Holdenville, Oklahoma

Coordinates: 35°05′01″N 96°24′06″W / 35.08361°N 96.40167°W / 35.08361; -96.40167
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Holdenville, Oklahoma
City
FIPS code
40-35400[3]
GNIS feature ID2410774[2]
Websitecityofholdenville.net

Holdenville is a city in and county seat of Hughes County, Oklahoma, United States.[4] The population was 5,934 at the time of the 2020 United States census.[5]

History

Holdenville traces its origin to a Creek settlement called echo, when translated means "deer". George B. Fentress operated a general store there. A post office called "Fentress" opened there on May 24, 1895. The

U.S. Congress to establish a post office in Holden. The request was rejected because the name was too similar to another post office called "Holder."[6] The proposed name was then altered to "Holdenville" and was accepted.[6]

In 1898, settlers petitioned

St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) constructed a line between 1900 and 1901 from Sapulpa to the Red River that passed through Holdenville.[7] An election was held on June 27, 1908, to determine the permanent county seat. Contending communities were Holdenville, Wetumka, Calvin, and Lamar. None of the candidates won a majority, so a runoff election was held on September 10, 1908, between the two top vote-getters, Holdenville and Wetumka. This time, Holdenville won the election.[7]

Until it was named in a grand jury investigation in 1904, Holdenville was a sundown town where African Americans were not allowed to live or even wait for a train.[8][9]

On April 27, 2024,

an EF3 tornado struck the town as part of a larger tornado outbreak that affected the Great Plains region, causing two fatalities and extensive damage.[10]

Geography

Holdenville is located about 75 miles (121 km) from Oklahoma City.[7]

Holdenville sits approximately five miles north of the Holdenville City Lake, eight miles north of the Canadian River, and six miles north of the Little River. The area is mostly wooded and flanked by gently rolling hills, interrupted occasionally by small creeks and streams.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.8 square miles (12 km2), all land.

Climate

Climate data for Holdenville, Oklahoma
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 81
(27) 		90
(32) 		96
(36) 		98
(37) 		98
(37) 		108
(42) 		112
(44) 		118
(48) 		113
(45) 		100
(38) 		88
(31) 		84
(29) 		118
(48)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 50
(10) 		55
(13) 		64
(18) 		73
(23) 		79
(26) 		88
(31) 		94
(34) 		95
(35) 		88
(31) 		76
(24) 		63
(17) 		53
(12) 		73
(23)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 30
(−1) 		33
(1) 		41
(5) 		50
(10) 		59
(15) 		67
(19) 		71
(22) 		70
(21) 		63
(17) 		52
(11) 		40
(4) 		32
(0) 		51
(10)
Record low °F (°C) −12
(−24) 		−9
(−23) 		−1
(−18) 		21
(−6) 		33
(1) 		46
(8) 		50
(10) 		47
(8) 		32
(0) 		14
(−10) 		11
(−12) 		0
(−18) 		−12
(−24)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.1
(53) 		2.0
(51) 		2.8
(71) 		4.2
(110) 		6.0
(150) 		4.6
(120) 		3.3
(84) 		3.2
(81) 		3.9
(99) 		3.3
(84) 		2.4
(61) 		2.2
(56) 		39.9
(1,010)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 2.3
(5.8) 		1.7
(4.3) 		0.7
(1.8) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0.7
(1.8) 		5.6
(14)
Average rainy days 4.8 4.7 5.9 6.9 7.5 7.4 6 5.8 6.1 5.4 4.1 5 69.6
Average
relative humidity
(%) 		69 67 61 58 66 64 63 59 56 58 60 66 62
Source 1: weather.com
Source 2: Weatherbase.com [11]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1900749—
19102,296206.5%
19202,93227.7%
19307,268147.9%
19406,632−8.8%
19506,192−6.6%
19605,712−7.8%
19705,181−9.3%
19805,4695.6%
19904,792−12.4%
20004,732−1.3%
20105,77122.0%
20205,9342.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the

Latino
of any race were 2.45% of the population.

