Elmore City is a town in
Garvin 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. This town is south of
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
. The population was 738 at the time of the
2020 census, up from 697 at the
2010 census.
It was named after J. O. Elmore.
There are two main highways running through Elmore City. One of the Highways is Oklahoma State Highway 29, running west–east. The other is Oklahoma State Highway 74, running north–south. It is about west of Wynnewood, south of Purcell, and west of U.S. Highway 177.
History
The first business in Elmore City was opened by Jasper N. Black in an area just northeast of what is now Elmore City. Historians state that after Black opened his supply store in 1890 on Rock Creek, the number of settlers quickly grew and a community was formed called Banner. Banner quickly spread to the southwest and a post office was established and the name changed to Elmore for J. O. Elmore, another prominent business man. The word city was added to Elmore after the name was confused with
Elmer
Elmer is a name of Germanic British origin. The given name originated as a surname, a medieval variant of the given name Aylmer, derived from Old English ''æþel'' (noble) and ''mær'' (famous). It was adopted as a given name in the United State ...
in
Jackson County. The city was incorporated as a community in 1898.
At the time of its founding, Elmore City was located in
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 ter ...
.
The film ''
Footloose
''Footloose'' is a 1984 American musical drama film directed by Herbert Ross and written by Dean Pitchford. It tells the story of Ren McCormack (Kevin Bacon), a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town, where he attempts to overturn a b ...
'' was loosely based on events that took place in the town.
[Brandy McDonnell, Sheila Stogsdill: ]
Elmore City re-creates prom that inspired ‚Footloose‘ film
', NewsOK.com, April 16, 2010. Retrieved March 7, 2019. Elmore City had a ban, dating from before statehood, on public dancing within town limits.
High school students during the 1979-1980 class year began lobbying for the right to hold a school prom with dancing.
[ However, during the first town meeting on the issue, perhaps three-quarters of the crowd was against the idea, led by local church leaders.][ The controversy was picked up by local newspapers, went national, and ended up as a small item in a San Francisco paper.][ This was where songwriter/screenwriter ]Dean Pitchford
Dean Pitchford (born July 29, 1951) is an American songwriter, screenwriter, director, actor, and novelist. His work has earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for three additional Oscars, two more Golden Globes, e ...
, who was looking for a movie musical idea, ran across it.[ The eventual result was the 1984 movie.][ As to the prom, the town mayor sided with the kids, declaring that a high school function was not a “public” event.][ The school board then authorized the prom, which proceeded and received national coverage.][
]
Geography
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.
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 697 people living in the town.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 ...
, 4.50% Native American, 0.53% Asian, and 3.57% 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 1.46% of the population.
There were 328 households, out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% 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, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $23,810, and the median income for a family was $25,000. Males had a median income of $22,083 versus $17,159 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 $12,486. About 13.8% of families and 14.7% 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 ...
, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 15.5% of those age 65 or over.
There is one school system, Elmore City-Pernell public schools, which consists of Elmore City-Pernell Elementary and Elmore City-Pernell High School. Their school mascot is Bogey the Badger. The school colors are purple and white. There is also one cemetery, Elmore City Cemetery.
References
External links
City of Elmore City Facebook Page
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Elmore City
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Towns in Garvin County, Oklahoma
Towns in Oklahoma