Name	Oklahoma City
Settlement type	City
Nickname	The City; The 405; The Brick Ditch; OKC
Image seal	OKC_Seal.png
Map caption	Location in Oklahoma County and the state of Oklahoma.
Pushpin map	USA
Pushpin map caption	Location in the United States
Coordinates region	US-OK
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision type2	Counties
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision name1	Oklahoma
Subdivision name2	Canadian, Cleveland, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie
Government type	Council - Manager
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Mick Cornett (R)
Leader title1	City Manager
Leader name1	Jim Couch
Established	Founded
Established date	1889
Area magnitude	1 E9
Area total km2	1608.8
Area total sq mi	621.2
Area land km2	1572.1
Area land sq mi	607.0
Area water km2	36.7
Area water sq mi	14.2
Area urban km2	834.9
Area urban sq mi	322.3
Population as of	2009
Population total	560,333 (31st)
Population urban	747,003
Population metro	1,206,142
Population density km2	356.4
Timezone	CST
Utc offset	-6
Timezone dst	CDT
Utc offset dst	-5
Postal code	731XX
Area code	405
Elevation ft	1201
Coordinates display	display=inline,title
Elevation m	396
Website	http://www.okc.gov/
Blank name	FIPS code
Blank info	40-55000
Blank1 name	GNIS feature ID
Blank1 info	1102140

Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's estimated population, as of July 1, 2009, was 560,333, with an estimated metro-area population of 1,206,142. In 2008, the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,275,758 residents. Oklahoma City's city limits extend into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas are rural or suburban. The city ranks as the eighth-largest city in the United States by land area which includes consolidated city-counties; it is the largest city in the United States by land area whose government is not consolidated with that of a county (or, in the case of Alaska, a borough, or in the case of Louisiana, a parish). The city is the largest city and metro area in population of the traditional 'plains states' as well as the South Central United States outside of Texas.

Oklahoma City is an important livestock market, featuring one of the top livestock markets in the world. Oil, natural gas, and petroleum products are major products of the economy, as the city is situated in the middle of an oil field, with oil derricks even on the capitol grounds. Several prominent energy companies are headquartered in Oklahoma City. The city has varied light and heavy industries. The federal government is also a significant employer; located in within the City limits are Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, which houses several offices of the Federal Aviation Administration along with the Transportation Department's Enterprise Service Center.

The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889, and grew to a population of over 10,000 within hours of its founding. The city was the scene of the April 19, 1995 bombing attack of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in which 168 people lost their lives. It was the worst terror attack in the history of the United States before the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, and remains the worst act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.

Oklahoma City lies along one of the primary corridors into Texas and Mexico, and is just three hours by car to the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The city is located in the Frontier Country region of the state and the northeast part of the city lies in a ecological region known as the Cross Timbers. Since the time weather records have been kept, Oklahoma City has been struck by nine violent tornadoes, eight (E)-F4's and one F5. Some 10,000 homesteaders settled the area that would become the capital of Oklahoma. The town grew quickly; the population doubled between 1890 and 1900. Early leaders of the development of the city included Anton Classen, Henry Overholser and James W. Maney.

By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie, the territorial capital, as the population center and commercial hub of the new state. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was a major stop on Route 66 during the early part of the 20th century and was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup's 1946 jazz classic, "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66", later made famous by Nat King Cole.

Before World War II, Oklahoma City developed major stockyards and, with the 1928 discovery of oil within the city limits (including under the State Capitol), it became a center of oil production. Post-war growth accompanied Oklahoma City's location as a major interchange on the Interstate Highway System, with the convergence of I-35, I-40 and I-44 in the city. It was also aided by federal development of Tinker Air Force Base.

As with many other American cities, center city population declined in the 1970s and 80s as families moved to newer housing in nearby suburbs. Urban Renewal projects in the 1970s including the Pei Plan (Oklahoma City) unfortunately removed many older historic structures but then compounded it by failing to spark much new development. A notable exception was the construction of the Myriad Gardens and Crystal Bridge, a botanical garden and modernistic conservatory in the heart of the city. Casualties of the plan included the Criterion Theater, the Baum Building, the Hales Building, and the Biltmore Hotel.

In 1993, the city passed a massive redevelopment package known as the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), which aimed to rebuild the city's core. The city added a new baseball park; central library; renovations to the civic center, convention center and fairgrounds; and a canal to the Bricktown entertainment district. MAPS has become one of the most aggressive and successful public-private partnerships ever undertaken in the U.S. exceeding $3 billion. As a result of MAPS downtown housing has skyrocketed as well as increased demand for residential amenities, such as grocery and other retail stores. Since the MAPS projects' completion, the downtown area has seen continued development. Several of the downtown buildings are undergoing renovation/restoration projects. Notable among these was the restoration of the Skirvin Hotel in 2007. The famed First National Center is also currently being renovated.

