Jenks is a city in

Tulsa County Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the secon ...

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, and a suburb of

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, in the northeastern part of the state. It is situated between the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

and

U.S. Route 75 U.S. Route 75 is a major north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. Highway that extends in the central United States. The highway's northern terminus is in Noyes, Minnesota, at the Canada–United States border, Canadian border, wh ...

. Jenks is one of the fastest-growing cities in Oklahoma. The city's population was 16,924 in the 2010 census, but by 2020, this had grown to 25,949. The Census estimated Jenks' population as 26,661 in 2021.

History

Jenks began in 1904 as a community site established by the

Midland Valley Railroad The Midland Valley Railroad (MV) was a railroad company incorporated on June 4, 1903 for the purpose of building a line from Hope, Arkansas, through Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma to Wichita, Kansas. It was backed by C. Jared Ingersoll, a Philadelph ...

between

and Muskogee, alongside the

. Though the river could only be utilized by shallow draft

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s while the water level was up, these two transportation routes proved vital to Jenks' early development. Jenks was named after William Henry Jenks the owner and director of the

. According to a 1957 article in the ''Tulsa Tribune'', an agent for the townsite company was told by the railroad home office to name a town for the director.Davidson, Bridget. ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''. "Jenks.

The town was officially platted on July 15, 1905. Also in 1905, a major

petroleum Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...

discovery was made, further bolstering the economy of the area. The "

Glenn Pool The discovery of the Glenn Pool Oil Reserve in 1905 brought the first major oil pipelines into Oklahoma, and instigated the first large scale oil boom in the state. Located near what was—at the time—the small town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the r ...

" oil well and subsequent oil claims brought many business people to the general area. In 1906, many

oil depot An oil terminal (also called a tank farm, tankfarm, oil installation or oil depot) is an industrial facility for the storage of oil, petroleum and petrochemical products, and from which these products are transported to end users or other stora ...

s (also known as "tank farms") were constructed in Jenks. By the time of statehood, Jenks had 465 inhabitants. As oil production waned, tank farms were dismantled, and agriculture became once again a major contributor to the Jenks economy. The economy of the area was further improved in the 1920s when many

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

families immigrated to the area to farm. These immigrants established many vegetable farms. From 1904 through the 1950s, Jenks experienced many floods from the overflow of the

and Polecat Creek. In the 1920s and 1930s, floods were severe. During one flood in the late 1920s, the water was so deep that it completely covered every building but the roof of the three-story-high school. Everyone was evacuated except two men and one woman. They had one shotgun, one small boat, food and a tent on top of the school. They guarded the remains of Jenks for several weeks until the water receded. In 1948, the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

built a

levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...

around Jenks, and the community subsequently grew as a result of the increased safety and security. There was another threat of severe flooding in 1986, when severe rainstorms upstream along the Arkansas River forced the Corps of Engineers to release as much as 300,000 cubic feet per second from the Keystone Dam into the river. This caused a mandatory evacuation order in Jenks and several other river communities.Palmer, Griff and Bobby Trammell. "Tulsa Area Residents Move Out As Corps Releases Record Flood."
NewsOK. October 5, 1986. Retrieved May 29, 2014. Jenks has served as a river crossing point via several bridges over the past century. In 1910, a single-lane bridge was built and strengthened the economic success of the area. The year 1948 saw the construction of a replacement two-lane bridge, which still stands today and now serves as a pedestrian crossing between the Riverwalk and the South Tulsa River Parks. The original 1910 bridge was destroyed and all that is left are a few columns and pieces of metal that are seen when the water level is low. A four-lane bridge was built in 1996. The current

High School A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

building was built in 1960-61 and has undergone three major additions. The United States Census of 1970 placed the population of the city at 1,990 and there were approximately 1100 students in public school. In the 1970s, the Tulsa water system was expanded into Jenks. That decade also saw the construction of a nearby Public Service of Oklahoma gas-fired electric power plant. These developments improved the infrastructure of the area and helped the economy. In the 1980s,

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

built a manufacturing facility that provides many jobs for the area to this day.

Geography

Jenks is located at (36.010276, -95.979850). According to th
United States Census Bureau
the city has a total area of , of which is land and (3.69%) is water.

Demographics

2000 census

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 9,557 people, 3,451 households, and 2,757 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 666.2 people per square mile (257.3/km²). There were 3,592 housing units at an average density of 250.4 per square mile (96.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.39%

European American European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent Eu ...

