Lawton, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia : L : LA : LAW : Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton is a city in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 92,757 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Comanche County[Geographic references#6GR6]. Lawton, founded in 1901, is in southwest Oklahoma, near the Wichita Mountains. Lawton is the cultural and commercial center of the area. Lawton is home to large granite deposits as well as cotton fields. Fort Sill, Fort Sill Indian School, and Medicine Park are all nearby.
Geography
Lawton is located at (34.609424, -98.417781)[Geographic references#1GR1], 88 miles Southwest of Oklahoma City.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 194.6 km² (75.1 mi²), all land.
Lawton is located south of the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, Mount Scott, and Lake Lawtonka.
Named for Major General Henry Ware Lawton (1843-1899), Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, killed in action during the Spanish-American War, Battle of San Mateo, Philippines.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 92,757 people, 31,778 households, and 22,530 families residing in the city. The population density was 476.6/km² (1,234.5/mi²). There were 36,433 housing units at an average density of 187.2/km² (484.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.34% White, 23.06% African American, 3.81% Native American, 2.46% Asian, 0.44% Pacific Islander, 3.96% from other races, and 4.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.40% of the population.There were 31,778 households out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 15.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,521, and the median income for a family was $37,831. Males had a median income of $27,573 versus $21,623 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,397. About 14.2% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Points of interest
- Fort Sill, built in the 1860's (includes Geronimo's gravesite)
- [Meers and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge]
- Mount Scott
- The village of Medicine Park on Oklahoma 49.
- [Museum of the Great Plains]
- [Percussive Arts Society Museum]
Famous people from Lawton
- Randy Bass, former professional baseball player
- Don Blanding, poet
- C. J. Cherryh, Hugo Award-winning author
- Joan Crawford, actress
- Stacey King, professional basketball player
- Mike Minter, professional football player
- N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize-winning author
- Leon Russell, singer and songwriter
- Candice Earley, actress
See Also
External links
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