The "Core-to-Shore" project was created to relocate I-40 one mile (1.6 km) south and replace it with a boulevard that will create an entrance to the city. This allows the central portion of the city to expand south toward the Oklahoma River, thus connecting the core of the city to the shore of the Oklahoma River. Several elements of Core to Shore were included in the MAPS 3 proposal which passed in late 2009.

Residents of Oklahoma City suffered substantial losses on April 19, 1995 when Timothy McVeigh set off a bomb in front of the Murrah building. The building was destroyed, more than 100 nearby buildings suffered severe damage, and 168 people were killed.

The site is now home to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Since its opening in 2000, over 3 million people have visited. Every year on April 19, survivors, friends and family return to the memorial to read the names of every victim lost.

Geography

Oklahoma City lies along one of the primary corridors into Texas and Mexico, and is a three hour drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The city is located in the Frontier Country region in the center of the state, making it an ideal location for state government.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 621.2 square miles (1,608.8 km²), of which, 607.0 square miles (1,572.1 km²) of it is land and 14.2 square miles (36.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 2.28 percent water.

Oklahoma City lies in the Sandstone Hills region of Oklahoma, known for hills of 250 to and two species of oak - blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) and post oak (Q. stellata). The northeastern part of the city and its suburbs fall into an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers.

The city is roughly bisected by the North Canadian River (recently renamed the Oklahoma River inside city limits). The North Canadian was once substantial enough to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding areas, including the original Oklahoma City Zoo. In the 1940s a dam was built on the river to manage the flood control and reduced its level. In the 1990s, as part of the citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low-water dams, returning water to the portion of the river flowing near downtown. The city also has three large lakes: Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser, in the northwestern quarter of the city; and the largest, Lake Stanley Draper, in the sparsely populated far southeast of the city.

The population density normally reported for Oklahoma City using area of its city limits can be a bit misleading, as its urbanized zone covers roughly , compared with larger rural areas incorporated by the city, which cover the remaining of the city limits.

Oklahoma City is one of the largest cities in the nation in compliance with the Clean Air Act.

Climate

Oklahoma City lies in a temperate Humid subtropical climate, with frequent variations in weather daily and seasonally, except during the consistently hot and humid summer months. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods.

The average temperature is , though colder through the winter months, with a average in January, Since the time weather records have been kept, Oklahoma City has been struck by nine violent tornadoes, eight F4's and one F5. |- style="background:#efefef;" |2 ||First National Center || || 33 || 1931 || |- |3 || City Place Tower || || 33 || 1931 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |4 ||Oklahoma Tower || || 31 || 1982 || |- |5 || SandRidge Center || || 30 || 1973 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |6 || Valliance Bank Tower || || 22 || 1984 || |- |7 || Bank of Oklahoma Plaza || || 16 || 1972 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |8 || Leadership Square North || || 22 || 1984 || |- |9 || Dowell Center || || 20 || 1927 || |- style="background:#efefef;" |10 || Regency Tower || || 24 || 1966 || |}

Construction on Devon Energy Corporation's new headquarters will be complete in 2013 and is planned to overtake the Chase Tower as the tallest in Oklahoma City and Tulsa's BOK Tower as the tallest in Oklahoma. In fact, the finished Devon Tower would be the tenth tallest building west of the Mississippi River, standing at tall with 50 floors.

Neighborhoods

Oklahoma City neighborhoods are as varied as the Oklahoma climate. Historic, renovated neighborhoods sit alongside others that suffered from a mix of economic and social factors such as "white flight" and have not yet truly recovered. Inner-city neighborhoods radiate from those located in downtown and include mostly single-family detached houses with small yards and the occasional apartment complex. In the downtown and northwest business area, there are numerous condo and loft developments and several mid-rise and high-rise options.

Downtown Oklahoma City itself is currently undergoing a renaissance, one of the largest in the nation. White flight during the 1950s and 1960s left much of the inner city abandoned. Unfortunately, during the Urban Renewal days of the early 1980s, controversial urban planning allowed for the destruction of almost 50 historic buildings and skyscrapers. Examples include the Biltmore Hotel, which was imploded to make way for the I. M. Pei-designed Myriad Botanical Gardens, the only major Urban Renewal project completed as planned. Many of the buildings which were not destroyed in the Central Business District were covered by new façades or left to Class-C office space. The removal of historic structures left downtown without much retail presence.

