- Clinton, Oklahoma
-
Clinton, Oklahoma — City — Location of Clinton, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°30′34″N 98°58′27″W / 35.50944°N 98.97417°WCoordinates: 35°30′34″N 98°58′27″W / 35.50944°N 98.97417°W Country United States State Oklahoma Counties Custer, Washita Area – Total 9.4 sq mi (24.335402 km2) – Land 9.4 sq mi (24.287340 km2) – Water 0 sq mi (0.048062 km2) Elevation 1,565 ft (477 m) Population (2010) – Total 9,033 – Density 961.4/sq mi (371.2/km2) Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6) – Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) ZIP code 73601 Area code(s) 580 FIPS code 40-15400[1] GNIS feature ID 1091467[2] Clinton is a city in Custer and Washita counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 9,033 at the 2010 census.
Contents
History
The community began in 1899 when two men, J.L. Avant and E.E. Blake, decided to locate a town in the Washita River Valley.
Because of governmental stipulations that an Indian could sell no more than one half of a 160-acre (0.6 km2) allotment, the men made plans to purchase 320 acres (1.3 km2) from four different Indians - Hays, Shoe-Boy, Nowahy, and Night Killer - and paid them each $2,000 for 80 acres (320,000 m2) to begin the small settlement of Washita Junction.
Congressional approval for the sale was granted in 1902 and Washita Junction quickly developed.[3] The first businesses were the townsite office, a newspaper called the Custer County Chronicle, and the First National Bank Building. When a post office was started, the postal department would not accept the name of Washita Junction, so the town was named after the late Judge Clinton Irwin. The Frisco Railroad later turned the town into an important shipping center for the area.
Clinton also benefited from the presence of U.S. Highway 66, fostering the locally famous Pop Hicks Restaurant, which opened in 1936. The longest running restaurant on Route 66 burned down in 1999. Like most other cities and towns on Route 66, Clinton was also the home of many other tourist businesses including several restaurants, cafes, motels and gasoline service stations. Today, cross-country generally passes Clinton to the south on Interstate 40, but Clinton remains a popular tourist stop as one of the largest cities in Western Oklahoma between Oklahoma City and Amarillo, Texas. Much of the old U.S. 66 route that passed through the city is now designated as an I-40 business loop.
In 1942, the federal government built a naval airfield at nearby Burns Flat and named it Naval Air Station Clinton. During the World War II period, the population of Clinton grew to nearly 7,000 residents. In 1949, Naval Air Station Clinton was deactivated and the airfield was deeded to the City of Clinton, specifying that the land could be recaptured in case of national emergencies. Later, the government leased the site back and used it as Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base a bomber base supporting 4123rd Strategic Wing, then the 70th Bombardment Wing, Heavy of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), operating B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. Purchasing more land, the site soon expanded to more than 3,500 acres (14 km2), where both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy utilized the airfield for both operational and training purposes. When military operations were de-emphasized, the Clinton-Sherman base was designated for closure in 1969. The entire complex was deeded to the City of Clinton in 1971 and three years later became the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark.
Clinton was the one time home of the National Highway 66 Association which operated for almost thirty years beginning after World War II. Though the association was disbanded in the 1980s, it instilled in Clinton an adhering interest in the Mother Road and the town became home to the first state sponsored Route 66 Museum in the nation.
