Guymon, Oklahoma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The City of Guymon, Oklahoma serves as the seat of Texas County, OklahomaGR6. The population was 10,472 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Located on the High Plains of the central Oklahoma Panhandle Guymon sits 105 miles (169 kilometers) north of Amarillo, Texas and 100 miles (161 kilometers west-northwest of Woodward, Oklahoma. Optima National Wildlife Refuge and Optima Lake lie roughly 16 miles to the east along the North Canadian River.
Guymon is located at (36.685383, -101.479582)GR1 and sits at an elevation of 3,126 feet (953 meters).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.0 km² (7.3 mi²). 18.9 km² (7.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.27%) is water.
[edit] 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 1905.
The Pioneer Days Celebration and Rodeo has offered tributes to the community’s pioneer spirit every May since the 1950s.
The city has six elementary schools, one jr. high school and one high school, whose team mascot is the Tiger.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 10,472 people, 3,651 households, and 2,632 families residing in the city. The population density was 553.1/km² (1,433.2/mi²). There were 3,941 housing units at an average density of 208.2/km² (539.4/mi²). 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.
[edit] 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. Manufactures include agricultural tillage tools, pressure tanks, printing, and formula feeds. The hamlet of Goodwell, Oklahoma, home of Oklahoma Panhandle State University, lies 11 miles 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.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- City of Guymon
- Guymon Daily Herald
- Pioneer Days Rodeo