Demographics

According to the 2006-2008 American Community Survey, the racial composition of Oklahoma City was as follows:

White or European American: 67.7% (Non-Hispanic Whites: 60.3%)

Black or African American: 14.1%

Native American: 2.9%

Asian: 4.0%

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%

Some other race: 5.1%

Two or more races: 6.3%

Hispanic or Latino (of any race): 14.6%

Source:

As of the census of 2000, there were 506,132 people, 204,434 households, and 129,360 families residing in the city. The population density was 321.9/km² (833.8/mi²) with 2,317.4/mi² for an urban area Oklahoma City Police estimate that on any given night, as many as 6,000 gang members may be out on Oklahoma City streets. With regards to Mexican drug cartels, Oklahoma City has traditionally been the territory of the notorious Juarez Cartel, but the Sinaloa Cartel has been reported as trying to establish a foothold in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City also has its share of very brutal crimes, particularly in the 1970s. The worst of which occurred in 1978, when six employees of a Sirloin Stockade restaurant on the city's south side were murdered execution-style in the restaurant's freezer. An intensive investigation followed and the three individuals involved - who also killed three others in Purcell, Oklahoma - were identified. One, Harold Stafford, died in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa not long after the restaurant murders. Another, Verna Stafford, was sentenced to life without parole after being granted a new trial after she had previously been sentenced to death. Roger Dale Stafford, considered the mastermind of the murder spree, was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1995. At the same time, the Oklahoma City Police were battling a still-unsolved serial murder case that dates from at least as early as 1976 and as late as 1986. During that time, at least three women were horribly dismembered and parts of their bodies left throughout an area between downtown and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center - Oklahoma City Police believe they were being watched by the killer, as they found body parts in areas they had already searched. The cases remain open and actively investigated by the OCPD.

Economy

restaurant chain is headquartered in Oklahoma City.]] The economy of Oklahoma City, once a regional power center of government and energy exploration, has diversified to include the sectors of information technology, services, health services and administration. The city has two Fortune 500 companies: Devon Energy Corporation and Chesapeake Energy Corporation, several others that are in the Fortune 1000 and a number of large privately owned companies. Oklahoma City is home to the corporate headquarters of Sonic Drive-In, whose office building and corporate restaurant is located in Bricktown. Devon Energy revealed plans in August 2008 for a new tall, headquarters building in downtown Oklahoma City. The new skyscraper is currently under construction and is expected to be complete in 2012.

Other large employers in Oklahoma City include Tinker Air Force Base, the federal government, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Central Oklahoma, American Fidelity, AT&T;, AAA, Bank of America, Bank of Oklahoma, The Boeing Company, Dell, The Hertz Corporation, Farmer's Insurance, Integris Health, The Hartford, JP Morgan Chase, Mercy Heath System, Sprint/Nextel, St. Anthony Health System, Williams-Sonoma, Xerox, United Parcel Service, Cox, and the state of Oklahoma. Six Flags at one point was headquartered in Oklahoma City but relocated to New York City on January 27, 2006.

According to the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, the metropolitan area's economic output grew by 33 percent between 2001 and 2005 due chiefly to economic diversification. Its gross metropolitan product totaled $43.1 billion in 2005.

In 2008, Forbes magazine named Oklahoma City the most "recession proof city in America". The magazine reported that the city had falling unemployment, one of the strongest housing markets in the country and solid growth in energy, agriculture and manufacturing. However, during the 1980s, Oklahoma City had one of the worst job and housing markets due to the bankruptcy of Penn Square Bank in 1982 and then the post-1985 crash in oil prices.

Business Districts

Business Districts, and to a lesser extent, neighborhoods tend to maintain their boundaries and character through the application of zoning regulations and Business Improvement Districts (districts where property owners agree to a property tax surcharge to support additional services for the community.)

Through zoning regulations, historic districts, and other special zoning districts, including overlay districts, are established.

Oklahoma City currently has three Business Improvement Districts, Downtown, Western Avenue, and Stockyards City - also a mainstreet program.

See: Neighborhoods of Oklahoma City for information on other cultural and historic districts and neighborhoods of the Oklahoma City.

Film Exchange District

In 2003, a part of downtown Oklahoma City was developed into the new Film Exchange District, to honor its roots as a film exchange.

The Film Exchange District, a component of the Downtown Business Improvement District, encompasses 42 square blocks and lies between Classen Boulevard and Walker Avenue along Sheridan Avenue. It is also bordered by S.W. 2nd Street, S.W. 1st Street and Colcord Drive.

The district's history includes the likes of Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Fox Films starting with silent films. The first film exchange appeared in Oklahoma City as early as 1907, and in 1910, the General Film Exchange was established on West 2nd Street. By 1930, most studio offices had moved along what is now Sheridan Avenue. The Peeks landed contracts to install sound systems in former silent theatres across Oklahoma and relocated to their newly constructed building at 628 W. Grand (Sheridan) in 1946. Television and the advent of new technology and introduction of inexpensive air freight, hurt the film exchange business and by the 1970s and early 1980s, film row became a haven for bars, prostitution and drugs. Located off of N.W. 16th Street between Classen and Penn, the district includes The Lyric Theatre and the Everything Goes Dance Studio.

