Oklahoma Gas And Electric Company Business Information, Profile, and History

Related information about Oklahoma

pop (2000e) 3 450 700; area 181 083 km²/69 919 sq mi. State in SW USA, divided into 77 counties; the ‘Sooner State’; mostly acquired by the USA in the Louisiana Purchase, 1803; Indians forced to move here in the 1830s (Indian Territory); Allem Wright, a Choctaw chief, coined the name to describe the land held by his people; Indians then lost the W region to whites (Oklahoma Territory, 1890); merged Indian and Oklahoma territories admitted into the Union as the 46th state, 1907; capital, Oklahoma City; other chief cities, Tulsa and Lawton; rivers include the Red (forms the S border), Arkansas, Canadian, Cimarron; Ouachita Mts in the SE; Wichita Mts in the SW; highest point Black Mesa (1516 m/4974 ft); in the W, high prairies part of the Great Plains; major agricultural products livestock and wheat; cotton, dairy products, peanuts; large oil reserves and associated petroleum industry; machinery, fabricated metals, aircraft.

|
DensityRank = 35^th |
2000DensityUS = 50.3 |
2000Density = 30.5 |
AdmittanceOrder = 46^th |
AdmittanceDate = November 16, 1907 |
TimeZone = Central: UTC-6/-5 |
TZ1Where = most of state |
TimeZone2 = Mountain: UTC-7/-6 |
TZ2Where = Kenton |
Latitude = 33°35'N to 37°N |
Longitude = 94°29'W to 103°W |
WidthUS = 230 |
Width = 370 |
LengthUS = 298 |
Length = 480 |
HighestPoint = Black Mesa Mt. |
HighestElevUS = 4,973 |
HighestElev = 1,515 |
MeanElevUS = 1,296 |
MeanElev = 395 |
LowestPoint = Little River |
LowestElevUS = 289 |
LowestElev = 88 |
ISOCode = US-OK |
TradAbbreviation = Okla. |
Website = www.ok.gov
}}

Oklahoma is a state located in the southern Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands regions of the United States, and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." Oklahoma City, the state's capital, is more western, southwestern and midwestern in culture compared to Tulsa, the state's second largest city, which has southwestern, midwestern and southern influences. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and humma meaning red, literally meaning "red people" and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation between 1866 and 1870. Oklahoma's early history is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, which was the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to present-day Oklahoma. As a testament to the state's western and American Indian heritage, Oklahoma (Tulsa) is the home of the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum, which houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of American Western and American Indian art, artifacts, manuscripts, documents, and maps. It is bounded on the east by Arkansas and Missouri, on the north by Kansas and northwest by Colorado (both at 37°N), on the far west by New Mexico (at 103°W), and on the south and near-west by Texas. The panhandle's southern boundary is at 36.5°N, then turning due south along 100°W to the southern fork of the Red River), completing the round trip back to Arkansas. Tulsa is the second largest city, with 387,807 within the city limits and 890,000 in the statistical metropolitan area.Population and Housing Profile: Tulsa, OK MSA (2003) Retrieved September 16, 2006

Oklahoma's four main mountain ranges include the Ouachitas, Arbuckles, Wichitas, and the Kiamichis. Only Texas surpasses Oklahoma in natural gas production.

Forests cover approximately one quarter of Oklahoma's land area.

The state's highest peak, 4,973 feet (1,515 m) Black Mesa, resides in the far northwestern corner of the panhandle near the town of Kenton.

Nation's Most Diverse Terrain

According to the EPA, Oklahoma has the most diverse terrain in the United States, calculated on a mile-per-mile basis.

Major climate variations between the western and eastern parts of the state are partly to account for the terrain irregularity.

Oklahoma?s wetter and more mountainous eastern third is home to oak, hickory and pine forests, as well as the ancient Ouachita Mountains and the Western Ozark Mountains and their foothills. This portion of the state, often called Green Country, contains Oklahoma's only national forests and is anchored economically and culturally by the Tulsa Metropolitan Area and receives upwards from about 40 inches of rainfall each year. The state's largest lakes and more than half of its state parks and recreational areas are found in this area.

