At one of its stopping points, where passengers unloaded and workers anticipated shipments of freight, a town grew around the little station. That town would later become one of Oklahoma's largest cities and the home of one of its leading universities. Norman, Oklahoma, grew so rapidly, in fact, that developers built three annexes onto the railroad station in order to accommodate increased passenger and freight traffic. Visit this city of nearly 88,000 residents today, and you'll find the Santa Fe Railroad station still standing, but the days of transporting passengers via the Santa Fe Railroad are over. Instead, the station has become a tribute to history.
Businesspeople rent the station out for celebrations, meetings and other functions.
Norman has developed a reputation for its educational quality, not just due to OU, but also to its public school system, considered among the state's best. With a strong educational base, Norman is leading the state in terms of business growth, as well. Norman has been called one of Oklahoma's most progressive cities, and with good reason. The plan is designed to accommodate Norman's projected population growth in the next century and stave off the inevitable side effects of such growth, including traffic congestion, overcrowding and shortage of commercial and residential real estate. To visit Norman is to experience a taste of history.