Perkins () is a city in southern Payne 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 2,831 at the 2010 census, an increase of 24.6 percent from the figure of 2,272 in

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. The name is derived from Walden Perkins, a congressman who helped establish the local post office. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is headquartered here. David Sasser, "Perkins," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Accessed May 31, 2015

History

Perkins was founded during the Land Run in April 1889. Joseph Wert staked a claim for 160 acres and offered up 40 acres of his land to be established as a township. The town went through three names in its first year- Cimarron, Italy, and then Perkins. The last name was for Bishop Walden Perkins, a congressman from Kansas who pulled strings to establish the post office for the new township. The town of Perkins incorporated on August 25, 1891. Though Perkins was settled in 1889, it celebrates Old Settlers Day around Sept 22. This is the anniversary of the Land Run of 1891. Being on the north side of the Cimarron River, it was one of the starting points for the Run of 1891. Angie Debo ''Oklahoma Footloose and Fancy-free'' page 203. The first wagon bridge across the Cimarron River in Oklahoma Territory was built during the summer of 1891. On September 22, 1891, the Sac and Fox and Iowa reservations officially opened. By January 1900, the Eastern Oklahoma Railway began service, establishing the town as an agricultural trade center.

Geography

Perkins is on the north bank of the Cimarron River. Perkins is located on U.S. Route 177, south of its junction with State Highway 33. 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 2000, there were 2,272 people, 913 households, and 644 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 988 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 85.48%

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 ...

, 2.46%

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 ...

, 6.47% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 4.84% 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 1.10% of the population. There were 913 households, out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% 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, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $30,030, and the median income for a family was $38,580. Males had a median income of $26,553 versus $20,761 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 $14,955. About 7.6% of families and 11.2% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Perkins has a commission-manager form of government.

Notable people

* Jesse Barnes, was a pitcher for the World Series Champion New York Giants. * Frank "Pistol Pete" Eaton is buried in Perkins. The house he lived in is located in the Park located on 177 north of Perkins. * Jeremy Hefner, is a former professional baseball pitcher and pitching coach for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

. * Linda Livingstone is the 15th president of Baylor University. * Michael Atkins is a former Professional Golfer that attended Oklahoma State and then proceeding onto the PGA Tour and winning 7 total tournaments.

Media

Perkins, Oklahoma has been featured in an Independent Lens series documenting bullying.

References

External links

* {{authority control Cities in Payne County, Oklahoma Cities in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1891 1891 establishments in Oklahoma Territory Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma