Norman () is the third-largest
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in the U.S. state of
Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the
county seat of
Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the
Oklahoma City metropolitan area, behind the state capital,
Oklahoma City. It is 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of
OKC.
Norman was settled during the
Land Run of 1889
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands of former Indian Territory, which had earlier been assigned to the Creek and Seminole peoples. The area that was opened to settlement included all or part of Canad ...
, which opened the former
Unassigned Lands
The Unassigned Lands in Oklahoma were in the center of the lands ceded to the United States by the Creek (Muskogee) and Seminole Indians following the Civil War and on which no other tribes had been settled. By 1883 it was bounded by the Cher ...
of
Indian Territory to
American pioneer settlement. The city was named in honor of Abner Norman, the area's initial
land surveyor, and was formally incorporated on , 1891. Norman has prominent higher education and related research industries, as it is home to the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
, the largest university in the state, with nearly 32,000 students. The university is well known for its sporting events by teams under the banner of the nickname
"Sooners," with over 85,000 people routinely attending
football games. The university is home to several museums, including the
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, which contains the largest collection of
French Impressionist art ever given to an American university, as well as the
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.
Norman's
National Weather Center (NWC) houses a unique collection of university, state, federal, and private sector organizations that work together to improve the understanding of events related to the
Earth's atmosphere. Norman lies within
Tornado Alley, a geographic region where tornadic activity is particularly frequent and intense. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, including Norman, is the world's most tornado-prone area. The
Storm Prediction Center
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) is a US government agency that is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), operating under the control of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceani ...
(SPC), a branch of the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is at the NWC. SPC forecasts severe storm and tornado outbreaks nationwide. Additionally, research is conducted at the co-located
National Severe Storms Laboratory
The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather research laboratory under the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research. It is one of seven NOAA Research Laboratories (RLs).
NSSL ...
(NSSL), which includes field research and operates various experimental
weather radars.
History
The Oklahoma region became part of the United States with the
Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, the U.S. government began relocating the
Five Civilized Tribes
The term Five Civilized Tribes was applied by European Americans in the colonial and early federal period in the history of the United States to the five major Native American nations in the Southeast—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek ...
—the five Native American tribes that the United States officially recognized via treaty—to Oklahoma. Treaties of 1832 and 1833 assigned the area known today as Norman to the
Creek Nation
The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large group of indigenous peoples of the South ...
.
After the Civil War, the
Creeks were accused of aiding the
Confederacy; as a result they ceded the region back to the United States in 1866.
In the early 1870s, the federal government undertook a survey of these unassigned lands. Abner Ernest Norman, a 23-year-old surveyor from
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, was hired to oversee part of this project.
Norman's work crew set up camp near what is today the corner of Classen Boulevard and Lindsey Street; it was there that the men, perhaps jokingly, carved a sign on an elm tree that read "Norman's Camp," in honor of their young boss.
In 1887, the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway began service to the area,
which was later opened to settlement as part of the
Land Run of 1889
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land run into the Unassigned Lands of former Indian Territory, which had earlier been assigned to the Creek and Seminole peoples. The area that was opened to settlement included all or part of Canad ...
;
early settlers decided to keep the name "Norman."
On , 1889, that first Land Run in what would become the state of Oklahoma saw the founding of Norman, with at least 150 residents spending the night in makeshift campsites,
and by the next morning a downtown was already being constructed.
Almost immediately two prominent Norman businessmen, former Purcell railroad freight agent Delbert Larsh and railroad station chief cashier Thomas Waggoner, began lobbying for the territorial government to locate its first university in Norman.
The two were interested in growing the city and had reasoned that, rather than try to influence territorial lawmakers to locate the heavily contested territory capital in Norman, it made sense to attempt to secure the state's first university instead (a move that would be far less controversial).
On , 1890, Larsh and Waggoner were successful with the passage of Territorial Council Bill 114, establishing the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
in Norman about 18 years before Oklahoma statehood.
The City of Norman was formally incorporated on , 1891.
The new Norman was a
sundown town
Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combination of discriminator ...
. African Americans were not allowed to live within the city limits or stay overnight until the early 1960s, nor could they study at the University of Oklahoma. In 2020, the Norman City Council issued an apology.
Norman has grown throughout the decades. By 1902 the downtown district contained two banks, two hotels, a flour mill, and other businesses; by 1913 over 3,700 people lived in Norman when the
Oklahoma Railway Company
The Oklahoma Railway Company (ORy) operated interurban lines to El Reno, Guthrie, and Norman, and several streetcar lines in Oklahoma City, and the surrounding area from 1904 to 1947.
Freight traffic was also handled on the interurban lines ...
decided to extend its
interurban streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
running from Oklahoma City to
Moore into Norman, spurring additional population growth.
The rail lines eventually transitioned to freight during the 1940s as the
United States Numbered Highway
The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...
system developed. The population reached 11,429 in 1940.
With the completion of
Interstate 35 in June 1959,
[Cockerell, Penny. "50 Years: As the intersection of Interstates 35, 40, and 44, Oklahoma is at America's crossroads." ''The Daily Oklahoman'' June 29, 2006: 2A.] Norman found its role as a
bedroom community
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
to Oklahoma City increasing rapidly; in 1960 Norman's population was 33,412 but by the end of the decade had grown to 52,117.
Throughout the 1960s Norman's land mass increased by by annexing surrounding areas.
The city's growth trends have continued early in the 21st century, with the population reaching 95,694 in 2000,
110,925 in 2010,
and 128,026 in 2020.
Military in Norman
In 1941, the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
and Norman city officials established Max Westheimer Field, a university airstrip, and then leased it to the
U.S. Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...
as a Naval Flight Training Center in 1942.
It became the
Naval Air Station Norman Naval Air Station Norman is a former United States Navy air station. It was also called a Naval Flight Training Center.
The air station opened in 1942 as the navy sought to expand its training capacity during World War II. It was co-located at Uni ...
, and it was used for training combat pilots during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. A second training center, known as Naval Air Technical Training Center, and a naval hospital were later established to the south.
In the years following World War II the airstrip was transferred back to the university's control. Today the airstrip is called the
University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport
University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport (Max Westheimer Airport) is a public use airport in Norman, in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. It is owned by the University of Oklahoma. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025 cat ...
. Following the war the remaining military presence and post-war veterans who came to Norman to get an education again grew the city's population, which was 27,006 by 1950.
The Navy again utilized the bases in a lesser capacity from 1952 to 1959 in support of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
effort.
Geography
The
U.S. Census Bureau reported Norman's geographical coordinates as (35°14'26"N 97°20'43"W).
This appears to be the geographical center of the city limits, which include all of Lake Thunderbird. Virtually all of Norman's development is well to the west of this point.
As of 2010, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The center of this large incorporated area is from the center of
Oklahoma City, and separated primarily by
Moore, is in the
Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
Topography
Norman and the surrounding areas are mostly flat with an elevation near .
The terrain in the western section of Norman is prairie,
while the eastern section, including the area surrounding
Lake Thunderbird, consists of some of lakes and
Cross Timbers forest.
The lowest point within city limits is approximately above sea level (located at 35.20388N, 97.17735W).
The highest point is approximately above sea level (located at 35.21266N, 97.39000W).
Climate
Norman falls within a
temperate,
humid subtropical climate region that is identified as "Cfa" class on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
. On average Norman receives about of precipitation per year;
May and June are the wettest months.
Temperatures average for the year.
Average daytime highs range from in January to in July; average lows range from around in January to in July.
Summers can be extremely hot, as was evident in the historically hot summer of 1980, and again in 2011, when temperatures climbed above over most days from mid-June through early September
Consistent winds, averaging near and usually from the south to southeast, help to temper hotter weather during the summer and intensify cold periods during the winter.
The average growing season in Norman is 209 days, but plants that can withstand short periods of colder temperatures may have an additional three to six weeks.
Winter months tend to be cloudier than those in summer, with the percentage of possible sunshine ranging from an average of about 55% in winter to nearly 80% in summer.
Norman lies within
Tornado Alley,
the region of the United States where tornadic activity is most frequent.
The city has a tornado season lasting from March through June, with over 80% of all reported tornadoes occurring during these months. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, including Norman, is the most tornado-prone area in the United States.
There have been several tornado events in recent years. On May 10, 2010, a tornado outbreak occurred in southeastern Norman that resulted in the loss of multiple homes and businesses. On April 13, 2012 Norman was struck by a weak tornado. On May 6, 2015, the northwestern part of Norman was hit by a weak tornado.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 110,925 people, 44,661 households, and 24,913 families residing within the city.
By population, Norman was the third-largest city in Oklahoma
and the
225th-largest city in the United States. The population density was 616 people per square mile (208.7/km).
The racial makeup of the city was 84.7% White, 4.3% African American, 4.7%
Native American, 3.8%
Asian, 0.1%
Pacific Islander, 1.9% from other races, and 5.5% from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.4% of the population.