In the 1930s, what is now the Plaza District consisted mostly of drugstores and drycleaners, but did see the opening of the Plaza Theatre in 1935. The theatre closed in 1979 before being renovated as the Lyric Theatre. The newly renovated art deco Civic Center Music Hall has performances from ballet and opera to traveling Broadway shows and concerts. Stage Center for the Performing Arts is home to many of the city's top theater companies. The building that houses Stage Center, originally called the Mummers Theater and designed by John M. Johansen, is a modernist architectural landmark, with the original model displayed in MOMA in New York City.

Other theaters include the Lyric Theatre, Jewel Box Theatre, the Kirkpatrick Auditorium, the Poteet Theatre and the 488-seat Petree Recital Hall, at the Oklahoma City University campus. The university also opened the Wanda L Bass School of Music and auditorium in April 2006.

The Science Museum Oklahoma (formerly Kirkpatrick Science and Air Space Museum at Omniplex) houses exhibits on science, aviation, and an IMAX theater. The museum houses the International Photography Hall of Fame (IPHF) that exhibits photographs and artifacts from a large collection of cameras and other artifacts preserving the history of photography. IPHF honors those who have made significant contributions to the art and/or science of photography.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum has galleries of western art and is home to the Hall of Great Western Performers. In contrast, the city will also be home to The American Indian Cultural Center and Museum that began construction in 2009, on the South side of Interstate 40, Southeast from Bricktown.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial in the northern part of Oklahoma City's downtown was created and the inscription on its eastern gate says, "to honor the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995". The outdoor Symbolic Memorial can be visited 24 hours a day for free, and the adjacent Memorial Museum, located in the former Journal Record building damaged by the bombing, can be entered for a small fee. The site is also home to the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, a non partisan, non profit thinktank devoted to the prevention of terrorism.

The Oklahoma History Center is the history museum of the State of Oklahoma. Located across the street from the Governor's mansion at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City, the museum opened in 2005 and is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. It preserves the history of Oklahoma from the prehistoric to the present day.

Parks and recreation

One of the more prominent landmarks downtown is the Crystal Bridge at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, a large downtown urban park. Designed by I. M. Pei, the Crystal Bridge is a tropical conservatory in the area. The park has an amphitheater, known as the Water Stage. In 2007, following a renovation of the stage, Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park relocated to the Myriad Gardens. The Myriad Gardens will undergo a massive renovation in conjunction with construction of the Devon Tower directly north of it.

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to numerous natural habitats, WPA era architecture and landscaping, and hosts major touring concerts during the summer at its amphitheater. Oklahoma City also has two amusement parks, Frontier City theme park and White Water Bay water park. Frontier City is an 'Old West' themed amusement park. The park also features a recreation of a western gunfight at the 'OK Corral' and many shops that line the "Western" town's main street. Frontier City also hosts a national concert circuit at its amphitheater during the summer.

Walking trails line Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser in the northwest part of the city and downtown at the canal and the Oklahoma River. Part of the east shore of Lake Hefner has been developed into upscale offices and restaurants, but the majority of the area around the lake is taken up by parks and trails, including a new leashless dog park and the postwar-era Stars and Stripes Park. Lake Stanley Draper is the city's largest and most remote lake.

Oklahoma City has a major park in each quadrant of the city, going back to the first parks masterplan. Will Rogers Park, Lincoln Park, Trosper Park, and Woodson Park were once connected by the Grand Boulevard loop, some sections of which no longer exist. Martin Park Nature Center is a natural habitat in far northwest Oklahoma City. Will Rogers Park is home to the Lycan Conservatory, the Rose Garden, and Butterfly Garden, all built in the WPA era.

Government

The City of Oklahoma City has operated under a council-manager form of city government since 1927. Mick Cornett serves as Mayor, having first been elected in 2004, re-elected in 2006 and then again in 2010. Eight councilpersons represent each of the eight wards of Oklahoma City. City Manager Jim Couch was appointed in late 2000. Couch previously served as assistant city manager, Metropolitan Area Projects director and utilities director prior to his service as city manager.

The city has called on residents to vote for sales tax-based projects to revitalize parts of the city. The Bricktown district is the best example of such a project. In the recent MAPS 3 vote, the city's fraternal order of police criticized the project proposals for not doing enough to expand the police presence to keep up with increased commercial activity.

Most neighborhoods in Oklahoma City lean Republican, but there are a few exceptions. The northeast portion of Oklahoma City and certain neighborhoods in the northwest are generally represented by Democratic state legislators. The Oklahoma City Council is non-partisan.

