Ottawa County, Oklahoma
Ottawa County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,285. Its county seat is Miami. The county was named for the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma.2010 census, with population growth stemming from the near abandonment of nearby towns of
Cardin Cardin is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Alberto Cardín (1948–1992), Spanish essayist and anthropologist
* Annie Cardin (born 1938), French artist
*Arthur Cardin (1879–1946), Canadian politician
*Ben Cardin (born 1943), ...
and Picher because of ground contamination sites by local mining quarries. The town may have been named for the Scottish River Afton. Larry O'Dell, "Afton,".''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed February 16, 2014.
History
Afton developed in this part of the
Cherokee Nation
The Cherokee Nation (Cherokee: ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ ''Tsalagihi Ayeli'' or ᏣᎳᎩᏰᎵ ''Tsalagiyehli''), also known as the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, is the largest of three Cherokee federally recognized tribes in the United States. It ...
in
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...
after the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, or Frisco) built tracks through the area to Vinita in 1871. According to Oklahoma historian George Shirk, a Scottish railroad surveyor, Anton Aires, named the town Afton after his daughter. Others have claimed the name comes from Robert Burns's poem, "Flow Gently Sweet Afton." Both Afton Aires' name and the Burns'poem honor the
River Afton
The River Afton (or Afton Water) is a small river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows north from Alwhat Hill in the Carsphairn and Scaur Hills, through Afton Reservoir and then for eight miles down Glen Afton before joining the River Nith at Ne ...
in Scotland.
A post office was established in Afton during 1886. The 1900 census showed a population of 606. In 1901, the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad, which soon became part of the Frisco system, constructed another line through the town, creating a shorter route to Kansas City, and causing another spurt of population growth. The town became a Frisco division point and shipping center for the surrounding agricultural area. In 1910, Afton's population was 1,276; the town had two schools, a waterworks, two hotels, two banks, a brick and tile plant, a creamery, a newspaper, mills and grain elevators. The population peaked at 1,518 in 1920, but a depression after World War I caused a drop to 1,219 in 1930.
Geography
Afton is located at (36.691845, -94.964024).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.
Originally a farming and railroad community, Afton is located on the historic
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
. Route 66 was bypassed by
I-44
Interstate 44 (I-44) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. Although it is nominally an east–west road as it is even-numbered, it follows a more southwest–northeast alignment. Its western terminus is in Wichita Fa ...
in 1957. Businesses which formerly served US 66 travellers in the town's heyday included the Palmer Hotel, Rogers’ Motel, Rest Haven Motel, Green Acres Motel and Avon Motor Court, Baker's Cafe, Clint's Cafe, Smith Store and Barrett's Food Store, Mack's Place and Fred's 66 Bar.
There was a museum in a former D-X filling station, built in 1937 and restored in 1999 to house
Packard
Packard or Packard Motor Car Company was an American luxury automobile company located in Detroit, Michigan. The first Packard automobiles were produced in 1899, and the last Packards were built in South Bend, Indiana in 1958.
One of the "Thr ...
and
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
memorabilia. The museum was closed and the building is now vacant. The Palmer Hotel building burned down in 2019.
Demographics
Afton is part of the
Joplin-Miami, MO-OK metropolitan area
The Joplin, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in southwest Missouri, anchored by the ...
.
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2010, there were 1,049 people living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
was 620 people per square mile (240/km). There were 488 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 77.46%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.09%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, and 7.78% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.70% of the population.
There were 441 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.5% were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,964, and the median income for a family was $28,036. Males had a median income of $22,361 versus $16,964 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $11,032. About 15.9% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 32.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
Northeast Tech
The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education (ODCTE, commonly known and branded as CareerTech) is an agency of the state of Oklahoma located in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
CareerTech oversees a statewide system of career and technology ed ...
operates one of its four campuses at 19901 S. Hwy 69; the Afton Campus serves approximately 500 students.
In 2017, the Afton High School Football team won the Class A State Trophy for the first time in school history.
Culture
* The Darryl Starbird National Rod and Custom Hall of Fame Museum hosts an anniversary celebration in Afton, every June.
Transportation
Highways
Afton sits at the junction of one Interstate Highway and three US Highways. A fourth US Highway previously ran through the area.
*
*
*
* (former)
*
Railroads
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe (BNSF) runs through Afton on the town's north side as it roughly parallels 1st Street. Afton has two major subdivisions that operate through the town. The BNSF Cherokee Subdivision begins in
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...
and ends at the BNSF Cherokee Yard in the city of
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and is the List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 ...
. The BNSF Afton Subdivision begins at the wye to the northeast of town and runs north to just south of
Fort Scott, Kansas
Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...
, where it merges with, and becomes, the BNSF Fort Scott Subdivision into
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...