Webb City is an unincorporated town in northwestern
Osage 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 62 at the
2010 census, a 34.7 percent decline from the figure of 95 recorded 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 ...
. It was named for its founder, Horace Webb, on whose land the town was founded. The Webb City post office opened December 16, 1922.
[ Jon D. May. "Webb City." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.](_blank)
Accessed September 25, 2011.
History
Horace W. Webb, a native of
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
, settled just south of
Grainola, Oklahoma in 1910. He continued to purchase land and opened the area's first school. The town of Webb City was incorporated on his land in September 1921. The post office opened in Webb City on December 16, 1922.
Webb City was located at the northern end of the Burbank Oil Field, discovered in 1920. All mineral rights in Osage County were owned by the
Osage tribe of
American Indians. The
Osage Railway, one of the
Muskogee Roads
The Muskogee Roads was the colloquial name for a system of railroads under common management operationally headquartered in Muskogee, Oklahoma and controlled by the Muskogee Company of Philadelphia. The Muskogee Roads were the only Class I railroa ...
, built a line through the town in 1924 connecting Shidler and
Lyman, Oklahoma. Although the oil find brought a degree of prosperity, Webb City never developed into a modern town. Water was scarce and there was no electricity. The business district had unpaved streets and most of the buildings were built of wood frame and false fronts.
The town began to decline in the late 1920s, as the oil boom faded. In 1928, it was heavily damaged by a tornado, and many of the businesses did not rebuild. The decline continued through 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 ...
. Its high school closed in 1944, and consolidated with the high school in
Shidler. The elementary school closed in 1956, and consolidated with the elementary school in Shidler. The Osage Railway was abandoned in 1955.
["Ghost town of Webb City, Oklahoma."](_blank)
Retrieved September 1, 2014.
The 1930 census (the first census taken in Webb City) showed 493 residents. The population declined thereafter.
Geography
Webb City is located northwest of
Shidler and northwest of
Pawhuska.
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 95 people, 35 households, and 28 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 46 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 77.89%
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 ...
, 10.53%
Native American, and 11.58% from two or more races.
There were 35 households, out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% 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, and 20.0% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 131.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $17,500. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $8,750 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 $9,857. There were 23.1% of families and 37.1% of the population living 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 54.5% of under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Education
It is in
Shidler Public Schools.
Economy
The economy of the surrounding area relies on farming and ranching. However, most of the employed town residents work in construction or sales.
References
{{authority control
Towns in Osage County, Oklahoma
Towns in Oklahoma
Populated places established in 1921
1921 establishments in Oklahoma
Populated places within the Osage Nation reservation