Education

Higher education

, Sarkeys Law Center]]

The city is home to several colleges and universities, including the city's flagship university, Oklahoma City University, located in the Uptown area of the city. :

Oklahoma City University, formerly known as Epworth University, was founded by the United Methodist Church on September 1, 1904 and is renowned for its performing arts, medical services, mass communications, business, law, and athletic programs.

The University of Oklahoma has institutions of higher learning in the city and metropolitan area, with the OU Medical Center east of downtown in the Oklahoma Health Center and the main University of Oklahoma campus located in the suburb of Norman. OU Medical Center is one of the nation's largest independent medical centers, employing more than 12,000 people. OU is one of only four major universities in the nation to have all six medical schools.The third-largest university in the state, the University of Central Oklahoma, is located just north of the city in the suburb of Edmond, as is Oklahoma Christian University, one of the state's private liberal arts institutions.

Oklahoma City Community College in south Oklahoma City is the second-largest community college in the state.Rose State College is located east of Oklahoma City in suburban Midwest City. Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City is located in the "Furniture District" on the Westside. Northeast of the city is Langston University, the state's historically black college (HBCU). Langston also has an urban campus in the eastside section of the city. Southern Nazarene University, which was founded by the Church of the Nazarene, is a university located in suburban Bethany, which is surrounded by Oklahoma City.

Although technically not a university, The FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center has many aspects of an institution of higher learning. Its FAA Academy is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Its Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) has a medical education division responsible for aeromedical education in general as well as the education of aviation medical examiners in the US and 93 other countries. In addition, The National Academy of Science offers Research Associateship Programs for fellowship and other grants for CAMI research.

Primary and secondary

Oklahoma City is home to the state's largest school district, Oklahoma City Public Schools. The district's Classen School of Advanced Studies ranks high among public schools nationally according to a formula that looks at the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by the school's students divided by the number of graduating seniors. In addition, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School in OKCPS was named the top middle school in the state according to the Academic Performance Index, and recently received the Blue Ribbon School Award.

The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, a school for some of the state's most gifted math and science pupils, is also located in Oklahoma City.

Numerous suburban school districts surround the urban Oklahoma City Public Schools district, including Putnam City Public Schools in the northwest, Moore Public Schools in the south, and Mid-Del Schools in the southeast. The city boasts a number of private and parochial schools. Casady School and Heritage Hall School are both examples of a private college preparatory school with vigorous academics that range among the top in Oklahoma. Providence Hall is a Protestant school. Two prominent schools of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are Bishop McGuinness High School and Mount Saint Mary High School.

CareerTech

Oklahoma City has several public career and technology education schools associated with the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, the largest of which are Metro Technology Center and Francis Tuttle Technology Center.

Private career and technology education schools in Oklahoma City include Oklahoma Technology Institute, Platt College, Vatterott College, and Heritage College.

A nonprofit vocational training center for individuals with disabilities in Oklahoma City is Dale Rogers Training Center.

Media

The Oklahoman is Oklahoma City's major metro newspaper and is the most widely circulated in the state. The Oklahoma Gazette is Oklahoma City's independent newsweekly, featuring such staples as local commentary, feature stories, classifieds, restaurant reviews and movie listings. The Journal Record is Oklahoma City's daily business newspaper and Oklahoma City Business is a bi-monthly business publication.

There are various community and international papers in the city that cator to the ethnic mosaic of the city; such as The Black Chronicle, headquartered in the Eastside, the OK VIETIMES and Oklahoma Chinese Times, located in Asia District, and various Hispanic publications. Campus is the student newspaper at Oklahoma City University. Gay publications include Gossip Boy, which despite its name has become known for adventurous undercover work and investigative journalism that has attracted a national audience, and The Gayly Oklahoman.

There are also six metro lifestyle magazines produced by local publisher, Southwestern Publishing: Nichols Hills News, Edmond Monthly, Norman Living, Northwest Style Downtown Monthly, and Design Oklahoma. In addition is a magazine published by Back40 Design Group called The Edmond Outlook. It contains local commentary and human interest pieces direct-mailed to over 50,000 Edmond residents.

Oklahoma City was home to several pioneers in radio and television broadcasting. Oklahoma City's WKY Radio was the first radio station transmitting west of the Mississippi River and the third radio station in the United States. WKY received its federal license in 1921 and has continually broadcast under the same call letters since 1922. In 1928, WKY was purchased by E.K. Gaylord's Oklahoma Publishing Company and affiliated with NBC; in 1949, WKY-TV went on the air and became the first independently-owned television station in the U.S. to broadcast in color. The team became the fourth NBA franchise to relocate since 1985; the Kansas City Kings moved to Sacramento, the Vancouver Grizzlies to Memphis and the Charlotte Hornets to New Orleans. The new name and color scheme for the Oklahoma City Thunder was announced on September 3; other finalists included Energy, Wind, Marshalls, Barons and Bison.

