Jackson County, Oklahoma

Jackson County
County
Jackson County Courthouse in Altus
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 34°35′N99°25′W / 34.59°N 99.41°W / 34.59; -99.41
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Founded	1907
Named for	Stonewall Jackson
Seat	Altus
Largest city	Altus
Area
• Total	804 sq mi (2,080 km2)
• Land	803 sq mi (2,080 km2)
• Water	1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.2%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	24,785
• Density	31/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd
Website	jackson.okcounties.org

Jackson County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,785. ^[1] Its county seat is Altus. ^[2] According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, the county was named for two historical figures: President Andrew Jackson and Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. ^[3] One source states that the county was named only for the former President, ^[4] while an earlier source states it was named only for General Stonewall Jackson. ^[5]

Jackson County comprises the Altus, OK micropolitan statistical area.

History

After a dispute over the Adams-Onís Treaty of 1819, both the governments of the United States and the state of Texas claimed ownership of some 1,500,000 acres (6,100 km²) in what was then operated as Greer County, Texas. Litigation followed, and in the case of United States v. State of Texas 162 U.S. 1 (1896), issued on March 16, the Supreme Court, having original jurisdiction over the case, decided in favor of the United States. Greer County was then assigned to the Oklahoma Territory on May 4, 1896. When Oklahoma became the 46th U.S. state (November 16, 1907), old "Greer County" was divided into Greer, Jackson, and part of Beckham counties.

Altus was originally designated as the seat of Jackson County. Olustee vied in an unsuccessful bid to replace Altus as the seat in an election on July 18, 1908. ^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 804 square miles (2,080 km²), of which 803 square miles (2,080 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) (0.2%) is water. ^[6]

Most of the county is within the Red Bed Plains physiographic region. The western part lies in the Gypsum Hills and the northeastern part is in the Wichita Mountains. The county is drained by the Red River and its tributaries, the North Fork of the Red River and the Salt Fork of the Red River. ^[3]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 62
• U.S. Highway 283
• State Highway 5
• State Highway 6
• State Highway 34

Adjacent counties

• Greer County (north)
• Kiowa County (northeast)
• Tillman County (east)
• Wilbarger County, Texas (south)
• Hardeman County, Texas (southwest)
• Harmon County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	23,737		—
1920	22,141		−6.7%
1930	28,910		30.6%
1940	22,708		−21.5%
1950	20,082		−11.6%
1960	29,736		48.1%
1970	30,902		3.9%
1980	30,356		−1.8%
1990	28,764		−5.2%
2000	28,439		−1.1%
2010	26,446		−7.0%
2020	24,785		−6.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2010 [11]

As of the census ^[12] of 2000, there were 28,439 people, 10,590 households, and 7,667 families residing in the county. The population density was 35 people per square mile (14/km²). There were 12,377 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.14% White, 8.03% Black or African American, 1.74% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 9.34% from other races, and 3.42% from two or more races. 15.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2020, its population declined to 24,785. ^[1]

There were 10,590 households, out of which 38.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.80% were married couples living together, 10.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.60% were non-families. 24.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.20% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 19.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,737, and the median income for a family was $38,265. Males had a median income of $28,240 versus $19,215 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,454. About 13.60% of families and 16.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.70% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2019 [13]
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	3,872	33.17%
	Republican	6,109	52.34%
	Others	1,691	14.49%
Total		11,672	100%

United States presidential election results for Jackson County, Oklahoma ^[14]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	6,392	77.75%	1,646	20.02%	183	2.23%
2016	5,969	76.47%	1,473	18.87%	364	4.66%
2012	5,965	75.33%	1,954	24.67%	0	0.00%
2008	6,719	74.80%	2,264	25.20%	0	0.00%
2004	7,024	75.89%	2,232	24.11%	0	0.00%
2000	5,591	68.53%	2,515	30.82%	53	0.65%
1996	4,422	51.53%	3,245	37.81%	915	10.66%
1992	3,893	41.33%	3,273	34.75%	2,254	23.93%
1988	4,423	55.28%	3,542	44.27%	36	0.45%
1984	5,773	65.64%	2,996	34.06%	26	0.30%
1980	4,327	50.58%	4,031	47.12%	196	2.29%
1976	3,189	39.07%	4,914	60.20%	60	0.74%
1972	5,519	71.61%	2,054	26.65%	134	1.74%
1968	2,248	30.36%	3,371	45.52%	1,786	24.12%
1964	2,366	28.64%	5,894	71.36%	0	0.00%
1960	3,375	47.30%	3,761	52.70%	0	0.00%
1956	2,343	34.57%	4,435	65.43%	0	0.00%
1952	2,627	34.80%	4,921	65.20%	0	0.00%
1948	923	14.48%	5,450	85.52%	0	0.00%
1944	1,313	21.20%	4,866	78.59%	13	0.21%
1940	1,540	24.03%	4,832	75.41%	36	0.56%
1936	1,095	16.66%	5,435	82.71%	41	0.62%
1932	603	9.48%	5,759	90.52%	0	0.00%
1928	3,440	57.72%	2,493	41.83%	27	0.45%
1924	941	24.74%	2,342	61.57%	521	13.70%
1920	1,345	30.18%	2,694	60.46%	417	9.36%
1916	409	12.77%	2,096	65.44%	698	21.79%
1912	588	19.02%	1,819	58.83%	685	22.15%

Economy

The county's economy has been based on farming and livestock since its inception. The major crops include cotton, wheat, corn, alfalfa, and hay. Barley and sorghum became major crops in the late 1940s. Livestock consisted of horses, cattle, mules, swine and sheep. Altus Air Force Base is the county's largest non-farm employer. There were 16 manufacturers in the county by 2000. These included Altus Athletic Manufacturing, the Bar-S Foods Company, and the Republic Gypsum plant. ^[3] (The Luscombe Aircraft manufacturing plant, later Quartz Mountain Aerospace, went bankrupt in 2009.) ^[15]

Education

The Western Oklahoma State College (WOSC) and the Southwest Technology Center, both in Altus, offer higher education opportunities in Jackson County. ^[3]

Communities

• Altus (county seat)
• Blair
• East Duke
• Eldorado
• Elmer
• Friendship
• Headrick
• Martha
• Olustee

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Jackson County, Oklahoma

References

1. "Jackson County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 13, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Wilson, Linda D. "Jackson County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
4. Oklahoma Historical Society. "Origin of County Names in Oklahoma" Archived January 23, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Chronicles of Oklahoma Vol. 2 No.1 (March 1924) 75-82. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
5. "The Archivist: How Oklahoma counties got their names". NewsOK.com. October 14, 2013. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
9. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
11. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
14. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
15. "Luscombe 11E". RA Lalli. Retrieved August 15, 2020.

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Jackson County
• Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory

Coordinates: 34°35′N99°25′W / 34.59°N 99.41°W / 34.59; -99.41