Major County, Oklahoma
Major County | |
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UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Major County is a
Located in northwestern Oklahoma, Major County is bounded by Woods and Alfalfa counties in the north, Garfield County on the east, Kingfisher, Blaine, and Dewey on the south, and Woodward on the west. Major County has 957.87 square miles of land and water. It is drained by the North Canadian and Cimarron Rivers, and the Eagle Chief, Griever, and Sand Creeks.
History
Upon statehood in 1907, Major County was created from southern part of a territorial county.[4] Fairview, which had been settled following the Land Run of 1893, was designated the county seat, and voters reaffirmed the choice on December 22, 1908.[5] The county commissioners rented office space until a brick courthouse was constructed.[5] A second courthouse, made of stone, was erected in 1928.[5]
Named for John Charles Major, a representative to the state's 1906 Constitutional Convention, the area was originally settled by large numbers of Kansas Mennonites.
The county experienced "Black Sunday" dust storms on April 14, 1935.[6]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 958 square miles (2,480 km2), of which 955 square miles (2,470 km2) are land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2) (0.3%) are covered by water.[7]
Eagle Chief Creek, which empties into the Cimarron River near
A large gypsum formation extends across much of western Oklahoma, and the Ames Structure, which is buried under 3,000 meters of sand and soil, is possibly the result of a meteorite impact.
The town of Ringwood is a well-known producer of watermelons in the region and holds a Watermelon Festival annually.[6]
Major highways
- U.S. Highway 60
- U.S. Highway 281
- U.S. Highway 412
- State Highway 8
- State Highway 58
Adjacent counties
- Woods County (northwest)
- Alfalfa County (northeast)
- Garfield County (east)
- Kingfisher County (southeast)
- Blaine County (south)
- Dewey County (southwest)
- Woodward County (west)
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 15,248 | — | |
1920 | 12,426 | −18.5% | |
1930 | 12,206 | −1.8% | |
1940 | 11,946 | −2.1% | |
1950 | 10,279 | −14.0% | |
1960 | 7,808 | −24.0% | |
1970 | 7,529 | −3.6% | |
1980 | 8,772 | 16.5% | |
1990 | 8,055 | −8.2% | |
2000 | 7,545 | −6.3% | |
2010 | 7,527 | −0.2% | |
2020 | 7,782 | 3.4% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] |
As of the
Of the 3,046 households in 2000, 31% had children under 18, 63.7% were married couples, 6% were a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were not families. A quarter of the households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.92.
The median age was 42 years. The age distribution was 24.7% under 18, 6.7% were 18 to 24, 24.4% were 25 to 44, 24.9% were 45 to 64, and 19.4% were 65 or older. Females slightly outnumber males, with 95.4 males for every 100 females and 91.5 males for every 100 females 18 and over.
The median income for a household was $30,949, and for a family was $36,888. Males had a median income of $28,078 versus $17,658 for females. The
Politics
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[15] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
Democratic | 423 | 9.55% | |||
Republican | 3,520 | 79.46% | |||
Others | 487 | 10.99% | |||
Total | 4,430 | 100% |
Major County has been won by the Republican presidential nominee in every election except the 1932
It is part of Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+29 and is represented by Frank Lucas. In the Oklahoma Senate, it is part of the 27th district and is represented by Republican Casey Murdock. In the Oklahoma House of Representatives, it is part of the 58th district and is represented by Republican Carl Newton.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 3,084 | 88.95% | 320 | 9.23% | 63 | 1.82% |
2016 | 2,948 | 86.53% | 310 | 9.10% | 149 | 4.37% |
2012 | 2,700 | 85.82% | 446 | 14.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
2008 | 2,956 | 85.16% | 515 | 14.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
2004 | 3,122 | 85.32% | 537 | 14.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
2000 | 2,672 | 79.71% | 635 | 18.94% | 45 | 1.34% |
1996 | 2,188 | 62.30% | 900 | 25.63% | 424 | 12.07% |
1992 | 2,154 | 57.36% | 731 | 19.47% | 870 | 23.17% |
1988 | 2,638 | 71.86% | 982 | 26.75% | 51 | 1.39% |
1984 | 3,385 | 83.89% | 619 | 15.34% | 31 | 0.77% |
1980 | 3,059 | 81.81% | 584 | 15.62% | 96 | 2.57% |
1976 | 2,282 | 61.73% | 1,357 | 36.71% | 58 | 1.57% |
1972 | 3,203 | 83.89% | 512 | 13.41% | 103 | 2.70% |
1968 | 2,550 | 72.84% | 594 | 16.97% | 357 | 10.20% |
1964 | 2,436 | 65.36% | 1,291 | 34.64% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 2,892 | 80.16% | 716 | 19.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 2,826 | 74.82% | 951 | 25.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 3,495 | 80.53% | 845 | 19.47% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 2,467 | 66.78% | 1,227 | 33.22% | 0 | 0.00% |
1944 | 3,019 | 75.38% | 965 | 24.09% | 21 | 0.52% |
1940 | 3,453 | 70.60% | 1,404 | 28.71% | 34 | 0.70% |
1936 | 2,230 | 53.04% | 1,929 | 45.88% | 45 | 1.07% |
1932 | 1,374 | 35.24% | 2,525 | 64.76% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 2,891 | 78.73% | 674 | 18.36% | 107 | 2.91% |
1924 | 1,781 | 58.51% | 649 | 21.32% | 614 | 20.17% |
1920 | 1,921 | 60.01% | 784 | 24.49% | 496 | 15.50% |
1916 | 946 | 39.71% | 762 | 31.99% | 674 | 28.30% |
1912 | 1,210 | 48.50% | 689 | 27.62% | 596 | 23.89% |
1908 | 1,446 | 51.59% | 877 | 31.29% | 480 | 17.12% |
Economy
The county's economy has historically been based on agriculture, specifically wheat farming, poultry raising, and cattle ranching. Major crops have included corn, wheat, kaffir corn, broomcorn, and alfalfa. The Hallren Poultry and Creamery founded in Fairview in 1936 was the county's largest employer by the late 1950s.[4]
Oil and gas production have significantly bolstered the county economy, especially around the Ames Structure and the Ringwood oil field.[4]
Communities
City
- Fairview (county seat)
Towns
Census-designated places
Other unincorporated places
NRHP sites
These sites in Major County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Major County Courthouse, Fairview
- First United Methodist Church, Fairview
References
- ^ "Major County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Oklahoma: Individual County Chronologies". Oklahoma Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Peterson-Veatch, Ross. "Major County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
- ^ a b c Wilson, Linda D. "Fairview," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
- ^ a b Peterson-Veatch, Ross. "Ringwood," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
- ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ Petter, Rodolphe. (1915). English-Cheyenne dictionary. Kettle Falls, Wash.: V. Petter. pp. 920.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 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 October 9, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ISBN 9780804716963
- ^ Geographie Electorale
- ^ New York Times Election Map (Zoom in on Oklahoma)
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 29, 2018.