On April 18, 2008, the NBA gave conditional approval for the Seattle Supersonics franchise to move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-2009 season provided the ownership could free themselves from the legal challenges that existed with the City of Seattle with a 28-2 vote by its board of owners.

On July 2, 2008 the City of Seattle reached an agreement to terminate the Sonics' lease and allow the team to relocate to Oklahoma City. Clay Bennett determined that as of July 3, 2008 the relocation of the now defunct Seattle SuperSonics would commence. In April 2010 the Thunder secured a position in the NBA's Western Conference Playoffs, having their best season since the mid 90's and winning two games in a series against the defending champion Lakers. According to Forbes, the first year the team was in Oklahoma City, the Thunder earned $111,000,000 in revenue. This is considered to be an overwhelming success and ranks them in the 20th position in the NBA. The team's operating income of $12.7 million was on par with such old standards of the NBA such as the Boston Celtics who earned $12.9 million and far exceeding the net operating losses of the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trailblazers of -$17.4 and -$20.3 respectively.

Professional teams

Oklahoma City was home to the following defunct sports teams:

Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz: Arena Football League

Oklahoma Wranglers : Arena Football League

Oklahoma City 89ers : American Association (20th century) minor league baseball (name changed to RedHawks upon their absorption into the Pacific Coast League)

Oklahoma City Cavalry : CBA Basketball Team

Oklahoma City Stars : CHL Hockey Team

Oklahoma City Coyotes : RHI Roller Hockey Team

Oklahoma City Dolls : All-woman American Football League franchise

Oklahoma City Indians : Minor league baseball in the Texas League

Oklahoma City Blazers (original); CHL Hockey Team (1965–72; 1973–77; 1992–2009)

Oklahoma City Warriors; AHA Hockey Team (1933–36)

The city was also the temporary home of the NBA's New Orleans Hornets (known then as the "New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets") in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Transportation

Oklahoma City is an integral point on the United States Interstate Network, with three major interstate highways - Interstate 35, Interstate 40, and Interstate 44 - bisecting the city. Interstate 240 connects Interstate 40 and Interstate 44 in South Oklahoma City while Interstate 235 spurs from Interstate 44 in Northcentral Oklahoma City into downtown Oklahoma City. Major state highways through the city include the Lake Hefner Parkway (SH-74), the Kilpatrick Turnpike, Airport Road (SH-152), and Broadway Extension (US-77). Lake Hefner Parkway runs through Northwest Oklahoma City while Airport Road runs through Southwest Oklahoma City and leads to Will Rogers World Airport. The Kilpatrick Turnpike loops around North and West Oklahoma City and Broadway Extension connects Central Oklahoma City to Edmond.

Oklahoma City is served by two primary airports, Will Rogers World Airport and the much smaller Wiley Post Airport (incidentally, the two honorees died in the same plane crash in Alaska) Will Rogers World Airport is the state's busiest passenger airport, with over 3 million passengers annually. Tinker Air Force Base, in East Oklahoma City, is the largest military air depot in the nation, a major maintenance and deployment facility for the Navy and the Air Force, and the second largest military institution in the state (after Fort Sill in Lawton).

Amtrak has a train station downtown, with daily service to Fort Worth and the nation's rail network via the Heartland Flyer. Oklahoma City once was the crossroads of several interstate passenger railroads, but service at that level has long since been discontinued. Greyhound and several other intercity bus companies serve Oklahoma City at Union Bus Station, Downtown. METRO Transit is the public transit company, but is limited in its coverage of the city's main street grid. Due to the small number of bus routes offered, it operates a hub-and-spoke system that makes many journeys impractical. The bus terminal is located downtown at NW 5th Street and Hudson Avenue. A plan to improve the system is known as the Fixed Guideway Study.

Though Oklahoma City currently has no light rail or commuter rail service, there is growing interest in incorporating light rail and commuter rail into the city's future transportation planning. In December 2009, voters in Oklahoma City passed the $777 million MAPS 3 initiative, which will include funding for an estimated to modern streetcar in downtown Oklahoma City and commuter rail (the commuter rail component would be pending subject to federal and state funding). There is also a significant push for a commuter rail line connecting downtown with the eastern suburbs of Del City, Midwest City, and Tinker Air Force Base. A short heritage rail line that will run from Bricktown to the Adventure District in Northeast Oklahoma City is under reconstruction.