Central Oklahoma, anchored by the Oklahoma City area, is a less forested region dominated the Cross Timbers, with post oak and blackjack oak forests as well as the southern portion of the Flint Hills. The area sees extreme differences in annual rainfall totals the farther east or west.

In western Oklahoma, terrain indicative of the American Southwest brings mesas and small mountain ranges, such as the mesa-dominated Glass Mountains near Enid, and the rugged Wichita Mountains near Lawton, to mesh with the stereotypically semi-arid plains such as those found in Kansas and northern Texas.

Oklahoma regions

From an ecoregional perspective, Oklahoma is recognized by the EPA as having 11 different ecoregions (one of only four U.S. states to have more than 10 ecoregions). These ecoregions are: Western high plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Central Great Plains, Tall Grass Prairie, Cross Timbers, Caves & Prairie, Ozark Highlands, Ozark Forest, Hardwood Forest, Ouachita Mountains, and Cypress Swamps & Forests.

The Oklahoma Tourism Department divides the state down into six "countries" for tourism promotion purposes: Red Carpet Country (Northwestern Oklahoma and The Panhandle), Great Plains Country (Southwestern Oklahoma), Frontier Country (Central Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area), Green Country (Northeastern Oklahoma, including the Tulsa Metropolitan area), Kiamichi country (Southeastern Oklahoma), and Lake & Trail Country (South Central Oklahoma).

Popular but "unofficial" regional designations include Green Country (most often used to refer to Northeastern Oklahoma, but used by some to refer to either all of Eastern Oklahoma or just the Tulsa Metropolitan Area), Little Dixie (Southeastern Oklahoma), Western Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Oklahoma has some of the strongest thunderstorms in the world because of cold and warm airmasses colliding east of the Rocky Mountains plus added force from the Jet Stream, making the state the heart of Tornado Alley.

History

American Indians

Oklahoma was inhabited by American Indian tribes including the Wichita, Quapaw, Caddo and Osage.

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was signed by President Andrew Jackson within a year of taking office.

The northern Indian tribes included Shawnee, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Sauk, and Foxes. Because of their size and fragmentation, relocation was easier than that of the southern tribes.

The Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole, and Cherokee tribes (the Five Civilized Tribes) living in the Southern United States were considered civilized because of their adoption of Western customs and in the case of the Cherokee, the development of a written language, as well as having good relationships with their neighbors. The result was the Second and Third Seminole Wars.

• The Cherokee were tricked with an illegitimate treaty, the Treaty of New Echota of 1833.
  

After the American Civil War, in 1866, the federal government forced the tribes into new treaties. Some nations were integrated racially and otherwise with their slaves, but other nations were extremely hostile to the former slaves and wanted them exiled from their territory.

In the 1870s, a movement began by people wanting to settle the government lands in the Indian Territory under the Homestead Act of 1862. They referred to the Unassigned Lands as Oklahoma and to themselves as Boomers.

In the 1880s, early settlers of the state's very sparsely populated Panhandle region tried to form the Cimarron Territory but lost a lawsuit against the federal government. "That is land that can be owned by no man," the judge said, and after that the panhandle was referred to as No Man's Land until statehood arrived decades later.

In 1884, in United States v. The government at first resisted, but Congress soon enacted laws authorizing settlement.

Congress passed the Dawes Act, or General Allotment Act, in 1887 requiring the government to negotiate agreements with the tribes to divide Indian lands into individual holdings. Under these treaties, tribes would sell at least part of their land in Oklahoma to the U.S. to settle other Indian tribes and freemen. This land would be widely called the Unassigned Lands or Oklahoma Country in the 1880s due to it remaining uninhabited for over a decade.

In 1879, part-Cherokee Elias C. The Negro since that date, has become a citizen of the United States, and Congress has recently enacted laws which practically forbid the removal of any more Indians into the Territory".

On March 23, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison signed legislation which opened up the two million acres (8,000 km²) of the Unassigned Lands for settlement on April 22, 1889. It was to be the first of many land runs, but later land openings were conducted by means of a lottery because of widespread cheating—some of the settlers were called Sooners because they had already staked their land claims before the land was officially opened for settlement.

The Organic Act of 1890 created the Oklahoma Territory out of the Unassigned Lands and the area known as No Man's Land.

In 1893, the government purchased the rights to settle the Cherokee Outlet, or Cherokee Strip, from the Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Outlet was part of the lands ceded to the government in the 1866 treaty, but the Cherokees retained access to the area and had leased it to several Chicago meat-packing plants for huge cattle ranches. Finally, the 1898 Curtis Act abolished tribal jurisdiction over all of Indian Territory.

20th Century

In the early 20th century, the oil business began to get underway. Huge pools of underground oil were discovered in places like Glenpool near Tulsa. The prosperity of the 1920s can be seen in the surviving architecture from the period, such as the Tulsa mansion which was converted into the Philbrook Museum of Art or the art deco architecture of downtown Tulsa.

For Oklahoma, the early quarter of the 20th century was politically turbulent. "black towns", or towns made of groups of African Americans choosing to live separately from whites, sprouted all over the state, while most of the state abided by the Jim Crow laws within each individual city, racially separating people with a bias against any non-White race. Greenwood, a neighborhood in Northern Tulsa, was known as Black Wall Street because of the vibrant business, cultural, and religious community there. The area was the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race War, one of the United States' deadliest race riots.

The Oklahoma Socialist Party achieved a small degree of success in this era (the small party had its highest per-capita membership in Oklahoma at this time with 12,000 dues paying members in 1914), including the publication of dozens of party newspapers and the election of several hundred local elected officials. The state party also delivered presidential candidate Eugene Debs some of his highest vote counts in the nation.

The party was later crushed into virtual non-existence during the "white terror" that followed the ultra-repressive environment following the Green Corn Rebellion and the World War I era paranoia against anyone who spoke against the war or capitalism. The Ku Klux Klan was also particularly active but was virtually eliminated following a major campaign by the state government in the 1950s.

Dust Bowl Era

During the height of the Great Depression, drought and poor agricultural practices led to the Dust Bowl, when massive dust storms blew away the soil from large tracts of arable land and deposited it on nearby farms and ranches, distant states, the Atlantic Ocean, and even occasionally Great Britain. Towns such as Alva, Altus, and Poteau each recorded temperatures of 120°F (49°C) during the epic summer of 1936. With few or no local opportunities available for them, many emancipated, but destitute blacks and whites fled to the relative prosperity of California to work as migrant farm workers and, after the onset of World War II, in factories.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, photographs by Dorothea Lange, and songs of Woody Guthrie tell tales of woe from the era. Others (mostly alive during the Dust Bowl era) still see the term negatively because they see the "Okie" migrants as quitters and transplants to the West Coast.

Major trends in Oklahoma history after the Depression era included the rise again of tribal sovereignty (including the issuance of tribal automobile license plates, and the opening of tribal smoke shops, casinos, grocery stores, and other commercial enterprises), the building of Tinker Air Force Base, the rapid growth of suburban Oklahoma City and Tulsa, the drop in population in Western Oklahoma, the oil boom of the 1980s and the oil bust of the 1990s. In 1959, voters repealed total prohibition and liquor-by-the-drink bars were not allowed until 1985.www.lsb.state.ok.us/house/news7543.html Since 1985, liquor-by-the-drink is decided on a county-by-county basis, with approximately half allowing it. Some breweries, such as New Belgium Brewing Company, will not ship to Oklahoma because these laws degrade the quality of beer by the time it reaches the consumer.

Despite being illegal, some state residents cross into Texas to purchase high-point beer and transport it back into Oklahoma—though high-point beer may be purchased legally in liquor stores. This trend has prompted several Texas border-counties to prohibit the sale of alcohol in order to discourage would-be bootleggers.

In April 2005, the state's House of Representatives approved Senate Bill 518, banning happy hour and drown nights.

Oklahoma City bombing

In 1995 Oklahoma became the scene of the Oklahoma City bombing, in which a Gulf War veteran named Timothy McVeigh bombed the Alfred P. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,546 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 15,418 people.

The five largest ancestry groups in Oklahoma are German (14.5%), American (13.1%), Irish (11.8%), English (9.6%), Native American (7.9%, with Cherokees as the largest tribe).

German-Americans are present in the northwestern part of the state. Oklahoma City has the largest Asian and Asian American populations. www.edukits.ca/diversity/black/

Rural flight

Rural Oklahoma , in common with five other Plains states (Nebraska, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa), is feeling the brunt of falling populations in many communities. 2.41%

• Disciples of Christ - 1.56%
  
• Evangelical Christian Churches - 1.24%
  
• Church of the Nazarene - 1.06
  
• Presbyterian Church (USA) - 1.02%
  

<sup>Note: Terms shown are the ones used by ARDA; sixth in peanuts and eight in peaches.
Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, and food processing.
Its 1999 total gross state product was $86 billion, placing it 29th in the nation.
Its 2000 per capita personal income was $23,517, 43rd in the nation.
Oklahoma City suburb Nichols Hills is ranked first on Oklahoma locations by per capita income at $73,661.

Oklahoma City is a primary economic engine of the state, centered on the finance, retail, governance, entertainment, and tourism sectors. Oklahoma City has a large aviation market and its location at the intersection of I-35, I-40, and I-44 makes Oklahoma City an important distribution point.

Oklahoma City is home to many corporate and regional headquarters including Devon, Chesapeake Energy, Sonic, SBC, The Hertz Corporation, BancFirst, OGE Energy, Midfirst Bank, Hobby Lobby, Dobson Communications, Express Personnel Services, Oklahoma Publishing Company, Globe Life and Accident Insurance, AOL, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. and Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce.

Tulsa is another primary economic engine of the state, centered on energy, aerospace, telecommunications, and transportation. The city has the nation's most inland sea port and Oklahoma's only connection to the ocean, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa www.tulsaport.com/, which connects the state with international ocean trade routes through the Arkansas River and Mississippi River.

Companies based in Tulsa include The NORDAM Group, BOK Financial Corporation (BOKF), Bank of Oklahoma, Williams Companies, Oneok, Wiltel, QuikTrip, Public Service of Oklahoma, Mazzio's Corporation, Dollar-Thrifty, and Vanguard.</sup>

^{Transportation}

Primary interstate highways in Oklahoma include I-35, which traverses the state from north to south, I-40, which traverses the state from east to west, and I-44, which enters Oklahoma in the southwest and leaves the state in the northeast corner. I-244 (Crosstown Expressway/MLK Expressway) is a loop that connects downtown Tulsa to I-44, and I-444, which is unsigned, forms the south and east sides of the "Inner Dispersal Loop" in downtown Tulsa.

Oklahoma is served by two major airports:

• Will Rogers World Airport, Oklahoma City
  
• Tulsa International Airport
  

There are also numerous other regional and general aviation airports:

See: List of airports in Oklahoma

Amtrak also operates a daily train between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, the Heartland Flyer.

Law and government

State government

The capital of the state is Oklahoma City and the Governor of Oklahoma is Brad Henry (Democrat). Other Executive Branch elected officials include Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin (Republican), Secretary of State of Oklahoma M. Susan Savage (Democrat), State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan (Democrat), Attorney General Drew Edmondson (Democrat), State Treasurer Scott Meacham (Democrat), Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett (Democrat), Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau (Republican), Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland (Democrat), and the three member State Corporation Commission which currently consists of Bob Anthony (Republican), Jeff Cloud (Republican), and Denise Bode (Republican).

