsa, Tulsa facts for kids

West Tulsa is a special area located in the western part of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It includes many different neighborhoods and communities found to the west and south of the Arkansas River. For a long time, as the cities of Sand Springs and Tulsa grew closer, the name West Tulsa was used for the area west of Tulsa and north of the Arkansas River. However, today, many people in Tulsa usually mean the areas south of the river when they talk about West Tulsa.

What West Tulsa Looks Like

The southwest part of Tulsa is divided into areas managed by the county and areas managed by the city. This means some parts are industrial zones or lands outside the main city limits. Some communities are inside Tulsa's city limits, and others are not.

A big part of West Tulsa has many homes, shops, and businesses, especially around West 23rd Street. This is the busiest and most developed part of West Tulsa.

Communities in West Tulsa

The communities generally thought of as part of West Tulsa and inside Tulsa's city limits are:

• Red Fork
• Carbondale
• Garden City
• Turkey Mountain

Communities that are considered part of West Tulsa but are outside Tulsa's city limits include:

• Berryhill
• Marglo
• Bowden
• Prattville (though Sand Springs took over Prattville in 1964)

Other communities in Creek County that are also seen as part of West Tulsa are:

• Oakhurst
• Oakridge
• Allen-Bowden

Main Roads and Places

The most important road in West Tulsa is Southwest Boulevard. It used to be called Quanah Avenue and was even part of the famous Route 66. Other main streets include West 21st, West 41st, and West 51st Streets. Important avenues are South 65th West, South 57th West, South 49th West, South 33rd West, South Union, and South Elwood Avenues.

West Tulsa is also home to some well-known places:

• The Oaks Country Club: One of Tulsa's big country clubs.
• Inverness Village: A large community for older adults.
• Camp Loughridge: A Christian Summer Camp that uses 186 acres of land.
• Goodwill Industries: A place that helps people find jobs and sells donated goods.
• Many companies that support Tulsa's transportation industry are near the BNSF Railway 'Cherokee' train yard.

Local Churches

The West Tulsa Free Will Baptist Church has been serving the community since 1946. It offers special programs for young people, like H2O Teen Ministries for grades 6-12 and CityKids Ministries for younger children. The church is located at Nogales Avenue and West 23rd Place. It also runs Upward Sports programs for the community. This church is connected to the National Association of Free Will Baptists in Nashville, Tennessee, and Randall University in Moore, Oklahoma.

Oil Refineries

West Tulsa has two oil refineries. These are factories that turn crude oil into useful products like gasoline.

• The Sunoco Tulsa refinery opened in 1913. It is located next to I-244 by the Arkansas River.
• The Sinclair Refinery was built in 1910 by Texaco and is on Southwest Boulevard.

In 2009, a company called Holly Corporation bought both the former Texaco and Sunoco refineries. They decided to run both as one large refinery.

Education in West Tulsa

West Tulsa has several schools for different age groups.

High Schools

The high schools in West Tulsa are:

• Daniel Webster High School
• Berryhill High School

Middle Schools

Middle schools include:

• Clinton Middle School on West 41st Street
• Berryhill Junior High School (which is in a separate school district)

Elementary Schools

Elementary schools within Tulsa city limits are:

• Eugene Field Elementary School
• Robertson Elementary in Carbondale
• Remington Elementary in Mountain Manor
• Park Elementary in Red Fork

Elementary schools outside city limits are:

• Jane Addams Elementary School on South 65th West Avenue
• Berryhill Elementary School on West 31st Street

These schools are all located south of the Arkansas River.

Higher Education

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences is on West 17th Street. This center includes their College of Osteopathic Medicine, where students learn to become doctors.

History of West Tulsa

West Tulsa officially became a town on September 14, 1907. It held its first local election in October of that year. However, it joined the City of Tulsa on September 7, 1909.

Early Amusement Parks

West Tulsa was home to one of the first amusement parks in the area. Before 1920, a park owned by The Park Addition Company offered a dance hall, food stands, and boat rides.

In 1921, the Electric Amusement Park Company took over. They added the only miniature train ride in Oklahoma at that time. By 1922, the park also had carousel and Ferris wheel rides. But money problems caused the park to close in 1925.

After new owners took over, the park reopened in 1928. It was updated and renamed Crystal City. This new park featured Tulsa's huge Zingo roller coaster. The park was popular until a fire in 1956 burned down the bath house and the Casa Loma dance hall. This forced the park to close for good. Many of its rides were moved to another Tulsa park called Lakeview Amusement Park near the Mohawk Zoo.

Crystal City Shopping Center

In September 1958, investors bought the land where Crystal City used to be. They built the Crystal City Shopping Center, which became a major place for West Tulsans to shop. It even had a bowling alley called Crystal Bowl.

Community Improvement Efforts

In June 2006, the Southwest Tulsa Main Street Committee planned to ask the city of Tulsa for help with an Urban Main Street program. This program would cover Southwest Boulevard from OSU Medical Center to Crystal City. This was the first step to get the area certified as part of the Oklahoma Main Street program, which helps local economies.

Tulsa's Red Fork area was chosen by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to be the city's first Urban Main Street Community. The Red Fork Main Street area covers two blocks on each side of Southwest Boulevard, from the Arkansas River to 49th West Avenue. Being part of this state program gives the community access to expert help, planning, and resources. These resources help communities save old buildings and make them useful for business. The City Council agreed to spend $150,000 over three years to be part of the program. Many people and businesses also promised to donate money to match these funds.

Levee System

A levee is a wall built to prevent a river from overflowing. On the left side of the Arkansas River, the levee runs for about 9.6 miles. It starts near Sand Springs and goes downstream towards Tulsa. On the right side, the levee runs for about 5.4 miles. This part of the levee is next to the main business and residential areas in West Tulsa.

About 12.4 miles of levees were built before February 1938. More improvements and additions to the levees started in the fall of 1943 and were finished in the spring of 1945.