Of the 44,661 households, 25.0% had children under the age of 18, 41.5% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families.
Individuals living alone made up 30.7% of all households; 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.94.
The age distribution was 5.8% under the age of 5, 5.7% from 5 to 9, 5.2% from 10 to 14, 8.9% from 15 to 19, 16.0% from 20 to 24, 9.0% from 25 to 29, 6.6% from 30 to 34, 5.6% from 35 to 39, 5.3% from 40 to 44, 5.9% from 45 to 49, 5.9% from 50 to 54, 5.4% from 55 to 59, 4.6% from 60 to 64, 3.2% from 65 to 69, 2.3% from 70 to 74, 1.8% from 75 to 79, 1.4% from 80 to 84, and 1.3% over 85 years of age.
The median age was 29.6 years.
Males
Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization.
A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...
made up 49.7% of the population while
females
Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...
made up 50.3%.
The median household income in the city was $44,396, and the median income for a family was $62,826.
Males had a median income of $41,859 versus $35,777 for females.
The per capita income for the city was $24,586.
About 11.8% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Although religious information is not collected by the U.S. census, according to a 2000 survey by Dale E. Jones of the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 50.2% of the population in Norman is affiliated with a religious institution.
Of those 43.6% were
Southern Baptist, 15.0%
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, 13.0%
United Methodist, 3.3%
Assembly of God
The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...
, 2.8%
Churches of Christ, 2.1% Latter-day Saint (
Mormon), 2.1%
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
The group of churches known as the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ is a fellowship of congregations within the Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement and the Reformation of the 19th Century) that have no forma ...
, 1.9%
Disciples of Christ, 1.7%
Presbyterian Church, and 14.6% other
Christian denominations or religions.
Economy
The
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
employs over 11,600 personnel across three campuses, making it a significant driver of Norman's economy.
The campus is a center for scientific and technological research, having contributed over $277 million to such programs in 2009.
Norman is also home of the
National Weather Center, a cooperative research effort between the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that houses a number of weather- and
climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...
-related organizations;
the city is also the location of the National Weather Museum & Science Center. As a result of this ongoing academic and public weather research, several private
meteorological businesses are present in the city, including Weathernews Americas, Inc., Vieux and Associates, Inc.,
Verisk Analytics, Pivotal Weather, and
DTN (formerly Weather Decision Technologies).
In addition to weather, Norman is a center for other scientific ventures, public and private. The Oklahoma Geological Survey, which conducts geological research, and the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council, which is a public-private alliance that fosters
renewable energy technology with the aim of establishing more viable applications, make the city their home. Southwest NanoTechnologies is a producer of single-walled
carbon nanotubes. Bergey Windpower is a supplier of
small wind turbines.
Other major employers in the city include Norman Regional Health System,
Norman Public Schools,
Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls International is an American
Irish-domiciled multinational conglomerate headquartered in Cork, Ireland, that produces fire, HVAC, and security equipment for buildings. As of mid-2019, it employed 105,000 people in around 2,00 ...
, Griffin Memorial Hospital,
Hitachi,
Astellas Pharma
is a Japanese multinational pharmaceutical company, formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of and . On February 5, 2020, the company announced management changes effective from April 1, 2020.
Astellas is a member of the Mitsubishi UFJ Fina ...
Technologies, Albon Engineering, Xyant Technology,
MSCI
MSCI Inc. is an American finance company headquartered in New York City. MSCI is a global provider of equity, fixed income, real estate indexes, multi-asset portfolio analysis tools, ESG and climate products. It operates the MSCI World, MSCI ...
,
SITEL, the
United States Postal Service National Center for Employee Development,
Sysco Corporation, and
AT&T.
University North Park, a
lifestyle center
A lifestyle center (American English), or lifestyle centre (Commonwealth English), is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented toward ...
with planned development on over of land,
is on 24th Ave NW along the
I-35 corridor between Robinson Street and Tecumseh Road. Begun in 2006, the project will feature of parks, offices, and high-end retail once completed.
In 2008,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
's ''
Money Magazine'' ranked Norman as the sixth best small city within the United States to live in, the highest ranking of any city in Oklahoma.
Fair trade
In 2010, Norman became the 17th city in the United States to adopt a council resolution giving it status as a
Fair Trade Town.
The resolution states that the city of Norman supports the purchasing of goods from the local community; when goods cannot be purchased locally the city will support buying from producers abroad who meet Fair Trade standards.
