Owasso, Oklahoma
—  City  —
Nickname(s): "The City Without Limits"
Location in Oklahoma
Coordinates: 36°17′25″N 95°49′43″W / 36.29028°N 95.82861°W / 36.29028; -95.82861Coordinates: 36°17′25″N 95°49′43″W / 36.29028°N 95.82861°W / 36.29028; -95.82861
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Counties	Tulsa, Rogers
Incorporated	1904(town in Indian Territory); 1972 (city chartered in Oklahoma)[1]
Government
• Mayor	Doug Bonebrake
Area
• Total	10.1 sq mi (26.0 km2)
• Land	10.0 sq mi (26.0 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Elevation	610 ft (186 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	28,915
• Density	1,844.4/sq mi (712.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	74055, 74073, 74021
Area code(s)	539/918
FIPS code	40-56650[2]
GNIS feature ID	1096358[3]
Website	www.cityofowasso.com
The high school mascot is the Rams

Owasso is a city in Rogers and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and a northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 28,915 at the 2010 census.^[4]

Geography[link]

Owasso is located at 36°17′25″N 95°49′43″W / 36.29028°N 95.82861°W / 36.29028; -95.82861 (36.290373, -95.828640)^[5]. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area a of 10.1 square miles (26.0 km²).99.9% of it is land and 0.10% is water.

History[link]

Owasso began as a settlement in 1881, located in the Cooweescoowee District of the Cherokee Nation, Indian Territory, near what is now 66 th Street North and North 129th East Ave. It was called Elm Creek, and was named for Elm Creek, a tributary of Bird Creek. The first settler was H.T. (Tole) Richardson. In June 1893, plans began to be made for a rail line to be extended south from Bartlesville to the cattle ranches in the vicinity of Bird Creek. At that time there were already several residences, a blacksmith shop, and a general store in the Elm Creek Settlement. Preston Ballard, owner of the general store, established a post office in the general store on February 10, 1898 and was appointed the first postmaster. The Joseph T. Barnes family moved to the settlement in 1897. Joseph and Luther Barnes bought the blacksmith shop in 1898. The first gas station was open in 1902 by Donovan Ranta.

In 1897, the Kansas, Oklahoma Central & Southwestern Railway Company acquired right-of-way approximately three miles northwest of the Elm Creek Settlement, dammed a natural spring to form a lake as a water supply for the rail line, & built a depot about a mile south of the lake. The depot was torn down in 1942. Late in 1898, Joseph & Luther Barnes moved their blacksmith shop to the new community. The shop became a temporary home for the Joseph Barnes family. It was the first residence officially moved to the new depot community. During 1898, many of the residents and businesses moved from the Elm Creek Settlement to the new community. Preston Ballard moved his post office and general store during that time. The new community became known as Elm Creek, since the post office retained its name.

The railroad completed its line in 1899. Its parent company, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company, took over the line and property. The first train came into Elm Creek on November 1, 1899. As the land around the end of this railroad developed, the Osage Indian word Owasso, meaning “the end of the trail” or “turn around”,^[1] was adopted to identify the area because the rail line ended in a turnaround “Y” near the depot. The name of the Elm Creek post office was officially changed to Owasso on January 24, 1900. The rail line was not extended into Tulsa until 1905.

A plat of the original townsite of Owasso, Cherokee Nation, I.T. was signed by the Secretary of the Interior on March 26, 1904, in connection with the town’s incorporation. That plat shows three streets running north and south and eight streets running east and west. The north/south streets were named Oklahoma, Kansas & Missouri, and the east/west streets north of what is now Broadway were named for Union generals, while the east/west streets to the south were named for Confederate generals. These names were later changed, and are now named after streets. The original street names were changed to their present names in about 1960.

