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Bizzell Library, University of Oklahoma
'Norman, Oklahoma', is the county seat and largest city in Cleveland County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Norman is situated approximately 20 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City and is the third largest city in the state[1]. As of July 2006, the city had 102,827 full-time residents[2]. It is the business and employment center of Cleveland County.
Attractions
Meteorology
Norman is best known as the location of the University of Oklahoma (with about 30,000 full-time students), making it a center of culture, technology, and scientific research. Norman is one of the world's most prominent centers of meteorology. The city is home to many NOAA organizations, including the National Weather Service Forecast Office that serves Central and Western Oklahoma and western North Texas[3], the Storm Prediction Center tasked with issuing forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes across the contiguous United States,
and the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
NOAA and the University's meteorological services and departments are housed within the National Weather Center, located on the OU's Research Campus near State Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue. Several private companies, including WeatherNews, have located offices alongside the new facility.
Other
Norman is also home to the university-operated Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, one of the largest of its kind, and the Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art. The Jones Museum made news in 2001 when it was given the Weitzenhoffer Collection, the single most important collection of impressionist art ever given to an American university, including works by Mary Cassatt, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro, among others.
Norman's picture-book Main Street is a great source of pride for Normanites, as are the many shady, tree-lined housing areas that surround the OU campus. The west side of town has seen the most development in recent years, including affluent areas like Brookhaven, a sprawling neighborhood of townhomes, apartments, large estates and upscale retail and dining. Growth in Norman is also occurring close to campus, where there are infill developments underway that are making Norman a denser, and more chic college town. The east side is older and includes the areas around the OU campus and downtown. Both areas retain their historic appearance and resemble what most people would think of as the core area of a college town. In 2006, Money Magazine ranked Norman as the 40th best place to live in the United States, the highest of any city in Oklahoma.[4]
Norman is fairly unique in that the community is split on whether or not it should be considered a Central Oklahoma suburb. The city itself actually pulls from a shopping base and a workforce outside of its own city, with major new shopping developments, and major employers like OU, Hitachi, OfficeMax, the National Weather Center, and the USPS, among other major employers. Norman also features its own epicenter between the campus of OU and Main Street. Norman has also recently put a major emphasis on sustainable growth, which also makes it fairly unique compared to other suburbs in Central Oklahoma, and abroad.
Geography
Location of Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is located at (35.221617, -97.418236).
The city has a total area of 189.51 mi² (490.8 km²), of which 177.01 mi² (458.5 km²) is land and 12.5 mi² (32.4 km²) or 6.60% is water[5]. Approximately 27 square miles are developed. Elevations within the city limits are between 320 and 410 meters above sea level. The lowest point in the city limits is the Little River, a tributary of the Canadian River, just after it exits the Lake Thunderbird Dam. Many hills in the eastern suburbs exceed 400 meters above sea level. The terrain in the undeveloped western parts of Norman is prairie and the eastern section, including the area surrounding Lake Thunderbird, are cross timbers forest.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 95,694 people, 38,834 households, and 22,562 families residing in the city. The population density was 208.7/km² (540.6/mi²). There were 41,547 housing units at an average density of 90.6/km² (234.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.36% White, 4.26% African American, 4.45% Native American, 3.49% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.37% from other races, and 4.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.89% of the population.
There were 38,834 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% 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 21.2% under the age of 18, 21.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,713, and the median income for a family was $51,189. Males had a median income of $35,896 versus $26,394 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,630. About 7.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Abner Norman statue outside City Hall.
History
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway planned Norman as a station site in Indian Territory in 1886-87, taking the name "Norman's Camp," a phrase that (the story goes) had been carved in a nearby tree 16 years earlier by the crew of a U.S. Land Office surveyor, Abner E. Norman, who camped nearby while mapping the area. The town itself, while platted by the railroad, wasn't settled until the Great Land Run of 1889, the mad dash by settlers to claim the Unassigned Lands at the center of Indian Territory.
By nightfall on April 22, 1889, Norman probably had several hundred residents, camped in tents and covered wagons on town lots that wouldn't remain vacant for long. Almost overnight, the settlement developed into a thriving town. It was near Norman, in 1895, that Doolin Gang members George "Bittercreek" Newcomb and Charlie Pierce were killed by the "Dunn Brothers", who were bounty hunters from Ingalls, Oklahoma.
