Konawa, Oklahoma
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Konawa is a city in Seminole 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 1,288 at the time of the 2020 census. ''Konawa'' is a Seminole word meaning, "string of beads."Konawa Genealogical Society, "Konawa," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed May 24, 2015.


History

Located in southwestern Seminole County, Konawa, a Seminole word meaning "string of beads," lies at the intersection of State Highways 9A and 39. On January 7, 1904, Tom West, a mixed-blood Seminole, sold George Northrup a plot of land that became the Konawa townsite. The post office was established on July 15, 1904, with Robert C. Lovelace as postmaster. Early-day establishments included the first newspaper, the Konawa Chief, hardware and drug stores, lumberyards, a blacksmith, and a bank. In 1903, the Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (later the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway) bypassed the nearby town of Violet Springs. Most families and businesses moved to other towns. Some moved their houses to Konawa, and many of these buildings continued to stand at the turn of the twenty-first century. Konawa served as a trade center for a surrounding agricultural region. At 1907 statehood, population stood at 620. The Konawa Leader has informed the citizens since 1917. During the 1920s streets were paved, several oil wells were discovered, and a new high school was built. In November 1931, Konawa attracted the attention of
Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...
, who robbed the First National Bank. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the Konawa National Guard Armory (National Register of Historical Places, NR 94000483), a WPA project, housed German prisoners of war. On February 17, 1961, a tornado destroyed downtown Konawa and injured five individuals. The Sacred Heart Mission, which was the forerunner of St. Gregory's University moved in 1876 from its original location in Atoka to a location near Konawa and became an abbey and later a school. After a disastrous fire in 1901 that destroyed the school and the monastery, the monks accepted an offer from the town of Shawnee and began construction of the Catholic University of Oklahoma and St. Gregory's Abbey in 1910. In 1927, the abbey completely relocated from Konawa to
Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...
. The energy industry remained a mainstay of the local economy, with oil-field service companies still important. In May 1968, Oklahoma Gas and Electric Corporation broke ground for the Seminole Power Plant, creating the 1,350-acre Konawa Reservoir at a cost of $45 million. By 1975, the third power unit with an output of more than 1.6 million kilowatts was built. Konawa Reservoir is one of Oklahoma's top trophy lakes. In August 1963, Konawa hosted its first All-Night Gospel Singing. During its heyday, an estimated twenty-five thousand people attended the annual event. The town maintains a council-city manager type of government. At the turn of the twenty-first century, Konawa had 1,479 residents.


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 city has a total area of , all land. The town is on
Oklahoma State Highway 39 State Highway 39, abbreviated as SH-39, is a state highway in the United States, U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is in length. It runs east–west through the central part of the state, beginning at unincorporated Tabler, Oklahoma, Tabler, east of ...
, and is the endpoint for one section of State Highway 9A. Lake Konawa is directly to the east.


Climate

Climate is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. Temperatures are high and can lead to warm, oppressive nights. Summers are usually somewhat wetter than winters, with much of the rainfall coming from convectional thunderstorm activity. 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 ...
subtype for this climate is " Cfa" (Humid Subtropical Climate).Climate Summary for Konawa
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Demographics

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 1,298 people living in the city. The racial composition of the city is 64.5% White, 21.5% Native American, 9.6% from two or more races, 2.4% Black, 0.4% Pacific Islander and 0.2% Asian. 1.5% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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 1,479 people, 551 households, and 360 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 657 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 70.11%
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 ...
, 1.89%
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 ...
, 22.92% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 4.06% 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 2.16% of the population. There were 551 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% 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, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.19. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $17,300, and the median income for a family was $23,375. Males had a median income of $21,771 versus $15,208 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 city was $10,474. About 31.2% of families and 31.5% 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 42.4% of those under age 18 and 24.1% of those age 65 or over.


Education

The town is in the Konawa Public Schools school district.
Text list
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References


External links


''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture'' - Konawa
{{authority control Cities in Oklahoma Cities in Seminole County, Oklahoma Seminole Nation of Oklahoma Populated places established in 1904 1904 establishments in Indian Territory