Ada

Ada, Oklahoma
Nickname(s): City of Pure Spring Water
Location in the state of Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°45′49″N 96°40′6″W / 34.76361°N 96.66833°W / 34.76361; -96.66833
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Pontotoc
Mayor	Post Office 1891
Government
- Mayor	Barbara Young
Area
- Total	15.8 sq mi (40.8 km2)
- Land	15.7 sq mi (40.7 km2)
- Water	.1 sq mi (.2 km2)  0%
Elevation	1,010 ft (308 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	16,008
- Density	999.3/sq mi (385.8/km2)
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	74820-74821
Area code(s)	580
FIPS code	40-00200[1]
GNIS feature ID	1089523[2]
Website	City website

Ada is a city in and the county seat of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma, United States.^[3] The population was 16,008 at the 2000 census.

Ada is an Oklahoma Main Street City, an Oklahoma Certified City, a Tree City USA member, and a National Weather Service StormReady Community.^[4]

History

In April 1889, Jeff Reed (a native Texan) was appointed to carry the mail from Stonewall to Center, two small communities in the Indian Territory. With his family and his stock, he sought a place for a home on a prairie midway between the two points, where he constructed a log house and started Reed's Store. Other settlers soon built homes nearby. In 1891, a post office was established and named after Reed's oldest daughter, Ada.^[5] Ada was incorporated as a city in 1901.^[6]

National Register of Historic Places

Pontotoc County Court House

The following sites in Ada are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:^[7]

• Ada Public Library
• Bebee Field Round House
• East Central State Normal School
• Mijo Camp Industrial District
• Pontotoc County Courthouse
• Sugg Clinic
• Wintersmith Park Historic District

Geography

Ada as seen from the South

Ada is located in the rolling hills of southeastern Oklahoma at 34°45′49″N 96°40′6″W / 34.76361°N 96.66833°W / 34.76361; -96.66833 (34.763661, -96.668214)^[8]. Ada is 88 miles (142 km) from Oklahoma City, 122 miles (196 km) from Tulsa, and 133 miles (214 km) from Dallas, Texas.^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.8 square miles (40.8 km²), of which, 15.7 square miles (40.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.44%) is water.

Demographics

Picture taken on Broadway of the former Stout family residence with one of the city's water towers behind it.

As of the 2006 census,^[1] Ada's 16,008 residents consisted of 6,697 households and 3,803 families. The population density was 999.3 people per square mile (385.9/km²). The 7,472 housing units were dispersed at an average density of 475.9/sq mi (183.8/km²). Ada's 2006 racial makeup was 73.81% White, 3.54% African American, 15.10% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 5.81% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.89% of the population.

Of Ada's 6,697 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.6% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.2% were non-families. The 15.8% of those 65 years or older living alone made up a substantial portion of the 37.1% single-person households. Average household size was 2.20 persons; average family size was 2.91.

The age breakdown in 2006 was 22.3% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% aged 65 or older. The median age was 33 years. The disparity between the number of males and the number of females seems to be decreasing: for every 100 females aged 18 or over, there were only 84.5 males, but when all females and males were taken into account, there were 100 females for every 88.4 males.

Median household income was $22,977, while median family income was $31,805. Males had a median income of $25,223 versus $17,688 for females. Ada's per capita income was $14,666. Some 14.8% of families and 21.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.8% of those under 18 and 11.4% of those 65 or over.

Major employers

Ada is home to a world-class United States Environmental Protection Agency water laboratory. The state's law-enforcement training center is also located in Ada.

Ada is the headquarters of the Chickasaw Nation Indian tribe, and its corporation Chickasaw Enterprises is a major Ada-area employer.

Several Ada employers have 100 or more employees:^[10]

• Carl Albert Indian Hospital
• City of Ada
• DJK Enterprises, Inc.
• East Central University
• Flex-N-Gate Technologies
• Holcim Cement
• IRT
• McCalls Communities
• People's Electric Cooperative
• Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
• Robert S. Kerr EPA Water Research Laboratory
• Solo Cup
• Valley View Regional Hospital
• Wal-Mart Supercenter

Education

ECU's Honor Plaza

Higher education

East Central University, located in Ada, is public a four-year institution that has been in the city since 1909. It is a relatively small school with around 4,500 students. The school is perhaps best known internationally for its cartography program, of which only a few programs exist.

Also nearby are Seminole State College in Seminole and Murray State College in Tishomingo, both located within 40 miles (60 km). The state's flagship schools, University of Oklahoma in Norman is 65 miles (105 km) away, while Oklahoma State University in Stillwater is a little over 100 miles (160 km) away. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, just over 80 miles (130 km) distance, also contains numerous post-secondary educational institutions.

Primary and secondary

Ada Public Schools has six primary and secondary schools.

