| Heavener, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Heavener, Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Le Flore |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.9 sq mi (12.8 km2) |
| • Land | 4.9 sq mi (12.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 554 ft (169 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 3,201 |
| • Density | 650.4/sq mi (251.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74937 |
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-33400[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1093640[2] |
| Website | Chamber of Commerce |
Heavener ( /ˈheɪvnər/) is a city in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,201 at the 2000 census.
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Heavener is best known for the Heavener Runestone just outside the city limits. The cryptic stone appears to have letters from the runic alphabet, which were possibly etched by pre-Columbian Norsemen. There is such an attraction that a state park has been erected around the mysterious rock. Due to this purported connection the nearby school Carl Albert State College in the city of Poteau changed its mascot in the early 1990s from the "Trojan" to the "Viking."
There is a small weekly newspaper in the town called The Heavener Ledger. The radio tower for KPRV FM radio sits on top of Poteau Mountain less than a half mile from the Runestone. KPRV broadcasts out of nearby Poteau and has a sister station with the same call letters on the AM band.
The Kansas City Southern Railway, which operates a major yard, crew base, and fueling facility in Heavener, has been the town's largest employer for over seventy years. The second largest employer in Heavener is OK Foods http://www.okfoods.com . This Poultry company operates a Processing Plant, a Feed Mill, and a Hatchery in Heavener. OK Foods first came to Heavener in the early 1990s. It is the single largest employer.
The schools are all located in the city's center and are the sole educational facilities. Heavener High School's mascot is the Wolves. School colors are purple and gold. Main activities at the school include band, football, cheerleading, basketball, baseball, softball, power lifting, track, golf, soccer, drama, academic team, and jazz band.
Heavener is located at (34.889108, -94.604217).[3]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km2), of which, 4.9 square miles (13 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (0.40%) is water.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,201 people, 1,113 households, and 783 families residing in the city. The population density was 650.4 people per square mile (251.2/km²). There were 1,255 housing units at an average density of 255.0/sq mi (98.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.79% White, 0.62% African American, 9.84% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 10.56% from other races, and 5.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.52% of the population.
There were 1,113 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 12.3% have a female householder with no husband present , and 29.6% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18 , 14.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $28,654. Males had a median income of $19,848 versus $18,487 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,313. About 23.6% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
The current mayor is Sheryl Hecke. The town also boasts a famous video-game champ, Jeremiah Clubb.
Jacob and Elizabeth Heavener moved to the Indian Territory in 1845. Jacob and his eldest son William were hung by Jayhawkers in the mountains near Heavener because they were Union sympathizers. The town was named for Jacob's widow and son who built the first house in what is now Heavener. The original name of the town was Choctaw City, due to the large population nearby of Native Americans of the Choctaw tribe. The area was originally settled and developed by a combination of Native Americans and whites. When the railroad came to the region the name was changed. Many area towns maintain names of Native American origin such as Talihina.
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