Forgan is a town in
Beaver County,
Oklahoma, United States. The population was 547 at the
2010 census.
History
The town name honors James B. Forgan, a Chicago banker and financier.
[Hodges, V. Paulin]
"Forgan,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 15, 2015. L. B. Tooker established the first newspaper, the Forgan Enterprise, on June 6, 1912. A total of fifty-three businesses and four medical doctors were in the town at that time. As the town was located in a wheat-producing area, grain elevators were built to store wheat prior to shipment. The population dropped to 428 in 1940 after an exodus due to 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 both natural factors (severe drought) an ...
.
At the turn of the twenty-first century the economy was based on wheat and milo farming, ranching, the oil and gas industry, and corporate hog farms.[
]
Geography
Forgan is located at (36.907505, -100.539253). Forgan lies between the Cimarron and Beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers a ...
rivers. 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
An economy is an area of th ...
, the town has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 547 people living in the town. The population density was . There were 239 housing units at an average density of 645 per square mile (252/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 89.47% White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 0.19% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 6.77% from other races, and 3.20% 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 for ...
or Latino of any race were 14.10% of the population.
There were 197 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% 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, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $26,739, and the median income for a family was $29,167. Males had a median income of $25,000 versus $18,409 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 $13,250. About 17.6% of families and 17.9% 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 24.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
External links
* Hodges, V. Pauline
"Forgan,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Accessed March 18, 2015.
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Towns in Beaver County, Oklahoma
Towns in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Panhandle