Goodwell is a town in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,293 at the 2010 census. Goodwell is home to

Oklahoma Panhandle State University Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU) is a public college in Goodwell, Oklahoma. OPSU is a baccalaureate degree-granting institution. General governance of the institution is provided by the Board of Regents of the Oklahoma Agricultural and ...

History

In 1901, Goodwell was established as a switch along the

Chicago and Rock Island Railroad (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The switch was named Goodwell because a "good well" was found there. In 1903, Goodwell was established and celebrated its centennial in 2003. In 1909, the ''Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute'' was established in Goodwell. Its name was changed to ''Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College'' (PAMC) in 1921, then to ''Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science'' in 1967, then to its current name of

in 1974. The No Man's Land Museum was established in 1932 as a project of the science department at Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1933, the No Man's Land Historical Society was established and took control of the museum. On June 24, 2012, two

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pac ...

trains collided head-on and caught on fire about east of Goodwell. Three Union Pacific employees on the two trains died. One survivor of the crash escaped injury by leaping from the train when he saw a crash was imminent.

Geography

Goodwell is located at . 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

As of the 2010 census Goodwell had a population of 1293. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 70.6% non-Hispanic white, 8.2% African American, 2.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Hawaiian Native, 3.1% reporting two or more races and 17.5% Hispanic or Latino.2010 census report for Goodwell, Oklahoma] 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 2000, there were 1,192 people, 407 households, and 221 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 478 housing units at an average density of 402.5 per square mile (155.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.84%

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 ...

, 3.27%

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 ...

, 2.10% Native American, 0.92%

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 ...

, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 4.53% from

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 1.26% from two or more races. 8.64% of the population were

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 ...

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. There were 407 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 46.1% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 11.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $42,708. Males had a median income of $24,000 versus $20,750 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 $12,531. 26.6% of the population and 18.1% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 32.2% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

References

External links