Tulsa County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

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 ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in the state, behind only

Oklahoma County Oklahoma County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 796,292, making it the most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Oklahoma City, the state capital and ...

. Its county seat and largest city is

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

, the second-largest city in the state. Founded at statehood, in 1907, it was named after the previously established city of Tulsa. Before statehood, the area was part of both the

Creek Nation The Muscogee Nation, or Muscogee (Creek) Nation, is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy, a large grou ...

and the Cooweescoowee District of

Cherokee Nation The Cherokee Nation ( or ) is the largest of three list of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Cherokees in the United States. It includes people descended from members of the Cherokee Nation (1794–1907), Old Cheroke ...

Indian Territory Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United States, ...

. Tulsa County is included in the Tulsa metropolitan statistical area. Tulsa County is notable for being the most densely populated county in the state. Tulsa County also ranks as having the highest income.

History

The history of Tulsa County greatly overlaps the history of the city of Tulsa. This section addresses events that largely occurred outside the present city limits of Tulsa.

Lasley Vore Site

The Lasley Vore Site, along the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

south of Tulsa, was claimed by University of Tulsa anthropologist George Odell to be the most likely place where

Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe Jean-Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe (4 February 1683 in Saint-Malo – 26 September 1765) was a French explorer who is credited with using the name "Little Rock" in 1722 for a stone outcropping on the bank of the Arkansas River used by early travele ...

first encountered a group of

Wichita people The Wichita people, or , are a confederation of Southern Plains Native American tribes. Historically they spoke the Wichita language and Kichai language, both Caddoan languages. They are indigenous to Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas. Today, Wi ...

in 1719. Odell's statement was based on finding both Wichita and French artifacts there during an architectural dig in 1988.

Old Fort Arbuckle

The U. S. Government's removal of Native American tribes from the southeastern United States to "

" did not take into account how that would impact the lives and attitudes of the nomadic tribes that already used the same land as their hunting grounds. At first, Creek immigrants stayed close to

Fort Gibson Fort Gibson is a historic military site next to the modern city of Fort Gibson, in Muskogee County Oklahoma. It guarded the American frontier in Indian Territory from 1824 to 1888. When it was constructed, the fort was farther west than any ot ...

, near the confluence of the

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

and

Verdigris Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Cop ...

rivers. However, the government encouraged newer immigrants to move farther up the Arkansas. The Osage tribe had agreed to leave the land near the Verdigris, but had not moved far and soon threatened the new Creek settlements.Carter, Sandi and Marlene Clark. "Old Fort Arbuckle." Accessed April 10, 201

/ref> In 1831, a party led by Rev.

Isaac McCoy Isaac McCoy (June 13, 1784 – June 21, 1846) was an American pioneer and Baptist missionary among the Native Americans in what became the states of Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, and Kansas. He was an advocate of saving the dwindling tribes from ...

and Lt. James L. Dawson blazed a trail up the north side of the Arkansas from Fort Gibson to its junction with the Cimarron River. In 1832, Dawson was sent again to select sites for military posts. One of his recommended sites was about two and a half miles downstream from the Cimarron River junction. The following year, Brevet Major George Birch and two companies of the 7th Infantry Regiment followed the "Dawson Road" to the aforementioned site. Flattering his former commanding officer, General

Matthew Arbuckle Brig. Gen. (Bvt) Matthew Arbuckle, Jr (1778–1851) was a career soldier in the U.S. Army closely identified with the Indian Territory for the last thirty years of his life. Biography Early life He was born 28 December 1778 in Greenbrier Coun ...

, Birch named the site "Fort Arbuckle."Gardner, James E. ''Chronicles of Oklahoma'', Volume 11, No. 2. June 1933. "One Hundred Years Ago in the Region of Tulsa." According to ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', the fort was about west of the present city of

Sand Springs, Oklahoma Sand Springs is a city in Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A western suburb of Tulsa, it is located predominantly in Tulsa County. The population was 19,874 in the 2020 U. S. Census, an increase of 5.1 percent ...

