| Watonga, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location of Watonga, Oklahoma | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Blaine |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.7 sq mi (7.1 km2) |
| • Land | 2.7 sq mi (7.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,516 ft (462 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 4,658 |
| • Density | 1,703.1/sq mi (657.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 73772 |
| Area code(s) | 580 |
| FIPS code | 40-78950[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1099426[2] |
Watonga is a city in Blaine County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,658 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Blaine County[3].
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Watonga is located on former Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation lands that were allotted to individual tribal members and the excess opened to white settlers in the Land Run of 1892. Watonga is named after Arapaho Chief Watonga whose name means "Black Coyote".[4]
One of Watonga's most notable citizens was Clarence Nash (1904 – 1985) whom Walt Disney hired to be the voice of Donald Duck in the 1930s. Nash provided Donald's voice exclusively for over 50 years. Robert J. Helberg, who was born in Watonga, was awarded the Public Service Medal by NASA for his contributions to the Lunar Orbiter program.
Watonga is located at (35.849249, -98.411591)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), all of it land.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,658 people, 1,273 households, and 858 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,703.1 people per square mile (656.4/km²). There were 1,507 housing units at an average density of 551.0 per square mile (212.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.19% White, 15.33% African American, 8.24% Native American, 1.55% Asian, 2.02% Pacific Islander, 4.89% from other races, and 6.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 11.91% of the population.
There were 1,273 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 36.7% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 169.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 191.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,208, and the median income for a family was $31,391. Males had a median income of $23,056 versus $16,146 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,567. About 12.4% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over.
The dairy industry grew in western Oklahoma and led to the opening of the Watonga Cheese Factory in 1941. It was one of the state's five active dairy product plants in 2004.[6]
The city hosts an annual cheese festival in October. The festival was formed in 1976 by the Watonga Chamber of Commerce because the town had the only cheese factory in Oklahoma at the time.[7]
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