Colbert, Oklahoma

Colbert, Oklahoma
—  Town  —
Location of Colbert, Oklahoma
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Oklahoma
County Bryan
Government
 • Mayor Roxanne Reed
Area
 • Total 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
 • Land 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 663 ft (202 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 1,065
 • Density 993.1/sq mi (383.4/km2)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 • Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 74733
Area code(s) 580
FIPS code 40-16050[1]
GNIS feature ID 1091547[2]

Colbert is a town in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,065 at the 2000 census. It was incorporated in 1939. The town was named after Benjamin "Frank" Franklin Colbert (1826/1828-1893), a Chickasaw and great-grandson of the Scots trader James Logan Colbert and his Chickasaw wife Minta Hoye, who had five sons.

Contents

History

Frank Colbert migrated from Mississippi to Indian Territory in 1846, and founded a large family there. He was a great-grandson of James Logan Colbert and his Chickasaw wife Minta Hoye.[3]

As the Chickasaw had a matrilineal system, they considered children to be born into the mother's clan; those with multicultural ancestry were also accepted into the mother's clan. Sons gained hereditary leadership positions through their mother's people. Generations of mixed-race Colbert men were prominent leaders among the Chickasaw for most of the 19th century.[4]

In 1853 Colbert established a ferry across the Red River to help provide passage for travelers and settlers. The Colbert's Ferry landing site is on the National Register of Historic Places. He became a successful cotton planter and owned 25 slaves before the American Civil War broke out. Because of his importance to the town's early history, it was named for him.[5]

Geography

Colbert is located at (33.856340, -96.503270)[6].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1940 602
1950 748 24.3%
1960 671 −10.3%
1970 814 21.3%
1990 1,043
2000 1,065 2.1%

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,065 people, 428 households, and 275 families residing in the town. The population density was 993.1 people per square mile (384.3/km²). There were 493 housing units at an average density of 459.7 per square mile (177.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 73.33% White, 17.18% African American, 4.51% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 4.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.60% of the population.

There were 428 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,304, and the median income for a family was $30,250. Males had a median income of $25,417 versus $15,962 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,447. About 11.6% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "Benjamin Franklin Colbert", Descendants of James Logan Colbert, accessed 12 December 2011
  4. ^ "George Colbert", "Colbert", Oklahoma Encyclopedia of History and Culture, accessed 3 Nov 2009
  5. ^ "Colbert", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, accessed 12 December 2011
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links