Redbird is a town in

Wagoner County Wagoner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,981. Its county seat is Wagoner. Wagoner County is included in the Tulsa metropolitan area. History According to archaeological st ...

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 137 at the 2010 census, a 10.5 percent decline from the figure of 153 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 ...

. Founded at the turn of the 20th century, it was one of more than fifty all-black towns in Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory and is one of thirteen surviving black communities in Oklahoma.

History

Redbird, also called Red Bird, originated with the settlement by the family of E. L. Barber, who founded the First Baptist Church in 1889. Other families soon moved into the area. By 1902, Red Bird had obtained a post office. More than 600 people showed up at the official opening of Red Bird on August 10, 1907. The town advertised in newspapers all across the South to encourage black families to relocate there. Redbird's population attained a peak of 336 in 1920. Declining cotton prices caused residents to move away, even before 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 ...

. It rebounded after

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 ...

, and at one point had seven churches, a couple of general stores, eight

juke joint Juke joint (also jukejoint, jook house, jook, or juke) is the African-American vernacular term for an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United St ...

s, and a gas station.

Urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

in later years lost the town population again, and the post office closed; however, the town is experiencing something of a rebirth as families buy homes in the area to enjoy a low crime rate and a quieter pace of life.

Geography

Redbird is located at (35.888676, -95.588211). 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.

''Lane v. Wilson''

I.W. Lane was denied the ability to vote in 1934, after becoming a resident of Redbird, Oklahoma in 1908. In the case ''Lane v. Wilson'', the United States Supreme Court found a 12-day one-time voter registration window to be discriminatory for black citizens and repugnant to the Fifteenth Amendment.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 census

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 153 people, 64 households, and 33 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 76 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 87.58%

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 ...

, 5.88% Native American, 4.58%

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 ...

, 0.65% from other races, and 1.31% 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 1.96% of the population. There were 64 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 23.4% 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, 18.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.9% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.26. In the town, the population was spread out, with 33.3% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $15,139, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $25,833 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 $8,944. About 27.3% of families and 36.6% 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 44.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 43.5% of those 65 or over.

Education

Redbird residents are assigned to schools in the Porter Consolidated Schools. The students travel to the nearest schools since Porter Consolidated does not operate any schools in Redbird. Redbird was previously served by

Red Bird Public Schools Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

.Welcome to Red Bird, Oklahoma

Archive
. Town of Redbird. Retrieved on September 11, 2015.

References

External links

All-Black Towns of Oklahoma
{{authority control Towns in Wagoner County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Muscogee (Creek) Nation Populated places in Oklahoma established by African Americans Indian Territory