Snyder is a city in Kiowa 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 1,301 at the time of the 2020 Census.

History

The community of Snyder was established in Oklahoma Territory, just south of Mountain Park in 1902. The founder was Charles G. Jones of Oklahoma City, president of the

Oklahoma City and Western Railroad The Oklahoma City and Western Railroad, together with its affiliate the Oklahoma City and Texas Railroad, built a line from Oklahoma City through Lawton, Oklahoma and on to Quanah, Texas in the 1901-1903 timeframe. By the time of its completion, t ...

, who had a dispute with that municipality. Jones named the new town for Bryan Snyder, an employee of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (Frisco), which ran north and south through the townsite.Taylor, Ethel Crisp
"Snyder,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed March 25, 2015. In 1905, a tornado hit Snyder and killed 97 people, including the superintendent of public schools. Fires in 1906 and 1909 destroyed most of the wooden buildings along Main Street. These were quickly replaced by brick buildings. By the time of statehood in 1907, Snyder had a population of 607 residents. The number grew to 1,122 in 1910.

Geography

Snyder is located at the junction of U.S. routes 62 and

183 Year 183 ( CLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 936 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...

. It is also south of

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, east of

Altus Altus or ALTUS may refer to: Music *Alto, a musical term meaning second highest musical or vocal type * Altus (voice type), a vocal type also known as countertenor Places * Altus, Arkansas, US ** Altus AVA, a wine-growing region near Altus, Ark ...

and west of Lawton. 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 ...

, Snyder 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 1,509 people, 607 households, and 398 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 761 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.49%

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 ...

, 7.02%

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 ...

, 2.45% Native American, 0.07%

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 ...

, 4.64% from other races, and 1.33% 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 10.21% of the population. There were 607 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.01. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $23,295, and the median income for a family was $32,167. Males had a median income of $26,324 versus $17,386 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 $13,188. About 21.5% of families and 25.3% 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 30.6% of those under age 18 and 17.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy of Snyder and the surrounding area is largely dependent on farming and ranching. Important crops are cotton, corn, wheat, and hay.

Parks and recreation

Great Plains State Park Great Plains State Park is a Oklahoma state park located in Kiowa County, Oklahoma. The part of the park that is developed for campers and hikers is about 487 acres. However, the entire park encompasses more than 1,200 acres from one end to ...

, on Tom Steed Reservoir, is 6.9 miles north of town.

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, located in southwestern Oklahoma near Lawton, has protected unique wildlife habitats since 1901 and is the oldest managed wildlife facility in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service system. The refuge's l ...

is 14.5 miles northeast. The scenic cobblestone community of Medicine Park on Lake Lawtonka is 16.1 miles east-northeast.

Lake Frederick A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

is 18 miles south-southeast.

Notable people

* James V. McClintic, (1878–1948), was a politician, attorney and farmer who moved from Texas to Snyder in 1902."McClintic, James Vernon" (1878–1948), ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''.
Accessed April 16, 2018. * Jack L. Treadwell (1919–1977), was a highly decorated U.S. Army officer who was living in Snyder when he enlisted in 1941.

Gallery

Notes

References

External links

* Taylor, Ethel Crisp
"Snyder,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed March 25, 2015.
Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{authority control Cities in Oklahoma Cities in Kiowa County, Oklahoma Populated places established in 1902