Fallis is a town in

Lincoln County, Oklahoma Lincoln County is a county in eastern Central Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. Its county seat is Chandler. Lincoln County is part of the Oklahoma City, OK metropolitan statistical area. In 2010, the center of popu ...

, United States. The population was 21 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 27 residents at the 2010 census.

Geography

Located in western Lincoln County, Fallis is situated on a paved county road five miles northwest of Wellston. 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.

History

Fallis was founded in 1892, just south of an Indian village on the western edge of the

Iowa Reservation The Iowa Reservation of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska straddles the borders of southeast Richardson County, Nebraska, Richardson County in southeastern Nebraska and Brown County, Kansas, Brown and Doniphan County, Doniphan counties in nort ...

, in a wooded area and "on a long red hill." Originally known as Mission, it was renamed in 1894 for its prime developer and first postmaster, Judge William Henry Fallis. Although the town is mostly abandoned today, and is nearly a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

, during the early 1900s Fallis was a whistle-stop for several railroad lines, and was a thriving little community with stores, hotels, banks, lumber yards, and other businesses, as well as a city hall. The population may have reached 400 during this time. Fallis was the home of several accomplished authors and poets. After the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of natural factors (severe drought) and hum ...

, and the decline of the railroad, by 1950 the population had fallen to just 105 residents, and much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1960. Very little of the old town was ever rebuilt, and only a handful of buildings remain. However, Fallis still maintains a volunteer firestation, and a community center was built in 1999.

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 2000, there were 28 people, 13 households, and 7 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 17 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 92.86%

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 ...

and 7.14%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

. There were 13 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 30.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.88. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.9% under the age of 18, 17.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,875, and the median income for a family was $51,250. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $0 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 $12,869. There were no families and 6.9% of the population living 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 no under eighteens and 50.0% of those over 64.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fallis, Oklahoma 1892 establishments in Oklahoma Territory Oklahoma City metropolitan area Planned communities in the United States Populated places established in 1892 Towns in Lincoln County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma