Cimarron County, Oklahoma
Cimarron County | |
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UTC−6 (MDT ) |
Cimarron County is the westernmost
History
Cimarron County was created at statehood in 1907. Before the
Several communities vied to become county seat after statehood: Boise City, Cimarron, Doby, Hurley, Willowbar, and Centerview. A county election in 1908 selected Boise City.[5]
Railroads came late to this part of Oklahoma. The Elkhart and Santa Fe Railway built a line from
Cimarron County was affected by the Dust Bowl and was the site of the iconic 1936 photo entitled Dust Bowl Cimarron County, Oklahoma.
Geography
Farmer walking in dust storm Cimarron County Oklahoma
Farmer and two sons during a dust storm in Cimarron County, 1936. Iconic photo entitled "Dust Bowl Cimarron County, Oklahoma" taken by Arthur Rothstein.
According to the
The northern part of the county is drained by the Cimarron River, which flows eastward, then turns north into Kansas. The southern part is drained by the Beaver River (sometimes also called the North Canadian River). The human-made Lake Carl Etling lies inside Black Mesa Park.[5]
The Boise City Airport (FAA ID: 17K) is about 3 miles north of town.[7]
Major highways
- U.S. Highway 56
- U.S. Highway 64
- U.S. Highway 287
- U.S. Highway 385
- U.S. Highway 412
- State Highway 3
- State Highway 171
- State Highway 325
Adjacent states and counties
Cimarron County is the only county in the United States that borders four states: Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas.[5] As a result, Cimarron County is the only county in the United States to border at least five counties from five different states (one from each of the four aforementioned states, plus one in Oklahoma and a second county in Texas).
- Baca County, Colorado (north/Mountain Time border)
- Morton County, Kansas (northeast)
- Texas County (east)
- Dallam County, Texas (south)
- Sherman County, Texas (southeast)
- Union County, New Mexico (west/Mountain Time border)
A location 300 yards (270 m) east of US 287-385 and 1.75 miles (2.82 km) south of the
National protected area
Images
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Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma, is in the northwestern corner of Cimarron County.
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U.S. Route 412 in Cimarron County.
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Area affected by 1930s Dust Bowl.
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NASA satellite image of Cimarron County, August 2008.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 4,553 | — | |
1920 | 3,436 | −24.5% | |
1930 | 5,408 | 57.4% | |
1940 | 3,054 | −43.5% | |
1950 | 4,589 | 50.3% | |
1960 | 4,496 | −2.0% | |
1970 | 4,145 | −7.8% | |
1980 | 3,648 | −12.0% | |
1990 | 3,301 | −9.5% | |
2000 | 3,148 | −4.6% | |
2010 | 2,475 | −21.4% | |
2020 | 2,296 | −7.2% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2019[2] |
As of the
Of the 1,257 households, 31.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.40% were married couples living together, 6.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were not families. About 29.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47, and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the age distribution was 27.60% under 18, 6.40% from 18 to 24, 23.40% from 25 to 44, 24.00% from 45 to 64, and 18.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,625, and for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $24,327 versus $18,110 for females. The
Politics
Cimarron County is a solidly Republican county in presidential elections. It cast 92% of its votes for
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 970 | 92.03% | 70 | 6.64% | 14 | 1.33% |
2016 | 963 | 89.25% | 71 | 6.58% | 45 | 4.17% |
2012 | 1,082 | 90.39% | 115 | 9.61% | 0 | 0.00% |
2008 | 1,119 | 88.04% | 152 | 11.96% | 0 | 0.00% |
2004 | 1,242 | 87.10% | 184 | 12.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
2000 | 1,230 | 82.88% | 227 | 15.30% | 27 | 1.82% |
1996 | 986 | 67.77% | 361 | 24.81% | 108 | 7.42% |
1992 | 965 | 59.42% | 395 | 24.32% | 264 | 16.26% |
1988 | 1,153 | 70.01% | 470 | 28.54% | 24 | 1.46% |
1984 | 1,420 | 79.15% | 359 | 20.01% | 15 | 0.84% |
1980 | 1,404 | 77.10% | 373 | 20.48% | 44 | 2.42% |
1976 | 872 | 46.41% | 962 | 51.20% | 45 | 2.39% |
1972 | 1,350 | 71.62% | 323 | 17.14% | 212 | 11.25% |
1968 | 1,122 | 53.81% | 436 | 20.91% | 527 | 25.28% |
1964 | 1,225 | 58.25% | 878 | 41.75% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 1,316 | 65.41% | 696 | 34.59% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 1,053 | 56.46% | 812 | 43.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 1,438 | 67.10% | 705 | 32.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 650 | 42.10% | 894 | 57.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
1944 | 822 | 52.06% | 746 | 47.25% | 11 | 0.70% |
1940 | 841 | 45.39% | 989 | 53.37% | 23 | 1.24% |
1936 | 555 | 29.06% | 1,342 | 70.26% | 13 | 0.68% |
1932 | 571 | 23.15% | 1,895 | 76.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 1,139 | 66.03% | 566 | 32.81% | 20 | 1.16% |
1924 | 586 | 41.21% | 672 | 47.26% | 164 | 11.53% |
1920 | 630 | 53.48% | 465 | 39.47% | 83 | 7.05% |
1916 | 238 | 30.87% | 387 | 50.19% | 146 | 18.94% |
1912 | 263 | 37.04% | 342 | 48.17% | 105 | 14.79% |
1908 | 371 | 43.24% | 449 | 52.33% | 38 | 4.43% |
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of May 31, 2023[19] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
Democratic | 183 | 13.30% | |||
Republican | 1,057 | 76.82% | |||
Others | 136 | 9.88% | |||
Total | 1,376 | 100% |
Economy
The county economy has been largely based on cattle ranching and agriculture throughout its history. Wheat and grain sorghum are the most important crops. The Dust Bowl devastated the county during the 1930s, and the deluges of 1942-1945 destroyed what was left; the economy had to be completely rebuilt. Oil and natural gas production became important in the 1960s, and a gas plant near Keyes began producing helium in 1959. In 2000, Cimarron County had the ninth-highest per capita income of all Oklahoma counties.[5]
Communities
City
- Boise City (county seat)
Towns
Census-designated place
Other unincorporated places
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Cimarron County, Oklahoma
- Oklahoma Panhandle
References
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
- ^ "Oklahoma Annual Rainfall and Climate Data". Coolweather.net. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ "Oklahoma Panhandle: Badmen in No Man's Land". HistoryNet.com. June 12, 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f Young, Norma Gene. "Cimarron County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, 2009. Accessed March 28, 2015.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Boise City Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ From United States Geological Survey sources, an area one mile southwest of Goshen, Massachusetts, is 27.3 miles (43.9 km) from five different states, second to this location.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "County Population Totals: 2010-2019". Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ "American FactFinder - Results". Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
- ^ "Election Results: President: Oklahoma". CNN Politics. CNN.
- ^ Gore, Hogan. "Roadwork ahead: Signage for Trump highway in Oklahoma remains unfunded" https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2021/12/15/donald-j-trump-highway-oklahoma-road-signs-transportation-department-funding/6463485001/
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- ^ "Voter Registration Totals". OK Elections Interactive Statistics Beta. May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
Further reading
- Egan, Timothy (2006). The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. OCLC 58788898., includes much about the history of Cimarron County in the 20th century.