Business
Norman is a global center for the sciences of Meteorology (See above) and Geology and related research fields. The local business community boasts major employers like Hitachi, Albon Engineering, Xyant Technology, Office Max, ClientLogic, the National Center for Employee Development (a/k/a USPS Training Center), Immuno-Mycologics, and several research companies and smaller firms that take advantage of Norman's business climate.
Currently the nation's 4th largest retail site (University Town Center, a project by the OU Regents), is being built in Norman along I 35, between Robinson Street and Tecumseh Road (2-mile stretch). When completed, the site will also include mixed-use development such as hotels and offices in addition to retail.
Community events
★ Medieval Fair (Reeves Park)
★ GrooveFest (Andrew's Park)
★ Jazz in June (different venues)
★ May Fair Arts Festival (Andrew's Park)
★ SummerBreeze Concert Series
★ Mardi Gras parade (downtown Norman)
★ Midsummer Nights' Fair (Lion's Park)
Transportation
Air
Norman is served by Max Westheimer Airport, a general aviation airport run by the University of Oklahoma.[6]
Public Transit
Cleveland Area Rapid Transit provides bus service to the Norman area on weekdays with some routes also running on Saturdays. A route also runs to Oklahoma City and connects with OKC's Metro Transit.[7] The service is run by the University of Oklahoma and is free to faculty, staff, and students.
Rail
Norman's Depot is served by Amtrak's daily ''Heartland Flyer''.
Road
Norman is served by several major roadways.
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Education
Colleges and universities
★ University of Oklahoma
★ University of Phoenix
Career and Technical Education
★ Moore Norman Technology Center
Public primary and secondary schools
★ Norman Public Schools (or Independent School District Number 29 of Cleveland County, Oklahoma), which includes:
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★ Norman High School,
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★ Norman North High School,
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★ 4 Middle Schools named after famous writers (Whittier, Longfellow, Alcott, and Irving)
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★ 16 elementary schools
Private primary and secondary schools
★ Community Christian School - kindergarten through 12th grade
★ Robinson Street Christian School - kindergarten through 12th grade
★ Blue Eagle Christian Academy - kindergarten through 11th grade
★ All Saints Catholic School - pre-kindergarten through 8th grade
★ Norman Christian Academy - pre-kindergarten through 7th grade
★ Trinity Lutheran School - pre-kindergarten through 6th grade
★ Veritas Classical Christian Academy - kindergarten through 8th grade
Misc. Schools
★ Hollywood Cosmetology Center
Notable residents and natives
Actors
Candy Clark,
James Garner (a statue of Garner as Bret Maverick was unveiled in Norman on April 21, 2006, with Garner present at the ceremony),
Alice Ghostley,
Milena Govich,
Christian Kane,
Jim Ross
Musicians and bands
Chainsaw Kittens,
Joe Diffie,
The Flaming Lips,
Vince Gill,
Toby Keith[8],
Starlight Mints
Athletes
Dean Blevins,
Mark Bradley,
Nadia Comaneci,
Bart Conner,
Tommie Harris,
Keisha Lambeth,
Steve Owens,
Bob Stoops,
Barry Switzer,
Jason White,
Roy Williams,
Steve Williams,
Writers
Martin Gardner,
Harold Keith
Politicians
Carl Albert,
David L. Boren
Scientists
Karl Guthe Jansky,
Benjamin Witten
Designers
Kayne Gillaspie,
Robert Ridner
Sister cities
★ Clermont-Ferrand, France
★ Colima, Mexico
★ Seika, Japan
See also
★ 2005 University of Oklahoma bombing
References
1. Oklahoma by Place - GCT-T1-R. Population Estimates (geographies ranked by estimate)
2. Norman city, Oklahoma
3.
NWS Norman, Oklahoma - Frequently Asked Questions
4. Best Places to Live
5. Oklahoma by Place - GCT-PH1. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2000
6. Max Westheimer Airport
7.
Norman CART
8.
Norman Transcript
External links
★
★ Visit Norman
★ Urban OK Forums -- Norman Civic & Development Discussion
★ Official city website
★ Jazz in June festival
★ SummerBreeze Concert Series
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