Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
| Broken Arrow, Oklahoma | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Tulsa, Wagoner |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Incorporated | 1903 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Council-Manager |
| - City Manager | James Twombly |
| - Mayor | Wade McCaleb |
| Area | |
| - City | 45.6 sq mi (118.1 km²) |
| - Land | 45.0 sq mi (116.5 km²) |
| - Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km²) |
| Elevation | 755 ft (230 m) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - City | 90,714 |
| - Metro | 905,755 |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 74011-74014 |
| Area code(s) | 918 |
| FIPS code | 40-09050[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1090512[2] |
| Website: www.brokenarrowok.gov | |
Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County with an extension into western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. The 2007 census estimate showed a population just over 90,000. It is estimated that the population will exceed 100,000 at the 2010 census.[3]
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Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 74,859 people, 26,159 households, and 21,162 families residing in the city. (The 2007 census estimates show a population of 90,714). The population density was 1,664.0 people per square mile (642.4/km²). There were 27,085 housing units at an average density of 602.0/sq mi (232.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.34% White, 3.73% African American, 4.02% Native American, 1.90% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56% of the population.
There were 30,154 households out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $65,118, and the median income for a family was $61,570. Males had a median income of $42,397 versus $27,559 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,238. About 3.4% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Geography and climate
Broken Arrow is located at (36.036305, -95.783616).[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.6 square miles (118.1 km²), of which, 45.0 square miles (116.5 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.
Climate
 Weather averages for Broken Arrow  |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 46 (8) |
53 (12) |
62 (17) |
72 (22) |
79 (26) |
87 (31) |
93 (34) |
92 (33) |
84 (29) |
74 (23) |
60 (16) |
50 (10) |
71 (22) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 23 (-5) |
28 (-2) |
37 (3) |
46 (8) |
56 (13) |
65 (18) |
70 (21) |
68 (20) |
60 (16) |
47 (8) |
36 (2) |
28 (-2) |
46 (8) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.6 (40.6) |
1.8 (45.7) |
3.2 (81.3) |
3.5 (88.9) |
5 (127) |
4.6 (116.8) |
2.9 (73.7) |
2.8 (71.1) |
4.7 (119.4) |
3.7 (94) |
3.1 (78.7) |
2 (50.8) |
38.8 (985.5) |
| Source: [5] {{{accessdate}}} | |||||||||||||
History
The name comes from an old Creek community in Alabama. When they moved to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears, they started a new community named after the original settlement in Alabama. The town's Creek name was Rekackv (pronounced thlee-Kawtch-kuh), meaning broken arrow. This new settlement was located several miles south of present-day downtown Broken Arrow.
Decades later, the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway company built a railroad which ran through the area. MKT was granted town site privileges along the route. They sold three of the as-yet-unnamed sites in 1902 to the Arkansas Valley Town Site company. William. S. Fears, secretary of the company, was allowed to choose and name one of the locations. He selected a site about 18 miles southeast of Tulsa and about five miles north of the thlee-Kawtch-kuh settlement and named the new town site Broken Arrow, after the former Indian settlement. The MKT railroad, which ran through the middle of the city, still exists today and is now owned by Union Pacific which currently uses it for freight.
For the first decades of Broken Arrow's history, the town was based mainly on agriculture. The coal industry was also important in BA, as there were several strip coal mines near the city during parts of the early 20th century. The city's newspaper, the Broken Arrow Ledger, started within a couple of years after the city's founding. BA's first school was built in 1904. The city did not grow much during the first half of the 1900s. During this time Broken Arrow's main commercial center was along Main Street. Most of the city's churches were also located on or near Main Street as well.
In the 1960s, Broken Arrow began to grow from a small town into a suburban city. The Broken Arrow Expressway (Highway 51) was constructed in the mid-1960s and connected the city with downtown Tulsa, fueling growth in Broken Arrow. The population swelled from a little above 11,000 in 1970 to more than 50,000 in 1990, and then more than 74,000 by the year 2000. During this time, the city was more of a bedroom community. In recent years, city leaders have pushed for more economic development to help keep more Broken Arrowans shopping and dining in town rather than going to other cities.
Nevertheless, this growth is controversial to many concerned citizens in Broken Arrow. City leaders have pushed forward with growth and expansion at all costs. Because of the lack of city planning and infrastructure development, citizens of Broken Arrow have become victim to heavy traffic on 2-lane roads and several new neighborhoods have flooded repeatedly.
Awards
- A 2007 crime survey by CQ Press found Broken Arrow to be the 22nd safest city in the nation and the safest city in Oklahoma.
- Broken Arrow was listed as #66 in Money Magazine's 2006 list of the 100 best places to live.
- Broken Arrow was listed as one of the "Top 25 Affordable Suburbs in the South" by Business Week Magazine in 2007.
- The Pride of Broken Arrow marching band won 1st place in the Bands of America Grand Nationals championship at Indianapolis in 2006.
- Broken Arrow has been listed as a "Tree City USA" for over 6 years in a row.
- Broken Arrow's new logo received an Award of Merit from the Public Relations Society of America - Tulsa Chapter in 2008.
- Broken Arrow's branding campaign received the 2008 Innovations Award from the Oklahoma Municipal League.
- Family Circle Magazine featured Broken Arrow as one of the 10 best towns for families in 2008.[6]
Business and industry
Broken Arrow is home to a wide range of businesses and industries. The city has the 3rd largest concentration of industries in the state.[7]
Some of the city's largest and/or most notable employers include:
- ADDvantage Technologies Group, Inc.
- Advanced Medical Instruments, Inc.
- Blue Bell Creameries
- Montag Fine Candle Company
- FlightSafety International
- Skycam
- R.L. Hudson and Co
- Braden-Carco-Gearmatic-Winch
- Xeta Technologies
- Tulsat
- SJS Hospitality
- Windstream Communications
- Air Cooled Exchange
- E47 Technologies
- Gatesway Foundation
- MicahTek, Inc.
- Baker Oil Tools
- GAVCO Plastics
- R.D.S. Manufacturing company
- L-3 AMI Instruments
- Arrow Concrete
- Electronic Label Technology
- Russelectic
- A G Equipment
- Communications Graphics
- Xterran Company
- Paragon Films
- Kenneth Hagin Ministries
- Arkansas Valley State Bank
- First National Bank and Trust
- Neighbor Newspapers
- The Arrow Group
A number of new commercial developments are being built throughout the city, most notably along Highway 51 which runs through the city. A Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World opened several years ago as the anchor to a development that includes hotels, restaurants, shopping, and eventually offices. A new full-service hospital and medical office building are being constructed nearby as an anchor to another large commercial development that will include retail space and two hotels.[8]
In 2007, the city hired Texas-based AngelouEconomics to create a new "world class" economic development plan for the city. The city also created a Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation to help oversee economic development.[9]
In late 2007, the BA Chamber of Commerce began "Advance Broken Arrow", an economic development campaign aimed at expanding and diversifying the city's economic base.[10]
Downtown redevelopment
In 2005, the city adopted a downtown revitalization master plan to help revive the city's historic downtown area. Some of the plans include a new 3-story museum to house the historical society and geniologocial society, a farmer's market and plaza, a new performing arts center, updates and expansions to area parks, the conversion of the historic Central Middle School on Main Street into a professional development center, infrastructure and landscape improvements, and incentives to encourage denser infill, redevelopment, and reuse of the area's historic structures. Numerous buildings and homes have since been renovated, many new shops and offices have moved to downtown, and new townhomes are being built. The new historical museum, farmers market, and performing arts center will all open in 2008.
The city also set strict new design standards in place that all new developments in the downtown area must adhere to. These standards were created to prevent "suburban" development in favor of denser, "urban" development and to ensure that new structures compliment and fit in with the historic buildings in downtown.
Community events
- Rooster Days (May 10-13 at Central Park in downtown Broken Arrow)
- The Broken Arrow Civitan International Christmas Parade (December in downtown Broken Arrow)
- Rhema Christmas lights tour (November 24 to January 1 at Rhema Bible Church)
- The Historical Society Holiday Home Tour (Downtown Broken Arrow)
- Tuesdays in the park Concert series (every Tuesday in June at Central Park in downtown Broken Arrow)
- Blue Bell Creameries' "Taste of Summer" (June 23 at the Blue Bell Creameries factory)
- Rockets over Rhema (July 4 at Rhema Bible Church)
- Broken Arrow area Job Fair (March 5 at NSU-BA)
Education
Schools
- The Broken Arrow Public Schools district has one senior high school, two intermediate high schools, five middle schools, and fourteen elementary schools.[11]
- Union Public Schools
Colleges and universities
- Northeastern State University (Broken Arrow)
- Rhema Bible College
Other schools
- Tulsa Technology Center Broken Arrow Campus
Libraries
The city's two libraries, Broken Arrow Central Library and South Broken Arrow Library, are part of the Tulsa City-County Library System.
Transportation
Public transportation
Tulsa Transit provides public transportation for the city with one bus running Monday through Friday.
Road
State Highway 51 (Broken Arrow Expressway)- Creek Turnpike
Media
Newspapers
Broken Arrow has one newspaper, the Broken Arrow Ledger. The paper is published every Wednesday and Saturday.
The Tulsa World, Northeast Oklahoma's major daily, publishes news daily about Broken Arrow in print and online editions.
Television
Cox Cable channel 24 is the Broken Arrow municipal information channel. It displays, among other things, information about the city government, upcoming events, and general information about the city. The channel also features local weather reports.
Internet
Broken Arrow has a website that provides a large amount of information on the city, it's government, local amenities, safety, local news, and economic development.[12]
There is also a website for the Chamber of Commerce that contains information about the chamber and economic development in the city.[13]
Notable residents
- P.C. Cast, author and novelist
- Kristin Chenoweth, actress and soprano
- Ernest Childers, Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
- D. Eric Dollins, Ph.D., scientist / biochemist, published researcher
- DeDe Dorsey, runningback for the Cincinnati Bengals and Super Bowl winner(Super Bowl XLI)
- Ester Drang, indie rock band
- Phil Farrand, author known for Nitpicker's Guides
- Destiny Frankenstein, pro softball player for New England Riptide and assistant coach at North Dakota State University[14]
- Ralph Blane Hunsecker, famous Hollywood singer, composer, and songwriter
- Mike Iles, professional wrestling announcer and commissioner[15]
- Jeremy Miller, American actor, best known for Ben Seaver on Growing Pains
- Phenie Lou (Gillett) Ownby, first woman in Oklahoma to become a mayor; served for one term in the 1930s and became nationally famous for her strict policy on water payments.[16]
- Brad Penny, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Kahlen Rondot, America's Next Top Model Cycle 4Runner-up
- Warren Spahn, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher and longtime Broken Arrow resident
- Will Thomas, historical mystery writer, winner of the 2005 Oklahoma Book Award for fiction
- Kathryn Zaremba, Broadway and TV actress.[17][18]
- Kristie D. Kretsinger. Author of the upcoming novel The Suicide Logs, a sequel to Isolated Dreamer: A Collection of Poetry published in January 2008 from Publish America Publishing.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ Killman, Curtis (2008-07-10). "BA continues to boom", Tulsa World. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
- ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Broken Arrow, Oklahoma". Retrieved on 2008-09-19.
- ↑ Stanley, Tim (2008-07-10). "Magazine cites BA for families", Tulsa World. Retrieved on 2008-07-10.
- ↑ "Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce; Quick Facts". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ↑ "Broken Arrow Retail". Retrieved on 2008-09-19.
- ↑ "Broken Arrow Economic Development". Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ↑ "Advance Broken Arrow". Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "City of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma". Retrieved on 2008-09-19.
- ↑ "Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce". Retrieved on 2008-09-19.
- ↑ "North Dakota State Softball Adds Destiny Frankenstein to Coaching Staff," NDSU press release, September 11, 2008.
- ↑ Mike Iles Biography at oklafan.com
- ↑ Curtis, Gene. "Only in Oklahoma: Mayor 'Miss Phenie Lou' played hardball", Tulsa World. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.
- ↑ Kathryn Zaremba entry at IMDb.com
- ↑ Brantly, Ben,"Review/Theater; Singing, Dancing, a Bark or Two", New York Times, August 10, 1993
External links
- Broken Arrow, Oklahoma is at coordinates
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