Thomas is a city in Custer 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 1,181 at the 2010 census.

History

Thomas was named for William Thomas, who owned a general store and served as postmaster, when the first post office was established at the store on February 12, 1894, while this area was part of Oklahoma Territory. Joseph W. Morris claimed a homestead at the site during the Cheyenne-Arapaho opening in 1892. The Oklahoma Railway Townsite platted Morris' land in 1902, the same year that the Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railroad (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway) constructed a line through Thomas. In 1906, the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway (later the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

) also built a line through the town. Most of the early settlers were members of the

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

, the Dunkards, and the

Church of the United Brethren in Christ The Church of the United Brethren in Christ is an evangelical Christian denomination with churches in 17 countries. It is Protestant, with an episcopal structure and Arminian theology, with roots in the Mennonite and German Reformed communities ...

religious groups.Wilson, Linda D. "Thomas." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.''
Accessed August 31, 2016.

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.

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 1,238 people, 486 households, and 337 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 596 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.85%

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 ...

, 0.08%

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 ...

, 8.08% Native American, 0.57% from other races, and 2.42% 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 1.70% of the population. There were 486 households, out of which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.4% 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, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,083, and the median income for a family was $36,667. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $17,440 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 $15,693. About 13.0% of families and 17.2% 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 25.7% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Originally a marketing community and shipping point for the surrounding agricultural area, Thomas has evolved into a bedroom community. According to the ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,'' Over 91 percent of the employed residents commute to work in other communities. The oil refinery at Thomas is one of only five refineries that was operating in Oklahoma in 2015. Formerly known as the Barrett Refinery and opened in 1982, this facility has a rated capacity of 14,000 barrels per day. In the oil industry, a barrel (Bbl) is equal to 42 U. S. gallons. Hence, this is now the smallest refinery operating in the state. After the Barrett Company declared bankruptcy, the refinery was scheduled to close permanently on December 22, 2005. Instead, an Oklahoma City firm, Ventura Refining and Transmission, LLC. Revival of the refinery was expected to open up about 30 to 50 new local jobs, excluding personnel needed to drive about 30 trucks handling product deliveries per day. Thomas Refinery has new owners; Operation to start by early summer."''Thomas Tribune'' February 2, 2006.
Accessed August 30, 2016.

Government

The city of Thomas has an aldermanic form of government. The mayor of Thomas is Jeff Gose.

Media

The ''Thomas Tribune'' was first published weekly in 1902, and is still being published. It has an online edition.

Education

It is in the Thomas-Fay-Custer Unified Schools school district. Previously Thomas had its own school district. In 1989, the district's enrollment was 400.

References

External links

"Thomas." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
{{authority control Cities in Custer County, Oklahoma Cities in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1894 1894 establishments in Oklahoma Territory