Piedmont, Oklahoma

City of Piedmont
City
Location of Piedmont, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°40′27″N97°45′09″W / 35.67417°N 97.75250°W / 35.67417; -97.75250
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Counties	Canadian, Kingfisher
Government
• Mayor	Kurt Mayabb
Area [1]
• Total	43.85 sq mi (113.58 km2)
• Land	43.40 sq mi (112.40 km2)
• Water	0.46 sq mi (1.18 km2)
Elevation [2]	1,217 ft (371 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,402
• Density	170.56/sq mi (65.85/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code	73078
Area code	405
FIPS code	40-58700 [3]
GNIS feature ID	2411419 [2]
Website	www.piedmont-ok.gov

Piedmont is a city primarily in Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States, though a small part of it is in Kingfisher County. It is a part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 5,720 at the 2010 census, a 56.7 percent increase from 3,650 in 2000. ^[4] Piedmont is a home rule city served by a council–manager government.

History

The city of Piedmont was founded on land claimed during the Unassigned Land Run of April 22, 1889. The town was founded in 1903 by Dr. E. H. Long. ^[5]

Piedmont's success was spurred by the now-defunct St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway that extended a line from Guthrie to El Reno, which allowed it to become an agricultural market center. However, the railroad ceased to operate in 1924. ^[5]

Piedmont remained a small but stable rural community for the first half of the 20th century. Starting in the 1970s, the town became an increasingly popular bedroom community for those working in nearby Oklahoma City. Development of the "Northwest Expressway" (Oklahoma State Highway 3) resulted in population growth of 124%.

2011 tornado

On May 24, 2011, Piedmont and surrounding areas were struck by the 2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado. Rated EF5, it destroyed about 180 homes in the city, ^[6] caused over $20 million in property damage, ^[7] and killed two children. ^[8]

Geography

Piedmont is located in the northeastern corner of Canadian County 10 miles (16 km) north of Yukon. ^[5] It is bordered to the south by the Oklahoma City limits. The center of Piedmont is about 22 miles (35 km) northwest of the center of Oklahoma City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Piedmont has a total area of 44.1 square miles (114.1 km²), of which 43.6 square miles (112.9 km²) is land and 0.46 square miles (1.2 km²), or 1.02%, is water. ^[9]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	255		—
1920	213		−16.5%
1930	148		−30.5%
1940	151		2.0%
1950	120		−20.5%
1960	146		21.7%
1970	269		84.2%
1980	2,016		649.4%
1990	2,522		25.1%
2000	3,650		44.7%
2010	5,720		56.7%
2020	7,402		29.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [10]

Piedmont also has many plains and has many crops growing, meaning many farmers.

As of the census of 2010, ^[11] there were 5,720 people in 1,836 households in the city. The population density was 83.3 inhabitants per square mile (32.2/km²). There were 1,270 housing units at an average density of 29.0 per square mile (11.2/km²). The 2010 racial makeup of the city was 87.7% white, 1% African American, 3.4% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 3.7% from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin were 4.8% of the population. Census 2000 numbers list 1,226 households, out of which 49.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.6% were non-families. 9.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.3% under the age of 18, ^[11] 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $85,313 from 2006 to 2010 ^[11] and the median income for a family was $57,121. Males had a median income of $37,273 versus $26,332 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,694. ^[11] About 4.0% of families and 4.4% of the population ^[11] were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Piedmont school district reports an enrollment of 4,823 students for the 2021–2022 school year. ^[12] Piedmont's school district consists of 7 school facilities: Early Childhood Center, 3 Elementary Schools, Intermediate School, Middle School, and High School. School teams are known by the nickname "Wildcats."^{[ citation needed ]}

Government

Piedmont is a home rule city served by a council–manager government.

Jason Orr was the City Manager from July 2016 until August 2021 when he was fired by the City Council as the result of an investigation by the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector. ^{[13] [14]} The report revealed that Orr had violated Piedmont ordinances with the purchase of two pickup trucks by not obtaining prior Council approval and soliciting competitive bids as required. The report also revealed that Orr had contacted City Council members via phone calls prior to the purchase in February 2020 which appeared "to be an action of the Council conducted outside of an official meeting, a circumvention of the Open Meetings Act". ^[15] No action was ever taken against the Council members for their actions.

Josh Williams has been the City Manager since June 2022. Kurt Mayabb was the Mayor from April 2019 to November 2023. Former Mayor Pro-tem Melissa Ashford is the current Mayor until the term expires in April 2023.

Media

Piedmont and nearby communities are served by the Piedmont-Surrey Hills Gazette.

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Piedmont, Oklahoma
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
4. CensusViewer:Piedmont, Oklahoma Population. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
5. Savage, Cynthia. "Piedmont," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society. Accessed April 17, 2015.
6. http://www.piedmonttoday.com/photo-galleries/photos-city-estimates-at-least-250-homes-damaged/%5B%5D
7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
8. http://www.piedmonttoday.com/city/piedmont-neighborhoods-left-in-ruins-after-tuesdays-tornado/%5B%5D
9. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Piedmont city, Oklahoma". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
10. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
11. "US Census Bureau". Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
12. "State Public Enrollment Totals".
13. "PIEDMONT CITY MANAGER FIRED 2 WEEKS AFTER STATE AUDIT".
14. "Piedmont city manager fired".
15. "City of Piedmont, Special Audit Report August 10, 2021" (PDF).

External links

• City of Piedmont official website