There were 1,966 households, out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,282, and the median income for a family was $27,175. Males had a median income of $21,020 versus $17,951 for females. The

poverty line
, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Historically, the Holdenville area economy has been based on agriculture. The main crops have been cotton, peanuts, pecans, corn, hay, oats, sweet and Irish potatoes and orchard fruits.[7] Other types of business have supplemented the economy. Covey Corporation manufactured plastic products and employed approximately one hundred fifty workers. Other enterprises included Seamprufe Corporation, a manufacturer of lingerie, and F. B. Fly Company, a producer of fishing tackle. Aquafarms, a catfish processing plant, and the Holdenville State Fish Hatchery also provided employment. In the 1990s Tyson Foods' hog breeding operation and the Earl A. Davis Community Work Center created jobs.[7]

It is home to The Pork Group, a subsidiary of

Muscogee (Creek) Nation
.

Recreation

Since May 1934 nearby Holdenville Lake has offered outdoor recreational activities.[7]

Fall Festival

Holdenville celebrates the annual Fall Festival on the first Saturday in October. The Festival includes a

car show, and an open-air market fair with dozens of booths and vendors. The Fall Festival was originally called Hog Wild Day to celebrate Tyson's contribution to Holdenville's economy, and featured a hog-calling contest, a pigtail contest, a pig-out pie-eating contest, and a greased pig contest.[citation needed
]

Stroup Park

Stroup Park is the primary recreation area in Holdenville. It contains a

walking path, duck pond, and a smaller adjacent park called Rose Park which mainly consists of flower gardens.[citation needed
]

Holdenville City Lake

Holdenville City Lake, in addition to providing 80% of the drinking water in

ATV trails in the vicinity.[citation needed
]

Education

All of the city limits is in the Holdenville Public Schools school district,[13] which provides primary and secondary education.

Some areas outside of the city limits are in Moss Public Schools.[citation needed]

Infrastructure

Highways

Airports

The Holdenville Municipal Airport is about 1 mile northwest of the town.[14] It has existed since 1943,[14] and Central Airlines made it a regularly-scheduled stop in the 1950s.[15]

Commercial air service is available out of

Will Rogers World Airport, about 81 miles west-northwest.[16]

Railroads

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Holdenville, Oklahoma
  3. ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ "Holdenville (city), Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Crawford, B., et al. (1998). Holdenville - 100 Years and Counting. Marceline, MO: D-Books Publishing, Inc.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Wilson, Linda D. Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. "Holdenville." Archived July 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 20, 2013.
  8. ^ "City News Notes". The Fort Smith Times. Fort Smith, Arkansas. May 29, 1904. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com. In speaking of his trip Mr. Collins said: '…I ran across three towns in the Indian Territory in which negroes are not allowed to live, and they are Holdenville, Norman and Blackmore. In Holdenville there is one negro, and he is cooking at one of the hotels, but there is talk of compelling him to leave. In the three towns mensioned no negro can either rent a house or buy land. …'
  9. ^ "Considers Conspiracy Law". The Wagoner Echo. Wagoner, Indian Territory. November 19, 1904. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com. Now in Durant and other towns in the Central District, and for that matter, in Holdenville, Ada and other towns in the territory notices had been posted for the Negroes not to let the sun go down on them in said towns.
  10. ^ Jonathan Greco (April 28, 2024). "What we know: At least 2 dead in Holdenville; Sulphur sees significant damage after tornado outbreak". KOCO News. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "Historical Weather for Holdenville, Oklahoma, United States".
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved October 12, 2024. - Text list
  14. ^ a b "Holdenville Municipal Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  15. ^ "Central Airlines Timetable, June 5, 1950". www.timetableimages.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  16. ^ "Will Rogers World Airport to Holdenville, Oklahoma". Google Maps. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  17. ^ "Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
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