Guymon, Oklahoma

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Guymon, Oklahoma
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
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image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Guymon, Oklahoma


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map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Oklahoma
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Texas

government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 19.0
area_land_km2 = 18.9
area_water_km2 = 0.0
area_total_sq_mi = 7.3
area_land_sq_mi = 7.3
area_water_sq_mi = 0.0

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 10472
population_density_km2 = 553.4
population_density_sq_mi = 1433.2

timezone = Central (CST)
utc_offset = -6
timezone_DST = CDT
utc_offset_DST = -5
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 952
elevation_ft = 3123
latd = 36 |latm = 41 |lats = 7 |latNS = N
longd = 101 |longm = 28 |longs = 46 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 73942
area_code = 580
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 40-31750GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1093452GR|3
website =
footnotes =

Guymon is a city in and the county seat of Texas County, Oklahoma, United States.GR|6 The population was 10,472 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Located on the High Plains of the central Oklahoma Panhandle Guymon sits convert|105|mi|km|0 north of Amarillo, Texas and convert|120|mi|km|0 west-northwest of Woodward, Oklahoma. Optima National Wildlife Refuge and Optima Lake lie roughly convert|16|mi|km|0 to the east along the North Canadian River.

Guymon is located at coord|36|41|7|N|101|28|46|W|region:US-OK_type:city|display=inline (36.685383, -101.479582)GR|1 and sits at an elevation of convert|3126|ft|m|0.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of convert|7.3|sqmi|km2|1, of which, convert|7.3|sqmi|km2|1 of it is land and convert|0.04|sqmi|km2|1 of it (0.27%) is water.

History

In the 1890s, Edward T. “E.T.” Guymon purchased a section of land west of the Beaver River. The site grew very rapidly after the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway began to pass through it after 1901. The town, first named “Sanford,” was later renamed “Guymon” by railroad officials in order to avoid confusion with the town of Stratford, Texas, which was further down the line. Guymon incorporated in 1901.

The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo has offered tributes to the community’s pioneer spirit every May since the 1930s. The Rodeo is the 5th Largest Outdoor Rodeo and the 10th Largest Rodeo in Prize Money in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). In 2006, the rodeo had over 900 contestants with over $385,000 in prize money. [cite web |url= http://www.guymonrodeo.com|title= Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo|accessdate=2008-04-23 |date= |work= |publisher=]

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 10,472 people, 3,651 households, and 2,632 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,433.2 people per square mile (553.1/km²). There were 3,941 housing units at an average density of 539.4/sq mi (208.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 70.44% White, 0.84% African American, 1.32% Native American, 0.85% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 23.46% from other races, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.37% of the population.

There were 3,651 households out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 106.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,333, and the median income for a family was $44,841. Males had a median income of $26,162 versus $20,450 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,682. About 10.1% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Guymon residents are served by the Guymon School District. The city has eight elementary schools, one junior high school and one high school, whose team mascot is the Tiger. [cite web |url= http://www.guymontigers.com/default.htm|title= Guymon Public Schools District Home|accessdate=2008-04-23|date= |work= |publisher= Guymon Public Schools District]

Elementary Schools

* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/Academy/AcademyHome.htm Academy]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/AcademyC/AcademyCHome.htm Academy "C"]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/Carrier/CarrierHome.htm Carrier]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/HomerLong/HomerLongHome.htm Homer Long]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/Northeast/NorthEastHome.htm Northeast]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/NorthPark/NorthParkHome.htm North Park]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/Prarie/PrarieHome.htm Prarie]
* [http://www.guymontigers.com/Elementary/Salyer/SalyerHome.htm Salyer]

Middle School

* [http://tigers.e1217.com/ Guymon Central Junior High School]

High School

* [http://www.guymontigers.com/ghs/ Guymon High School]

Economy

Guymon serves as a trade center for a wide wheat, livestock, and dairy area. A United States soil conservation station sits nearby. The city has oil and gas wells. Manufacturers include agricultural tillage tools, pressure tanks, printing, and formula feeds. The hamlet of Goodwell, Oklahoma, home of Oklahoma Panhandle State University, lies convert|11|mi|km|0 to the southwest. The city once had scheduled air service.

The city's largest employer, a pork processing plant, processes 16,000 hogs daily, and its 2,300 employees make up about 20% of the entire city's population.Fact|date=April 2008

Radio and Print

Guymon has two radio stations and one newspaper
* [http://www.kgynam1210.com/main.html KGYN Radio] AM 1210 News, Weather and Sports
* [http://www.kkbs.com/ KKBS Radio] The Boss 92.7
* [http://www.guymondailyherald.com/ Guymon Daily Herald Newspaper] printed since 1891 [cite web |url= http://www.guymondailyherald.com/content/view/12/36|title= About The Guymon Daily Herald|accessdate=2008-04-23 |date= 2006-09-08|work= |publisher= Guymon Daily Herald ]

Noteworthy residents

*Mark King, guitarist for the rock band Hinder, graduated from Guymon High School with the class of 1998.
*Former FEMA Director and Bush appointee Michael D. Brown was born in Guymon and graduated from Guymon High School.
*Jerod Kersey, who earned All-American honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2005 National Junior College Athletic Association Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held May 16-18, 2005, in Levelland, Texas. Jerod graduated with the class of 2003.Fact|date=June 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.guymonok.org City of Guymon]
* [http://www.guymondailyherald.com Guymon Daily Herald]
* [http://www.guymonrodeo.com Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo]
* [http://www.mainstreetguymon.com/index.html Main Street Guymon]