Oktaha, Oklahoma
Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Oktaha is a town in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 343.<ref name="Census 2020"/>
History
Oktaha was named for a Muscogee chief, Oktarharsars Harjo<ref name="EOHC-Oktaha">Wallace F. Waits, Jr., "Oktaha," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed May 2, 2015.</ref><ref name="Etter, Jim 2007">Template:Cite web</ref> (also known as Sands<ref>Thoburn, J.B. & I.M. Holcomb (1908). A History of Oklahoma. Doub & Co., 155</ref>). The town originated in 1872 as a stop on the MK&T "Katy" Railroad. By 1900, the town had its own post office; a small business district emerged as well. Local business was lagging, however, by mid-century, and the town struggled even more when U.S. Highway 69 was rerouted to bypass Oktaha.<ref name="Etter, Jim 2007"/> Nevertheless, Oktaha remains the site of a K-12 school that draws several hundred students from rural portions of Muskogee County.<ref>Oktaha Schools, Oktaha – OK: charter and public schools. Oktaha School District – Oktaha OK School District</ref><ref>CSA – Maps</ref>
Geography
Oktaha is located Template:Convert south-southwest of Muskogee.<ref name="EOHC-Oktaha"/> U.S. Highway 69 passes Template:Convert west of town, leading north to Muskogee and south Template:Convert to Checotah.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2024"/> The town is within the watershed of Anderson Creek, a south-flowing tributary of Dirty Creek, which leads east to the Arkansas River at Robert S. Kerr Reservoir.
Demographics
Template:US Census population As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 327 people, 110 households, and 91 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 127 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 70.95% White, 3.36% African American, 16.82% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 7.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.31% of the population.
There were 110 households, out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,844, and the median income for a family was $30,556. Males had a median income of $23,958 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,174. About 18.5% of families and 19.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Notable people
- The noted Native American sculptor Willard Stone was born in Oktaha in 1916.<ref>David C. Hunt, "Stone, Willard" Template:Webarchive at Oklahoma Historical Society Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture Template:Webarchive (retrieved March 20, 2009).</ref>