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Oklahoma is a state located in the southern Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands regions of the United States, and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." The Congressional Quarterly and Census report place Oklahoma in the Southern United States. However, since Oklahoma is near the geographic center of the U.S., the regional influences add to Oklahoma's unique character. Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union on November 16th, 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and homma meaning red, literally meaning "red people"• and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation between 1866 and 1870. • It is a state with a colorful history, including its days as a frontier state, it being a destination of recently freed slaves looking for opportunity and equality, and being at the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th century. Most notably, Oklahoma has the nation's second largest American Indian population. In honor of its large American Indian population, and for tourism purposes, Oklahoma is called "Native America." Oklahoma's early history is forever tied to the Trail of Tears, which was the forced removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the southeastern United States to present-day Oklahoma. As a testament to the state's western and American Indian heritage, Oklahoma (Tulsa) is the home of the world-renowned Gilcrease Museum, which houses the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of American Western and American Indian art, artifacts, manuscripts, documents, and maps. Geography
Regions of Oklahoma From an ecoregional perspective, Oklahoma is recognized by the EPA as having 11 different ecoregions (one of only four U.S. states to have more than 10 ecoregions). These ecoregions are: Western high plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Central Great Plains, Tall Grass Prairie, Cross Timbers, Caves & Prairie, Ozark Highlands, Ozark Forest, Hardwood Forest, Ouachita Mountains, and Cypress Swamps & Forests. The Oklahoma Tourism Department divides the state down into six "countries" for tourism promotion purposes: Red Carpet Country (Northwestern Oklahoma and The Panhandle), Great Plains Country (Southwestern Oklahoma), Frontier Country (Central Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area), Green Country (Northeastern Oklahoma, including the Tulsa Metropolitan area), Kiamichi country (Southeastern Oklahoma), and Lake & Trail Country (South Central Oklahoma). Popular but "unofficial" regional designations include Green Country (most often used to refer to Northeastern Oklahoma, but used by some to refer to either all of Eastern Oklahoma or just the Tulsa Metropolitan Area), Little Dixie (Southeastern Oklahoma), Western Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma Panhandle. Climate Oklahoma is a state dominated by contrasting cold and warm air masses which collide east of the Rocky Mountains. As can be expected, this results in a wide range of weather throughout the state, ranging from a borderline humid subtropical climate zone near the southeast part of the state to a semi-arid climate in the High Plains of the panhandle. While there is some variation in temperature in the state, with the south portion on the Texas border averaging an annual mean temperature of 62 °F, and the panhandle averaging under 54 °F, the main climatic difference in Oklahoma is precipitation. The southeast corner of the state near the Ouachita Mountains averages over 52 inches of precipitation a year. Moving west from that point, the precipitation decreases rapidly- for each 10 miles traveled west, the precipation is approximately 1 inch less. The driest part of the state is the extreme western panhandle with less than 16 inch annually. The most notable feature of Oklahoma's climate is, of course, its thunderstorms. While Oklahoma averages from 40-60 days of thunderstorms throughout the entire state, which is less frequent than thunderstorm activity in parts of the Southeast United States and the central Colorado Rockies, Oklahoma thunderstorms, which occur in what locals call a "fifth season" from April through July tend to among the most severe in the world. During this "fifth season" colliding cold and warm air masses turn the entire state, especially the central part of the state into the heart of Tornado Alley. Central Oklahoma is the most tornado-prone area in the world, not only in terms of number of tornadoes(which exceeds 10 per 10,000 square miles), but also in terms of intensity. Some of the most severe tornadoes in history have occurred in Oklahoma, and it is no accident that the National Severe Weather Forecast Center is located in Norman. While central Oklahoma is the epicenter of Tornado Alley, other parts of the state are not immune. Snowfall is common in Oklahoma every winter, although it is not extreme, ranging from an average of less than 4 inches in the southern part of the state to just over 20 inches on the Colorado border in the panhandle. History Law and Government State Government The capital of the state is Oklahoma City and the Governor of Oklahoma is Brad Henry (Democrat). Other Executive Branch elected officials include Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma Mary Fallin (Republican), Secretary of State of Oklahoma M. Susan Savage (Democrat), State Auditor Jeff McMahan (Democrat), Attorney General Drew Edmondson (Democrat), State Treasurer Scott Meacham (Democrat), State School Superintendent Sandy Garrett (Democrat), Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau (Republican), Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland (Democrat), and the three member State Corporation Commission which currently consists of Bob Anthony (Republican), Jeff Cloud (Republican), and Denise Bode (Republican). The Legislature of Oklahoma consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 48 members serving four-year terms, while the House has 101 members with two year terms. The state has term limits for their legislature that restrict any one person to a total of twelve years service in both the House and Senate. In the 2005–2006 state legislature, control is split between the major parties, the Democrats control the Senate (26 to 22) while the Republicans control the House (57 to 44). This changes the government's make-up; before the 2004 election the Democrats had controlled both chambers since 1921. Republicans have never controlled the State Senate. The state's judicial branch consists of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, and 77 District Courts which serve one county apiece. The Oklahoma judiciary also contains two independent courts: a Court of Impeachment (which is the Senate sitting) and the Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary. Oklahoma is unusual in that it has two courts of last resort, the state Supreme Court hears civil cases, and the state Court of Criminal Appeals hears criminal cases (the state of Texas uses a similar system). Judges of those two courts, as well as the Court of Civil Appeals are appointed by the Governor upon the recommendation of the state Judicial Nominating Commission, and are subject to a non-partisan retention vote on a six-year rotating schedule. Due to Oklahoma's restrictive ballot access laws (deemed by many to be the most restrictive in the nation), no third parties have access to the primary ballots, however the state does have the following active third parties: Oklahoma Libertarian Party, Green Party of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Constitution Party. There are also organizers from the Communist Party USA working in the state. Local Governance The state is divided into 77 counties which deliver local government. Each is governed by a three member commission. Other county elected officials are the tax assessor, clerk, court clerk, treasurer, and sheriff. Cities and towns are established under the rights granted in the Oklahoma statutes (in comparison, Oklahoma gives municipal governments a great deal of latitude in chartering new governments). Towns are municipalities of under 1000 residents, while cities have more than 1000 residents. Major cities are also allowed to form "charter governments," in which the voters choose the form of government they want to use in place of the statutory forms. Other local government units in Oklahoma include independent and dependent school districts, Technology Center Districts (once known as VOTECH), community college districts, rural fire departments, rural water districts, and other special use districts. National Politics After the 2000 census the Oklahoma delegation to the U.S. House was reduced from six to five representatives. For the 109th Congress (2005–2006) there are no changes in party strength, and the delegation has four Republicans and one Democrat. Oklahoma's two U.S. senators are James M. Inhofe (Republican) and Tom Coburn (Republican). The U.S. Representatives are John Sullivan (Republican) of District 1, Dan Boren (Democrat) of District 2, Frank D. Lucas (Republican) of District 3, Tom Cole (Republican) of District 4, and Ernest Istook (Republican) of District 5. Although there are more registered Democrats in Oklahoma than registered Republicans, it has become a solid Republican state in presidential elections, voting for the Republican in every election since 1968. (The 1976 Carter-Ford race was close). In 2004, George W. Bush carried every county in the state and 65.6% of the vote. Economy Oklahoma is a major fuel and food-producing state; thousands of oil and natural gas wells dot the Oklahoma landscape, and the state is among the highest food producing states in the nation. Its main agricultural outputs are soy, wheat, cattle, dairy, poultry, and cotton. Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in the production of all wheat, fourth in cattle and calf production; fifth in the production of pecans; sixth in peanuts and eight in peaches. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, and food processing. Its 1999 total gross state product was $86 billion, placing it 29th in the nation. Its 2000 per capita personal income was $23,517, 43rd in the nation. Oklahoma City suburb Nichols Hills is ranked first on Oklahoma locations by per capita income at $73,661. Oklahoma City is a primary economic engine of the state, centered on the finance, retail, governance, entertainment, and tourism sectors. The city has numerous manufacturing and processing plants as well as a growing biotech research and health center. Oklahoma City has a large aviation market and its location at the intersection of I-35, I-40, and I-44 makes Oklahoma City an important distribution point. Oklahoma City is home to many corporate and regional headquarters including Devon Energy, Chesapeake Energy, Sonic Drive-In, AT&T, The Hertz Corporation, BancFirst, OGE Energy, Midfirst Bank, Hobby Lobby, Dobson Communications, Express Personnel Services, Oklahoma Publishing Company, Globe Life and Accident Insurance, AOL, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc., and Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce. Tulsa is another primary economic engine of the state, centered on energy, aerospace, telecommunications, and transportation. The city has the nation's most inland sea port and Oklahoma's