| Bixby, Oklahoma |
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GEOGRAPHY Bixby is located at 35°57'39" North, 95°52'42" West (35.960898, -95.878258). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 65.0 Km&2 (24.1 Mi&2 ). 62.3 km&2 (24.0 mi&2) of it is land and 2.7 km&2 (1.0 mi&2) of it is water. The total area is 4.15% water. The average elevation is 750 ft above MSL. The town is bisected into north and south portions by the Arkansas River ; the original town center is located south of the river. HISTORY Bixby became a government town site with a post office in 1899. Located in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Indian Territory , Bixby was named in honor of Tams Bixby, a chairman of the Dawes Commission . The original 80-acre town site was approved in 1902. Many settlers were attracted to the area by the rich, though sometimes swampy river bottom land. In 1904 the Midland Valley Railroad laid tracks and built a depot in Bixby. It created factions that biefly split Bixby into two towns. The new part of town was deliberately suveyed so that the new streets did not align with the existing ones. Bixby incorporated as an independent, self-governing town in 1906. The first mayor, recorder and five aldermen were elected in February, 1907. In 1911, a two-story brick schoolhouse was built on Main Street. Bixby Central Elementary is now near the original site. A traffic bridge was built over the Arkansas River in 1911, and for a time was said to be the longest bridge west of the Mississipi River. Bixby was impacted and enriched by the discovery of nearby oil fields in 1913, but farming remained the backbone of the community well into the 20th Century. Early farmers focused on production of cotton, wheat and alfalfa in the rich river bottom. During the 1930's, truck farming of vegetables slowly replaced those crops. In 1941 Bixby became an important regional center for shipping produce by railroad. It was at that time that Bixby was christened with it nick-name "The Garden Spot of Oklahoma," a designation still carried on the town seal and public vehicles. Cantaloupes, potatoes, radishes, squash, turnips, spinach and sweet corn were shipped from Bixby all over the U.S. In time, the majority of the truck farms were converted to the production of sod, typically bermuda grass, or developed for residential and other purposes. Only a small percentage of Bixby residents now work in agriculture, but the town continues to celebrate its earthy roots with a yearly "Green Corn Festival" in June. Another point of history commemorated by Bixby is the 1832 visit to the area by the famous American writer Washington Irving . Irving accompanied a U.S. Army exploration party on an excursion from Ft. Gibson west onto the prairie and the lands occupied by the Osage and Pawnee tribes. He described his adventure in his book ''A Tour on the Prairies'' (1835). In it, he relates camping in a grove of large trees on the banks of the Arkansas River in what is present day Bixby. The town has honored his visit by the creation of Washington Irving Park near the location. The park contains an amphitheatre stage patterned after the front facade of Irving's home, Sunnyside , in Tarrytown, New York , as well as gates near the park entrance that are replicas of ones at Irving's estate. A bronze statue of Washington Irving sits near the stage. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 13,336 people, 4,903 households, and 3,819 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 214.1/km&2 (554.5/mi&2). There were 5,287 housing units at an average density of 84.9/km&2 (219.8/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.91% White , 0.94% African American , 5.74% Native American , 0.49% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 1.96% from Other Races , and 3.96% from two or more races. 3.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 4,903 households out of which 40.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were Married Couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $50,854, and the median income for a family was $58,104. Males had a median income of $39,941 versus $27,110 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $24,336. 5.4% of the population and 4.3% of families were below the Poverty Line . 4.2% of those under the age of 18 and 14.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. POINTS OF INTEREST EXTERNAL LINKS |
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