Guymon, Oklahoma

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Coordinates: 36°41′7″N 101°28′46″W / 36.68528, -101.47944
Guymon, Oklahoma
Location of Guymon, Oklahoma
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Texas
Area
- Total	7.3 sq mi (19.0 km²)
- Land	7.3 sq mi (18.9 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation	3,123 ft (952 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	10,472
- Density	1,433.2/sq mi (553.4/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	73942
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-31750^[1]
GNIS feature ID	1093452^[2]

The City of Guymon is located in the U.S. State of Oklahoma and serves as the seat of Texas County^[3]. The population was 10,472 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Demographics
4 Education
5 Economy
6 Radio and Print
7 Famous Citizens
8 References
9 External links

[edit] Geography

Located on the High Plains of the central Oklahoma Panhandle Guymon sits 105 miles (169 km) north of Amarillo, Texas and 120 miles (193 km) west-northwest of Woodward, Oklahoma. Optima National Wildlife Refuge and Optima Lake lie roughly 16 miles (26 km) to the east along the North Canadian River.

Guymon is located at 36°41′7″N 101°28′46″W / 36.68528, -101.47944 (36.685383, -101.479582)^[4] and sits at an elevation of 3,126 feet (953 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²), of which, 7.3 square miles (18.9 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) 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 1901.

The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo has offered tributes to the community’s pioneer spirit every May since the 1930s. The Rodeo is the 5th Largest Outdoor Rodeo and the 10th Largest Rodeo in Prize Money in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). In 2006, the rodeo had over 900 contestants with over $385,000 in prize money.^[5]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 10,472 people, 3,651 households, and 2,632 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,433.2 people per square mile (553.1/km²). There were 3,941 housing units at an average density of 539.4/sq mi (208.2/km²). 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] Education

Guymon residents are served by the Guymon School District. The city has eight elementary schools, one junior high school and one high school, whose team mascot is the Tiger.^[6]

[edit] Elementary Schools

[edit] Middle School

Guymon Central Junior High School

[edit] High School

Guymon High School

[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. Manufacturers include agricultural tillage tools, pressure tanks, printing, and formula feeds. The hamlet of Goodwell, Oklahoma, home of Oklahoma Panhandle State University, lies 11 miles (18 km) 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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Radio and Print

Guymon has two radio stations and one newspaper

KGYN RadioAM 1210 News, Weather and Sports
KKBS Radio The Boss 92.7
Guymon Daily Herald Newspaper printed since 1891^[7]

[edit] Famous Citizens

Mark King, guitarist for the rock band Hinder, graduated from Guymon High School with the class of 1998.

Former FEMA Director and Bush appointee Michael D. Brown, graduated from Guymon High School. Brown was born in Guymon, Oklahoma, on 1954-11-08. He received a B.A. in public administration/political science from Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma) in 1978, where he started the first UCO College Republicans group. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University's School of Law in 1981.

Guymon is the hometown of Jerod Kersey, who earned All-American honors in the 3,000 meter steeplechase at the 2005 National Junior College Athletic Association Outdoor Track & Field Championships, held May 16-18, 2005, in Levelland, Texas. Jerod graduated with the class of 2003.