Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma

Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Pottawatomie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 72,454. Its county seat is Shawnee.
Pottawatomie County is part of the Shawnee, OK micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Oklahoma City–Shawnee, OK combined statistical area.
History
Pottawatomie County was carved out of land originally given to the Creek and Seminole after their forced removal from Georgia and Florida. After the Civil War, the Creek and Seminole were forced to cede their lands back to the federal government, and the area of Pottawatomie County was used to resettle the Iowa, Sac and Fox, Absentee Shawnee, Potawatomi and Kickapoo tribes.
Non-Indian settlement began on September 22, 1891, when all the tribes except the Kickapoo agreed to land allotment, where communal reservation land was divided and allotted to individual members of the tribes. The remaining land was opened to settlement.
During the land run, Pottawatomie County was organized as County "B" with Tecumseh as the county seat. In 1892, the voters of the county elected to rename County "B" as Pottawatomie County after the Potawatomi Indians.
In 1895, the Kickapoo gave up their land rights and their land was given away to white settlers in the last land run in Oklahoma.
In 1930, Shawnee, now bigger in size than Tecumseh, was approved by the voters to become the new county seat. The Pottawatomie County Court House was built in 1934 by the Public Works Administration. The court house project cost $250,000 to complete.
On May 19, 2013, during an outbreak of tornadoes, a mobile home park was nearly destroyed, killing a 79-year-old man and injuring at least six others as well as damaging at least 35 structures. Frame and brick homes west of Shawnee were also affected.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.7%) is water.
Adjacent counties
Lincoln County (north)
Okfuskee County (northeast)
Seminole County (east)
Pontotoc County (southeast)
McClain County (southwest)
Cleveland County (west)
Oklahoma County (northwest)
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 69,442 people, 25,911 households, and 18,227 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 29,139 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 76.3% white, 2.9% black or African American, 12.9% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% from other races, and 6.3% from two or more races. About 4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race, while 9% were of American, 17% German, 14% Irish and 10% English ancestry. About 90.6% spoke English and 4.2% Spanish as their first language. At the 2020 census, its population grew to 72,454.
As of 2010, there were 25,911 households, out of which 34.5% included children under the age of 18, 51.9% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.7% were non-families. About a quarter of households consisted of a single individual and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88 males.
As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $41,332, and the median income for a family was $50,399. Males had a median income of $39,580 versus $27,495 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,700. About 14% of families and 18% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over. According to 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $54,896 and the county had a poverty rate of 14.4%.
Government and infrastructure
The Pioneer Library System operates branch libraries in nine cities in Pottawatomie, Cleveland, and McClain counties.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections operates the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in an unincorporated area in the county, near McLoud.
Politics
Transportation
Major highways
Interstate 40
U.S. Highway 177
U.S. Highway 270
U.S. Highway 377
State Highway 3
State Highway 3E
State Highway 3W
State Highway 9
State Highway 9A
State Highway 18
State Highway 39
State Highway 59
State Highway 59B
State Highway 99
State Highway 99A
State Highway 102
State Highway 270
Airport
The Shawnee Regional Airport is located northwest from the central business district of Shawnee. It is classified as a general aviation airport.
Communities
Cities
Oklahoma City (mostly in Oklahoma County)
Shawnee (county seat)
Tecumseh
Towns
Asher
Bethel Acres
Brooksville
Earlsboro
Johnson
Macomb
Maud
McLoud
Pink
St. Louis
Tribbey
Wanette
Census-designated place
Dale
Other unincorporated communities
Aydelotte
Bellemont
Harjo
Pearson
Romulus
Sacred Heart
Education
School districts include:
K-12:
Asher Public Schools
Bethel Public Schools
Dale Public Schools
Earlsboro Public Schools
Harrah Public Schools
Konawa Public Schools
Little Axe Public Schools
Macomb Public Schools
Maud Public Schools
McLoud Public Schools
Meeker Public Schools
North Rock Creek Public School
Prague Public Schools
Shawnee Public Schools
Strother Public Schools
Tecumseh Public Schools
Wanette Public Schools
Elementary only:
Grove Public School
Pleasant Grove Public School
South Rock Creek Public School
NRHP Sites
The following sites in Pottawatomie County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:
References
External links
Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma
Charles W. Mooney Jr., Localized History of Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma to 1907, 1971
Oklahoma City metropolitan area
1891 establishments in Oklahoma Territory
Populated places established in 1891