Health

Oklahoma City and the surrounding metropolitan area are home to a number of health care facilities and specialty hospitals. The University of Oklahoma runs a teaching hospital and a children's hospital. Integris Health owns several hospitals, including Integris Baptist Medical Center, the Integris Cancer Institute, and the Integris Southwest Medical Center. The Midwest Regional Medical Center located in the city's Midwest City suburb, the downtown St. Anthony's Medical Center, Oklahoma Heart Hospital and the Mercy Health Center are other hospitals. There are 347 physicians for every 100,000 people in the city.

In the American College of Sports Medicine's annual ranking of the United States' 50 most populous metropolitan areas on the basis of community health, Oklahoma City took last place in 2010, falling 5 places from its 2009 rank of 45. The ACSM's report, published as part of its American Fitness Index program, cited, among other things, the poor diet of residents, low levels of physical fitness, higher incidences of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease than the national average, low access to recreational facilities like swimming pools and baseball diamonds, the paucity of parks and low investment by the city in their development, the high percentage of households below the poverty level, and the lack of state-mandated physical education curriculum as contributing factors.

Notable residents

Harold Hamm, oilman

Sister cities

Oklahoma City has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International: Haikou, China Puebla, Mexico Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Tainan, Taiwan Taipei, Taiwan Ulyanovsk, Russia Yehud, Israel

See also

Coyle v. Smith

History of Oklahoma

List of famous Oklahoma City Area Citizens

List of mayors of Oklahoma City

References

External links

Oklahoma City section of Oklahoma's official travel and tourism site with photos, videos, articles and listings about Oklahoma City.

Wikitravel has a

New York Times travel story on Oklahoma City

Convention & Visitors' Bureau

Official City Website

American Factfinder/Census page

City-Data page

Oklahoma City Film Exchange District Website

Voices of Oklahoma interview with Ron Norick. First person interview conducted on July 28, 2009 with Ron Norick, mayor of Oklahoma City during the Oklahoma City bombing and first MAPS Projects. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.

Category:Canadian County, Oklahoma Category:Cities in Oklahoma Category:Cleveland County, Oklahoma Category:Communities on U.S. Route 66 Category:Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Category:Oklahoma County, Oklahoma Category:Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Category:County seats in Oklahoma Category:Populated places established in 1889

Name	Blake Griffin
Caption	Blake Griffin during his tenure at Oklahoma.
Height ft	6
Height in	10
Weight lb	251
Team	Los Angeles Clippers
Number	32
Position	Power forward
Birth date	March 16, 1989
Birth place	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
High school	Oklahoma Christian School (Edmond, Oklahoma)
College	Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft team	Los Angeles Clippers
Draft year	2009
Teams
Career start	2009
Highlights

Blake Austin Griffin (born March 16, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Griffin had an outstanding high school career at Oklahoma Christian School, winning state titles each of his four years under his father who was the head coach. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma Sooners and was awarded numerous accolades in his second year including the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy and the John Wooden Award. After two seasons at Oklahoma, Griffin left college to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where he was selected first overall by the Clippers. Listed as a power forward, he is known as one of the NBA's most prolific dunkers with outstanding leaping ability.

Early life

Childhood

Griffin was born on March 16, 1989 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Gail and Tommy Griffin. Griffin and his older brother, Taylor Griffin, were home-schooled by their mother from first grade until Taylor was in the tenth grade and Griffin was in eighth. He grew up playing basketball games in his driveway with his older brother and was a fan of the Chicago Bulls. Growing up, he was good friends with Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams and played on the same Athletes First AAU basketball team along with Xavier Henry of the Memphis Grizzlies. Griffin’s parents owned a trophy company that Bradford’s father would use and Bradford’s father owned a gym where Griffin and his brother Taylor played basketball. Apart from basketball, he also played baseball, preferring to play as first baseman, soccer and football as a wide receiver, safety and a tight end.

High school

Griffin and his brother Taylor attended Oklahoma Christian School for high school where they played under their father who was the head coach. They played together during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 high school seasons, winning two state high school basketball championships together. In his sophomore year, the Saints repeated as Class 3A state champions and finished the season with a 24–2 record, while averaging 13.6 points per game in what was his final high school season with his brother. He was named to the Little All-City All-State team and his brother was named The Oklahoman Player of the Year. After the season, his brother went off to college to play for the Oklahoma Sooners. During the summer of 2005, Griffin played against Kevin Durant and Ty Lawson while playing for the Athletes First AAU team.

As a junior, he averaged 21.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, leading the Saints through the playoffs and earning a berth in the Class 2A championship game, beating Washington High School for a third straight state championship and was named the state tournament MVP. He gained national attention as a high school junior and caught the attention of the new head coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, Jeff Capel, who first heard of Griffin through his brother Taylor.