By the time Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907, Owasso had a population of 379 within the town limits. The first newspaper was The Owasso Ledger, and was first published on August 7, 1903 by U. P. Wardrip. The subscription price was $1.00 per year, paid in advance. The Pioneer Telephone and Telegraph Company was granted a franchise on February 6, 1905 for the town’s first telephone exchange. Until the first water tower was erected in 1924, with Spavinaw as the water source, water was brought into town in barrels from the Owasso Lake & sold for .50 a barrel.

Owasso was chartered as a city on September 28, 1972.^[1]

Demographics[link]

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 18,502 people, 6,595 households, and 5,117 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,844.4 people per square mile (712.2/km²). There were 7,004 housing units at an average density of 698.2 per square mile (269.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.66% White, 1.60% African American, 5.04% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.94% of the population.

There were 6,595 households out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.3% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 33.7% from 25 to 44, 17.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $49,798, and the median income for a family was $57,078. Males had a median income of $41,414 versus $26,664 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,417. About 3.5% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Current city data shows the population has grown to 35,703 and is expected to grow another 17% by 2014. More than 80% of the households in Owasso are families, and more Owasso residents have a post-secondary education than in the Tulsa metro area. Owasso is one of the fastest growing cities in the State of Oklahoma. According to the city's data, the average household income in Owasso is $80,877.^[6]

Media[link]

Owasso's newspapers, the Owasso Reporter and the Owasso Progress, are both published weekly. The Reporter is owned by Community Publishers, a newspaper and Internet publisher and commercial printer that serves Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas. The Progress is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings. Owasso has two community websites, Owassoisms and N2Owasso, that provide everyone in the community a free place to discuss local topics, share status updates, blog, list events, participate in discussions, and share photos and videos.^[7]

Notable residents[link]

Country musicians Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood live on a ranch east of Owasso with Brooks' three daughters.^[8]

Other notable persons who have lived in Owasso include:

• Tommy Allsup, musician
• Randy Brogdon, former Oklahoma State Senator
• Dylan Bundy, pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, 2011 Gatorade, Baseball America, and USA Today national high school player of the year
• Dennis Byrd, defensive end for the New York Jets
• Russ Dugger, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver
• Vic Koenning, professional football linebacker and college coach
• Jon Kolb, offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Paul Smith, quarterback, won Wuerffel Trophy at University of Tulsa

Cultural references[link]

The webcomic Penny Arcade mentions Owasso when one of the two main characters, Tycho Brahe, confesses that he once killed an old woman and buried her there.

The movie The Outsiders has the old Owasso High School (currently the Owasso 7th Grade Center) in the background. Another scene shows downtown Owasso (Main Street) in the background.

The movie Midnight Runaround features a scene shot in a barn on the west side of Owasso. Ironically, the movie refers to the location as Sperry, Oklahoma which actually sits further west of Owasso.

The nonfictional novel War Wagon by Patrick Hamblin references Bird Creek in Owasso, Oklahoma as the location of a stash of gold coins hidden by the Confederate Army during a retreat. Original documentation mentions a rock outcropping over the creek but the actual treasure has yet to be discovered. In 1984 a single coin was found that renewed interest in this legend.

References[link]

v t e Municipalities and communities of Rogers County, Oklahoma, United States County seat: Claremore Cities Catoosa‡ Claremore Collinsville‡ Owasso‡ Tulsa‡ Towns Chelsea Fair Oaks‡ Foyil Inola Oologah Talala Valley Park Verdigris CDPs Bushyhead Gregory Justice Limestone Sequoyah Taiwah Unincorporated communities Bushyhead Catale Harmony Star Jamestown Keetonville Limestone Oowala Sageeyah Sequoyah Tiawah Winganon Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e Municipalities and communities of Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States County seat: Tulsa Cities Bixby‡ Broken Arrow‡ Collinsville‡ Glenpool Jenks Owasso‡ Sand Springs‡ Sapulpa‡ Tulsa‡ Towns Liberty‡ Lotsee Mannford‡ Skiatook‡ Sperry CDPs Oakhurst‡ Turley Unincorporated community Agnus Valley Acres Alsuma Berryhill Lake Leonard Turley Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties