Washita County, Oklahoma
Washita County | |
---|---|
UTC−5 (CDT) | |
Congressional district | 3rd |
Washita County is a
History
In 1883, John Miles leased 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) of Cheyenne and Arapaho land to seven cattlemen. However, arguments soon developed between the cattlemen and the tribesmen. In 1885, the Federal government terminated all of the leases and ordered the cattlemen to remove their stock.[3]
The area was settled in 1886, when John Seger established a colony along Cobb Creek. Seger convinced 120 Cheyenne and Arapaho to settle near the old ranch headquarters at Cobb Creek. The intent was that "Seger's Colony" would teach these tribes how to farm, using modern agricultural methods.[3] The name, Seger's Colony, would be shortened and become the present day town of Colony, Oklahoma.[5]
After the government declared the excess lands of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation available for non-Indian settlement, the Cheyenne-Arapaho Opening was made available to homesteading on April 19, 1892, in the Land Run of 1892.[3] At that time, the town of Tacola, soon renamed to Cloud Chief, was designated by the Secretary of the Interior as the county seat.[3]
Washita County is located in that part of western Oklahoma which was included in County H of the
An election in 1900 designated the town of Cordell as the county seat. It was favored by the majority because it was located in the center of the county. The election result was contested in court. The Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court ruled in 1904 that the seat could not be moved without Federal authorization. The U. S. Congress moved the seat to Cordell in 1906. When the Oklahoma Constitution went into effect at statehood in 1907, it confirmed Cordell (by then relocated and renamed New Cordell) as the county seat.[3]
In 1948, the nation's first flood control dam under the authorization of the Flood Control Act of 1944 was completed in the Cloud Creek Watershed in Washita County.[7]
Geography
According to the
Adjacent counties
- Custer County - north
- Caddo County - east
- Kiowa County - south
- Beckham County - west
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 25,034 | — | |
1920 | 22,237 | −11.2% | |
1930 | 29,435 | 32.4% | |
1940 | 22,279 | −24.3% | |
1950 | 17,657 | −20.7% | |
1960 | 18,121 | 2.6% | |
1970 | 12,141 | −33.0% | |
1980 | 13,798 | 13.6% | |
1990 | 11,441 | −17.1% | |
2000 | 11,508 | 0.6% | |
2010 | 11,629 | 1.1% | |
2020 | 10,924 | −6.1% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010[13] |
As of the
.There were 4,599 households, out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5% had a male household with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 27.1% of households, and individuals 65 years of age or older living alone accounted for 13% of households. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,331, and the median income for a family was $56,619. Males had a median income of $42,149 versus $31,402 for females. The
Politics
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023[15] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
Democratic | 1,586 | 24.18% | |||
Republican | 4,017 | 61.23% | |||
Others | 957 | 14.59% | |||
Total | 6,560 | 100% |
Prior to 1952, Washita County was dominated by the Democratic Party as part of the Solid South. However, it backed the national winner in every presidential election from 1928 to 1992 except for 1956 and 1960. It last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1992.
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 4,086 | 85.53% | 598 | 12.52% | 93 | 1.95% |
2016 | 3,854 | 83.22% | 588 | 12.70% | 189 | 4.08% |
2012 | 3,494 | 80.95% | 822 | 19.05% | 0 | 0.00% |
2008 | 3,724 | 77.97% | 1,052 | 22.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
2004 | 3,705 | 73.44% | 1,340 | 26.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
2000 | 2,850 | 63.79% | 1,564 | 35.00% | 54 | 1.21% |
1996 | 1,994 | 42.65% | 1,913 | 40.92% | 768 | 16.43% |
1992 | 1,912 | 35.81% | 1,929 | 36.13% | 1,498 | 28.06% |
1988 | 2,402 | 50.62% | 2,290 | 48.26% | 53 | 1.12% |
1984 | 3,847 | 70.85% | 1,547 | 28.49% | 36 | 0.66% |
1980 | 3,206 | 59.67% | 2,044 | 38.04% | 123 | 2.29% |
1976 | 2,165 | 39.14% | 3,304 | 59.74% | 62 | 1.12% |
1972 | 3,578 | 71.45% | 1,305 | 26.06% | 125 | 2.50% |
1968 | 2,592 | 49.65% | 1,771 | 33.92% | 858 | 16.43% |
1964 | 2,147 | 39.14% | 3,339 | 60.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 3,209 | 57.07% | 2,414 | 42.93% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 2,552 | 44.44% | 3,191 | 55.56% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 3,914 | 55.20% | 3,177 | 44.80% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 1,637 | 27.45% | 4,326 | 72.55% | 0 | 0.00% |
1944 | 2,706 | 43.31% | 3,524 | 56.40% | 18 | 0.29% |
1940 | 2,978 | 41.10% | 4,256 | 58.74% | 11 | 0.15% |
1936 | 1,792 | 25.49% | 5,205 | 74.05% | 32 | 0.46% |
1932 | 887 | 12.79% | 6,049 | 87.21% | 0 | 0.00% |
1928 | 3,572 | 63.28% | 2,024 | 35.85% | 49 | 0.87% |
1924 | 1,357 | 33.47% | 2,325 | 57.35% | 372 | 9.18% |
1920 | 2,070 | 45.85% | 2,125 | 47.07% | 320 | 7.09% |
1916 | 958 | 25.32% | 2,107 | 55.68% | 719 | 19.00% |
1912 | 1,100 | 31.14% | 1,665 | 47.14% | 767 | 21.72% |
Communities
Cities
- Clinton (part)
- New Cordell (county seat)
Towns
Unincorporated communities
See also
References
- ^ "Washita County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h O'Dell, Larry (2009). "Washita County". 'Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Boothe, Wayne (2009). "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Colony". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Colony. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "ORIGIN OF COUNTY NAMES IN OKLAHOMA, Vol. 2, No. 1, March 1924". Oklahoma Historical Society's Chronicles of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University. p. 81. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 22, 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 22, 2015.
- ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
- ^ "General Housing Characteristics: 2010 - United States – County by State; and for Puerto Rico". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
- ^ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 30, 2018.