Newcastle, Oklahoma

Newcastle, Oklahoma
City
Location of Newcastle, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°14′25″N 97°35′29″W / 35.24028°N 97.59139°W / 35.24028; -97.59139Coordinates: 35°14′25″N 97°35′29″W / 35.24028°N 97.59139°W / 35.24028; -97.59139
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	McClain
Incorporated	1962, 1965 [1]
Government
• Mayor	Karl Nail
• City Manager	Nick Nazar
Area
• Total	52.9 sq mi (137.1 km2)
• Land	49.8 sq mi (128.9 km2)
• Water	3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2)
Elevation	1,194 ft (364 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	7,685
• Density	109.2/sq mi (42.2/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	73065 [2]
Area code(s)	405
FIPS code	40-51150 [3]
GNIS feature ID	1095853 [4]
Website	City Website

Newcastle is the largest city in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States,^[5] and part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,685 at the 2010 census.

History

The main street of Newcastle historically was called the Ozark Trail, running from Rogers, Arkansas to Roswell, New Mexico. Much of the road was incorporated into what became US 62, which passes through the city over the same path. In 1925, the Ozark Trail bridge over the South Canadian River between Newcastle and Oklahoma City was the first federal funded highway project built in Oklahoma. It was a steel thru-truss bridge with timber flooring and carried traffic on the Ozark Trail, which was later designated as US 62.

Until the mid-twenties, there was a major river ford at May Avenue that was used whenever the water wasn't too deep. Farmers from Newcastle forged the river with their horses and wagons and traveled up May Avenue on their way to the Oklahoma City Farmer's Market by Western and Reno. Today, only a single section of the old Newcastle Bridge remains alongside the Interstate 44 bridge after having received significant damage during the tornado outbreak of 2013.

The city was incorporated as South Newcastle in 1962, then a petition to change the name to Newcastle in 1965.^[1]

The city limits of Newcastle encompassed just a few square miles until around 1960, when Oklahoma City began annexing huge chunks of land across the river. Newcastle expanded, as did Tuttle and Blanchard, to prevent the city from trying to move across the river. The population grew very little until the mid-1970s, when Oklahoma City began expanding past SW 74th Street, populating near the I-44 corridor.

In the 1980s, the city annexed the territory that lies near Norman (north of State Highway 9).

The 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak struck parts of Newcastle and resulted in the destruction of several homes in the city limits. Greater destruction occurred in Bridge Creek and Moore.

In 2004, a Wal-Mart Super Center opened, which resulted in significant development at Tri-City shopping district.

In 2010, Newcastle was listed in the Top 10 fastest growing communities in Oklahoma with a population increase of 41.4% since 2000. Newcastle is now the largest population city in McClain County.

In 2011, a tornado ripped through parts Newcastle. There were an estimated 160 homes either damaged or destroyed and over 20 businesses damaged. However, there was no loss of life. The damage was extreme and varied from barely scratching the house to ripping a house in two.

On May 20, 2013, a violent tornado damaged a small part of Newcastle, and a large amount of damage to neighboring Moore and southern Oklahoma City.^[6]

Geography

Newcastle is located at 35°14′50.82″N 97°36′.22″W / 35.2474500°N 97.6000611°W / 35.2474500; -97.6000611 (35.145082, -97.360022).^[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.5 square miles (162 km²), of which, 55.8 square miles (145 km²) of it is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km²) of it (6.01%) is water.

Newcastle is considered to be part of a rapidly growing area of northern McClain and Grady Counties. Newcastle also is a part of an area known as the "Tri-City Area" with Tuttle and Blanchard. Newcastle also serves as the largest incorporated community in McClain County.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 7,685 people, 2,839 households, and 2,271 families residing in the city. The population density was 122.9 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 84.53% White, 0.53% African American, 5.26% Native American, 0.32% Asian and 10.30% from other races from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population.

There were 2,540 households out of which 20.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.5% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city, the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 7.56% from 18 to 24, 29.58% from 25 to 44, 28.24% from 45 to 64, and 8.39% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. Females represented 49.84% of the population with a median age of 43 and males represented 50.16% of the population with a median age of 39 years.

The median income for a household in the city was $74,167, and the median income for a family was $77,064. Males had a median income of $55,875 versus $37,889 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,538. About 6.2% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Newcastle School District consists of Newcastle Elementary School, Newcastle Middle School, and Newcastle High School, with the high school serving as the main hub between the three geographically separated schools. As of 2015, Mr. Tony O'Brien serves as the district's superintendent.

The city of Newcastle is home to an array of public works projects that has made the city an educational template for surrounding areas. Through numerous bond issues, Newcastle has constructed an Early Child Development Center, Performing Arts Center, High School Basketball Arena, and is home to one of the few Football Stadiums in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan area with a full turf field.

Library

The Newcastle Library, part of the Pioneer Library System that serves southern Oklahoma City metropolitan area cities and towns, serves residents.^[8]

References

External links

• City of Newcastle
• Newcastle Chamber of Commerce
• Newcastle Public Schools
• Newcastle Pacer, local newspaper
• Newcastle Public Library

Municipalities and communities of McClain County, Oklahoma, United States County seat: Purcell Cities Blanchard‡ Newcastle Purcell‡ Towns Byars Cole Dibble Goldsby Rosedale Washington Wayne Unincorporated communities Criner Payne Stealy Woody Chapel Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties