county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Ellis County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 524 at the 2010 census, an 0.77 percent increase from 520 at the 2000 census.
History
The townsite came about at the junction of local trading routes. A post office was established at the townsite in 1902, with William G. Brown as the postmaster. Brown is said to have named the post office Arnett after A. S. Arnett, Brown's minister from Fayetteville, West Virginia.Arnett . - ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. - Oklahoma Historical Society
After statehood in 1907, several county boundaries changed, and the southern part of old Day County was added to the southwestern part of Woodward County to become Ellis County. An election to locate the county seat was held in June of 1908, and resulted in a runoff between Arnett and Shattuck, Oklahoma. Arnett won and remains the county seat today.
Geography
Arnett is located at (36.134368, −99.770826) at an elevation of 2,447 feet (746 m). It lies approximately north-northeast of the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Great Plains. Located in northwestern Oklahoma at the junction of U.S. Route 60 and U.S. Route 283, Arnett is west-northwest of
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, northeast of
Amarillo
Amarillo ( ; Spanish for " yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall Cou ...
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 t ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.
Climate
Arnett has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') with hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters. The average temperature in Arnett is 57 °F (13 °C), and the average yearly precipitation is 25.4 inches (644 mm). On average, January is the coolest month, July is the warmest month, and May is the wettest month. The hottest temperature recorded in Arnett was 110 °F (43 °C) in 1951; the coldest temperature recorded was -12 °F (-24 °C) in 1959.
Demographics
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 in ...
of 2010, there were 524 people living in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...
was 1,300 people per square mile (478/km2). There were 281 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.35%
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 o ...
, 0.38%
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 ...
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.15% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...
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 1.35% of the population.
There were 238 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.8% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,618, and the median income for a family was $29,861. Males had a median income of $24,250 versus $13,438 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 $14,512. About 12.8% of families and 18.9% 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 27.4% of those under age 18 and 20.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Arnett Public Schools operates one school in the town, Arnett School ( Grades Pre-K-12).
Transportation
U.S. Route 60 and SH-51 run concurrently east–west through Arnett. U.S. Route 283, a north–south highway which meets U.S. 60 and SH-51 roughly one-half mile east of town, runs concurrently east–west with U.S. 60 and SH-51 through town. Arnett is also the southern terminus of SH-46 which runs north–south.
Media
Arnett has a weekly
newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
, ''The Ellis County Capital''.
Historical Sites
The Ellis County Courthouse, built in 1912, is in the center of the Courthouse Square in Arnett. The Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Ellis County, Oklahoma.
A log cabin sits just south of the Ellis County Courthouse on the Courthouse lawn, variously known as the Historic Log Cabin of Arnett or the Ellis County Log Cabin. It was built in 1893 of huge cedar logs, some as much as 2-1/2 feet across. It was used as a residence until 1939, and soon thereafter disassembled and put back together in Arnett for preservation.
The remains of Grand, Oklahoma, included on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Ellis County, Oklahoma as Grand Town Site, is 14 miles south of Arnett. This town was voted the seat of old Day County in 1893; however, Day County was eliminated at Oklahoma statehood. The post office closed September 30, 1943, and only building footings remain today.
Recreation
Fort Supply Reservoir and Cooper Wildlife Management Area are to the northwest.
Lake Lloyd Vincent and the Ellis County Wildlife Management Area are to the southwest.
Paddlesack Wildlife Management Area is to the south, while the
Black Kettle National Grassland
The Black Kettle National Grassland, in Roger Mills County, Oklahoma and Hemphill County, Texas, contains of which are in Oklahoma.
Named for the Indian leader Black Kettle, the grassland is managed by the Cibola National Forest, which also ...
is further south.
Notable people
Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Arnett include:
* Olin Branstetter, Oklahoma state legislator
*
Donald J. Gott
Donald Joseph Gott (June 3, 1923 – November 9, 1944) was a United States Army Air Forces officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Biography
Gott joine ...
(1923-1944),
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
1st Lieutenant,
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...