Edmond, Oklahoma
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Edmond, Oklahoma is part of the greater OKC metropolitan area.
Edmond is a rapidly growing suburban city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma in the central part of the state. It is the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma and is one of the fastest growing cities within the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area, and is home to the University of Central Oklahoma. As of July 1 2003, the city had 71,643 residents, and will soon have 100,000. The city limits are located on the northern border of OKC. Two major highways connect OKC to Edmond: The Broadway Extension (US-77) runs though the center of the city and I-35 runs along the eastern side.
Being the highest point along the Sante Fe rail line in Oklahoma Territory, Edmond was originally named "Summit" and was a watering and sanding point for the railroad in the 1880's. The town was given its current name (after an engineer on the railroad) by the Santa Fe railroad headquarters in Topeka after the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889. Today the UCO Jazz Lab is located at the heart of Edmond and is immensely popular with locals, whether they be college students or suburbanites. It's also the proud hometown of many famous folks, including 5-time Olympic gold-medalist Shannon Miller and NASA astronaut and Space Shuttle commander Shannon Lucid. Edmond is also home to the popular indie (music) band Andeline.
-->Edmond was also the spot in Oklahoma where the famous Route 66 turned southward toward Oklahoma City. Historical signs mark the old highway (now State Highway 66) as it enters from the east of town (near the Round Barn of Arcadia, goes directly into the heart of historic downtown Edmond, then turns south on its way to the state capitol building and points west.
Edmond was the site of the post office massacre on August 20, 1986, in which fourteen people were killed and six wounded by Patrick Sherrill, an ex- postman who then committed suicide. This event was the second in a string of postal employee murder-suicides throughout the U.S. that led to the term "going postal". A memorial to the victims of that tragic event currently stands outside of the U.S. Post Office in downtown Edmond.
Controversy erupted in 1996 when MetroChurch, a non-denominational church in east Edmond, began planning for the erection of a 163 foot cross adjacent to Interstate 35, the main thoroughfare of the town. The story attracted both local and national press coverage. City zoning disputes were eventually resolved and the structure was completed in 1998. In 2001, Metro Church voted to merge with Life Church.
The city was also the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case in which a Christian cross was depicted on the city seal, raising issues concerning the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In May of 1996, the Supreme Court let stand a Federal Appeals Court ruling ordering the city to remove the cross from the seal. A replacement icon has yet to be agreed upon, resulting in the curiously vacant spot on the city's seal.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 227.8 km² (87.9 mi²). 220.5 km² (85.1 mi²) of it is land and 7.3 km² (2.8 mi²) of it (3.19%) is water.
As of 2005 Edmond has a population of 73,416.
Awards/image
- "Relocate America" recently named it America's 3rd best city to live in.
- "Universal Publications of New York" recently named it "America's best small town".
- The city is known for taking great pride in its "Edmond, America" image.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 68,315 people, 25,256 households, and 18,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 309.8/km² (802.4/mi²). There were 26,380 housing units at an average density of 119.6/km² (309.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.58% White, 4.04% African American, 2.27% Native American, 3.26% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 2.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population.There were 25,256 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,556, and the median income for a family was $65,230. Males had a median income of $46,833 versus $28,231 for females. The per capita income for the city was $26,517. About 4.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Famous Citizens
Edmond is the hometown of Shannon Miller, who won five medals in the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics for the United States in women's gymnastics.Pro wrestling superstar Charlie Haas graduated from Edmond High School (now Edmond Memorial High School) in 1991.
Several stars of the PGA professional golf call Edmond home, as does the well-known Oak Tree Golf and Country Club Among Edmond's top golfers are Bob Tway, Scott Verplank, David Edwards and Seniors Golf legend Dr. Gil Morgan.
Former FEMA Director and Bush appointee Michael Brown worked as an intern in the city's Emergency Management Department while receiveing a B.A. in public administration/political science from Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma), in Edmond.
Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor of the pop rock group The All-American Rejects attended Edmond North high school and still reside in Edmond.
Mat Hoffman, a pro BMX rider was born and raised in Edmond.
External links
- [Urban OK Forums -- Edmond Civic & Development Discussion]
- [Maps and aerial photos]
- * Street map from [Google Maps] or [Yahoo! Maps]
- * Topographic map from [TopoZone]
- * Aerial image or topographic map from [TerraServer-USA]
- * Satellite image from [Google Maps] or [Windows Live Local]
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