These standards include supporting quality of life in developing countries and planning for environmental sustainability.
Top employers
According to the Norman's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,
the top employers in the city are:
Culture
Museums and theater
Norman enjoys many cultural attractions that are funded by the university. The
Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art made national and international news in 2000 when it was given the Weitzenhoffer Collection, the largest collection of
French Impressionist art ever given to an American university.
The collection includes works by
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...
,
Claude Monet
Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. Durin ...
,
Vincent van Gogh,
Paul Gauguin,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and
Camille Pissarro.
The
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is a museum containing over of exhibits ranging from
archaeology,
paleontology,
ethnology
Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...
,
herpetology,
ornithology, and
Native American studies. Its exhibits are intended to immerse visitors in the state's long history. The museum features many complete collections of
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
fossils and is also noted for its
Paleozoic collection, considered to be one of the largest and most important in existence.
The
Moore-Lindsay House is a
Queen Anne-style home built prior to 1900 by prominent Norman
home builder William Moore;
it was purchased by the city of Norman in 1973 and today serves as the city and
Cleveland County's historical museum.
Located at 508 N. Peters, the Moore-Lindsay House's architecture is representative of Norman during the
Victorian era.
The Cleveland County Historical Society maintains a collection of over 5,000 rare books, documents, and other artifacts in its archives located inside the house.
Catlett Music Center at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
features many orchestral and jazz performances and the
Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts' Schools of Dance, Drama, and Musical Theatre offer many student programs throughout the year.
The city is also home to many privately funded galleries and performance sites.
Community events
Norman hosts many free festivals and community events that occur throughout the year.
The Norman Medieval Fair is a celebration of
medieval-themed games, art, and culture, with highlights of jousting, human chessmatch combats & other combat shows, and several musical & dance acts. The event is typically held during the last weekend of March or first weekend of April in Reaves Park, near the university. It has been held annually in Norman since 1976 and was originally a forum for the English Department at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
. It is the largest weekend event held in the state of
Oklahoma, with over 325,000 people in attendance in 2006 and growing yearly. Events Media Network has named Medieval Fair one of the top 100 events in the United States.
Norman Music Festival is an annual weekend music festival held in April in downtown Norman. Established in 2008, the event had over 26,000 people in attendance during the 2009 festival. Originally a one-day event, the festival has quickly grown so large that it is now an all-weekend concert series. The festival highlights both local musicians and internationally acclaimed artists and features many forms and styles of music.
Groovefest is a music festival hosted annually at Andrews Park. On the last Sunday in September, the music festival is held to help raise awareness about human rights. The event was established in 1986 by the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
chapter of
Amnesty International.
The Chocolate Festival, the only fundraiser of the year for the city's Firehouse Arts Center, was ranked #3 for food festivals across America by the Food Network. This festival offers various chocolate tasting sessions, chocolate art competitions and exhibits, chocolate dessert competitions and more. It has been an annual tradition since 1983.
The National Weather Festival takes place at the
National Weather Service every fall, featuring
food trucks
A food truck is a large motorized vehicle (such as a van) or trailer, equipped to cook, prepare, serve, and/or sell food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell frozen or prepackaged food; others have on-board kitchens and prepare food from scratc ...
,
weather balloon launches, educational booths, and meet-and-greets with local
meteorologists
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...
.
Jazz in June is a music festival held the last full weekend in June at various venues across Norman. The festival features both
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and blues musical performances as well as jazz educational
clinics
A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care need ...
taught by professional musicians appearing in the festival and post-concert jam sessions at local venues which bring headliners and local artists together. Jazz in June, one of the major cultural events in the state as well as the City of Norman, attracts a combined concert audience of 50,000 drawn from throughout the state, region and nation. Another 100,000 or more enjoy these same performances through post-festival broadcasts on KGOU Public Radio as well as other public radio stations throughout the state, region and nation.
May Fair is an
arts festival held every year during the first weekend in May at Andrews Park. It features top area performers, fine art, crafts, and food.
Summer Breeze Concert Series is a series of concerts held from Spring to Fall at various park venues across Norman. The series is sponsored by the Performing Arts Studio.
Midsummer Nights' Fair is a nighttime
arts festival held during two evenings in June. The fair features art, music, and food and is held outside the Firehouse Art Center located in Lions Park.
The Norman Mardi Gras parade is a celebration of
Mardi Gras occurring on the Saturday closest to
Fat Tuesday. The parade is held in downtown Norman and features themed costumes and
floats.
The Main Street Christmas Holiday Parade is a celebration of Christmas and the
holiday season held every December in downtown Norman. The parade features holiday-themed costumes and
floats.
Sports
The University of Oklahoma sponsors many collegiate sporting events in Norman. The school is well known for its
football program, having won seven
NCAA Division I National Football Championships.
In addition, it has the best winning percentage of any
Division I FBS team since the introduction of the
AP Poll in 1936 and has played in four
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
s since 1998.
During football season, the Oklahoma Sooners football program contributes significantly to Norman's economy. During game day weekends, Norman sees an influx out of town traffic from all over the country with over 80,000 people routinely attending
football games. Norman's local businesses, especially areas around campus and Campus Corner, benefit greatly from the game day traffic alone. The program ranks in the top 10 of ESPN's top college football money-makers with home games generating revenues at approximately $59 million and game day operating expenses at about $6.1 million.
In 1951 and 1994 its baseball team won the
NCAA national championship, and the women's softball team won the national championship in 2000, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2022. The men's and women's
gymnastic
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...
s teams have won ten national championships since 2001.
Other university men's sports include: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, football, Ultimate Frisbee, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.
The OU Sooners men's hockey team competes in the American College Hockey Association, at the "club" level, but has yet to apply for higher-level play. Due to the lack of a rink in Norman, the team plays at the Blazers Ice Centre in south Oklahoma City. Women's sports include: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, football, Ultimate Frisbee, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
The
Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA), a non-profit professional association of men's collegiate golf coaches, is located in Norman.
Parks and recreation
Norman's Parks and Recreation Department facilitates 55 neighborhood and community parks, three recreation centers, a golf course and driving range, three disc golf courses, a complete swim complex with waterslides, a wading pool, 32 tennis courts, and three special services centers (that offer cultural arts and senior citizen activities). Griffin Community Park Sports Complex includes 16 soccer fields, 14 baseball/softball fields, and four football fields.
Law and government
A
council-manager government has been in place in Norman since the adoption of its
city charter
A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document ('' charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Traditionally the granting of a charte ...
on , 1919.
A
councilor from each of the city's eight council
wards is elected to office every two years, each serving a two-year term. Councilors are elected from their own respective wards based on a
plurality voting system; a councilor from each ward serves on the Norman
City Council. A mayor is elected by the entire voting population of Norman and serves as an
at-large councilor; the mayor serves a three-year term. As a whole, the council acts as the legislative body of city government; it aims to pass laws, approve the city budget, and manage efficiency in the government. The City Council appoints a professional
City Manager who is responsible for the city's day-to-day administrative activities.
The City of Norman has approximately 650 employees working in 11 departments and 31 boards and commissions that help oversee and implement the city's policies and services.
The City Council meets biweekly in
City Hall, at 201 W. Gray Street; various boards and commissions meet in accordance with their own schedules.
The mayor is Larry Heikkila (elected in 2022), and the city manager is Darrel Pyle (appointed in 2019). In accordance with the charter of the city of Norman, all city elected positions are
nonpartisan.
*Thomas B. Wagoner, circa 1889
*Pryor Adkins, circa 1894
*?
*N.E. Sharp, circa 1912
*?
*T. Jack Foster, circa 1929
*?
*Al Fuzzell, circa 1952–1953
*H. W. Masters, circa 1954
*Jack Milton, circa 1955
*James F. Long, circa 1956
*June Tompkins Benson, 1957–1960
*?
*William S. Morgan, circa 1967
*Gordon D. Masters 1969–1972
*Bill Nations, 1992–1998
*Bob Thompson, 1998–2001
*Ron Henderson, 2001–2004
*Harold Haralson, circa 2005
*Cindy Simon Rosenthal, circa 2007–2016
*Lynne Miller, 2016–2019
*Breea Clark, 2019–2022
*Larry Heikkila, 2022-present
Municipal and state laws are enforced by the
Norman Police Department
Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...
. The police department consists of up to 171 commissioned officers and 71 office employees and is Oklahoma's third-largest police department.
The city serves as the
county seat of
Cleveland County.
Education
Higher education
Colleges and universities
The
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
is the largest university in the state of Oklahoma, with approximately 30,000 students enrolled.
The university was founded in 1890, prior to Oklahoma statehood.
The university includes both Norman and
Oklahoma City campuses with the main campus located in Norman.
In 2007, ''
The Princeton Review'' named the University of Oklahoma one of its "Best Value" colleges. The school is ranked first per capita among public universities in enrollment of
National Merit Scholars
and has seen 28
Rhodes Scholars graduate since the program's inception in 1902.
PC Magazine and the Princeton Review rated it one of the "20 Most Wired Colleges" in both 2006 and 2008, while the
Carnegie Foundation classifies it as a
research university with "highest research activity."
The school is well known for its athletic programs, having won many awards including seven
NCAA Division I National Football Championships.
CareerTech
The city of Norman is served by the
Moore Norman Technology Center. The school was established in 1972 and has been awarded the Oklahoma Association of Technology Center's Gold Star School Award on multiple occasions. The Franklin Road Campus consists of six buildings totaling of classroom, meeting, and office space.
The school has a full-time staff of 207.
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Public school districts in Oklahoma are independent of other local governments. Several districts overlap the municipal boundaries of the City of Norman.
Norman Public Schools is the largest district serving Norman; there are 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools in the district. More than 17,000 students are enrolled in the district, making it one of the largest in the state.
Noble Public Schools is a school district that serves southeastern portions of Norman, the adjoining cities of
Noble and
Slaughterville
Slaughterville is a town in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and located in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,137.
The community is made up of mostly homes on acreages so it has reta ...
, and parts of
Cleveland County. It consists of two elementary schools, an intermediate school, a middle school, and a high school.
Little Axe Public Schools serves the eastern area of Norman. It consists of an elementary, junior, and high school.
Other school districts with territory within the city are the Robin Hill Public School District and the
Moore Public School District.
Private schools
Several private schools also serve the area:
*All Saints Catholic School – pre-kindergarten through 8th grade
*Blue Eagle Christian Academy – kindergarten through 10th grade
*Community Christian School – kindergarten through 12th grade
*Norman Christian Academy – pre-kindergarten through 7th grade
*Robinson Street Academy – kindergarten through 12th grade
*Rose Rock School – pre-kindergarten through kindergarten
*Terra Verde Discovery School – kindergarten through 5th grade
*Trinity Lutheran School – pre-kindergarten through 6th grade
*Veritas Classical Christian Academy – pre-kindergarten through 12th grade
Libraries
Norman is served by three public libraries, Norman Public Library Central, Norman Public Library East, and Norman Public Library West, all of which are part of the 12-branch
Pioneer Library System
The Pioneer Library System (PLS) is a public library system that serves residents in the central Oklahoma counties of Cleveland, Pottawatomie and McClain with administrative offices in Norman. Additionally, the system also allows those ser ...
which serves the entirety of
Cleveland County,
McClain County and
Pottawatomie County in Central Oklahoma.
The library has a reciprocal agreement with the
Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma City through which those eligible for a library card in one system are also eligible in the other.
Cardholders are also able to borrow books unavailable in the PLS collection through the use of Interlibrary Loan. Books can be reserved and shipped to a local library free of charge. In addition to books, the library maintains a collection of periodicals, DVD videos, audio books, e-books and research materials.
The
Bizzell Memorial Library at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
is the largest library in the state of Oklahoma, containing more than five million volumes.
In addition to books, the library maintains over in length of manuscripts and archives, 1.6 million photographs, and more than 1.5 million maps.
The library also houses more than 50 books printed before the year 1500.
Media
''
The Norman Transcript'' is the most widely circulated Norman-based newspaper in the city. It is a daily newspaper covering events in Cleveland and McClain counties. It is the oldest continuous business in Norman and was founded shortly after the
Land Run of April 1889 on , 1889.
''
The Oklahoma Daily'' is a student-run newspaper at the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
. It was first published in 1897, several years after the university's founding. The paper has received numerous awards for journalism excellence including the
Associated Collegiate Press'
Pacemaker Award
The National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the "Pulitzer ...
.
KGOU
KGOU is a National Public Radio member news/talk/jazz music/blues music radio station serving the Oklahoma City area, western and northwestern Oklahoma, and towns in Pontotoc, Seminole and Grady counties. is a full-service public radio station licensed to the University of Oklahoma. The station serves Norman and the greater
Oklahoma City metropolitan area with a news/talk/jazz format, using programs from
National Public Radio,
Public Radio International, and others.
Norman TV is a
government-access television
Government-access television (GATV) is a type of specialty television channel created by government entities (generally local governments) and broadcast over cable TV systems or, in some cases, over-the-air broadcast television stations. GATV pr ...
station airing on Cox Communications cable television channel 20. It broadcasts programming provided by the City of Norman, including video from
city council meetings.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Airports
Scheduled air transport
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...
