Billings is a town in northwest Noble County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, United States. The population was 509 at the 2010 census, an increase from the figure of 436 in 2000. It was the childhood home of Oklahoma

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, mai ...

.Jerry H. McKeown, "Billings," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed March 29, 2015.

History

Billings was called "White Rock", when it was founded in 1893, at the time of the

Cherokee Strip Land Run In U.S. history, the Land Run of 1893, also known as the Cherokee Outlet Opening or the Cherokee Strip Land Run, marked the opening to settlement of the Cherokee Outlet in the Oklahoma Territory's fourth and largest land run#In Oklahoma, land ru ...

. It was then east and south of its present site. Billings' economy was based on agriculture in the surrounding area. The Enid and Tonkawa Railway (acquired by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway in 1900) built a spur line out from North Enid in 1899. The railroad, however, did not go through White Rock, so the residents soon moved to the present location. The new town opened October 23, 1899, and was renamed for M. O. Billings, a director of the Billings Town Company.

Geography

Billings is from Enid and

Ponca City Ponca City () is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 24,424 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 25,387 at the tim ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Billings has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Billings was on July 7, 1996, while the coldest temperature recorded was on February 10–11, 2011.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 509 people, 171 households, and 95 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 212 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.9% Native American, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.29% of the population. There were 171 households, out of which 12.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.92. In the town, the population was spread out, with 16.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,481, and the median income for a family was $40,375. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $17,750 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,671. About 9.6% of families and 10.6% 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 ...

, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

, former Oklahoma governor; was born in

Tonkawa The Tonkawa are a Native American tribe from Oklahoma and Texas. Their Tonkawa language, now extinct language, extinct, is a linguistic isolate. Today, Tonkawa people are enrolled in the Federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Tonkawa ...

, but raised in Billings.

References

External links

''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' - BillingsVoices of Oklahoma interview with Henry Bellmon.
First person interview conducted on April 14, 2009, with Henry Bellmon. Original audio and transcript archived wit
Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.
{{authority control Towns in Noble County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma