| Purcell, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Nickname(s): The Heart of Oklahoma | |
| Location of Purcell, Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| Counties | Cleveland, McClain |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.4 sq mi (26.9 km2) |
| • Land | 9.9 sq mi (25.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,099 ft (335 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 5,884 |
| • Density | 560.1/sq mi (216.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 73080 |
| Area code(s) | 405 |
| FIPS code | 40-61150[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1096963[2] |
Purcell is located in the outer south suburban area of Oklahoma City. It is often called "Quarterhorse Capital of the World" and it is the county seat of McClain County (pop.37,500), Oklahoma, United States;[3] it also extends a short distance into Cleveland County. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census with 10,880 residents in the zip code (Bestplaces.net). Purcell is located along the I-35 Corridor in the central part of the state, on a bluff overlooking the Canadian River valley within the Interior Plains region. Purcell is the hub for a micropolitan retail trade area of 34,600 (Bestplaces.net) at the southern edge of the seven-county central Oklahoma/Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area with close economic ties to its neighbor to the north Norman and the University of Oklahoma. The official motto and registered trademark for Purcell is "Heart of Oklahoma" Purcell and neighboring Lexington were key points of interest in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889.
Contents |
Purcell is located at (35.017465, -97.369537)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.4 square miles (26.9 km²), of which, 9.9 square miles (25.8 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (4.24%) is water.
The central core of Purcell is located at the intersection of US-77 and OK-74/OK-39. Access to I-35 is at the north and south ends of the town.
Purcell was founded as a railroad town in 1887, with the coming of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. The town is named in honor of Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway railroad director Edward Benton (E.B.) Purcell, of Manhattan, Kansas. Amtrak still serves the town with the Heartland Flyer at the station near the old Santa Fe depot. Purcell was at the north end of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, owned by the ATSF.
At the east end of Main Steet is a historic site of the former U.S. Federal Courthouse for Indian Territory which was later renovated into a car dealer showroom and now is a retail storefront occupied by a local floral shop. The territorial courthouse was established under the Nonintercourse Act.
Tom Lester, notable television actor from his 1960s and 1970s portrayal of farmhand "Eb Dawson" in Green Acres, was a school teacher in the Purcell school district prior to pursuing his acting career.
Don Edward Crawley (1929–2009), a native of Purcell, served in the Navy for 29 years commanding vessels in both the Korean War and Vietnam War receiving both the Bronze Star and the Silver Star as well as serving on the Secretary of the Navy's staff from 1971–1974.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 5,571 people, 2,120 households, and 1,500 families residing in the city. The population density was 560.1 people per square mile (216.2/km²). There were 2,789 housing units at an average density of 233.3 per square mile (90.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 81.60% White, 2.21% African American, 6.53% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 4.51% from other races, and 4.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.09% of the population.
There were 2,120 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,283, and the median income for a family was $36,128. Males had a median income of $25,494 versus $18,919 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,261. About 12.5% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Purcell and the surrounding communities are both suburban and agricultural, with much employment in agriculture and other non-farm major employers in the area including Tinker Air Force Base, strong ties to nearby Norman and The University of Oklahoma, State Department of Corrections facilities, assessment center and vo-tech center in Lexington, Mid America Career Tech Center in nearby Wayne, and area businesses and retail merchants.
The area is well known for diverse level of wages and income with many large multimillion dollar horse farms, as well as numerous mobile home parks and countryside single family development in unincorporated areas.
The Purcell Area Chamber of Commerce changed its name to "Heart of Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce" in 2006 to reflect this emerging micropolitan area. The US census bureau defines micropolitan areas as a city with approximate population near 10,000 or more area residents with surrounding towns having strong economic ties and population under 50,000. Purcell is the hub of a retail trade area that includes Purcell, Dibble, Wayne, Washington, Rosedale, Byars, Cole and Goldsby in McClain County, Lexington and Slaughterville in southern Cleveland County, Wanette in southern Pottawatomie County and Paoli in northern Garvin County, with a total trade area of 45,600 for these community zip codes. (2008 Bestplaces.net) The Chamber of Commerce registered the term "Heart of Oklahoma," but has not enforced it's exclusive right to use this name as nearby Shawnee named a farm and livestock facility by the same name.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation reports three local banks and branches of financial institutions with deposits totaling $210 million.
A Walmart Super Center was constructed in Purcell in 2006, replacing an older Walmart facility on the north side of town. As a result, commercial activity has been greatly accelerated with increased sales tax collections for municipal government. Resultingly, commercial development of restaurants and strip shopping centers shifted to the south Purcell area surrounding Walmart, and continued redevelopment in downtown and at the intersection of Main and Green (US 77@OKSH 74/39).
Purcell's downtown business district and its many historic buildings underwent major improvements and revitalization at a cost of over $1 million in the 1990s via the "U.S. Main Street" program. The improvements included new sidewalks, Victorian lamp posts, storefront restorations, and landscape islands in the downtown area. Purcell has three listings on the National Register of Historic Places.
Purcell has two local medical facilities, Purcell Municipal Hospital, a 50 bed full service hospital offering acute care and emergency room, is located on the north side of the city. PMH is owned by the City of Purcell and operated by the Purcell Hospital Authority. The hospital was once managed by HCA-Presbyterian Health Care Systems, and more recently a referral arrangement and joint management agreement was awarded to Saint Anthony Hospital of Oklahoma City
On the fast growing south side of Purcell is the new Purcell Clinic operated by the Chickasaw Nation Indian Health Service, and owned by The Chickasaw Nation. The clinic has a contract with the U. S. Government which serves members of all 530 recognized Native American Tribes with healthcare and prescriptions free of charge. The Purcell Clinic facility includes a drive through pharmacy.
Purcell's Train Station Depot is located at the lower level of the hill at east Main Street, and has daily rail service provided by Amtrak's Heartland Flyer north to Norman and Oklahoma City, and south to Pauls Valley, Ardmore, Gainesville, and Fort Worth. In Fort Worth, passengers can connect to Amtrak's Texas Eagle. Interstate 35 runs north–south on the west edge of Purcell. The town is also served by U.S. Highway 77, State Highway 39, and State Highway 74.[5] In addition, ODOT maintains State Highway 77C in downtown Purcell, a route which is not marked.[6]
Purcell has an active chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous which gives the alcohol abuser new hope through the 12 step educational process to eliminating addiction. Residents are encouraged to refer friends and neighbors without shame, guilt or condemnation. Alcoholics Anonymous has helped many persons break the cycle of alcohol abuse and it's resulting mental illness.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||