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Canadian County
Quality of Life
Location
Canadian County is located in the heart of central Oklahoma. It is located adjacent to Oklahoma County and within the Oklahoma City MSA. Accessibility is key, with I-40 running east-west directly through the county and the intersection with I-35 and I-44 just to the east.
Canadian county is the state's fastest growing county, with a population exceeding 181,760. The county grew by 33.6% residents over the last decade. Residents enjoy the quality relaxed lifestyle, with all the amenities of a major city nearby.
Cost of Living
Utilities and Taxes
Economy
The county was organized in 1890 and consists of 582 square miles (20% urban, 80% agriculture). It provides a growing and diversified mix of business and industry, including agribusiness, manufacturing, oil & gas and retail trade. Plus, it offers the added benefit of close proximity to the growing Oklahoma City market.
Canadian County offers extensive economic development opportunities, including top ranked schools, a productive and competitive labor force, excellent business climate and the nation's top career-technology network, Canadian Valley. Cost of living is just 80% of the national average.
Major cities include El Reno (county seat), Mustang and Yukon. A 3-member County Commission governs the county.
Wage Rates
Canadian county's history is reflective of the entire state. It has been home to various Indian tribes, the cattle industry, frontier military experience, land runs and land lotteries, various ethnic settlements, rich agriculture and oil and gas production. The county was once part of the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation. It was opened by the Run of '89 and the Run of '92, and by lottery in 1901. The historic Chisholm Trail passes through the county on a north/south basis. The trail, stretching from Texas to Kansas City is famous for the 10 million cattle, 1 million horses and 35 thousand cowboys that passed through in the 1800's.
The name Canadian county comes from early French explorers who named the county for the two rivers which pass through the area, the North Canadian and Canadian.
Contact
County Commissioners Office
Canadian County Courthouse
201 N. Choctaw, El Reno, OK 73036
(405) 262-1070
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Cleveland County
Quality of Life
Cleveland County is located in central Oklahoma, just minutes south of Oklahoma City.
It has a population of 295,528, is the 3rd-fastest growing county in the Oklahoma City MSA. Cleveland County is the home of the state's largest comprehensive university, the University of Oklahoma in Norman.
Although Cleveland County is the eighth smallest Oklahoma County in area, it has the second largest population and two of the state's eight largest cities, Norman and Moore. Other key cities include Lexington, Noble, Slaughterville, Newalla and a small portion of Oklahoma City.
Encompassing 536 square miles, Cleveland County is bordered on the north by Oklahoma County, Pottawatomie County to the east, McClain County to the south and Canadian County to the northwest.
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Interstate 35 traverses Cleveland County and offers easy access and a convenient transportation corridor to the junction of I-40 and I-44, just to the north. Cleveland County offers a diverse mix of industry, including agribusiness, the equine industry, energy, manufacturing and distribution, research and development and retail trade/tourism. Education and research opportunities abound at the nearby University of Oklahoma campus (enrollment 28,564) and over a dozen colleges and universities that are within a 45 minute drive.
Moore-Norman Technology Center provides the nation's premier business and industry training program.
The county has many towns that provide a business friendly atmosphere designed to encourage economic development.
Wage Rates
Opened to settlement in the Land Run of April 22, 1889, Cleveland County was one of the seven counties organized as the Oklahoma Territory in 1890. Its first citizens named it for President Grover Cleveland.
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Grady County
Quality of Life
Nestled in the rolling hills along I-44 between Oklahoma City and Lawton, Grady County offers a very productive business location and a unique rural and urban lifestyle advantage.
Grady County is located in central Oklahoma, just 45 minutes southwest of downtown Oklahoma City and encompasses 1100 sq. miles.
With friendly merchants and home town atmospheres, the communities of Grady County are the perfect choice for growing a business and raising a family. Business in Grady County thrives in agribusiness, energy, manufacturing/distribution and tourism. Hundreds of farms and ranches dot the countryside.
The current population Grady County is 54,795 and it is located within the Oklahoma City MSA (pop. 1.4 million). It is adjacent to Canadian County (north) and McLain County (east), Stephens County (South) and Comanche County (SW). The Canadian River provides its northern border and the Washita River runs through the county's middle. These rivers and their tributaries contribute to its agricultural prosperity.
Interstate 44 traverses Grady County and offers easy access and a convenient transportation corridor to both Texas and Missouri and northeast markets. It is also within minutes of the of nation’s major interstate crossroad (I-35/I-40). The county is served by both the BNSF and Union Pacific railroads.
Grady County is home to Chickasha, a progressive city of 16,000 that serves as the county seat and major retail center. Other communities include: Tuttle, Rush Springs, Alex, Amber, Bradley, Minco, Ninnekah, Norge, Pocasset, Rush Springs, and Verden.
The county is home to one of the nation’s finest public liberal arts universities – the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) in Chickasha.
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Grady County was created at statehood in 1907 and named for Henry W. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution and prominent southern orator. Chickasha, the county seat, was named for the Chickasaw Indians and is known as the "Queen City of the Washita" because of its strategic location.
The area is known for its Native American and pioneer heritage – and there is plenty to do. Summer rodeos, outdoor sports and recreation, arts and antiques and holiday festivals attract tourists to the area, as does the annual Watermelon Festival at Rush Springs, "Watermelon Capital of the World."
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Kingfisher County
Quality of Life
Kingfisher County is located in central Oklahoma, just northwest of Oklahoma County and just 35 minutes from downtown Oklahoma City. The county encompasses 906 sq. miles and is characterized by low rolling hills and farmland.
Bordered by Major and Garfield counties on the north, Logan on the east, Canadian on the south, and Blaine on the west, Kingfisher County is crossed by U.S. Highway 81 north-south and by State Highways 33/3 and 51 east-west. The Cimarron River slices diagonally through the county.
Kingfisher County is one of the state's fastest growing counties with a population of 14,300.The vibrant community of Kingfisher serves as the county seat. Other major cities include Cashion, Dover, Hennessey, Loyal and Okarche.
Throughout its existence Kingfisher County's economy has been anchored in agricultural and energy production. Today, Kingfisher County offers a diverse mix of industry, including agribusiness, energy production, manufacturing and retail trade/tourism.
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Created as a county in Oklahoma Territory in the Organic Act of May 2, 1890, the area originally consisted of sixteen full townships and two partial townships.
It is famous for its location along the historic Chisholm Trail – a trail used in the 1800's to drive millions of cattle overland from ranches in Texas across Oklahoma to Kansas railheads.
Some new residents were natives of Europe. Germans and Germans from Russia who had earlier emigrated to the Midwest and to Kansas came to Kingfisher County to settle in the early 1890s. That heritage remains today.
One German resident, Joseph Danne, developed a wheat variety called Early Triumph, which by 1954 produced more than half of America's wheat crop. The county is home to such notables as Sam Walton and W.C. Coleman, the inventor of the Coleman lantern. It was apparently named for King David Fisher, a settler who operated a trading station on the Chisholm Trail.
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Lincoln County
Quality of Life
Organized October 1, 1891, and named by popular vote for President Abraham Lincoln, the county was originally a part of the Creek Nation. As a result of the Treaty of 1866, however, the area was ceded by the Creeks and settled by the Sac and Fox, Iowa, Kickapoo, and Pottawatomie Indians. The county currently has a population of 33,458.
Although cotton was the principal crop in the early days, castor beans and broom corn were also money crops. By 1915, oil was discovered near Chandler, followed by the discovery of the Stroud Field in 1923 and later the Davenport oil boom.
Annual county celebrations include an Ice Cream Festival in June and a July 4th Celebration both in Chandler, Nettie Davenport Day held in Davenport, the International Brick Throwing Contest held in Stroud in July, and the Kolache Festival held in Prague each May
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Logan County
Quality of Life
Logan County is located in central Oklahoma, adjacent to Oklahoma County and just 30 miles north of downtown Oklahoma City. The county encompasses 742 sq. miles.
Interstate 35 traverses Logan County and offers easy access and a convenient transportation corridor to I-40 and I-44. The county is served by the BNSF Railroad and the growing Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport.
The current population is 53,000 and is included in the 1.4 million Oklahoma City MSA.
Logan County is home to Guthrie, a charming Victorian city that once served as Oklahoma's capital city. It is on the national Register of Historic Places, a major tourist destination and serves as the county seat. Other major cities include Langston, Crescent, Cashion and Mulhall.
Economy
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Logan County offers a diverse mix of industry, including agribusiness, manufacturing (including aerospace) and retail trade/tourism. Educational opportunities abound at the 10 colleges and universities that are within a 45 minute drive. The county has many towns that provide a technology and business friendly atmosphere designed to encourage economic development. The Logan County Economic Development Council provides confidential site location assistance to potential business developers and manufacturing companies.
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Settled by the Land Run of April 22, 1889, Logan County was designated County No. 1 when Oklahoma Territory was organized in 1890. It was later named for Senator John A. Logan of Illinois, popular Civil War general.
Contact
Justin Hazzard
Logan County Economic Development Council
212 W. Oklahoma
Guthrie, OK 73044
405.377.2220
jhazzard@logancountyedc.com
2-Year Colleges
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McClain County
Quality of Life
McClain County is located in central Oklahoma, just minutes south of Norman and Oklahoma City. It is the 2nd fastest growing county in the Oklahoma City MSA.
Encompassing 580 square miles, McClain County is bordered on the north by Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties. The L-shaped county's entire northern line is formed by the Canadian River.
The largest city is Newcastle (pop. 10,425) and the community of Purcell (pop. 6508) serves as the county seat. Other communities include: Byars, Cole, Dibble, Goldsby, Rosedale, Washington and Wayne. The county population is 41,662. McClain County grew by nearly 21% from 2010 to 2020.
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Interstate 35 traverses McClain County and offers easy access and a convenient transportation corridor to the junction of I-40 and I-44, just to the north. McClain County offers a diverse mix of industry, including agribusiness, the equine industry, manufacturing and distribution and retail trade/tourism. Educational opportunities abound at the nearby University of Oklahoma campus and over a dozen colleges and universities that are within a 45 minute drive.
Mid-America Technology Center in Wayne provides the nation’s premier business and industry training program.
The county has many towns that provide a business friendly atmosphere designed to encourage economic development.
Wage Rates
Established at statehood in 1907, McClain County, was originally part of Curtis County in the proposed state of Sequoyah. The county was named for Charles M. McClain, a member of the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention and an early resident of Purcell.
In the 1870s large ranching operations north of the Washita River belonged either to those of Indian blood or those related to Indians by marriage. Black slaves formerly owned by Choctaw and Chickasaw families were also eligible to own land. Cotton gins in many small towns prepared raw cotton for the cotton press in Purcell, the county seat. Broom corn growing was also productive in the 1920s and 1930s.
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Oklahoma County
Quality of Life
Oklahoma County is the economic center of the state. It is the chief market for the state's livestock and agricultural industries, as well as the major wholesaling and jobbing center for the area. The major sources of income in central Oklahoma are oil, agriculture, manufacturing, business, and government.
Oklahoma City, is the state capital and the largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in the state. Oklahoma City is an excellent location for serving all markets in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri, from the crossroads of I-40, I-35, and I-44.
A leading medical center in the southwest, Oklahoma City is readily accessible by all modes of transportation. Cultural and recreational opportunities abound throughout the county. Other local points of interest include the First Americans Museum, the Oklahoma City Zoo, the Bricktown entertainment district and the Oklahoma City National Memorial site downtown.
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Payne County
Quality of Life
Payne County is located in central Oklahoma, just 60 minutes northeast of downtown Oklahoma City. With a population of more than 83,000, it is the 7th fastest growing county in the state.
Encompassing 683 square miles, Payne County is bordered on the south by Lincoln County and southwest by Logan County .The largest city and county seat is Stillwater (pop. 48,394 ) Other major communities include Cushing, Drumright, Glencoe, Perkins, Ripley and Yale. Cushing is the most significant trading hub for crude oil in North America and is known as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World".
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Payne County offers a diverse mix of industry, including agribusiness (farming and ranching), manufacturing and distribution, significant research and development and retail trade/tourism.
The county is laced with good highways. Most important perhaps, is Interstate 35, which extends along the county's edge as it winds from the Kansas border into Texas. Travelers from State Highways 33 and 51 can access I-35 to reach southward into Oklahoma City or Texas. The Cimarron Turnpike (U.S. Highway 412) provides a quick route to Tulsa or to Enid.
The county is home to some of the region's finest education and training institutions, including Oklahoma State University (enrollment 26,000), Northern Oklahoma College (Blackwell) and some of the nation's top rated public school systems.
The Meridian Technology Center in Stillwater and Central Tech in Drumright both offer the nation’s premier business and industry training program.
The county has many towns that provide a business friendly atmosphere designed to encourage economic development.
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Payne County is named after David Payne, an American soldier and pioneer. Payne is considered by some to be the "Father of Oklahoma" for his work in opening the state to settlement.
The county was opened to settlement in the Oklahoma land run of 1889, and the land was populated overnight. Businesses sprang up, schools and churches were built, and farmers planted crops. In December of 1890, the state's land-grant university, Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State University), was established at Stillwater, the county seat. The formation of Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory followed, and Oklahoma became a state in 1907. Other notable figures in Payne County history include Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox Indian called the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century.
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Pottawatomie County
Quality of Life
From its earliest beginnings Pottawatomie County has always been considered a strong manufacturing center, along with being known as a prosperous, regional trade location. The seat of government for the county is located in Shawnee and the area boasts a large contingent of manufacturers, some with Fortune 500 or International corporate ownership.
The region has continually expanded to meet the needs of those existing manufacturers as well as encouraging new capital investments in the area of healthcare, education, retail, employment, housing and entertainment.
Location
Pottawatomie County is located just to the southeast of Oklahoma County and within the Oklahoma City MSA (1.4 million). With a population of nearly 72,000, Pottawatomie County and Shawnee are located just 40 miles east of Oklahoma City on I-40 and its geographically central location offers accessibility by interstate, state and federal highways, along with air and rail. As an edge city, the region offers competitively priced and suitable land for developments of all types.
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Through the Gordon Cooper Career Tech system, Pottawatomie County offers an Aviation Maintenance Technology program which is certified and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Airframe and Power Plant training. This training facility is one of only five of its kind in the state. The county is also the home of top-ranked liberal arts universities, Oklahoma Baptist University.
This specialized aviation facility benefits not only the local aerospace employers need, but also Tinker Air Force Base, which is located approximately twenty-five minutes to the west. The region’s growing population, central location, business friendly attitude, along with its ability to rapidly train more skilled employees all contribute to its success in attracting more businesses.
Pottawatomie County features a wide range of recent quality of life improvements including the newly expanded and renovated St. Anthony’s Shawnee Hospital, major facility additions at Oklahoma Baptist University, a significant increase in the amount of consumer’s retail options and other county wide public improvements that are of benefit to its citizens.
Major communities include: Shawnee, McLoud and Tecumseh. A small portion of Oklahoma City extends into the county.
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Pottawatomie County has a unique history. Seminole, Creek, Citizen Band Potawatomi, Absentee Shawnee, Kickapoo and Sac and Fox Indian tribes settled it. It was opened to settlement in the Land Run of September 22, 1891. The county name was changed by vote in 1892 to honor the Potawatomi Tribe, whose name of “nishnabe” translates to "people of the place of the fire." The county has a strong heritage of agriculture, education, manufacturing, healthcare, commerce and railroad businesses.