.O"Dell, Larry
"Tulsa County,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 5, 2015. Author James Gardner visited the site in the early 1930s. His article describing the visit includes an old map showing the fort located on the north bank of the Arkansas River near Sand Creek, just south of the line separating Tulsa County and

Osage County Osage County is the name of several counties in the United States: * Osage County, Kansas * Osage County, Missouri * Osage County, Oklahoma Osage County () is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Created in 1907 when Ok ...

. After ground was cleared and a blockhouse built, Fort Arbuckle was abandoned November 11, 1834. The remnants of stockade and some chimneys could still be seen nearly a hundred years later. The site was submerged when

Keystone Lake Keystone Lake is a reservoir in northeastern Oklahoma on the Arkansas and Cimarron rivers. It is located upstream about from Tulsa. It was created in 1968 when the Keystone Dam was completed. The primary purposes are: flood control, hydroelec ...

was built.

Battle of Chusto-Talasah

Main article

Battle of Chusto-Talasah The Battle of Chusto-Talasah, also known as Bird Creek, Caving Banks, and High Shoal, was fought December 9, 1861, in what is now Tulsa County, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory) during the American Civil War. It was the second of three battles ...

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, many Creeks and Seminoles in Indian Territory, led by

Opothleyahola Opothleyahola (also spelled Opothle Yohola, Opothleyoholo, Hu-pui-hilth Yahola, Hopoeitheyohola, and Hopere Yahvlv, – March 22, 1863) was a Muscogee Creek Indian chief, noted as a brilliant orator. He was a Speaker of the Upper Creek Co ...

, retained their allegiance to the U. S. Government. In November 1861, Confederate Col. Douglas H. Cooper led a Confederate force against the Union supporters with the purpose of either compelling their submission or driving them out of the country. The first clash, known as the

Battle of Round Mountain The Battle of Round Mountain was the first battle in the Trail of Blood on Ice campaign for the control of Indian Territory during the American Civil War that occurred on November 19, 1861. Its main purpose was to prevent Union supporters of th ...

, occurred November 19, 1861. Although the Unionists successfully withstood the attack and mounted a counterattack, the Confederates claimed a strategic victory because the Unionists were forced to withdraw.Civil War Academy.com Website. Retrieved April 11, 2011. The next battle occurred December 9, 1861. Col. Cooper's force attacked the Unionists at Chusto-Talasah (Caving Banks) on the Horseshoe Bend of Bird Creek in what is now Tulsa County. The Confederates drove the Unionists across Bird Creek, but could not pursue, because they were short of ammunition. Still, the Confederates could claim victory.

Coming of the railroads

The

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was an American railroad that owned or operated two individual segments of track. One connected St. Louis, Missouri, with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connected Albuquerque, New Mexico, with Needles in Southe ...

had extended its main line in Indian Territory from Vinita to Tulsa in 1883, where it stopped on the east side of the Arkansas River. The company, which later merged into the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway (familiarly known as the Frisco), then built a steel bridge across the river to extend the line to

Red Fork Red Fork is a community in Southwest Tulsa. It was founded in 1883 as a railhead on the Arkansas River. It is famous for being the location of the first oil well in Tulsa County, the Sue A. Bland #1. Naming of the town The town is sometimes sai ...

. This bridge allowed cattlemen to load their animals onto the railroad west of the Arkansas instead of fording the river, as had been the practice previously. It also provided a safer and more convenient way to bring workers from Tulsa to the oil field after the 1901 discovery of oil in Red Fork.