, major commercial air transportation is available at
Will Rogers World Airport
Will Rogers World Airport , Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is a passenger airport located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the city's downtown area. It is a civil-military airport ...
in
Oklahoma City, located approximately northwest of Norman. The airport serves more than 3.78 million passengers per year.
Norman is served locally by
Max Westheimer Airport, a
general aviation airport run by the University of Oklahoma. The airport is one of only two airports in the
Oklahoma City metropolitan area designated as a
reliever airport
A relief airport or reliever airport is an airport that is built or designated to provide relief or additional capacity to an area when the primary commercial airport(s) requires additional capacity, on a long-term or temporary basis. Reliever a ...
to Will Rogers World Airport. Max Westheimer Airport is capable of handling aircraft up through and including executive class jet aircraft.
Buses
The
Cleveland Area Rapid Transit, operated by the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
, provides bus service throughout the Norman area.
CART also provides service to the
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify ...
offices in
Moore, as well as to
Oklahoma City's
EMBARK
Embark is a Sri Lankan animal rescue and welfare organization. Since 2007, Embark has been conducting rescues, adoptions, sterilizations, vaccinations, education programmes and advocacy campaigns for the welfare of homeless dogs, cats and other ...
transit hub downtown.
EMBARK maintains a fleet of buses and
trolleys serving the greater Oklahoma City area, with a new light-rail system expected to begin operations in 2018. All service to
Will Rogers World Airport
Will Rogers World Airport , Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is a passenger airport located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the city's downtown area. It is a civil-military airport ...
is not currently available.
In 2008, CART became the 39th public transportation system in the United States to be featured on
Google Transit, a website that allows transportation users to electronically plan their travel routes. In 2010, CART buses were modified to include a
GPS tracking
A GPS tracking unit, geotracking unit, satellite tracking unit, or simply tracker is a navigation device normally on a vehicle, asset, person or animal that uses satellite navigation to determine its movement and determine its WGS84 UTM g ...
system that allows riders to see the location of buses and their predicted arrival times via the CART and Google websites. CART buses transport more than 1.3 million travelers annually.
Rail
Inter-city
passenger train service is available via
Amtrak at
Norman Depot. Amtrak's ''
Heartland Flyer'' provides daily round trip service to downtown Oklahoma City and
Fort Worth, Texas.
Although Norman currently has no
light rail or
commuter rail service, there is growing interest in incorporating such services into the city's future transportation plans as part of the Oklahoma City metro area's regional transit system.
Roads and highways
The predominant form of transportation in Norman is roads and highways with 80.0% of all residents driving alone to work, 9.0% carpooling, and just 1.3% taking public transportation. As of 2007,
Interstate 35 alone was handling over 99,000 vehicles per day. Other major highways include
State Highway 9, a portion of which serves 28,000 vehicles per day, and
U.S. Highway 77, which serves more than 25,000 vehicles per day.
Norman is served by two major federal highways:
*
Interstate 35
*
U.S. Highway 77
Norman is served by two major Oklahoma state highways:
*
State Highway 9
*
State Highway 77H
Norman is also connected to the planned South Loop Turnpike via the Norman Spur Turnpike, which follows State Highway 9 from a point west of Interstate 35 to the H.E. Bailey Turnpike (Interstate 44) south of Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. Plans are going forward to connect the Norman Spur to Airport Road (Oklahoma 152) in Oklahoma City and to the north to the existing John Kilpatrick Turnpike that ends just south of Interstate 40 near Yukon and moving north across the north side of Oklahoma City to the Turner Turnpike to Tulsa. The expansion will allow Norman residents a high-speed, limited-access route to the west without having to enter the heavily trafficked areas of Oklahoma City. Future plans call for an extension east and north of the Turnpike to connect Norman directly to Interstate 40 east and the Turner Turnpike to Tulsa, greatly reducing travel times for residents because they will be able to avoid Oklahoma City's traffic in all directions except for northbound Interstate 35.
Utilities
Electric utility companies servicing Norman include
Oklahoma Gas & Electric, which is headquartered in Oklahoma City, and Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (a
utility cooperative).
Natural gas is provided by
Oklahoma Natural Gas.
The city's Utility Department offers water, wastewater, and recycling services to parts of the city as well as solid waste pickup citywide.
Telephone networks, broadband internet, and cable television service are available from several companies including
Cox Communications and
AT&T.
Drinking water controversy
In a study published in 2007, the
National Institutes of Health deemed
hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium (chromium(VI), Cr(VI), chromium 6) is chromium in any chemical compound that contains the element in the +6 oxidation state (thus hexavalent). Virtually all chromium ore is processed via hexavalent chromium, specifically the ...
VI (chromium-6) to be a likely carcinogen in lab animals when consumed in large quantities (>62.5ppm) in drinking water.
The
EPA does not currently require testing for or set limits on chromium-6 levels in American cities' water supplies (but it does require total chromium-3 and chromium-6 levels not exceed 100 ppb). The official total chromium-3/chromium-6 level present in Norman's drinking water has ranged from 20 to 80 ppb.
It has been proposed that the source of the chromium-6 is the Garber-Wellington
Aquifer, which is known to have elevated levels of
heavy metals.
The issue of chromium-6 levels gained national attention with the 2000 film release of ''
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (née Pattee; born June 22, 1960) is an American legal clerk, consumer advocate, and environmental activist who, despite her lack of education in the law, was instrumental in building a case against Pacific Gas & Electric Compan ...
'', which detailed a California woman's legal fight against
Pacific Gas and Electric Company for allegedly contaminating her hometown with excessive levels of the element.
In the past the Norman water supply has also been criticized for the presence of excessive levels of
arsenic. The city is attempting to combat this problem by building new
wells and removing older ones.
Health systems
Norman Regional Health System is a multi-campus system that provides medical services in Norman and throughout south central Oklahoma.
Its
Porter Avenue campus, located north of downtown Norman, is a 337-bed
general hospital providing a wide range of services including
acute care.
In October 2009, the Norman Regional HealthPlex campus opened in west Norman.
It provides a 152-bed facility specializing in
cardiology
Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...
, cardiovascular services, as well as women's and children's services.
Notable people
Neighborhoods
Norman has a wide variety of neighborhoods. Downtown Norman is an area of approximately bounded by University Blvd., Symmes St., Porter Ave., and Daws St.; primary streets include Main St. and Gray St.
The area consists of restaurants, art galleries, and other businesses;
it is home to some of the oldest buildings in Oklahoma.
Hall Park is an area northeast of downtown Norman that was originally an independent township; in 2005 it was
annexed into Norman, becoming one of its neighborhoods.
The area is home to many middle-class suburban homes and is historically important in that it was advertised as the United States' first "all-electric town."
President
Ronald Reagan, then an executive with
General Electric, attended Hall Park's grand opening ceremonies in 1962 where he was named the town's honorary first mayor.
The
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
and the area surrounding it are home to many historically significant neighborhoods.
The university itself has a unique
Gothic-inspired architecture known as "Cherokee Gothic," so named by architect
Frank Lloyd Wright. Churches and houses in the surrounding neighborhoods can be described as
neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
or
Queen Anne in style. Norman has two city-designated
historic preservation districts in the area: the Miller Historic District, bounded by Symmes St., Classen Blvd., and Miller Ave.;
and the Chautauqua Historic District, bounded by Symmes St., Brooks St., Chautauqua Ave., and Lahoma Ave.
Both of these residential neighborhoods contain houses designed from a mixture of architectural styles dating from 1903 to 1935, with the majority of the Miller neighborhood being of the
Bungalow or
American Craftsman style homes.
Any external changes or repairs to homes in these areas must be approved by the Norman Historic Preservation Commission.
The area immediately north of the university is known as
Campus Corner and contains a mixture of businesses, bars, and restaurants. The neighborhoods to the east of the campus are home to many students, both in residential housing and high-rise condos/apartments.
Norman enjoys many tree-lined landscapes, participating in the ReLeaf Norman and
Tree City USA programs.
Twin towns – sister cities
In accordance with
Sister Cities International, an organization that began under President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, Norman has been given four international sister cities in an attempt to foster cross-cultural understanding:
*
Arezzo,
Tuscany, Italy
*
Clermont-Ferrand,
Puy-de-Dôme, France
*
Colima, Col., Mexico
*
Seika
is a form of ''ikebana''. Written with the same ''kanji'' characters, it is also pronounced and known as ''Shōka''.
History
The painter Sōami and the art patron and ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimasa were supporters of the style as early as ...
,
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
, Japan
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links
*
*
Norman Convention & Visitor's BureauNorman's who's who website
{{Authority control
Cities in Oklahoma
Cities in Cleveland County, Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1889
Artist colonies
1889 establishments in Indian Territory
Sundown towns in Oklahoma