Custer County, Oklahoma

Custer County, Oklahoma
Location in the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded	1892
Named for	General George A. Custer
Seat	Arapaho
Largest city	Weatherford
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,002 sq mi (2,595 km²) 987 sq mi (2,555 km²) 15 sq mi (40 km²), 1.55
Population  - (2000)  - Density	26,142 26/sq mi (10/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.custercountyok.org/

Custer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It was named in honor of General George Armstrong Custer. As of 2000, the population was 26,142. Its county seat is Arapaho^[1].

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,002 square miles (2,595.2 km²), of which 987 square miles (2,556.3 km²) is land and 15 square miles (38.8 km²) (1.55%) is water.

Major highways

• Interstate 40
• U.S. Highway 183
• State Highway 33
• State Highway 44
• State Highway 47
• State Highway 54
• State Highway 73

Adjacent counties

• Dewey County (north)
• Blaine County (east)
• Caddo County (southeast)
• Washita County (south)
• Beckham County (southwest)
• Roger Mills County (west)

National protected area

• Washita National Wildlife Refuge

History

Custer County was formed on April 19, 1892 as an original county from Cheyenne land, and called G County. On November 6, 1896 it was renamed Custer County after General George Armstrong Custer, who was killed at the Battle of Little Bighorn. The county was settled by white settlers during the third official land run of April 19, 1892. On this day the first newspaper of the county appeared, the Arapaho Arrow.

Demographics

Age pyramid for Custer County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 26,142 people, 10,136 households, and 6,578 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 11,675 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 81.41% White, 2.87% Black or African American, 5.81% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.80% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. 9.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,136 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 27.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.30% under the age of 18, 17.40% from 18 to 24, 24.50% from 25 to 44, 20.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,524, and the median income for a family was $37,247. Males had a median income of $27,066 versus $19,479 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,584. About 12.40% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.00% of those under age 18 and 10.50% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

Arapaho Butler Clinton

Custer City Hammon

Thomas Weatherford

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Custer County, Oklahoma

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Custer County

Coordinates: 35°38′N 99°01′W / 35.64°N 99.01°W / 35.64; -99.01