Oil Boom

A wildcat well named Sue Bland No. 1 hit paydirt at 540 feet on June 25, 1901, as a gusher. The well was on the property of Sue A. Bland (née Davis), located near the community of

. Mrs. Bland was a Creek citizen and wife of Dr. John C. W. Bland, the first practicing physician in Tulsa. The property was Mrs. Bland's homestead allotment. Oil produced by the well was shipped in barrels to the nearest refinery in Kansas, where it was sold for $1.00 a barrel. Other producing wells followed soon after. The next big strike in Tulsa County was the

Glenn Pool Oil Reserve The discovery of the Glenn Pool Oil Reserve in 1905 brought the first major oil pipelines into Oklahoma, and instigated the first large scale oil boom in the state. Located near what was—at the time—the small town of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the res ...

in the vicinity of where

Glenpool, Oklahoma Glenpool is a city in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Statistical Area (TMSA). As of 2020, the population was 14,040, which represented an increase of 29.9% since the 2010 census, which reported the to ...

was later founded.. Ironically, while the city of Tulsa claimed to be "Oil Capital of the World" for much of the 20th century, a city ordinance banned drilling for oil within the city limits.

Tulsa County Court House

In 1911–1912, Tulsa County built a court house in Tulsa on the northeast corner of Sixth Street and South Boulder Avenue.

Yule marble Yule Marble is a marble of metamorphosed Leadville Limestone found only in the Yule Creek Valley, in the West Elk Mountains of Colorado, southeast of the town of Marble, Colorado.Marble Quadrangle, Colorado; USGS 7.5-minute series topogr ...

was used in its construction. The land had previously been the site of a mansion owned by George Perryman and his wife. This was the court house where a mob of white residents gathered on May 31, 1921, threatening to lynch a young black man held in the top-floor jail. It was the beginning of the

Tulsa Race Massacre The Tulsa race massacre was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as ...

. An advertisement for bids specified that the building should be fireproof, built of either reinforced concrete or steel and concrete. The size was to be with three floors and a full basement. Cost of the building was not to exceed $200,000. The jail on the top floor was not to exceed $25,000. The building continued to serve until the present court house building (shown above) opened at 515 South Denver. The old building was then demolished and the land was sold to private investors. The land is now the site of the Bank of America building, completed in 1967.

1921 race massacre

In the early 20th century, Tulsa was home to the " Black Wall Street", one of the most prosperous Black communities in the United States at the time. Located in the

Greenwood Green wood is unseasoned wood. Greenwood or Green wood may also refer to: People * Greenwood (surname) Settlements Australia * Greenwood, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region * Greenwood, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth ...

neighborhood, it was the site of the

, said to be "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history", in which mobs of white Tulsans killed black Tulsans, looted and robbed the black community, and burned down homes and businesses. Sixteen hours of massacring on May 31 and June 1, 1921, ended only when National Guardsmen were brought in by the Governor. An official report later claimed that 23 Black and 16 white citizens were killed, but other estimates suggest as many as 300 people died, most of them Black. Over 800 people were admitted to local hospitals with injuries, and an estimated 1000 Black people were left homeless as 35 city blocks, composed of 1,256 residences, were destroyed by fire. Property damage was estimated at . Efforts to obtain reparations for survivors of the violence have been unsuccessful, but the events were re-examined by the city and state in the early 21st century, acknowledging the terrible actions that had taken place.

Geography and climate

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.9%) is water. The

drains most of the county.

, formed by a dam on the Arkansas River, lies partially in the county.

Bird Creek Bird Creek is a stream in northeast Oklahoma. The main creek is formed from the waters of North Bird Creek, Middle Bird Creek, and South Bird Creek, all of which rise in Osage County. The South and Middle branches of the creek converge at Blue ...

and the

Caney River The Caney River (Lenape: Kènii Sipu ) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 31, 2011 river in southern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma. The river is a tributary of ...

, tributaries of the

Verdigris River The Verdigris River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southeastern Kansas and northeastern Oklahoma in the United States. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map ...

drain the northern part of the county.

Adjacent counties

* Washington County (north) *

Rogers County Rogers County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,240, making it the sixth-most populous county in Oklahoma. The county seat is Claremore. Rogers County is ...

(northeast) *

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 ...

(southeast) * Okmulgee County (south) *

Creek County Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,754. Its county seat is Sapulpa. Creek County is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area. History European explorers traveled through t ...

