Stillwater (Pawnee: Kiicawiʾuusiʾit, Kstiíriwara ) is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical Area which had a population of 77,350 according to the 2010 census. Stillwater was part of first Land Run held April 22, 1889, when Oklahoma Territory's Unassigned Lands were opened for settlement. The city charter was adopted on August 24 later that year. Stillwater is home to Oklahoma State University, Northern Oklahoma College/OSU Gateway, Meridian Technology Center and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. In 2010, CNN/Money Magazine ranked Stillwater as No. 67 on its list of "America's Best Small Cities." (Reference needed)

The north-central region of Oklahoma became part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In 1832, author, storyteller, and traveler Washington Irving provided the first recorded description of the area around Stillwater in his book A Tour on the Prairies. He wrote of “a glorious prairie spreading out beneath the golden beams of an autumnal sun. The deep and frequent traces of buffalo, showed it to be a one of their favorite grazing grounds.”

Oklahoma (ⁱ/ˌoʊkləˈhoʊmə/) (Pawnee: Uukuhuúwa , Cayuga: Gahnawiyoˀgeh ) is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Oklahoma is the 20th most extensive and the 28th most populous of the 50 United States. The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people", and it is known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State. Formed by the combination of Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory on November 16, 1907, Oklahoma was the 46th state to enter the union. Its residents are known as Oklahomans or, informally "Okies", and its capital and largest city is Oklahoma City.

A major producer of natural gas, oil, and agriculture, Oklahoma relies on an economic base of aviation, energy, telecommunications, and biotechnology. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the nation, ranking among the top states in per capita income growth and gross domestic product growth. Oklahoma City and Tulsa serve as Oklahoma's primary economic anchors, with nearly 60 percent of Oklahomans living in their metropolitan statistical areas.