The Legislature of Oklahoma consists of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The Oklahoma judiciary also contains two independent courts: a Court of Impeachment (which is the Senate sitting) and the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary. Judges of those two courts, as well as the Court of Civil Appeals are appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the state Judicial Nominating Commission, and are subject to a non-partisan retention vote on a six-year rotating schedule.

Due to Oklahoma's restrictive ballot access laws (deemed by many to be the most restrictive in the nation), no third parties have access to the primary ballots, however the state does have the following active third parties: Oklahoma Libertarian Party, Green Party of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Constitution Party.

National politics

After the 2000 census the Oklahoma delegation to the U.S. House was reduced from six to five representatives. For the 109th Congress (2005–2006) there are no changes in party strength, and the delegation has four Republicans and one Democrat. The U.S. Representatives are John Sullivan (Republican) of District 1, Dan Boren (Democrat) of District 2, Frank D. Lucas (Republican) of District 3, Tom Cole (Republican) of District 4, and Ernest Istook (Republican) of District 5.

Although there are more registered Democrats in Oklahoma than registered Republicans, it has become a solid Republican state in presidential elections, voting for the Republican in every election since 1968.

Cities and metropolitan areas

Oklahoma City Metro

Oklahoma City is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City Metroplex and is the Oklahoma's largest urbanized area. As of 2000, it was the 47th largest metro in the nation, with 1.3 million people. Some of the major cities comprising the Oklahoma City Metro include Norman, Edmond, Guthrie, Moore, Mustang, Yukon, and Shawnee.

Oklahoma City is the capital of Oklahoma, as well as its main civic, business, and entertainment hub. As of 2000, it was the 53rd largest metropolitan area in the nation. Some of the other major cities comprising the seven-county Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area include Broken Arrow, Bartlesville, Claremore, Owasso, Sand Springs, and Jenks.

Other important cities

• Bartlesville: Located approximately 50 miles north of Tulsa, Bartlesville is the county seat of Washington County and is home to some of the offices of the former Phillips Petroleum (now ConocoPhillips). The city is also home to Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Voice of the Martyrs, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower.
  
• Broken Arrow: Located just southeast of(and bordering) Tulsa, Broken Arrow is Tulsa's largest suburb and is home to the largest high school in the state.
  
• Enid: Located in the northwestern portion of the state, Enid is the county seat of Garfield County and is home to Vance Air Force Base. Enid is also the home city of the Oklahoma Storm a USBL professional Basketball team that plays in the 8,000 seat Chisholm Trail Coliseum.
  
• Lawton: Located approximately 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County and is home to Cameron University.As of the 2000 census Lawton had a population of 92,757. Near the city are Fort Sill, both an active military base and an historic military post, and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
  
• Norman: Located approximately 15 miles south of Oklahoma City, Norman is the county seat of Cleveland County and is vying with Broken Arrow as the third largest city in the state, with just over 99,000 people as of 2003 population estimates. The city is home to the University of Oklahoma and a number of important meteorological and NOAA research facilities, including the Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Center.
  
• Ponca City: Located in far north central Oklahoma, approximately 18 miles south of Oklahoma's northern border with Kansas. It is home to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Oklahoma State University. The city had an official population of 39,065 at the time of the 2000 census, however that number has increased substantially and is now estimated near 43,000 full time residents.
  

Education

Sports

Because of the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, the NBA's New Orleans Hornets relocated to Oklahoma City and are currently known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The Hornets are the first major professional sports league franchise to play in the state.

