Stratford is a town in Garvin 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. Prior to Oklahoma statehood in 1907, the town existed under different names and was in the

Chickasaw Nation The Chickasaw Nation (Chickasaw language, Chickasaw: Chikashsha I̠yaakni) is a federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe, with its headquarters located in Ada, Oklahoma in th ...

in a geographic region known as

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 ...

. Peach orchards abound in and around the town. As of the 2020 census, the town’s population was 1,405.

History

Stratford was originally the town of McGee, which was established in 1891.Robinson, Richard Duane
"Stratford,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 25, 2015. At the time, it was part of

Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation Pickens County was a political subdivision of the Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory from 1855, prior to Oklahoma being admitted as a state in 1907. The county was one of four that comprised the Chickasaw Nation. Following statehood, its terr ...

in an unorganized geographic region of the United States known as

Lough, D. Keith
"Garvin County,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 25, 2015. In 1906 the Oklahoma Central Railroad built the railroad two miles south of McGee. The town placed its buildings on wagons and wheeled them down to the train tracks. The new town was first named Walling, but by October 1906 the name was changed to Stratford. Stratford is known as the Peach Capital of the World and holds its Peach Festival, annual

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

, and car show the third Saturday each July. The festival has been held since 1976, while the rodeo dates back to 1936.

Geography

Stratford is situated approximately halfway between

Pauls Valley Pauls Valley is a city in and the county seat of Garvin County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,992 at the 2020 census, a decline of 3.2 percent from the figure of 6,187 in 2010. It was settled by and named for Smith Paul, a North ...

and

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

along State Highway 19, where it intersects U.S. Highway 177. 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. Stratford lies in a part of Oklahoma known for hills of 250 to , oak forests and flat, fertile plains. There are more than 400 acres of peach orchards in and around the town. Stratford has frequent variations in weather daily and seasonally, except during the consistently hot summer months. Consistent winds during the summer help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods.

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 2010, there were 1,525 people, 609 households, and 408 families residing in the town. There were 728 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 78.3%

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 ...

, 0.5%

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 ...

, 15.5% Native American, 0.9% 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 4.3% 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 ...

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 2.7% of the population. There were 609 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% 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, 16.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 15, 12.9% from 15 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $23,581, and the median income for a family was $28,690. Males had a median income of $29,118 versus $22,629 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 $14,141. About 31.9% of families and 27.8% 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 46.0% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

B. Kevin Turner B. Kevin Turner (born April 3, 1965) is an American businessman and investor who is currently the chairman of Zayo Group and the vice chairman of Albertsons/Safeway Inc. From 2016 to 2017, he was the vice chairman of Citadel LLC and CEO of Ci ...

, former COO of

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

and

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

executive

References

External links