Hobart is a city in, and the
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,
Kiowa County,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, United States.
It was named for
Garret Hobart
Garret Augustus Hobart (June 3, 1844 – November 21, 1899) was the 24th vice president of the United States, Vice President of the United States, serving from 1897 until his death in 1899. He was the sixth American vice president to die in ...
, the 24th
Vice President of the United States
The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...
. The population was 3,756 at the
2010 census, a decline of 6.0 percent from the figure of 3,997 in 2000. It is served by
Hobart Regional Airport. It also has two museums: the General
Tommy Franks
Tommy Ray Franks (born 17 June 1945) is a retired general in the United States Army. His last army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States military operations in a 25-country region, including the ...
Museum and the Kiowa County Museum.
History
The present town of Hobart began almost overnight on August 6, 1901, when lots on the former Kiowa-Apache-Comanche Reservation in southern Oklahoma Territory were put up for sale. It quickly became the residence of 2,936 people, mostly living in tents. Initially, the town was nicknamed "Ragtown." Wooden structures replaced tents as fast as possible. By 1903, Hobart had electric lights, an ice plant, and some large wholesale businesses. It also had a wooden courthouse. It developed into a town whose economy was based on the production of cotton. At statehood in November 1907, Hobart had a population of 3,136.
[Taylor, Ethel Crisp]
"Hobart,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. Accessed June 16, 2015.
Hobart's population declined to 2,936 in 1920, but resumed growing for several years afterward. In 1930, the population was 4,982. In 1950, it reached a peak of 5,380. Thereafter, the town population went into a long-term decline that has continued to the present.
In the 1950 water supply in the area was improved with a series of reservoirs; the town is connected by aqueduct to
Lake Hobart
Lake Hobart, also known as Rocky Lake, is a reservoir in Washita County, Oklahoma, just to the northwest of Rocky, off U.S. Route 183 and the N2200 and N2190 roads. It is from the city of Hobart, Oklahoma
Hobart is a city in, and the county s ...
several kilometers to the north.
Geography
Hobart is located at (35.026276, -99.090876).
It is southwest 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 ...
and northwest of
Lawton
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 city has a total area of , all land.
Economy
The economy of the area around Hobart was first based on farming, with the major crops being wheat and cotton. Cattle ranching became important later. Hobart is still primarily a farm town. By the 21st century, most of the employed townspeople worked in the education, health and social services industries.
Climate
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 incl ...
of 2000, there were 3,997 people, 1,584 households, and 1,031 families residing in the city. 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 1,472.9 people per square mile (569.5/km). There were 1,979 housing units at an average density of 729.3 per square mile (282.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 80.01%
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 ...
, 8.18%
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 ...
, 4.38%
Native American, 0.60%
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 ...
, 0.10%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 3.83% 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 2.90% 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 8.91% of the population.
There were 1,584 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% 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, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,781, and the median income for a family was $35,313. Males had a median income of $24,821 versus $20,345 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 city was $13,729. About 16.4% of families and 20.0% 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 23.2% of those under age 18 and 15.2% of those age 65 or over.
Historical sites
Five of the eight NRHP-listed sites in Kiowa County are located in Hobart:
*
Downtown Hobart Historic District
The Downtown Hobart Historic District, in Hobart, Oklahoma, is a historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The district is roughly bounded by Jefferson St., 3rd, Washington, 4th, and the 200 and 50 ...
(roughly bounded by Jefferson St., 3rd, Washington, 4th, and the 200 and 500 blocks of S. Main St.)
*Kiowa County Courthouse (in Courthouse Square)
*Hobart Public Library (200 S. Main St.)
*Hobart Rock Island Depot (518 S. Main St.)
Media
FM Radio
Distant FM Radio
Newspaper
The ''Hobart Democrat-Chief'' is Hobart's oldest businesses, established August 1, 1901 and still in operation in 2020.
The town has had two other newspapers, the ''Hobart Daily Chief'' and the ''Hobart Republican''.
Notable people
*
Catharine Crozier
Catharine Pearl Crozier (January 18, 1914 in Hobart, Oklahoma – September 19, 2003 in Portland, Oregon) was a leading American concert organist and teacher.
Early life and education
Catharine Crozier was born in Hobart, Oklahoma to the Rev. ...
, organist, born in Hobart in 1914
*
Clint Lorance
Clint Allen Lorance (born December 13, 1984) is a former United States Army officer who is known for having been convicted and pardoned for war crimes.
While serving as a first lieutenant in the infantry in the War in Afghanistan with the 4th ...
, an Army officer convicted of second-degree murder for battlefield deaths and subsequently pardoned, born in Hobart
*
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish
Jeanetta Calhoun Mish (born 1961) is an American poet and served as Oklahoma's twenty-first poet laureate.
Biography
Born in Hobart, Oklahoma in 1961, Mish was educated at the University of Houston, the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, ...
, Oklahoma Poet Laureate, born in Hobart
*
Alfred P. Slaner
Alfred P. Slaner (April 10, 1918 – March 14, 1996) was an American businessman and one-time president of the Kayser-Roth, Kayser-Roth Corporation.
Biography
Slaner was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Hobart, Oklahoma. His father was ...
, textile executive, raised in Hobart
Adjacent communities
References
External links
City of Hobart Hobart Chamber of CommerceEncyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - HobartOklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian TerritoryHobart Democrat-Chief
{{authority control
Cities in Oklahoma
Cities in Kiowa County, Oklahoma
County seats in Oklahoma