The minor league baseball teams are:

• Oklahoma RedHawks (AAA in Oklahoma City)
  
• Tulsa Drillers (AA in Tulsa)
  

Other Oklahoma City teams include

• Oklahoma City Blazers (Ice Hockey: CHL)
  
• Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz (Arena Football League: AF2)
  
• Oklahoma City Lightning (Women's Football: NWFA)
  
• New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (National Basketball Association)
  

Other Enid teams include

• Oklahoma Storm (Basketball: United States Basketball League)
  

Other Tulsa teams include

• Tulsa Oilers (Ice Hockey: CHL)
  
• Tulsa Talons (Arena Football: AF2)
  
• Tulsa 66ers (Basketball: NBA Development League)
  

Oklahoma's major college teams are

• the Oklahoma State Cowboys (Oklahoma State University)
  
• the Oklahoma Sooners (University of Oklahoma)
  
• the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (University of Tulsa)
  

Miscellaneous topics

Culture

The various government sponsored arts, community, and tourism programs emphasize Oklahoma's Native American heritage heavily. Native American culture runs deep in the lives of Oklahomans and one may experience it through various cultural programs including pow wows, the Tsa-La-Gi village in Tahlequah, OK and the International Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Other ethnic celebrations include those of Yukon & Prague (celebrating the Czech heritage of some early immigrants), Tulsa's Greek Holiday, the Tulsa Scottish Games, Shalomfest (in Tulsa), Tulsa's German Oktoberfest, the Mennonite Relief Sale (in Enid, OK), Italian festivals and neighborhoods in the McAlester and Krebs area, traditional Asian, African American, and Hispanic celebrations in Oklahoma City as well as the pride parade and festival in the city's GLBT district, and the Juneteenth Celebrations found all across the state.

Oklahoma state symbols

Flora
floral emblem	Mistletoe
wildflower	Indian Blanket Gaillardia pulchella	1910
tree	Redbud Cercis canadensis	1971
grass	Indian GrassSorghastrum nutans	1972
flower	Oklahoma Rose	2004
Fauna
bird	Scissor-tailed FlycatcherMuscivora forficata	1951
reptile	Collared Lizard(Mountain Boomer) Crotaphytus collaris)	1969
animal	BisonBison bison	1972
fish	White bass(Sand bass) Morone chrysops	1974
furbearer animal	Common RaccoonProcyon lotor	1989
insect	HoneybeeApis millifera	1992
game animal	White-tail deerOdocoileus virginians	1990
game bird	Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo	1990
butterfly	Black SwallowtailPapilio polyxenes	1996
amphibian	BullfrogRana catesbeiana	1997
fossil	Allosaurid dinosaurSaurophaganax maximus	2000
Music
waltz	"Oklahoma Wind"
anthem	"Oklahoma!" lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II music: Richard Rodgers	1953
song	"Oklahoma Hills" lyrics: Woody Guthrie music: Woody Guthrie
musical instrument	Fiddle	1984
country and western song	"Faded Love" by John Willis and Bob Wills	1988
folk dance	Square Dance	1988
percussive musical instrument	Drum	1993
children's song	"Oklahoma, My Native Land" by Martha Kemm Barrett	1996
Western band	The Sounds of the Southwest	1997
folk song	"Oklahoma Hills" by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie	2001
Other
colors	Greenand White	1915
rock	Rose Rock (Barite rose)	1968
theatre	Lynn Riggs Players of Oklahoma, Inc.	1971
poem	"Howdy Folks" by David Randolph Milsten	1973
pin	"OK" pin	1982
beverage	Milk	1985
soil	Port Silt Loam Cumulic haplustolls	1987
meal	Fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and black-eyed peas.	1988
poet laureate	biennial gubernatorial appointment	1994
tartan	Oklahoma Tartan	1999

Trivia

• Oklahoma is one of only two states whose capital city's name includes the state name.
  
• Boise City, Oklahoma was the only city in the United States to be bombed during World War II.
  

See also:

See also

• Cavanal Hill, World's tallest hill
  
• List of people from Oklahoma
  
• Partial list of Oklahoma casinos
  
• List of Oklahoma numbered highways
  
• Scouting in Oklahoma
  
• Okie
  

Further reading

• Baird, W.