McAlester, Oklahoma
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McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County[Geographic references#6GR6]. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant.
It is also the home of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.
McAlester was the site of the 2004 trial of Terry Nichols on Oklahoma state charges related to the Oklahoma City bombing (1995).
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 41.0 km² (15.8 mi²). 40.6 km² (15.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.88%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 17,783 people, 6,584 households, and 4,187 families residing in the city. The population density was 437.6/km² (1,133.1/mi²). There were 7,374 housing units at an average density of 181.5/km² (469.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.72% White, 8.68% African American, 10.48% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.29% from other races, and 4.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.04% of the population.There were 6,584 households out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 107.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,631, and the median income for a family was $36,480. Males had a median income of $29,502 versus $19,455 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,694. About 16.1% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.8% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Founding
The city of McAlester actually began when a man named J.J. McAlester found a large stock of coal in the Southwestern part of Indian Territory around 1886. He opened a general store at what is now the corner of Main St. and Choctaw Ave and that still houses many local businesses. A railroad was brought in near JJ McAlester's store funded mostly by Edwin Chaddick and the coal business soared. Soon thereafter, the cities of South McAlester and North McAlester were formed. Many years ago these cities merged to McAlester and the locals refer to the areas simply as "Southtown" and "Northtown".Points of interest
- Garrard Ardeneum
- McAlester Ammunitions Depot
- Oklahoma State Penitentiary
Notable Residents
- Carl Albert, Former Speaker of the U.S. House
- Reba McEntire, country singer
- Beverlee McKinsey, soap opera actress
- Steven W. Taylor, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
External links
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