• Glenwood Early Childhood Center houses six educational programs geared toward early childhood (4–5 years old).
• Hayes Grade Center serves first and second grade students.
• Washington Grade Center serves third and fourth grade students.
• Willard Grade Center serves fifth and sixth grade students.
• Ada Junior High School enrolls seventh through ninth grade students.
• Ada Senior High School serves sophomores, juniors and seniors.^[11] The high school is home to the Ada Cougars, who have won 19 state football championships (1951-2, 1955-7, 1959, 1962, 1964-5, 1970, 1974, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1993-6) - the most in Oklahoma. Ada High School is also the home of Cougar News Network, a high school news program, which appears on local cable TV.

There are also two public school systems just outside of the Ada city limits, Byng and Latta.

Technical schools

Pontotoc Technology Center (formerly Pontotoc Area Vo-Tech) is located in Ada. Other area technical centers include the Sulphur Skills Center (30 miles (48 km) away), the Mid-America Area Vo-Tech at Wayne (38 miles (61 km) away) and The Gordon Cooper Vo-Tech School at Shawnee (55 miles (89 km) away).

Libraries

Ada's public library, the Hugh Warren Memorial Library, offers visitors a wide variety of materials for all ages and interests including books, video cassettes, filmstrips, magazines, newspapers, books-on-tape, and CD-ROM computer software. Also available to the public are a copy machine, fax machine, and a typewriter.^[12] On the campus of East Central University is the Linscheid Library, which is open to the general public at no cost (with the exception of some services).^[13]

Denice Haraway murder

In 2006, a book by author John Grisham brought Ada into the national spotlight related to the false convictions and imprisonment of two individuals for the murder of Debra Sue "Debbie" Carter and two individuals convicted of the murder of Denice Haraway that the city officials were under pressure to solve. The cases were researched by a New York reporter and were the subject of the book The Dreams of Ada and eventually written about in the The Innocent Man, Grisham's first non-fiction book. Accounts from both books suggest major flaws, irregularities, and outright miscarriages of justice including forced and made-up confessions by the police and prosecutors. Prosecutor Bill Peterson has self-published his disagreements with Grisham's version of events.^[14][15][16]

Notable natives and residents

Maj. Gen. Myles Deering- Former of the commander of the 2,600-member 45th Infantry Brigade in Iraq. He headed up the state Guard's work during Hurricane Katrina and then took them to Iraq in 2007. Maj. Gen. Deering was appointed as the state Adjutant General in February 2009.

• Nick Blackburn – Minnesota Twins starting pitcher
• Dan Cody – Baltimore Ravens linebacker; born in Ada.^[17]
• Douglas Edwards – First television network anchor
• Josh Fields, White Sox infielder; born in Ada
• Lowell Fulson – Guitarist; moved to Ada in 1938.
• Mark Gastineau – National Football League all-star, ECU graduate.
• M. G. Kelly – Nationally syndicated disc jockey.
• Robert S. Kerr – Former Oklahoma Governor and long-time US Senator; born in Ada.
• Jane Lawton – Delegate, Maryland General Assembly.
• Louise S. Robbins – Wisconsin Librarian of the Year (2001); named one of Oklahoma's 100 Library Legends; director of School of Library and Information Studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison; author of two award-winning books. Longtime resident of Ada and first woman city council member and mayor.
• Oral Roberts – Evangelist; born in Ada.
• Blake Shelton – Rising country music star. Has had several top 10 hits.
• Jeremy Shockey – National Football League tight end for the New Orleans Saints; born in Ada.
• Leon Polk Smith – Abstract artist known for his work with geometric painting; graduate of East Central University.
• Derick Bowers- NFL Official, Head Linesman, worked Super Bowl 43
• Dr. David Schmitt – Professor at Iowa State University
• Ron Stone -- newsman
• Ron Williamson - minor league baseball player who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1988 in Ada for rape and murder, and eventually freed. Focus of The Innocent Man by John Grisham.
• Derek Cody - Sports Director at WCBI in Columbus, MS; 2007 Mississippi Associated Press winner for Best Sports Story

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ada, Oklahoma

• City website
• Community website
• Ada photos on Flickr (unofficial)
• Oklahoma Main Street Community program
• http://www.adachamber.com/

• Ada, Oklahoma is at coordinates 34°45′49″N 96°40′06″W / 34.763661°N 96.668214°W / 34.763661; -96.668214 (Ada, Oklahoma)Coordinates: 34°45′49″N 96°40′06″W / 34.763661°N 96.668214°W / 34.763661; -96.668214 (Ada, Oklahoma)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Pontotoc County, Oklahoma County seat: Ada City Ada Towns Allen‡ | Byng | Fitzhugh | Francis | Roff | Stonewall Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties