Terral is an agricultural town in Jefferson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 382 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1.01 percent from the figure of 386 in 2000.Jon D. May, "Terral," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed March 28, 2015.

History

Terral was founded in 1892 by John Heidelberg Dace Terral, a Texan who leased the land from a

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

woman, Emily Colbert Fleetwood, He and Hugh Schoolfield platted the townsite and began selling lots in May 1892. A post office was established August 8, 1892, with Terral himself serving as the first postmaster. The town has remained an agricultural community since its establishment. The most important crops are

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...

cantaloupe The cantaloupe, rockmelon (Australia and New Zealand, although cantaloupe is used in some states of Australia), sweet melon, or spanspek (Southern Africa) is a melon that is a variety of the muskmelon species (''Cucumis melo'') from the fami ...

s and cotton. Cattle and hog raising are also important. Livestock are usually sold in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

, to the south of Terral. The town began celebrating an annual Terral Watermelon Jubilee in July 1965.

Geography

Terral is located in southern Jefferson County at (33.896235, -97.937538), along

U.S. Route 81 U.S. Route 81 or U.S. Highway 81 (US 81) is a major north–south U.S. highway that extends for in the central United States and is one of the original United States Numbered Highways established in 1926 by the American Association of Stat ...

. It is south of Waurika, 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 ...

, and north of the Red River, the Oklahoma–

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

border. 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.

Highways

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 2000, there were 386 people, 173 households, and 102 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 226 housing units at an average density of 540.6 per square mile (207.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.90%

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 ...

, 2.85% Native American, 3.89% 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 3.37% 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 ...

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 16.32% of the population. There were 173 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 21.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $15,972, and the median income for a family was $21,563. Males had a median income of $20,893 versus $18,750 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 $9,486. About 24.5% of families and 27.7% 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 40.4% of those under age 18 and 26.6% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Towns in Jefferson County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1902