Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (/oʊkləˌhoʊmə -/ ⓘ), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County,[9] it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and is the 8th largest city in the Southern United States. The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 681,054 in the 2020 census.[10] The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,396,445,[11] and the Oklahoma City–Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had a population of 1,469,124,[11] making it Oklahoma's largest municipality and metropolitan area by population.
For other uses, see Oklahoma City (disambiguation).
Oklahoma City
United States
April 22, 1889[3]
July 15, 1890[3]
Craig Freeman
620.79 sq mi (1,607.83 km2)
606.48 sq mi (1,570.77 km2)
14.31 sq mi (37.06 km2)
421.73 sq mi (1,092.3 km2)
1,198 ft (365 m)
681,054 
1,122.96/sq mi (433.58/km2)
982,276 (US: 46th)
2,329.2/sq mi (899.3/km2)
1,441,695 (US: 42nd)
- Oklahoma Cityan
- Oklahoma Citian
$94.742 billion (2022)
40-55000
1102140[5]
Oklahoma City's city limits extend somewhat into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties, though much of those areas outside the core Oklahoma County area are suburban tracts or protected rural zones (watershed). The city is the eighth-largest in the United States by area including consolidated city-counties; it is the second-largest, after Houston, not including consolidated cities. The city is also the second-largest by area among state capital cities in the United States, after Juneau, Alaska. Along with Topeka, Kansas and Cheyenne, Wyoming, Oklahoma City is one of three state capitals with an indigenous name in a state with an indigenous name.
Oklahoma City has one of the world's largest livestock markets.[12] Oil, natural gas, petroleum products, and related industries are its economy's largest sector. The city is in the middle of an active oil field, and oil derricks dot the capitol grounds. The federal government employs a large number of workers at Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (which house offices of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department's Enterprise Service Center, respectively).
Oklahoma City is on the I-35 and I-40 corridors, one of the primary travel corridors south into neighboring Texas and New Mexico, north towards Wichita and Kansas City, west to Albuquerque, and east towards Little Rock and Memphis. Located in the state's Frontier Country region, the city's northeast section lies in an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers. The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889 and grew to a population of over 10,000 within hours of its founding. It was the site of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, in which 168 people died, the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history until the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history.
Since weather records have been kept beginning in 1890, Oklahoma City has been struck by 14 violent tornadoes, 11 of which were rated F4 or EF4 on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita scales, and one each rated F5 and EF5.[13]
Infrastructure[edit]
Fire department[edit]
Oklahoma City is protected by the Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD), which employs 1015 paid, professional firefighters. The current Chief of Department is Richard Kelley, the department is also commanded by three Deputy Chiefs, who – along with the department chief – oversee the Operational Services, Prevention Services, and Support Services bureaus. The OKCFD operates out of 37 fire stations throughout the city in six battalions. The OKCFD operates a fire apparatus fleet of 36 engine companies (including 30 paramedic engines), 13 ladder companies, 16 brush pumper units, six water tankers, two hazardous materials units, one Technical Rescue Unit, one Air Supply Unit, six Arson Investigation Units, and one Rehabilitation Unit along with several special units. Each engine Company is staffed with a driver, an officer, and one to two firefighters, while each ladder company is staffed with a driver, an officer, and one firefighter. Minimum staffing each shift is 213 personnel. The Oklahoma City Fire Department responds to over 70,000 emergency calls annually.[132][133][134]