, 1.58%

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 ...

, 4.74% Native American, 0.81%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 1.73% 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 3.74% 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 4.12% of the population. There were 3,451 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.0% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $54,637, and the median income for a family was $61,050. Males had a median income of $42,148 versus $28,419 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 $22,804. About 2.6% of families and 4.6% 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 6.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of th
2010 census
there were 16,924 people, 5,954 households, and 4,753 families residing in the city. The

was 988.1 people per square mile (381.4/km²). There were 6,395 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 82.8%

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 ...

, 2.8%

, 5.5% Native American, 2.3%

, 0.002%

, 1.8% from

, and 4.8% from two or more races.

of any race were 4.8% of the population.

Community and tourism

Popular tourist draws include the

Oklahoma Aquarium __NOTOC__ The Oklahoma Aquarium is public aquarium built in 2002 and opened on May 28, 2003, in Jenks, a southern suburb of Tulsa. Exhibit The Oklahoma Aquarium is home to the world's largest exhibit of bull sharks which you can explore in ...

(the state's only freestanding aquarium) and Jenks’ downtown shops including boutiques, restaurants, and the Antiques and Arts District. Jenks Aquarium

Jenks was named the “Antique Capital of Oklahoma” by the former first lady of Oklahoma, Shirley Bellmon, and the many stores that call Main Street home keep that tradition going. Visitors can park and walk all day browsing vintage wares alongside new and repurposed offerings. Spring days are perfect for enjoying the sunshine and admiring the flower pots full of tulips, provided by the Jenks Garden Club. A pedestrian bridge links the Jenks riverfront area with the

Riverparks walking trail on the East side of the river. Another one of Jenks' main attractions is the high school football team, which has won 14 state championships, including six consecutive from 1996 to 2001. The Trojans have sent many players to the collegiate level in the last 15 years, including

Rocky Calmus Rocky Ayres Calmus (born August 1, 1979) is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the early 2000s. He played college football for the Uni ...

(Oklahoma/Tennessee Titans), Sean Mahan (Notre Dame/Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jason Lohr (Nebraska), Jason Carter (Oklahoma),

Garrett Mills Michael Garrett Mills (born October 12, 1983) is a former American football tight end. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tulsa. Mills also played for the Minnes ...

(Tulsa/Minnesota Vikings), Chase Beeler (Stanford), Bryan Pickryl (Texas), Kejuan Jones (Oklahoma), Jay Henry (West Virginia), Phillip Dillard (Nebraska/New York Giants), Corey Callans (Oklahoma), Jake Laptad (Kansas), Cory Dorris (Tulsa), Chris Adkins (Tulsa), Gabe Lynn (Oklahoma), Tramaine Thompson (Kansas State), Trent Martin (Tulsa), Zack Langer (Tulsa), Alex Ross (Oklahoma), Matt Linscott (Tulsa) Steven Parker (Oklahoma/LA Rams/Miami Dolphins), Jordan Smallwood (Oklahoma). Jenks also is home to numerous antique stores and hosts many street festivals and parades each year, such as the Art on Main (which has an attendance of 12,000). The Jenks School District is one of the largest in the state and encompasses significant portions of southwest Tulsa, while many of the Jenks schools are located within the city of Tulsa. On November 22, 2005, President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and Commerce Secretary

Carlos Gutierrez Carlos Miguel Gutierrez (originally Gutiérrez; born November 4, 1953) is an American former CEO and former United States Secretary of Commerce. He is currently a Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of EmPath. Gutierrez is a former Chairman of th ...

announced

Jenks Public Schools ''Jenks Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school system located in Jenks, Oklahoma. Located just south of Tulsa, Jenks Public Schools now encompasses over 40 square miles and serves more than 12,000 students at its ten school sites. It is th ...

as a recipient of the 2005

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the highest formal recognition of the performance excellen ...

, the nation's highest Presidential honor for quality and organizational performance excellence.

Economy

In 1958, Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport opened for business just outside Jenks. This airport is the official reliever for Tulsa International Airport and is one of the busiest in the state. It serves commercial and private air travel throughout the Tulsa area and has helped stimulate the growth of Jenks' economy. Jenks is home to the headquarters of many small and large businesses, among which include;

Kimberly Clark Corporation Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

, Green Country Energy,

Public Service Company A public service company (or public utility company) is a corporation or other non-governmental business entity (i.e. limited partnership) which delivers public services - certain services considered essential to the public interest. The ranks of su ...

