Goodwell is a town in Texas 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. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 951. Goodwell is home to

Oklahoma Panhandle State University Oklahoma Panhandle State University (OPSU, informally Panhandle State or simply Panhandle) is a public college in Goodwell, Oklahoma. OPSU is a baccalaureate degree-granting institution. General governance of the institution is provided by the ...

History

In 1901, Goodwell was established as a switch along the

Chicago and Rock Island Railroad Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The switch was named Goodwell because a "good well" was found there. In 1903, Goodwell was established and celebrated its centennial in 2003. In 1909, the ''Pan-Handle Agricultural Institute'' was established in Goodwell. Its name was changed to ''Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College'' (PAMC) in 1921, then to ''Oklahoma Panhandle State College of Agriculture and Applied Science'' in 1967, then to its current name of

in 1974. The No Man's Land Museum was established in 1932 as a project of the science department at Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College. In 1933, the No Man's Land Historical Society was established and took control of the museum. On June 24, 2012, two

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

trains collided head-on and caught on fire about east of Goodwell. Three Union Pacific employees on the two trains died. One survivor of the crash escaped injury by leaping from the train when he saw a crash was imminent. The Union Pacific continues to provide rail freight service to the town.

Geography

Goodwell is located at . 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, Goodwell has a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Goodwell was on June 27, 2011, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 4, 1959.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census Goodwell had a population of 1293. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 70.6% non-Hispanic white, 8.2% African American, 2.2% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% Hawaiian Native, 3.1% reporting two or more races and 17.5% Hispanic or Latino.2010 census report for Goodwell, Oklahoma] 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 1,192 people, 407 households, and 221 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 478 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.84%

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 ...

, 3.27%

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 ...

, 2.10% Native American, 0.92% Asian, 0.08%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 4.53% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. 8.64% of the population were

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. There were 407 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% 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, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.7% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93. In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 46.1% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 11.7% from 45 to 64, and 3.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,583, and the median income for a family was $42,708. Males had a median income of $24,000 versus $20,750 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 $12,531. 26.6% of the population and 18.1% of families 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 ...

. Out of the total population, 32.2% of those under the age of 18 and 6.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

References

External links