West Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma

West Tulsa is a local name given to an area situated in the west section of the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

West Tulsa includes various communities to the west and south of the Arkansas River. As development between Sand Springs and Tulsa continued in the late 19th through the early 20th centuries, the name West Tulsa was used to refer to this area west of Tulsa and north of the Arkansas River. However, many people in Tulsa, or those knowing of the history of Tulsa, do not include this area near Sand Springs when referring to West Tulsa.

Layout

The southwest quadrant of Tulsa is split into county and city areas. County areas include industrial area enclaves and lands south and west of the city limits. Some communities are within city limits and others are not. A large section of urban housing and commercial and industrial development around W. 23rd St. is the most developed area of West Tulsa.

Generally accepted communities of West Tulsa in city limits are Red Fork, Carbondale, Garden City, and Turkey Mountain. Those who are not within Tulsa City limits are Berryhill and Prattville (though annexed by the city of Sand Springs in 1964). Other communities considered a part of West Tulsa but located in Creek County are Oakhurst, Oakridge, and Allen-Bowden.

The most significant road in West Tulsa is Southwest Boulevard, formerly part of Route 66. Other principal streets in West Tulsa include W. 21st St., W. 41st St., W. 51st St. Principal avenues are S. 65th W. Ave., S. 57th W. Ave., S. 49th W. Ave., S. 33rd W. Ave., S. Union Ave. and S. Elwood Ave.

Business

Two oil refineries operate in West Tulsa. The Sun Refinery is located adjacent to I-244 at the Arkansas River. The Sinclair Refinery is on Southwest Boulevard. Goodwill Industries is also located in this area as well as several companies supporting Tulsa's transportation industry adjacent to the Burlington Northern/Santefe 'Cherokee' railyard.

Education

West Tulsa High Schools are Daniel Webster High School and Berryhill High School. Clinton Middle School on West 41st Street and Berryhill Junior High School are separate school districts. Robertson Elementary in Carbondale, Remington Elementary in Mountain Manor, and Park Elementary in Red Fork are in Tulsa city limits. West Tulsa Elementary schools outside city limits are Jane Addams Elementary School on South 65th West Avenue and Berryhill Elementary School on West 31st Street. These schools are south of the Arkansas river. Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, which includes their College of Osteopathic Medicine, is on West 17th Street.

History

Entertainment

West Tulsa had one of the first amusement parks in the area, having its first visitors before 1920 at a park owned by The Park Addition Company, [http://www.rootsweb.com/~oktulsa/crystalpark.htm] operating a dance hall, concessions, and boat rides. In 1921, the Electric Amusement Park Company took control over the site, adding the only miniature train ride in Oklahoma at the time. By 1922, the company contracted to operators of carousel and Ferris wheel rides. Financial problems closed the park in 1925. After changing hands, the park reopened in 1928, remodeled and renamed as Crystal City featuring Tulsa's original "Zingo" roller coaster. Operation of the park was successful until a fire in 1956 burned down the bath house and "Casa Loma" dance hall, forcing its closure. Many of the rides were installed at another one of Tulsa's facilities, Lakeview Amusement Park near Mohawk Zoo. [http://www.ok-history.mus.ok.us/enc/amuseparks.htm] Investors bought the buildings and lease in September 1958 in order to build what would become the Crystal City Shopping Center, a major shopping venue for West Tulsans in the years to come, with an anchoring bowling alley called "Crystal Bowl".

Recent events

In June 2006, the "Southwest Tulsa Main Street Committee" had plans to present a request to the city of Tulsa for support of an Urban Main Street program covering Southwest Boulevard from OSU Medical Center to Crystal City. The request is the first step toward getting the area certified as part of the Oklahoma Main Street program, which should help the West Tulsa area economically. [http://www.tulsaworld.com/]

Tulsa's Red Fork area has been selected by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to be the city's first designated Urban Main Street Community. The Red Fork Main Street encompasses two blocks on either side of Southwest Boulevard extending from the Arkansas River to 49th West Avenue. Being part of the state program provides access to technical support, planning, expertise and resources that help communities preserve historic buildings and make them economically viable. The City Council has agreed to a three-year, $150,000 commitment to take part in the program. Matching funds have been pledged by numerous individuals and businesses. [http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070311_1_A20_Tulsa80306]

External links

* [http://tulsatvmemories.com/gb050303.html Pictures of Crystal City Amusement Park]

References

*cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.com/~oktulsa/crystalpark.htm |title=Crystal City Amusement Park |accessdate=2006-07-09 |author=Jeff Smith
*cite web|url=http://www.ok-history.mus.ok.us/enc/amuseparks.htm |title=Amusement Parks |accessdate=2006-07-09 |author=Larry O'Dell
*cite web|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/ |title=Community Focus: Reviving Route 66 |accessdate=2006-07-09 |author=Emily Priddy

Notes

* Adapted from the Wikinfo article, [http://www.wikinfo.org/wiki.php?title=West_Tulsa,_Oklahoma "West Tulsa,_Oklahoma"] , used under the GNU Free Documentation License