, Tulsa Winch, Continental Wire Cloth, and Tedford Insurance. Jenks is also the headquarters of

First Oklahoma Bank First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, which first began construction on its eight-story building in December 2012.

Government

Jenks has a council-manager form of government.

Notable people

The following notable people are known to be from Jenks or to have attended the Jenks Public Schools: * R. Perry Beaver, head football coach at Jenks High School 1977–1990, principal chief of

Muscogee (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 ...

1996–2003 *

Jennifer Berry Jennifer Berry-Gooden (born July 18, 1983) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss America on January 21, 2006. A resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the time of her investment to sovereignty of beauty, she became the fifth Mi ...

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

2006 *

Jim Bridenstine James Frederick Bridenstine (born June 15, 1975) is an American military officer and politician who served as the 13th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Bridenstine was the United States representative fo ...

, former

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for

Oklahoma's 1st congressional district Oklahoma's 1st congressional district is in the northeastern corner of the state and borders Kansas. Anchored by Tulsa, it is largely coextensive with the Tulsa metropolitan area. It includes all of Tulsa, Washington and Wagoner counties, and ...

and current administrator of

National Aeronautics and Space Administration The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding th ...

. *

Trey Callaway Trey Callaway is an American film and television writer and producer. In addition to working with Hollywood luminaries like Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ron Howard, and Tim Burton, Callaway has written and produced for shows like '' 9-1- ...

, screenwriter and television producer *

, football player,

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

winner, NFL linebacker *

Brad Carson Brad Rogers Carson (born March 11, 1967) is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma who served as the Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from 2015 to 2016. In that role, he initiated a number of not ...

, former member of

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, director of National Energy Policy Institute at

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

* Simon Curtis, actor and musician *

Phillip Dillard Phillip Dillard (born December 10, 1986) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He attended Jenks High School in Jenks, Oklahoma, where he was rated as one of the ...

, NFL linebacker * Josh Johnson,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...

Tyrel Lacey Tyrel Lacey (born 8 February 1986) is an American soccer goalkeeper who is a free agent. Personal Lacey grew up in Jenks, Oklahoma. He played for youth club Tulsa Nationals '86 and also attended Jenks High School. Club career College Lacey pla ...

, professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

* Ben Lamb,

2011 World Series of Poker The 2011 World Series of Poker was the 42nd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world with the winner of the Main Event considered to be the World Champion. It was held at the Rio All Suit ...

Player of the Year *

Danielle Laney Danielle Laney is a former Olympic Level Competitor in Taekwondo. Danielle is from Jenks, Oklahoma She competed in the women's welterweight division. She would win the Olympic trials by going undefeated, beating Arlene Limas. At the 1992 Olympic ...

, bronze medalist in

Taekwondo at the 1992 Summer Olympics Taekwondo was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It was the second time that the sport was included in the Olympic program; it would become an official sport eight years later at the 2000 Games. A total of 64 men ...

* Sean Mahan, NFL center for

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, NFL player for

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

* Brian Nhira, singer, contestant on ''The Voice'' * Tyler Ott, long snapper for the Seattle Seahawks *

Brian Presley Brian Joshua Presley (born August 18, 1977) is an American actor and director. Career Presley started his career with a handful of guest appearances on television shows such as ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', '' Any Day Now'', and '' 7th Heaven''. ...

, actor *

Ryan Tedder Ryan Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As well as being the lead vocalist of the pop rock band OneRepublic, he has an independent career as a songwriter and producer for various artists since th ...

, lead singer of

OneRepublic OneRepublic is an American pop rock band formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002. It consists of lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Tedder, lead guitarist and violist Zach Filkins, rhythm guitarist Drew Brown, bassist and cellis ...

, attended Jenks schools until senior year in high school * Colonel Theodore S. Westhusing,

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

Jerry Wisne Jerry Edward Wisne (born July 28, 1976) is a former American football offensive tackle. He spent five seasons in the National Football League (NFL), playing for four different teams: Chicago Bears (–), Minnesota Vikings (), St. Louis Rams (), ...

, NFL player for

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Jerry Wisne
listing at

NFL.com The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

References

External links

City of Jenks

Jenks Chamber of Commerce

Jenks Public Schools

{{authority control Cities in Tulsa County, Oklahoma Oklahoma populated places on the Arkansas River Cities in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in Oklahoma Territory