(west) * Pawnee County (northwest) *

(northwest)

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Transit

* Tulsa Transit *

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Demographics

At 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 2010, there were 603,403 people, 241,737 households, and 154,084 families residing in the county. The population density was . The racial makeup of the county was 69.2%

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 ...

, 10.7%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

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 ...

, 6.0% Native American, 2.3% Asian, 0.1%

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 ...

, 5.8% from other races, and 5.8% from two or more races. 11.0% of the population were

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 (8.8% Mexican). 14.2% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 12.3% Irish, 8.8%

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

, 8.5%

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, 2.3%

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

, and 2.3%

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

ancestries. 88.3% spoke

, 8.1%

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

, and 0.4%

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

as their first language. At the 2020 census, its population grew to 669,279 people; in 2022, the American Community Survey estimated its population was 677,358. The 2021 estimated racial makeup of the county was 59.9%

non-Hispanic white Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...

, 10.8% African American, 7.3% Native American, 3.8% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 6.6% multiracial, and 13.9% Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of 2010, there were 241,737 households, out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% 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, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 29.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 22% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.07. In 2021, there were 295,350 households with a median house value of $168,800. The county had a median rent of $929. As of 2010 in the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 10.00% from 18 to 24, 30.40% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.90 males. As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $47,005, and the median income for a family was $60,093. 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 county was $27,425. About 11.0% of families and 15.1% 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 22.6% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. Of the county's population over the age of 25, 29.2% held a bachelor's degree or higher, and 88.2% have a high school diploma or equivalent. As of 2021, its median household income was $60,382 and 14.7% of the population lived at or below the poverty line.

Government

Tulsa County has nine elected county officials: three

county commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the County (United States)#County government, county government in some U.S. state, states of ...

s, a county

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

, a

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

, an assessor, a

treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

, a

county clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...

, and a county

court clerk A court clerk (British English: clerk to the court or clerk of the court ; American English: clerk of the court or clerk of court ) is an officer of the court whose responsibilities include maintaining records of a court and administering oaths ...

. Oklahoma's 14th Judicial District, which includes Tulsa and Pawnee County, has 14 elected district judges. 13 of the judges are elected from Tulsa County. The one elected Associate Judge for Tulsa County is Cliff Smith of Tulsa.

Politics

Tulsa County is very conservative for an urban county; it has voted Republican in every presidential election since

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, events related to World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *Janu ...

. The county's Republican bent predates Oklahoma's swing toward the GOP.

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

in 1992 remains the only Republican since

Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ...

in 1936 to fail to obtain a majority in the county, and even then only because of

Ross Perot Henry Ross Perot ( ; June 27, 1930 – July 9, 2019) was an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive officer of Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems. He ran an Independent politician ...

’s strong third-party candidacy. In 2020,

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

became the first Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964 to win more than 40% of the vote in Tulsa County, and only the second to do so since 1948. It is one of only two counties in the state, alongside Oklahoma County, where Biden outperformed Southerner

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

's 1976 margin, when he narrowly lost the state. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, Democratic gubernatorial candidate (and county resident)

Joy Hofmeister Joy Lynn Hofmeister (née Janosky, born September 7, 1964) is an American educator and politician who served as the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2023. On October 7, 2021, Hofmeister switched parties to run for the ...

narrowly carried the county, 49.1-48.9, against incumbent Republican

Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2018, defeating Democrat and former state Attorney Ge ...

. This was the first time Tulsa County had backed a Democratic gubernatorial candidate since

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, and the first time in its history that it had ever backed a losing Democrat for governor. The city of Tulsa proper is a swing city. After voting for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

by four points, it swung to a six-point win for Joe Biden in 2020, and also backed

Drew Edmondson William Andrew Edmondson (born October 12, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, Edmondson served as the 16th Attorney General of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2011. Prior to his elect ...

for Governor in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

by 13 points. The suburbs and rural communities, however, remain very strongly Republican. In February 2020, registered Republicans were reduced from a majority to a plurality in the county's voter registration.

Parks and recreation

River Parks was established in 1974 as a joint operation of the City of Tulsa and Tulsa County, with funding from both governments as well as private entities. It is not a part of the Tulsa Parks and Recreation Department, but is managed by the River Parks Authority. It is a series of linear parks that run adjacent to the Arkansas River for about from downtown to the Jenks bridge. Since 2007 a significant portion of the River Parks area has been renovated with new trails, landscaping and playground equipment. The River Parks

Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area is an approximately wilderness park in Tulsa in the US state of Oklahoma. It is managed by the Tulsa River Parks Authority and open to the public for hiking, mountain biking, and trail running. The main entra ...

on the west side of the Arkansas River in south Tulsa is a area that contains over of dirt trails available for hiking, trail running, mountain biking and horseback riding. The "Tulsa Townies" organization provide bicycles that may be checked out for use. There are three kiosks in the parks where bicycles may be obtained or returned.

Communities

Cities

* Bixby (part) * Broken Arrow (part) * Collinsville * Glenpool * Jenks * Owasso (part) * Sand Springs (part) *

Sapulpa Sapulpa is a city in and the county seat of Creek County, extending partly into Tulsa County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 21,929 at the time of the 2020 census, compared with 20,544 at the 2010 census. History Early hi ...

(part) * Skiatook (part) *

(county seat) (part)

Towns

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

(part) * Lotsee *

Sperry Sperry may refer to: Places In the United States: * Sperry, Iowa, community in Des Moines County * Sperry, Missouri *Sperry, Oklahoma, town in Tulsa County * Sperry Chalet, historic backcountry chalet, Glacier National Park, Montana * Sperry Glaci ...

Census-designated places

* Oakhurst * Turley

Unincorporated communities

* Berryhill * Garnett *

Leonard Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English language, English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek wikt:Λέων#Greek, Λ ...

Lake 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 ...

Mingo The Mingo people are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans, primarily Seneca and Cayuga, who migrated west from New York to the Ohio Country in the mid-18th century, and their descendants. Some Susquehannock survivors also joined them, a ...

Former communities

* Alsuma - Annexed by Tulsa in 1968. Arnett, David. GTR Newspapers. March 30, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2014. * Carbondale - Annexed by Tulsa in 1928.Breed, David M., with early drafting and initial research by Kent Schell
"Appendix D: Early History of Southwest Tulsa"
Southwest Tulsa Planning Team, Southwest Tulsa Historical Society and Tulsa Planning Department. p. 111. Accessed April 5, 2015. * Dawson - Annexed by Tulsa in 1949.Tulsa City Council
''A History of Tulsa Annexation.''
2004. Accessed April 5, 2015. * Keystone - Submerged by

, whose construction began in 1958. * North Tulsa - Annexed by Tulsa in 1904. *

Prattville Prattville is a city located within both Autauga and Elmore counties in the State of Alabama, United States, but serves as the county seat of Autauga County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,781. Nicknamed "The Founta ...

- Annexed by Sand Springs in 1965.Gregory, Carl N
"Sand Springs,"
''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 5, 2015. *

- Annexed by Tulsa in 1927. * South Haven - Annexed by Tulsa in 1966.

Education

K-12 education

Public school districts include:
Text list
- See also
Map of school districts from Tulsa County
/ref> *

Berryhill Public Schools The Berryhill Public Schools is a public school district in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States, based in an unincorporated area. It includes portions of Oakhurst, Sand Springs, and Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city ...

Bixby Public Schools Bixby Public Schools is a public school district in Bixby, Oklahoma, a suburb south of Tulsa, Oklahoma. As of 2022, the K-12 district serves over 7,000 students and is made up of 9 schools: * Central Elementary: Pre-K through 3rd Grade * Central ...

Broken Arrow Public Schools Broken Arrow Public Schools (BAPS) is a public school district in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. It was established in 1904. The district resides in an urban-suburban community with nearby agricultural areas and a growing business and industrial base ...

* Collinsville Public Schools * Glenpool Public Schools *

Jenks Public Schools Jenks Public Schools is a K-12, PreK-12 Public school (government funded), public school system located in Jenks, Oklahoma. Located just south of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa, Jenks Public Schools now encompasses over 40 square miles and serves mor ...

* Liberty Public Schools * Owasso Public Schools * Sand Springs Public Schools (operates

Charles Page High School Charles Page High School is a high school in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, Sand Springs, Oklahoma, United States, named after the philanthropist Charles Page. It is the only public High school (North America), high school in Sand Springs. History Char ...

) * Skiatook Public Schools * Sperry Public Schools *

Tulsa Public Schools Tulsa Public Schools is an independent school district serving the Tulsa, Oklahoma area in Northeastern Oklahoma. As of 2022, it is the largest school district in Oklahoma, surpassing Oklahoma City Public Schools for the first time since 201 ...

Union Public Schools Union Public Schools is a public school district located in southeast Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa, and northwest Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The school district is the eighth-largest in Oklahoma. Union is notable among school districts in the area becaus ...

* Keystone Public School (elementary only)

Colleges and universities

Public institutions: *

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a Private university, private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Presbyterian Church, although it is now nondenominational, and the campus ...

Tulsa Community College Tulsa Community College is a public community college in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1970 and is the largest two-year college in Oklahoma. It serves approximately 23,000 students per year in classes.

Private institutions: *

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a Private university, private Evangelicalism, evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian preacher Oral ...

NRHP sites

The following sites in Tulsa County are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

: * 66 Motel, Tulsa * Ambassador Hotel, Tulsa *

Bishop Kelley High School Bishop Kelley High School is an American Lasallian Catholic high school with 905 students, grades 9 to 12, located at 41st and Hudson Avenue, in the center of the Tulsa metropolitan area (in the Midtown area), on a campus spanning just over 47 ...

* Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, Tulsa * Boulder-on-the-Park, Tulsa *

Brady Heights Historic District Brady Heights is a historic district in Tulsa, Oklahoma that was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1980, as Brady Heights Historic District. It was Tulsa's first district to be listed in the Register. According to the NR ...

, Tulsa * Broken Arrow Elementary--Junior High School, Broken Arrow * Cain's Dancing Academy, Tulsa *

The Church Studio The Church Studio is a recording studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma established in 1972 by musician, songwriter, and producer Leon Russell. Located in a converted church building, the studio has since been cited as being the heart of the Tulsa Sound. H ...

, Tulsa * Circle Theater, Tulsa * Clinton-Hardy House, Tulsa * Tulsa Convention Hall, Tulsa * Cosden Building, Tulsa *

Creek Council Oak Tree The Creek Council Oak Tree is a historic landmark which represents the founding of the modern city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States by the Lochapoka

, Tulsa * Dawson School, Tulsa *

Carl K. Dresser House Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

, Tulsa * Eleventh Street Arkansas River Bridge, Tulsa * Fort Arbuckle Site, Sand Springs * Gillette Historic District, Tulsa * Gillette-Tyrell Building, Tulsa (Later named the Pythian Building) * Harwelden Mansion, Tulsa *

Haskell State School of Agriculture The Haskell State School of Agriculture was a public college formerly operational in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The college opened in 1909 with the building completing construction in 1910. The college closed in 1917 when the Oklahoma Legislature cut ...

, Broken Arrow * Holy Family Cathedral, Rectory, and School, Tulsa * Hooper Brothers Coffee Company Building, Tulsa * Robert Lawton Jones House, Tulsa * Maple Ridge Historic Residential District, Tulsa * Mayo Building, Tulsa *

Mayo Hotel The Mayo Hotel is an historic hotel that opened in 1925 at 115 West 5th Street in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. History Early years The Mayo Hotel was built in 1925, designed by architect George Winkler, and financed by John D. and Cass A. Mayo.R ...

, Tulsa *

Mayo Motor Inn Mayo often refers to: * Mayonnaise, a sauce * County Mayo, in the west of Ireland * Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States * Mayo (surname), includes a list of people with the name Mayo may also refer to: Places ...

* James H. McBirney House, Tulsa * McFarlin Building, Tulsa * Robert M. McFarlin House, Tulsa * B. W. McLean House and Office, Jenks *

Mincks-Adams Hotel The Mincks-Adams Hotel is located one block west of the Oil Capital Historic District, at 403 Cheyenne Avenue in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was constructed in 1927–1928 by businessman I. S. "Ike" Mincks and named the Mincks Hotel. It was a lu ...

, Tulsa * Moore Manor, Tulsa * Mount Zion Baptist Church, Tulsa * North Cheyenne Historic District, Tulsa * Oil Capital of the World Historic District * Oklahoma Natural Gas Company Building, Tulsa * Owen Park Historic District, Tulsa *

Page Memorial Library Page most commonly refers to: * Page (paper), one side of a leaf of paper, as in a book Page, PAGE, pages, or paging may also refer to: Roles * Page (assistance occupation), a professional occupation * Page (servant), traditionally a young mal ...

, Sand Springs *

Foster B. Parriott House Foster may refer to: People * Foster (surname) * Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor * Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player * Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player * John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), American ...

, Tulsa * Petroleum Building, Tulsa *

Philcade Building The Philcade Building is an office building in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma at the southeast corner of East 5th Street and South Boston Avenue. Designed by Leon B. Senter, for oilman Waite Phillips, it was begun in 1929 and completed in 1931. It is ...

, Tulsa *

Phillips 66 Station 473 Phillips may refer to: Businesses Energy * Chevron Phillips Chemical, American petrochemical firm jointly owned by Chevron Corporation and Phillips 66. * ConocoPhillips, American energy company * Phillips 66, American energy company * Philli ...

, Tulsa * Waite Phillips Mansion (now Philbrook Museum), Tulsa *

Philtower The Philtower Building is a historic building located at 427 South Boston Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Description and history Completed in 1928, it was designed by Edward Buehler Delk and financed by renowned oilman and dedicated philanthropis ...

, Tulsa * Pierce Block, Tulsa * Public Service of Oklahoma Building, Tulsa * Ranch Acres Historic Residential District, Tulsa * Riverside Historic Residential District, Tulsa * Riverside Studio, Tulsa * Sand Springs Power Plant, Sand Springs * Sinclair Service Station, Tulsa * William G. Skelly House, Tulsa *

Southwestern Bell Main Dial Building The Southwestern Bell Main Dial Building is a historic telephone exchange building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, built for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company in 1924. The original two-story Gothic Revival structure, which encompassed , was to house t ...

, Tulsa * St. John Vianney Training School for Girls, Tulsa * Swan Lake Historic District, Tulsa * Tracy Park Historic District * Tribune Building, Tulsa *

Tulsa Fire Alarm Building The Tulsa Fire Alarm Building is a historic Art Deco building at 1010 East Eighth Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was built in 1931 and served as the central reporting station for the Tulsa Fire Department. Fires were reported from alarm boxes spr ...

, Tulsa * Tulsa Municipal Building, Tulsa * United States Post Office and Courthouse, Tulsa * James Alexander Veasey House, Tulsa * Vickery Phillips 66 Station, Tulsa * Westhope, Tulsa *

White City Historic District White City is a residential neighborhood in Midtown, Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is bounded on the north by 2nd Street, on the east by Fulton Avenue, on the south by 11th Street and on the west by Yale Avenue. The neighborhood was added to the National ...

, Tulsa * Woodward Park and Gardens Historic District * Yorktown Historic District, Tulsa

References

External links

Tulsa County Government's website

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{Authority control 1907 establishments in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1907 Tulsa metropolitan area