During his senior year, he averaged 26.8 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.9 blocks per game while leading the team to a 26–3 record. On March 10, 2007, he played his final high school game in the state title game against Pawnee High School. He was named the Player of the Year by both the Tulsa World and The Oklahoman and named a Oklahoma Boys All-State First Team, EA Sports Second Team and a Parade Third Team All-American. He was ranked as the nation's #13 high school senior by HoopScoop, #20 by scout.com and #23 by rivals.com, and as the country's third-best power forward by HoopScoop, sixth by rivals.com and the seventh by scout.com. At the McDonald's All-American game in Louisville, Kentucky he won the Powerade Jam Fest slam dunk contest.

College career

After accepting a scholarship to play for the University of Oklahoma Sooners over University of Connecticut, Duke University, University of Florida, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, Michigan State University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in-state Oklahoma State University, he was one of the highest rated and most decorated recruits ever at Oklahoma. He ranked ninth in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in field goal percentage in Big 12.

Less than two months after injuring his left knee, he injured his right knee in a home victory against Texas A&M;. The injury this time was torn cartilage, and he had arthroscopic surgery on March 2, 2008. but was back on the court a week after the injury with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes versus the Missouri Tigers, a win for the Sooners on their home floor. He was expected to be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft but decided to forgo the NBA draft and return to college for a second season to give himself time to mature physically and make Oklahoma a contender for the NCAA championship. In the third game of the season against the Davidson Wildcats, he scored 25 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, after which he scored 35 points and 21 rebounds against Gardner–Webb, becoming the first player in Big 12 history to record back-to-back games of at least 20 points and 20 rebounds.

On February 21, he received a concussion in a loss to the Texas Longhorns, when he caught an inadvertent shot to the face from the open hand of Texas center Dexter Pittman. He sat out the second half during the Sooners loss with a bloody nose. After sitting out the next game, a loss to Kansas Jayhawks, Griffin was cleared by the medical staff and returned a week later to get 20 points and 19 rebounds in a victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners fell short to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 33 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the second-round win over the Michigan Wolverines, just the second player in the 2000s decade with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in the NCAA tournament. However, the Sooners lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the South Regional final.

Griffin averaged 22.7 points, 14.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season and earned All-American First Team honors. He led the Big 12 in scoring and rebounds, and recorded at least 20 points and 15 rebounds 15 times, which is a Big 12 record. With 30 double-doubles during the season, he was one short of the NCAA record of 31 set by David Robinson in 1986–1987. His total of 504 rebounds where the most in a season by an NCAA Division I player since Indiana State's Larry Bird had 505 in 1978–79 and his rebounding average of 14.4 was the highest since Wake Forest's Tim Duncan averaged 14.7 in 1996–97.

Towards the end of his sophomore season, Griffin was awarded numerous accolades. He was a unanimous choice by voters in all nine geographical districts for the Oscar Robertson Trophy and was named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, receiving 66 of the 71 national media panel members' votes. Griffin was announced as the winner of the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year on April 5 in Detroit. Three days after announcing that he would turn pro, he won the John Wooden Award as college basketball's top player. A press conference announcing his decision was aired nationally on ESPNews. He was selected as the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin played for the Clippers' Summer League Team and was named Summer League MVP. In their final preseason game, he injured his kneecap as he landed after a dunk. The day before the 2009–10 season started it was confirmed that Griffin had a stress fracture in his left knee, delaying his NBA debut for seven weeks. Griffin had surgery on his broken left kneecap and it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season.

After missing the entire 2009–10 season, Griffin was still considered a rookie during the 2010-11 season. In his debut for the Clippers against the Portland Trail Blazers, Griffin scored 20 points and registered 14 rebounds. At the beginning of the season, Baron Davis and Chris Kaman were out with injuries and the Clippers got off to a slow start, losing thirteen of their first fourteen games. On November 20, 2010, he set a Clippers record for most points scored by a rookie with 44 in a home loss to the New York Knicks. Griffin was named the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for November and December. He also set a franchise record for most consecutive double-doubles with 23 in a home game against the Golden State Warriors. On February 19, 2011, he will participate in the NBA's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .523 || .667 || .588 || 12.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .6 || 21.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 34 || 34 || 37.1 || .523 || .667 || .588 || 12.5 || 3.2 || .7 || .6 || 21.7

Awards

McDonald's All-American (2007) Oscar Robertson Trophy (2009) Unanimous AP All American (2009) Sports Illustrated Player of the Year (2009) Sporting News Player of the Year (2009) Athlon Sports Player of the Year (2009) NBA Western Conference T-Mobile Rookie of the Month - November 2010 He started a fundraiser called Dunking for Dollars, in which he donates $100 to fight childhood obesity for every dunk he makes.

See also

2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders

References

External links

Official Site

Blake Griffin at NBA.com

Blake Griffin at ESPN.com

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:American basketball players Category:African American basketball players Category:Basketball players from Oklahoma Category:Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball players Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Category:Los Angeles Clippers players