Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, often called OKC, is the capital and most populous city of Oklahoma.

It serves as the county seat for Oklahoma County. The city limits actually reach into Canadian, Cleveland, and Pottawatomie counties. While some areas are suburban, others are designated as rural or watershed zones. By land area, it is a massive urban center. It ranks as the tenth-largest city in the United States when including consolidated city-counties. If you exclude those consolidations, it is the second-largest. It is also the second-largest state capital in the nation, following Juneau, Alaska.

The geography of the city is quite diverse. It sits within the Frontier Country region in the center of the state. The northeastern section falls into an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers. The city is located in the Sandstone Hills region. This area is known for hills of sandstone and two types of oak trees. These are the blackjack oak and the post oak.

The North Canadian River flows through the city. It was renamed the Oklahoma River inside the city limits in 2004. In the past, this river flooded every year. It caused destruction in the central business district and the original zoo. To manage this, a dam was built in the 1940s. Later, the MAPS project added low-water dams to bring water back to the downtown area.

Oklahoma City is a major hub for transportation and industry. The city sits on the I-35 and I-40 corridors. These are primary travel routes for the country. They lead south into Texas and New Mexico. They also lead north toward Wichita and Kansas City. To the west, they go toward Albuquerque. To the east, they connect to Little Rock and Memphis.

The economy relies heavily on several large sectors. Oil, natural gas, and petroleum products are the biggest. The city is located in the middle of an active oil field. You can actually see oil derricks on the capitol grounds.

The city also hosts one of the world's largest livestock markets. Federal employment is also significant. Many people work at Tinker Air Force Base. Others work at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center for the federal government.

The history of the city began with a sudden event. On April 22, 1889, the area known as the "Unassigned Lands" opened for settlement. This event was called the Land Run. About 10,000 homesteaders settled the area almost immediately. The town grew very quickly after its founding. The population doubled between the years 1890 and 1900.

By 1907, Oklahoma City became the state capital. It had already surpassed Guthrie as the main population and commercial center. During the early 20th century, it was a major stop on U.S. Route 66. This famous road was even mentioned in a 1946 jazz song by Nat King Cole.

Urban development has shaped the city through many different stages. In 1959, a "Great Annexation Drive" expanded the city's land mass. This made it the largest U.S. city by land area at that time. However, the city faced challenges in the 1970s and 1980s. Many families moved to the suburbs, causing the downtown population to decline. Urban renewal projects like the Pei Plan removed old buildings. These projects often left vacant lots used for parking. To fix this, the city started the Metropolitan Area Projects, or MAPS, in 1993.

MAPS was a massive redevelopment package. It aimed to rebuild the city core with new civic projects. It included a new baseball park and a central library. It also created a water canal in the Bricktown district.

This partnership was very successful. It exceeded $3 billion in private investment by 2010.

The city has also had to endure very difficult moments. On April 19, 1995, a bomb was detonated at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This event killed 168 people. It caused severe damage to more than 100 nearby buildings.

This was the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. The site is now the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.

Since it opened in 2000, over three million people have visited the memorial. The site serves as a place of remembrance for the community.

Today, the skyline of Oklahoma City is defined by modern growth. The Devon Energy Center is the tallest building in the state. It stands 844 feet tall.

Locals often call it the "Devon Tower." The city continues to grow and change its landscape. Projects like "Core-to-Shore" aim to move highways to create better connections. This will help the city expand toward the Oklahoma River. The city also manages three large lakes. These are Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser, and the large Lake Stanley Draper. These features help support the large metropolitan area of 1.49 million residents.