Jenks, Oklahoma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jenks is a suburb of Tulsa in Tulsa County, Oklahoma in the northeastern part of Oklahoma. It is situated between the Arkansas River and U.S. highway 75. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,557, but, a more recent census puts the city population over 13,000.
Contents |
[edit] History
The town site of what would be Jenks was planned around two major railroads that were built between Tulsa and Muskogee in 1904. The prospect of steamboat travel along the Arkansas River lured early settlers slightly further east than the actual site of the two railroads. The new town took its name from a director of one of the railroads who lived in Philadelphia.
The discovery of oil in nearby Glenpool in 1905 spurred development in Jenks. In 1906, oil tank farms were constructed near Jenks to store oil. The expensive tank farms increased the area property valuation and contributed considerable revenue to the Jenks school district.
Although the Arkansas River was not used primarily for water transportation its role was significant as it related to river crossings. The first Jenks single lane bridge across the Arkansas River was built in 1910 to be replaced in 1948 with a two-lane bridge. In 1996 a four-lane bridge connected Jenks with South Tulsa.
[edit] Geography
Jenks is located at (36.010276, -95.979850)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 38.6 km² (14.9 mi²). 37.1 km² (14.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (3.69%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,557 people, 3,451 households, and 2,757 families residing in the city. The population density was 257.3/km² (666.2/mi²). There were 3,592 housing units at an average density of 96.7/km² (250.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.39% White, 1.58% African American, 4.74% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.73% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.12% of the population.
There were 3,451 households out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,637, and the median income for a family was $61,050. Males had a median income of $42,148 versus $28,419 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,804. About 2.6% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Community and Tourism
Popular tourist draws include the Oklahoma Aquarium (the state's only freestanding aquarium and the Riverwalk Crossing shopping/walking district along the Arkansas River. A pedestrian bridge links the Jenks riverfront area with the Tulsa Riverparks walking trail on the East side of the river.
Jenks also is home to numerous antique stores and hosts many street festivals and parades each year such as Art on Main.
The Jenks School District is one of the largest in the state and encompasses significant portions of southwest Tulsa, while many of the Jenks schools are technically located within the city of Tulsa.
On November 22, 2005, President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez announced Jenks Public Schools as a recipient of the 2005 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence. Famous alumni of Jenks Public Schools include Carlos Cashman, founder of Opus360 (Nasdaq: OPUS) and CEO of Courseadvisor, and Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006
The City of Jenks just completed building a second firehouse in southern Jenks (121st and Elm).
[edit] External links
[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
