Shawnee

Shawnee, Oklahoma
—  City  —
Pottawatomie County Courthouse in Shawnee, Oklahoma
Location of Shawnee, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°20′33″N 96°56′2″W / 35.3425°N 96.93389°W / 35.3425; -96.93389
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Pottawatomie
Government
- Type	Mayor-Council
- Mayor	Linda Peterson
Area
- Total	44.7 sq mi (115.7 km2)
- Land	42.3 sq mi (109.5 km2)
- Water	2.4 sq mi (6.2 km2)
Elevation	1,060 ft (323 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	28,692
- Density	678.9/sq mi (262.1/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	74801, 74802, 74804
Area code(s)	405
FIPS code	40-66800[1]
GNIS feature ID	1097964[2]

Photo of the Santa Fe Depot in downtown Shawnee.

Shawnee is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 28,692 at the 2000 census. The city is part of the Oklahoma City-Shawnee Combined Statistical Area; it is also the county seat of Pottawatomie County^[3] and the principal city of the Shawnee Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Located on Interstate 40, Shawnee is just 30 minutes east of attractions of downtown Oklahoma City. To the east and northeast, the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System offers barge access to the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes region.

Shawnee has a sister city program with Nikaho in Akita, Japan. This is most likely due to the presence of a TDK plant in Shawnee. Every year junior high students from Shawnee visit Nikaho in July, and Japanese junior high students visit Shawnee in September.

Geography

Shawnee is located at 35°20′33″N 96°56′2″W / 35.3425°N 96.93389°W / 35.3425; -96.93389 (35.342474, -96.933775)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.7 square miles (115.7 km²).About 42.3 square miles (109.5 km²) of it is land and 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²) of it (5.37%) is water.

Shawnee is the home of St. Gregory's University, a Benedictine Catholic institution founded in 1875, and Oklahoma Baptist University, founded in 1906. The city was chosen by the founders of OBU in part because two Baptist Conventions (one in Indian Territory and one in Oklahoma Territory) had earlier merged and the city of Shawnee was neutral territory. It is also one of Oklahoma City's biggest suburbs. Shawnee had been neither in Indian Territory nor Oklahoma Territory but the Potawatomi Nation.

The Heart of Oklahoma Exhibition Center, begun in 1981, now boasts 152,400 square feet (14,160 m²) of exhibit space, a 19,200-square-foot (1,780 m²) indoor arena that seats 1,000, and an outdoor arena seating 7,500, and an RV park all on 72 acres (290,000 m²). Since 1993 the Center has been the host of the International Finals Youth Rodeo (IFYR), the "richest youth rodeo in the world" with a total prize payout of over $2.6 million; over 1,100 youth register for the event each year.

The Citizen Potawatomi nation, the ninth largest Native American tribe in the United States with 26,000 members, is headquartered between Shawnee and Tecumseh. Their Firelake Casino features over 125,000 sqaure feet of gaming space and employs 1800 people.

Shawnee Regional Airport has a 6000' asphalt lighted runway with services available seven days a week.

Shawnee is also home of the Shawnee Warriors, a local semi-professional football team. Shawnee competes in the Oklahoma Metro Football League.Their first season was in 2008, they competed as the Shawnee Millers. The franchise went 3-5 and was OMFL State Semi-Finalist. They were affiliated with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz,a minor league professional arena team of the af2 for the 2008 season.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 28,692 people, 11,311 households, and 7,306 families residing in the city. The population density was 678.9 people per square mile (262.1/km²). There were 12,651 housing units at an average density of 299.3/sq mi (115.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.03% White, 4.06% African American, 12.82% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 4.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.72% of the population.

There were 11,311 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. About 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 15.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,659, and the median income for a family was $35,690. Males had a median income of $29,792 versus $20,768 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,676. About 13.8% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents

• Mike McCormick, journalist, member of Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame
• Patrick Cobbs, running back & special teams player for the Miami Dolphins
• Leroy Gordon Cooper, astronaut
• Melodie Crittenden, singer
• Jeremy Dawson, keyboardist for Shiny Toy Guns
• Darrien Gordon, football player
• Brad Henry, Governor of Oklahoma
• Robert H. Henry, Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals judge
• Wade Hayes, country singer
• Gregori Chad Petree, singer for Shiny Toy Guns
• Brad Pitt, actor
• Krista Tippett, journalist, author, broadcaster; currently host of public radio program, Speaking of Faith
• William O. Wooldridge, military
• Ryan Franklin, relief pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals

Education

CareerTech

• Gordon Cooper Technology Center

Post Secondary

• Oklahoma Baptist University
• St. Gregory's University.

References

External links

• Southern Winds Film Festival
• Shawnee Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Official City of Shawnee Site
• Shawnee News-Star
• Shawnee Sun
• Shawnee Genealogy Page
• Shawnee Public Library
• WikiTravel Article for Shawnee, Oklahoma
• Youth and Family
• Shawnee Chamber of Commerce

• Shawnee, Oklahoma is at coordinates 35°20′33″N 96°56′02″W / 35.342474°N 96.933775°W / 35.342474; -96.933775 (Shawnee, Oklahoma)Coordinates: 35°20′33″N 96°56′02″W / 35.342474°N 96.933775°W / 35.342474; -96.933775 (Shawnee, Oklahoma)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma County seat: Shawnee Cities Maud‡ | Oklahoma City‡ | Shawnee | Tecumseh Towns Asher | Bethel Acres | Brooksville | Earlsboro | Johnson | Macomb | McLoud | Pink | St. Louis | Tribbey | Wanette Unincorporated community Anderson | Box | Burnett | Eason | Harjo | Morvin | Pearson | Romulus | Sacred Heart | Trousdale Ghost town Avoca Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties