Midwest City, Oklahoma

Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,088 and is the seventh largest city in the state.

Midwest City is a city of 25 square miles whose southern border is Tinker Air Force Base and is part of the Oklahoma City "OKC Metro" Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Midwest City was founded by W.P. Atkinson in 1941 when he heard speculation that an air field was going to be built in the area. Atkinson, along with others, initially planned Midwest City as a one-square-mile development. The air field, when built, was called the "Midwest Air Depot" and was later renamed in honor of Major General Clarence L. Tinker of Pawhuska, Okla. General Tinker lost his life while leading a flight of LB-30 "Liberators" on a long-range strike against Japanese forces on Wake Island during the early months of World War II.

The economy of Midwest City prospered and continued to surge until the early 1980s when the oil bust of 1983 occurred. The bust was a severe economic blow to not only the greater OKC metro area, but to also the twin cities of Midwest City and Del City. From 1983, Midwest City's nominal price for real estate stagnated for over a decade.

In many ways, the city remains relatively unchanged over the last twenty years. Air Depot Blvd spanning from Tinker Air Force Base to Heritage Park Mall still serves as the major commercial district of the city. Of course, many businesses have come and gone, but there are a few that have stood the test of time. Andy's Akropolis, a Greek restaurant started by Larry Hicks, has served many thousands of hungry airmen through the last thirty years. The restaurant, like its city, remains almost the same as it was when it first opened its doors in the 1970s. About.com notes that many state and national organizations find Midwest City to be an ideal site for conferences and special events because of the location and the amenities, although a specific list of those organizations remains lacking. However, Rose State College does have a new performing Arts Theater with an outdoor amphitheater in Rose State College's Communications Center. The area also features the Oklahoma Welcome Center, Senior Center, Water Park, and nature and recreational trails.

Midwest City's monolythic economic base of Federal tax dollars via Tinker Air Force Base has helped the city weather the drastic blows to the State's mainstay oil and agricultural economy. Tinker is a major area employer. The General Motors Oklahoma City Assembly plant was another major employer from its opening in 1979 until its closure in February 2006. GM closed the plant as part as a cost-savings measure.

Over the past few years, there has been a large amount of development in Midwest City along I-40. The Reed Center, a 60,000 square foot convention center, was built in 2003. Because of this, several hotels have been built in the area, including a $15 milllion Sheraton hotel that is attached to the convention center. Also, many big box stores, such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, Kohl's, Marshals and Best Buy have been built along I-40. Some of these stores are a part of the new Town Center Plaza development along SE 29th Street facing I-40, which replaced the aging, largely deserted Atkinson Plaza shopping center as well as several other developments, most of which are situated on the city's west edge.

Throughout the year, Midwest City is host to many unique special events such as: Star Spangle Salute in July, Global Oklahoma - A Festival of Cultures in October, and Holiday Lights Spectacular in November and December.

Midwest City was formerly a Certified City and has successfully transitioned to a Century Community.

In 2006 Midwest City obtained the prestigious ISO Class 1 from the Insurance Services Office. [1]

Education

Mid-Del Technology Center is located in Midwest City

Rose State College (formerly Oscar Rose Jr. College) is Located in Midwest City

Geography

Midwest City is located at 35°27′44″N, 97°23′3″W (35.462244, -97.384292).^GR1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 63.7 km² (24.6 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 54,088 people, 22,161 households, and 14,759 families residing in the city. The population density was 849.3/km² (2,199.3/mi²). There were 23,853 housing units at an average density of 374.5/km² (969.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.46% White, 19.55% African American, 3.49% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 4.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.05% of the population.

There were 22,161 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,027, and the median income for a family was $40,604. Males had a median income of $31,276 versus $22,543 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,220. About 11.2% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Trivia

• Midwest City is the site of the first Sam's Club location; the store opened in April 1983.

• Additional Trivia:

The very first McDonald's with 2 window drive thrus (One to pay, one to pick up food) was in Midwest City.

Points of interest

• Midwest City Hall Arboretum
• Tinker Air Force Base
• Midwest City Guide http://www.midwestcity.info & http://www.midwestcity.biz

Wikipedia information about Midwest City, Oklahoma This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Midwest City, Oklahoma". It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer). Help contribute to Americola and edit this article.