Yale, Oklahoma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yale, Oklahoma
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Motto(s):
" Home Of Jim Thorpe "
|
|
Location within Payne County and Oklahoma
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Payne |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.92 sq mi (2.37 km2) |
| • Land | 0.92 sq mi (2.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 804 ft (245 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 1,059 |
| • Density | 1,156.11/sq mi (446.40/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP code |
74085
|
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-82500 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412315 |
Yale is a city located in Payne County, Oklahoma, in the United States. In 2020, about 1,059 people lived there. This was a bit less than the 1,227 people counted in 2010.
Contents
History of Yale
Yale was started in 1895 by a farmer named Sterling F. Underwood. He opened a post office in his general store. It was about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of where Yale is now.
Later, a railway company called the Eastern Oklahoma Railway built tracks through Payne County. A group led by George W. Canfield decided to build a new town closer to the railway. In 1902, Mr. Underwood moved his store to this new spot. This became the permanent location for the town of Yale.
By 1910, Yale had 685 people. Most people worked in farming or processing cotton.
Oil Boom and Decline
On September 23, 1913, something big happened. An oil well on the Randle farm struck oil! It was a huge gush. Another even bigger gush happened a month later. More oil was found after that.
By the end of 1914, the oil fields near Yale were producing a lot of oil. The town grew very quickly. By 1920, Yale's population had jumped to 2,601 people.
But the oil boom did not last long. Oil production started to go down a lot in 1915. More wells were found to be dry. Big oil companies began to close or slow down their work in the early 1920s.
By 1930, the number of people in Yale had fallen to 1,734. The population kept going down until 1970, when it was 1,239. There was a small increase in 1980, but then the numbers started to drop again. Today, town leaders are trying to make Yale a good place for people to retire.
Geography and Water
Yale is about 20 miles (32 km) east of Stillwater. It is located on State Highway 51. The city covers about 0.9 square miles (2.3 square kilometers) of land. There is no water within the city limits.
The main source of water for Yale is Lone Chimney Lake. However, the lake's water level has been getting lower for several years. This is because of long periods of dry weather and because Yale and other towns use a lot of water from the lake.
People of Yale
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 685 | — | |
| 1920 | 2,601 | 279.7% | |
| 1930 | 1,734 | −33.3% | |
| 1940 | 1,407 | −18.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,359 | −3.4% | |
| 1960 | 1,369 | 0.7% | |
| 1970 | 1,239 | −9.5% | |
| 1980 | 1,652 | 33.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,392 | −15.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,342 | −3.6% | |
| 2010 | 1,227 | −8.6% | |
| 2020 | 1,059 | −13.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2010, there were 1,227 people living in Yale. There were 604 homes. Most people living in Yale were White (87.63%). Some people were Native American (6.93%) or Asian (0.30%). About 4.99% of people were from two or more different groups. A small number (0.98%) were Hispanic or Latino.
About 26.7% of the people were under 18 years old. About 17.5% were 65 years or older. The average age in the city was 36 years.
Famous People from Yale
- Chet Baker: He was a famous jazz trumpet player and singer. He was born in Yale in 1929.
- Jim Thorpe: He was an amazing athlete who won gold medals in the Olympics. He lived in Yale from 1917 to 1923. His house, called the Jim Thorpe House, is a special historic place. It has a museum run by his family.
See also
In Spanish: Yale (Oklahoma) para niños
