Chandler, Oklahoma
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Chandler is a city in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,842 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lincoln County[Geographic references#6GR6] and is part of the Oklahoma City Consolidated Metropolitan Area.
History
Chandler, named for Judge George Chandler, was opened by a land run September 28, 1891. It had been planned for September 22 (the date of the Land Run of 1891) but the government had not surveyed the townsite by that date. The Chandler Post Office had opened September 21, the day before the planned run. When Lincoln County was organized, Chandler became the county seat. On May 30, 1897, a tornado blew away most of Chandler and killed a number of residents.Chandler is one of the many towns along the famous Route 66 and contains a number of attractions of interest to devotees of "The Mother Road". Among these attractions are a number of murals including the newly restored old cottage-style Phillips 66 gas station, P.J.'s Bar-b-que, and the last remaining painted barn adverting Meramec Caverns (west of town).
Route 66 brought a significant amount of commercial business to Chandler - due to travellers crossing the state and the country; however when the Interstate 44 turnpike was built, much of this business died out. Today, the community is kept alive primarily through agriculture and livestock.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.1 km² (8.1 mi²). 18.9 km² (7.3 mi²) of it is land and 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (10.43%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 2,842 people, 1,146 households, and 747 families residing in the city. The population density was 150.3/km² (389.3/mi²). There were 1,290 housing units at an average density of 68.2/km² (176.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 79.77% White, 9.68% African American, 5.63% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 4.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.79% of the population.There were 1,146 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,833, and the median income for a family was $35,744. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $19,397 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,676. About 12.1% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- [Chandler, Oklahoma official website]
- [Great Winery north of town - Greenfield Vineyard]
- [Biography of George Chandler]
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