Clinton is also home to the Clinton Daily News a is a six-day daily newspaper. The publication is edited by Rod Serfoss and has a circulation of 4,500.[4] The newspaper has been published continuously from its inception in 1927 to the current day.[5]
Geography
Clinton is located at 35°30′34″N 98°58′27″W / 35.50944°N 98.97417°W (35.509369, -98.974063)[6], sitting at an elevation of 1,592 feet (485 m). The town is located on historic U.S. Route 66, which is now Interstate 40.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.9 square miles (23.2 km²), of which, 8.9 square miles (23.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
Climate
Climate data for Clinton, Oklahoma Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °F (°C) 85
(29)84
(29)95
(35)98
(37)106
(41)112
(44)112
(44)115
(46)111
(44)98
(37)89
(32)89
(32)115
(46)Average high °F (°C) 50
(10)55
(13)63
(17)73
(23)81
(27)91
(33)95
(35)96
(36)88
(31)77
(25)62
(17)53
(12)74 Average low °F (°C) 25
(−4)29
(−2)35
(2)47
(8)56
(13)66
(19)69
(21)68
(20)60
(16)48
(9)34
(1)28
(−2)47 Record low °F (°C) −14
(−26)−4
(−20)−2
(−19)20
(−7)31
(−1)44
(7)53
(12)49
(9)34
(1)22
(−6)8
(−13)−1
(−18)−14
(−26)Precipitation inches (cm) 1
(3)1
(3)1.6
(4)2.8
(7)5.1
(13)3.5
(9)2.6
(7)2.3
(6)2.1
(5)2.6
(7)1
(3)1.1
(3)26.5
(67)Snowfall inches (cm) 3.3
(8.4)2.3
(5.8)2.2
(5.6)0.5
(1.3)0.2
(0.5)1.5
(3.8)10
(25)% humidity 63 60 56 55 61 64 57 56 65 62 63 67 61 Avg. rainy days 2.8 2.8 4 5.9 7.2 6.2 5.1 4.6 3.7 4.4 2.3 2.9 51.9 Source no. 1: weather.com Source no. 2: Weatherbase.com [7] Demographics
Historical populations Census Pop. %± 1960 9,617 — 2000 8,833 — 2010 9,033 2.3% As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,833 people, 3,331 households, and 2,265 families residing in the city. The population density was 989.1 people per square mile (381.9/km²). There were 3,818 housing units at an average density of 427.5 per square mile (165.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.92% White, 5.82% African American, 6.39% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 13.62% from other races, and 4.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.99% of the population.
There were 3,331 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,051, and the median income for a family was $32,242. Males had a median income of $24,588 versus $18,596 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,606. About 14.6% of families and 18.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.9% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Events
The municipal airport in Clinton was the site of the first crash of a C-5 Galaxy (68-0227) on September 27, 1974.[1]
Notable residents
- Toby Keith [2]
- Scott Hendricks
- James R. Winchester
Schools
Clinton has three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school within the public school system. There is also an alternative school that is part of the public school system.
Sports
Clinton is known for its high school football team, the "Red Tornadoes". The Red Tornadoes have won 15 state championships (1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1978, 1982, 1984, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007) which ranks currently second in the state of Oklahoma behind Ada.
Band
Clinton is known for the Pride of Clinton Marching/Symphonic Band. The band is known around the state for their success in marching and concert seasons for years. They have obtained ones at marching and concert contest, also known as Sweepstakes, as well as the Sweepstakes Accent.
Sights
Museums
- Route 66 museum, located on historical U.S. Route 66
- Cheyenne Cultural Center
National Register of Historic Places
- Clinton Armory
- Crawford House
- McLain Rogers Park
- Y Service Station & Café
References
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Clinton at Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed April 27)
- ^ "Clinton Daily News", Finder Binder: Oklahoma's Updated Media Directory, 2009 Winter Issue.
- ^ "About this Newspaper: Clinton daily news" Library of Congress (accessed February 25, 2010).
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Historical Weather for Clinton, Oklahoma, United States". http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=36437&refer=.
External links
- City website
- Clinton Chamber of Commerce
- Community profile
- Legends of America
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Clinton
- Route 66 Museum
- Cheyenne Cultural Center
Municipalities and communities of Custer County, Oklahoma Cities Clinton‡ | Thomas | Weatherford
Towns Arapaho | Butler | Custer City | Hammon‡
Unincorporated
communitiesAnthon | Cody | Carpenter‡ | Dead Women Crossing | East Junction | Eastside | Ewing | Foley | Hammon Junction | McClure | Moorewood | Parkersburg | Ralph | Stafford | Sunset
Ghost town Independence | Osceola
Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Municipalities and communities of Washita County, Oklahoma Cities Clinton‡ | New Cordell
Towns Unincorporated
communitiesBurns | Cloud Chief | Cowden | Lake Valley | Port
Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
Categories:- Populated places in Custer County, Oklahoma
- Populated places in Washita County, Oklahoma
- Cities in Oklahoma
- Communities on U.S. Route 66
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
