| Alva, Oklahoma |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT ALVA, OKLAHOMA | |
| woods county, oklahoma | |
| cities in oklahoma | |
| county seats in oklahoma | |
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GEOGRAPHY Alva is located at 36°48'7" North, 98°39'57" West (36.801931, -98.665959). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 6.1 Km&2 (2.4 Mi&2 ). 6.1 km&2 (2.4 mi&2) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 5,288 people, 2,205 households, and 1,261 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 861.5/km&2 (2,228.6/mi&2). There were 2,644 housing units at an average density of 430.7/km&2 (1,114.3/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.99% White , 1.30% African American , 1.34% Native American , 0.78% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.23% from Other Races , and 1.32% from two or more races. 1.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 2,205 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were Married Couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81. In the city the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 21.7% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,432, and the median income for a family was $38,041. Males had a median income of $27,531 versus $17,981 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $17,966. 17.1% of the population and 9.1% of families were below the Poverty Line . 13.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. DETAILS Alva was established in 1893 as a land office for the Cherokee Outlet Land Run , the largest of the land rushes that settled western and central Oklahoma . The site was chosen for its location on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and likely named for a railroad attorney, Alva Adams , who had become governor of Colorado . Alva is home to Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NWOSU), founded in 1897 as a Normal School . The college's main building for a time was the "Castle on the Hill," a huge, fanciful brick building, modeled after a Norman castle, that towered over much of the town. The Castle burned down in 1935, to be replaced by the more staid Jesse Dunn Hall, which was dedicated in 1937 by Eleanor Roosevelt . The town council is actively soliciting Mural s -- one of the most recent is of the fabled Castle -- and trying to attract businesses to attract tourists and to keep people in town, important as the population of Woods County has been dropping since the 1930s. Alva lost 200 people between 1990 and 2000 according to official census figures. It has a Wal-Mart Supercenter that is one of the smallest supercenters ever built; the other supermarket in town closed after it opened. There is now a new grocery store in town "Alva's Market". The area is generally religious, with 16 different Church es, all Christian , in town. FAMOUS NATIVES Alva is the birthplace of actor Jack Ging . EXTERNAL LINKS |
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