Ardmore, Indian Territory, began with a plowed ditch for a Main Street in the summer of 1887 in Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation. It owes much of its existence to the construction of the Santa Fe Railroad through the area during that time. It grew, as most frontier towns grew, over the years into a trading outpost for the region. A large fire in 1895 destroyed much of the fledgling town, which forced residents to rebuild nearly the entire town.[8] In the early 1900s, Ardmore became well known for its abundance of cotton-growing fields and eventually became known as the world's largest inland cotton port.
The city found itself positioned next to one of the largest oil fields ever produced in Oklahoma, the Healdton Oil Field. After its discovery in 1913, entrepreneurs and wildcatters flooded the area, and Carter County quickly became the largest oil-producing county in Oklahoma, and has remained so ever since.[9] Ardmore has remained an energy center for the region ever since, with the region's natural wealth giving birth to such energy giants as the Noble Energy companies, among others. On September 27, 1915, a railroad car containing casing gas exploded, killing 43 people, injuring many, and destroying much of downtown, including areas rebuilt after the 1895 fire.[10] The disaster, which made national news, gave residents the resolve to establish the city's first fire department to ensure that such events would not recur in the future. On April 22, 1966, Ardmore was the site of the worst plane crash in Oklahoma history, which killed 83 people.[11] On May 7, 1995, an F3 tornado struck Ardmore, killing three people and injuring six others.[12]
Ardmore is located in southeastern Carter County. It is bordered to the west by the city of Lone Grove and to the east by the town of Dickson. Via Interstate 35, which passes through the west side of Ardmore, Oklahoma City is 97 miles (156 km) to the north, while Fort Worth, Texas, is 103 miles (166 km) to the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Ardmore has a total area of 51.8 square miles (134.1 km2), of which 49.9 square miles (129.2 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), or 3.67%, is water.[14]
Ardmore is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of the Arbuckles, an ancient, eroded range spanning some 62 mi (100 km) across southern Oklahoma. The geology is highly variegated within the area, with uplifted and folded ridges visible within the shoreline of some of the lakes surrounding Ardmore. The city of Ardmore has no intracity streams or rivers, but is part of the Washita and Red River watersheds, with two tributaries, Caddo and Hickory creeks, flanking the broad, low area in which Ardmore is situated. Ardmore is also 3.1 mi (5 km) north of Lake Murray, an impoundment of the two arms of Anadarche Creek, which eventually flows into the western reaches of Lake Texoma.
As of the census of 2010, there were 24,283 people living in the city.[21] The population density was 482.7 inhabitants per square mile (186.4/km2). There were 10,926 housing units at an average density of 222.4 per square mile (85.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 73.02% White, 11.27% African American, 8.78% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.55% from other races, and 4.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.70% of the population.
There were 9,646 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 31.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,046, and the median income for a family was $37,758. Males had a median income of $28,685 versus $23,070 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,502. About 13.6% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 12.0% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Ardmore is the principal center of trade for a ten-county region in South Central Oklahoma, with a retail pull factor of 1.7–1.9. Ardmore's major employers are MichelinNorth America, with 1,900 employees, who announced its plan to close in 2025, and Mercy Hospital Ardmore, with 900 employees. Several hundred employees work for regional distribution centers for Best Buy, Dollar Tree (Marietta) and Dollar General Stores, among others. Until early 2009, Ardmore was also home to a large regional distribution center for the now-defunct retail electronics chain Circuit City and was also home to a 1-800-flowers call center. In 2010 Ardmore lost another technology company, IMTEC, which was purchased by 3M and moved away to California. The 85,000 bbl/d (13,500 m3/d) Valerorefinery in northeast Ardmore employs some 250 area residents. Ardmore is also home to the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, among the nation's 50 largest private foundations, primarily engaged in agricultural bioresearch activities. In 2001, East Jordan Iron Works opened a foundry located at the Ardmore Industrial Airpark. On September 24, 2020, Oklahoma Blood Institute opened one of the largest blood donation facilities in the state in Oklahoma
.
Arts and culture
Central Park, view towards historic bandstand, downtown ArdmoreCharles B. Goddard Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, downtown Ardmore
Ardmore is home to many pioneers in the dawn of the American oil industry and the wealth of the oil industry has been channeled into many philanthropical endeavors, as well as reinvested into the area in various art and infrastructure endowments.[citation needed]
Amenities include:
Ardmore Civic Auditorium, a historic city building that hosts concerts and other local events
Hardy Murphy Coliseum, historic WPA-built facility that hosts rodeos, cutting shows and various regional events
The Ardmore Masonic Lodge is one of the oldest civic organizations in Ardmore.
Ardmore has one principal rail line,[24] that being one of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe mainlines running from Fort Worth, Texas to Oklahoma City (also connecting with Kansas City and Chicago), being the route of the current Heartland Flyer passenger rail service. This line was formerly part of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail network before the merger with Burlington Northern. The line dates back to 1887, and the first train arrived on July 28 in that year.[25] The company has multiple parallel tracks (5+) running through central Ardmore (MP 450.5), added concomitantly with the rise of the trading status of the city and region throughout the early 1900s. There is also a lightly used transverse rail spur from the BNSF line to the Michelin tire plant in west Ardmore, mainly intended for the transport of raw materials to the factory. BNSF has given Site Certification to the Ameripointe Logistics Park in Ardmore, meaning the railroad has identified the location as an optimal rail-served site meeting ten economic development criteria, intended to minimize development risks customers may face.[26]
Mass transit
The historic Santa Fe depot in downtown Ardmore is also a stop on Amtrak's Heartland Flyer train route, with daily service to and from Oklahoma City and Fort Worth.
Southern Oklahoma Rural Transportation System (SORTS) began operations in 1985, and offers full services to the four counties of Bryan, Carter, Coal and Love. The program currently offers demand response services with contract transportation provided for work routes, medical routes and rural routes meeting the needs of the entire area.
Early on, Ardmore had streetcars.[28] The Ardmore Traction Company was organized in the Fall of 1905.[28] It had pretentions of building all the way to Springer, Oklahoma, about 7 miles, but had a much smaller system operational around town by January 1, 1906.[28][29][30] In January 1908 it built an additional 3 miles to the company-owned Lorena Park.[28] But the company was in receivership by early 1910,[28] when the system consisted of 4.7 miles of tracks in operation, 2 new single truck cars, 2 double truck cars, a convertible car, a summer car, and the amusement park.[31] At some point it changed names to the Ardmore Electric Railway, and reorganizing again in 1916, ending up as the Ardmore Railway Company.[32][33] By August 1918, the system was down to 4 cars and 3.37 miles of track.[28]World War I gave the system a brief boom, but by 1920 it was losing $100-$400/month.[28] Abandonment was requested and granted in 1922.[28][34] The tracks were removed in the 1930’s as a WPA project.[34]
The NRHP-listed Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad Viaduct, previously in Ardmore, has been demolished. The Brady Cabin is given as 38 miles northwest of Ardmore.
John Hinckley, Jr., man who shot former President Ronald Reagan in failed assassination attempt in 1981; Hinckley's father worked for a local oil company
B. P. Loughridge, the first Ardmore High School graduate to become a Fulbright scholar; became a cardiovascular surgeon, author, and health care consultant in Tulsa
Rue McClanahan (1934-2010), Emmy Award-winning actress, grew up in Ardmore and graduated from Ardmore High School
Mazola McKerson (1921-2014), first African American mayor of the city, first female mayor of a city of more than 30,000 in the US
Joe McQueen (1919–2019), jazz musician, was raised in Ardmore
^Bamburg, Maxine. "Ardmore"Archived September 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed February 5, 2010).
