Cherokee, Oklahoma

Not to be confused with Cherokee County, Oklahoma.
Cherokee, Oklahoma
City

Location within Oklahoma
Coordinates: 36°45′15″N 98°21′19″W / 36.75417°N 98.35528°W / 36.75417; -98.35528Coordinates: 36°45′15″N 98°21′19″W / 36.75417°N 98.35528°W / 36.75417; -98.35528
Country United States
State Oklahoma
County Alfalfa
Area
  Total 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2)
  Land 1.5 sq mi (3.8 km2)
  Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 1,181[1] ft (360 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 1,498
  Density 1,000/sq mi (390/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
  Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 73728
Area code(s) 580
FIPS code 40-13750 [2]
GNIS feature ID 1091235 [3]

Cherokee is a city and county seat of Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, United States.[4] The population was 1,498 at the 2010 census, a loss of 8.1 percent from 1,630 at the 2000 census.[5]

History

After the land opening of 1893, developers wanted to attract railroads to build through the former Cherokee Outlet to transport the large wheat crops to markets. The Kansas and Oklahoma Construction Company, through its subsidiary, the Cherokee Investment Company, bought 100 acres (40 ha) along its route, platted the town called Cherokee, and held a lot sale on February 9, 1901. Cherokee incorporated in July 1901. Two years later, the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad (later owned by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) built a line through Cherokee. People from the nearby community of Erwin, which already had a post office of that name, moved to Cherokee for access to the railroad. The post office was renamed Cherokee in March, 1903.[6]

Cherokee became the county seat when the state reorganized counties. Once part of Woods County, Alfalfa County was created. The county is named after Alfalfa Bill Murray.[7]

National Register of Historic Places

Cherokee is the home of several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP), including the Cherokee Friends Church, constructed in 1919, and the Cherokee IOOF Lodge No. 219, built in 1931. Other Cherokee sites listed with the NHRP are the Farmers' Federation Elevator (ca. 1917), the Alfalfa County Courthouse (ca. 1921), the Cherokee Armory (ca. 1936), and the Hotel Cherokee (ca. 1929) - which currently serves as the county history center.[8]


Geography

Cherokee is located at 36°45′15″N 98°21′19″W / 36.75417°N 98.35528°W / 36.75417; -98.35528 (36.754163, -98.355283).[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), all of it land.

Cherokee is located along U.S. Highway 64/State Highway 8.[10]

The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is located just a few miles southeast of Cherokee. The salt plains are known for the hour-glass selenite crystals.

On 11 July 1909: at 3:00 in the morning, a heat burst south of Cherokee reportedly caused the temperature to rise briefly to 136 °F (57.8 °C), desiccating crops in the area.[11]

Climate

Climate data for Cherokee, Oklahoma
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 86
(30)
91
(33)
96
(36)
100
(38)
105
(41)
115
(46)
136
(58)
117
(47)
111
(44)
101
(38)
90
(32)
85
(29)
136
(58)
Average high °F (°C) 47.1
(8.4)
52.7
(11.5)
62.8
(17.1)
72.6
(22.6)
81.3
(27.4)
91.1
(32.8)
96.7
(35.9)
95.8
(35.4)
86.9
(30.5)
75.8
(24.3)
60.3
(15.7)
49.4
(9.7)
72.7
(22.6)
Average low °F (°C) 22.7
(−5.2)
26.9
(−2.8)
35.2
(1.8)
45.0
(7.2)
55.4
(13)
65.3
(18.5)
70.2
(21.2)
69.3
(20.7)
60.5
(15.8)
48.2
(9)
34.8
(1.6)
25.7
(−3.5)
46.6
(8.1)
Record low °F (°C) −15
(−26)
−15
(−26)
−1
(−18)
13
(−11)
30
(−1)
36
(2)
50
(10)
45
(7)
30
(−1)
12
(−11)
6
(−14)
−12
(−24)
−15
(−26)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.90
(22.9)
1.11
(28.2)
2.15
(54.6)
2.74
(69.6)
4.08
(103.6)
4.08
(103.6)
2.48
(63)
2.95
(74.9)
2.56
(65)
1.29
(32.8)
1.49
(37.8)
1.12
(28.4)
27.95
(709.9)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.4
(6.1)
3.2
(8.1)
1.7
(4.3)
0.1
(0.3)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.0
(0)
0.8
(2)
2.7
(6.9)
10.8
(27.4)
Source: Western Regional Climate Center [12]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
19102,016
19202,0170.0%
19302,23610.9%
19402,55314.2%
19502,6353.2%
19602,410−8.5%
19702,119−12.1%
19802,105−0.7%
19901,787−15.1%
20001,630−8.8%
20101,498−8.1%
Est. 20141,538[13]2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 1,630 people, 709 households, and 450 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,113.9 people per square mile (431.1/km²). There were 853 housing units at an average density of 582.9 per square mile (225.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.52% White, 0.12% African American, 1.72% Native American, 1.47% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.74% of the population.

There were 709 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,010, and the median income for a family was $34,934. Males had a median income of $25,263 versus $16,759 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,163. About 10.5% of families and 13.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Cherokee is primarily a farming community. In recent years, the oil/gas industry has boosted employment opportunities.

Education

Cherokee has one high school, which was rebuilt after being heavily damaged by a fire during the 1981-1982 school year. The school mascot is Cherokee Chiefs.

See also

References

  1. "Feature Detail Report for: City of Cherokee". Geographic Names Information System(GNIS). United States Geological Survey. March 11, 2008. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  5. CensusViewer:Cherokee, Oklahoma Population.
  6. Everett. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Clture." "Cherokee." Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  7. "Origin of County Names in Oklahoma." Chronicles of Oklahoma. Volume 2, Number 1 (March 1924). Retrieved October 10, 2013.
  8. "National Register of Historic Places". National Register Information System database download center (Cherokee, Oklahoma). National Park Service U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  9. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  10. Official State Map (Map) (2008 ed.). Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
  11. Isaac M. Cline, Climatological Data for July, 1909: District No. 7. Lower Mississippi Valley, p 337-338; http://ams.allenpress.com/perlserv/?request=get-toc&issn=1520-0493&volume=37&issue=7 Monthly Weather Review July 1909
  12. "CHEROKEE, OKLAHOMA (341724)".
  13. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cherokee, Oklahoma.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.