Oklahoma City, OK, is officially called City of Oklahoma City, aka OKC. Located in Oklahoma County, OKC was settled on April 22, 1889. OKC's regional population is ranked as 27th in the USA. During the historic "Land Run", more than 10,000 homesteaders settled in Oklahoma City. Guthrie was the original territorial capital of the State of Oklahoma. Later, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. By 1907, the State of Oklahoma gained statehood and was admitted to the Union. Oklahoma City is a favorite tourist stop on Route 66. The popular 1946 jazz song by Bobby Troup, actor/jazz pianist/singer/songwriter, titled as "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" was made famous by artist Nat King Cole. Route 66 was known as Will Rogers Highway, aka "The Main Street of America", "The Mother Road", and one of the original highways of the U.S. Highway System. Route 66 starts in Chicago, IL, and ends in Santa Monica, CA. Route 66 is 2, 488 miles long. The TV series called "Route 66" aired on CBS from 1960 to 1964. Route 66 was featured in John Steinbeck's classic novel, The Grapes of Wrath as well as in the movie with the same title. On June 10, 1910, Oklahoma City officially became the state's capital. A trolley system was built and OKC became a railway hub. Several large meat packing businesses were located in Oklahoma City. Completed in 1919, the Oklahoma state capitol building was constructed without a dome. In 2002, 83 years later, a dome was added to the building...most likely by a reputable Oklahoma City roofing company.
Things to Do in Oklahoma City
Oil wells were everywhere in OKC. The lawn of the capitol building even had one. By 1935, there were thousands of homeless people and a massive shanty town, dubbed "Hooverville", named after President Herbert Hoover. Government programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created jobs. The WPA and CCC workers built one of the first public housing units in the USA. During WWII and postwar years, Oklahoma City, experienced an upturn. Tinker Air Force Base, in Midwest City, became the largest air depot in the nation. During the 1960's civil rights movement, OKC held the first "sit in". Activists were trying to desegregate a local lunchcounter. The OKC "sit in" set the path for other "sit ins" across the USA. In 1964, part of a controversial experiment, OKC was the subject of eight sonic booms per day. The experiment was to measure the costs of a supersonic transport aircraft. The Metropolitan Area Projects Plan, aka MAPP, a five-year plan, provided one billion dollars for a new ballpark, canal, central library, indoor arena, fairgrounds renovation, and a civic center. Several dams were constructed on the North Canadian River allowing access for small boats.
On April 19, 1995, the historic OKC bombing put the city in the national spotlight. Timothy McVeigh drove a rented truck full of explosives to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown OKC. The explosion killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured more than 680 people. OKC was forever historically and tragically linked to the OKCBOMB event. To this day, the Oklahoma City Bombing remains the single largest domestic terrorist attack in US history. Today, the site is home to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. Five years later on April 19, 2000, the memorial was dedicated by President Bill Clinton. In 2004, the new Dell Call Center brought in 250 jobs with plans for 19,000 more jobs. In 2005, OKC welcomed the basketball franchise called the New Orleans/OKC Hornets. The city became home to the renamed Seattle NBA franchise called the Oklahoma City Thunder.
More than 406 famous people were born in OKC and nearby regions. Here is a short list.: Johnny Bench (baseball catcher), Jeremy Castle (country singer), Linda Leighton (actress), Olivia Munn (actress), Lauren Lane (actress), Suzy Amis (actress), Heather Wahlquist (actress/writer), Tish Campbell-Martin (actress), Chelcie Ross (actor), Mason Cook (actor), Brian Bosworth (actor), Lon Chaney Jr. (actor 1906-1973), Vince Grant Gill (actor/musician/songwriter), Ronnie Claire Edwards (actress/The Waltons), Kay Francis (actress/Golden Era), Pamela Tiffin (actress), Lexi Ainsworth (actress), Amzie Strickland (actress), James Hampton (actor), Mark Holton (actor), Brandin Rackley (actress), Harris Wittels (producer), Lou Antonio (director/producer/actor), Louise Allbritton (actress), Royce D. Applegate (actor), Rochelle Hudson (actress), Noah Crawford (actor), Kelly Mantle (actor), Jennifer Darling (actress), Brandon Douglas (actor), Ted Shackleford (actor/Knots Landing), Ford Austin (actor/producer/director). Garth Brooks, country/western singer, Tulsa, OK. Troy Aikman, of the Dallas Cowboys, Henryetta, OK. Vera Miles (actress) Boise City, OK. Angela Lindvall (actress) Midwest City, OK.
2425 Wilcox Dr. Ste. F
Norman, OK 73069
Norman, OK 73069