only connection to the ocean, the Tulsa Port of Catoosa *, which connects the state with international ocean trade routes through the Arkansas River and Mississippi River. Despite an oil bust that plagued the entire state in the 1980's, Tulsa is still among the top cities in the nation for the number of oil and energy related company headquarters. Tulsa is also home to an extensive aviation market, exemplified by its American Airlines maintenance center, the largest airline maintenance base in the world. Recently, Forbes magazine rated Tulsa as second in the nation in job income growth, and one of the best 50 cities to do business in the country. • Companies based in Tulsa include The NORDAM Group, BOK Financial Corporation (BOKF), Bank of Oklahoma, Williams Companies, Oneok, Wiltel, QuikTrip, Public Service of Oklahoma, Mazzio's Corporation, Dollar-Thrifty, Hilti USA, and Vanguard. Both of Oklahoma's major metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, are engaged in large-scale economic development and tourism initiatives. Transportation Primary interstate highways in Oklahoma include I-35, which traverses the state from north to south, I-40, which traverses the state from east to west, and I-44, which enters Oklahoma in the southwest and leaves the state in the northeast corner. These highways all run through Oklahoma City. The state's other interstate highways are Interstates 235, 240, 244 and (unsigned) 444. I-235 (Centennial Expressway) is a north-south freeway connecting I-35 and I-44 through the center of Oklahoma City. I-240 (South Bypass) is an east-west freeway serving as a southern bypass of Oklahoma City. I-244 (Crosstown Expressway/MLK Expressway) is a loop that connects downtown Tulsa to I-44, and I-444, which is unsigned, forms the south and east sides of the "Inner Dispersal Loop" in downtown Tulsa. Oklahoma is served by two major airports: There are also numerous other regional and general aviation airports: See: List of airports in Oklahoma Amtrak also operates a daily train between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas, the Heartland Flyer. Education Culture
Sports Because of the devastation of New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005, the NBA's New Orleans Hornets relocated to Oklahoma City and are currently known as the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The Hornets are the first major professional sports league franchise to play in the state. The minor league baseball teams are: Other Oklahoma City teams include Other Enid teams include Other Tulsa teams include Oklahoma's major college teams are Oklahoma City Oklahoma City, with a population of 523,303 in the immediate city limits• and 1.3 million in the metro area, is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City Metroplex and is the Oklahoma's largest urbanized area. As of 2000, it was the 47th largest metro in the nation, with 1.3 million people.• Some of the major cities comprising the Oklahoma City Metro include Norman, Edmond, Guthrie, Moore, Mustang, Yukon, and Shawnee. Oklahoma City is the capital of Oklahoma, as well as its main civic, business, and entertainment hub. Oklahoma City is steadily recovering from the oil bust that destroyed the city's identity. Tulsa Tulsa is the second largest city in Oklahoma, with 387,807 within the city limits• Other important cities Religion The people of Oklahoma participate in 73 major religious affiliations ranging from the Southern Baptist Convention with 1578 churches and 967,223 members to the Holy Orthodox Church in North America, 1 church, 6 members. The 10 most popular religious affiliations (including "none") account for more than 90% of all Oklahomans: Oklahoma state symbols Demographics According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2005, Oklahoma has an estimated population of 3,547,884, which is an increase of 24,338, or 0.7%, from the prior year and an increase of 97,232, or 2.8%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 80,753 people (that is 264,324 births minus 183,571 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 21,128 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 36,546 people, and migration within the country produced a net decrease of 15,418 people. The five largest ancestry groups in Oklahoma are German (14.5%), American (13.1%), Irish (11.8%), English (9.6%), Native American (7.9%, with Cherokees as the largest tribe). German-Americans are present in the northwestern part of the state. American Indians predominate in eastern Oklahoma. Oklahomans of British ancestry dominate Tulsa and some other areas. Americans of African descent are a plurality in Lawton and Oklahoma City, while Pittsburg county has many Irish-Americans. Oklahoma City has the largest Asian and Asian American populations. A few western counties have significant Mexican American populations. 6.8% of Oklahoma's population was reported as under 5, 25.9% under 18, and 13.2% was 65 or older. Females made up approximately 50.9% of the population. Descendants of these people still live in Oklahoma today. Counties with the names of these tribes also exist. Oklahoma has the second highest number of Native Americans/Amerindians in the country estimated at 395,219 as of 2003. Only California has a higher Amerindian population at 682,720 *. Oklahoma also has the second highest concentration of Native Americans/Amerindians in the nation with 11.4% of the state's population, topped only by Alaska at 19% of that state's population. *. 39 of the Amerindian tribes currently living in Oklahoma are headquartered in the state. Trivia See also: See also Further reading | |||||||||||
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