Oklahoma is located on the lands of the Great Plains, which once belonged to the Indian tribes. The name of the state itself in the language of the Choctaw people means “red people”. Oklahoma received this name in the late 19th century at the initiative of the head of the Choctaw tribe, Allen Wright, a representative in the negotiations on the status of Indian territories. Oklahoma is officially nicknamed the “Hurry State” or “The Land Grab State” because of the tradition of competitive races for the right to stake out the most successful piece of land in the distribution of territories back in the mid-19th century.
While traveling around Oklahoma by car, the view from the window is constantly changing: the gorges are replaced by semi-deserts, and those, in turn, by flowering prairies.
Today Oklahoma is the twentieth largest state with a developed aviation and fuel industry. Despite the unpopularity in the media and among the townsfolk, Oklahoma remains an attractive investment center, and several multinational companies have representative offices in the region’s largest cities.
- Countryaah – Cities in Oklahoma: List of all municipalities in the state of Oklahoma, including cities and towns of Oklahoma.
The state capital is Oklahoma City.
The largest cities in Oklahoma are Tulsa, Normon, and Lawton.
How to get there
Oklahoma City, the state capital, has direct flights to 97 cities around the world. From Russia, you will have to fly to it with transfers via London (Heathrow), Madrid (Barajas) or Brussels. You can also fly to Oklahoma from a number of American cities if you are already in the United States. Thus, direct air transport links with the state capital are: New York, Chicago, Denver, New Orleans, Detroit and many other US cities. Almost all US million-plus cities fly to the state, and Wil Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City is one of the largest air hubs in North America.
Weather in Oklahoma
Most of Oklahoma’s territory is located on the so-called Tornado Alley – the area between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains, where the largest number of cases of whirling hurricanes has been recorded. The region ranks third in the number of tornado cases per year, second only to Kansas and Texas, and if we take the territory of these three states into comparison, Oklahoma is the leader in the number of incidents on its territory.
The film Storm (1996), popular in Russia, was filmed in Oklahoma, and the press often calls the region the tornado capital of America.
The view from the car window while traveling through Oklahoma may remind one of the westerns, where the gorges are replaced by semi-deserts, and those, in turn, by flowering prairies.
Popular hotels in Oklahoma
Oklahoma City
Cinema among many inhabitants formed the idea of Oklahoma as a state of cowboys, Indians and “rednecks” – ordinary American hard workers, simple and uninteresting. But this opinion is fundamentally wrong. Oklahoma City is a major industrial city that has been ranked by Forbes magazine as one of America’s most recession-resistant major cities. The city has ten skyscrapers, the first of which was built back in 1927. And the tallest building in the city was opened in 2012. The height of the Devon tower is 257 meters, and on one of the last floors of the skyscraper there is an observation deck.
Oklahoma was the location of the first “oil rules the world” feature film in cinematic history, directed by Stanley Kramer. “Oil of Oklahoma” so intrigued the audience all over the world that the rights to rent this film were acquired even in the USSR for ideological propaganda and visualization of the “decaying capitalist West”.
Oklahoma City is one of the few cities in the prairie zone that has its own water channels, similar to the water systems of Amsterdam or Venice. The canal of the state capital passes through respectable areas and leads to the down-town of the city, and the canal embankment has long been a favorite place for recreation among citizens and guests of the city.
Oklahoma’s official nickname is “Hurry State” or “Earth Invader State” because of the tradition of competitive races for the right to stake out the most successful piece of land in the distribution of territories.
A water taxi runs along the entire length of the canal, by which you can get to the monument, impressive in size and plot, dedicated to the era of the Wild West. The monument consists of 45 figures of women, men, children, carts with horses and belongings, symbolizing the settlers to whom the city owes its appearance, the total length of the monument exceeds one hundred meters. Oklahoma City also has an impressive city park with a seven-story botanical garden at its center.
Anadarko – Indian city
In 1955, anthropologists at the University of Oklahoma carefully planned and built seven Indian villages. The place for construction was not chosen by chance, since it was here that more than a hundred years ago the massacre of Indians loyal to the Confederation of the North took place, and the restoration of ethnic identity in this territory was a tribute to the reconciliation of the indigenous and alien population.
According to demographic studies, Indians make up no more than 0.88% of the US population, while 11% live in Oklahoma, for which the state can be safely called the “most Indian”.
The Anadarko complex is the personification of the seven Indian tribes that originally lived in Oklahoma. In the villages, traditional beliefs and the way of life of a bygone era are carefully observed. A museum of the same name has been opened in Anadarko, where artifacts of the rich material culture of the Indians are collected. On the territory of the museum complex, which also includes a landscape cluster, you can see rare breeds of animals that live on 144 acres of land. Among the inhabitants, it is especially worth highlighting the so rare today buffaloes, emus, llamas and black antelopes – animals that played an important role in the life of Indian peoples.
Most of the Indian population of Oklahoma belongs to the Cherokee tribe, whose representatives in the twenty-first century have become the most educated among other indigenous peoples of the state. As early as 1926, the legendary Chief Sequoyah developed the Cherokee syllabary for the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper.
A huge number of souvenirs are sold on the territory of the Indian town and, most importantly, there is nothing imported or manufactured in a factory way on the shelves. All items and decorations are handmade by local Indian craftsmen. Anadarko is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00, except for major national holidays and celebrations.
Guthrie is a Masonic footprint in Oklahoma history
Until 1910, the state capital was not Oklahoma City at all, but Guthrie, almost forgotten today. The city is interesting if only because it is one of the few places on the Great Plains where the luxurious architecture of the Victorian era settled so densely and multifaceted.
Guthrie was nicknamed “the stone queen of the prairie” by eyewitnesses and travelers for the exceptionally large number of stone buildings.
The largest neoclassical building in the city is the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple, built at the beginning of the last century at an unimaginable amount of 2.6 USD for that time. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city experienced an oil boom and could afford such a luxury, especially since for the period of 1920, almost the entire population of the city was Masons. The temple building is perfectly preserved and covers an area of six acres.
Guthrie is one of the few cities in the US where the look of classic European cities prevails. A historic tram runs along its streets to this day, on which tourists can ride.
On the territory of the city, there are more than 2,000 buildings of architectural and aesthetic interest in excellent condition. Among them, it is worth noting the oldest and best-preserved Blue Beauty saloon, which in the period from 1902 to 1904 belonged to the silent film star, western hero, cowboy Tom Mix. On the second floor, above the saloon, there is a jewelry store, on the shelves of which you can sometimes find the most unexpected souvenirs.
