Major County, Oklahoma

Major County
County
Glass Mountains
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 36°19′N98°32′W / 36.31°N 98.54°W / 36.31; -98.54
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Founded	1907
Seat	Fairview
Largest city	Fairview
Area
• Total	958 sq mi (2,480 km2)
• Land	955 sq mi (2,470 km2)
• Water	3.0 sq mi (8 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,782
• Density	8.1/sq mi (3.1/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Major County is a county in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,782. ^[1] Its county seat is Fairview. ^[2] The county was created in 1907. ^[3]

Located in northwestern Oklahoma, Major County is bounded by Woods and Alfalfa counties in the north, Garfield County on the east, Kingfisher, Blaine, and Dewey on the south, and Woodward on the west. Major County has 957.87 square miles of land and water. It is drained by the North Canadian and Cimarron Rivers, and the Eagle Chief, Griever, and Sand Creeks.

History

Upon statehood in 1907, Major County was created from southern part of a territorial county. ^[4] Fairview, which had been settled following the Land Run of 1893, was designated the county seat, and voters reaffirmed the choice on December 22, 1908. ^[5] The county commissioners rented office space until a brick courthouse was constructed. ^[5] A second courthouse, made of stone, was erected in 1928. ^[5]

Named for John Charles Major, a representative to the state's 1906 Constitutional Convention, the area was originally settled by large numbers of Kansas Mennonites. ^[4] One county town, Meno, received its name from an early leader of the Mennonite movement, Menno Simons. ^[4]

The county experienced "Black Sunday" dust storms on April 14, 1935. ^[6]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 958 square miles (2,480 km²), of which 955 square miles (2,470 km²) are land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km²) (0.3%) are covered by water. ^[7]

Eagle Chief Creek, which empties into the Cimarron River near Cleo Springs, was known to the Cheyenne people as Maheonekamax. ^[8]

A large gypsum formation extends across much of western Oklahoma, and the Ames Structure, which is buried under 3,000 meters of sand and soil, is possibly the result of a meteorite impact.

The town of Ringwood is a well-known producer of watermelons in the region and holds a Watermelon Festival annually. ^[6]

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 60
• U.S. Highway 281
• U.S. Highway 412
• State Highway 8
• State Highway 58

Adjacent counties

• Woods County (northwest)
• Alfalfa County (northeast)
• Garfield County (east)
• Kingfisher County (southeast)
• Blaine County (south)
• Dewey County (southwest)
• Woodward County (west)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	15,248		—
1920	12,426		−18.5%
1930	12,206		−1.8%
1940	11,946		−2.1%
1950	10,279		−14.0%
1960	7,808		−24.0%
1970	7,529		−3.6%
1980	8,772		16.5%
1990	8,055		−8.2%
2000	7,545		−6.3%
2010	7,527		−0.2%
2020	7,782		3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [9] 1790-1960 [10] 1900-1990 [11] 1990-2000 [12] 2010 [13]

Age pyramid for Major County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.

As of the 2000 Census, ^[14] 7,545 people, 3,046 households, and 2,208 families resided in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km²). The 3,540 housing units averaged 4 units per square mile (1.5/km²). Nearly all of the county's residents (94.96%) were listed as White and 94.7% spoke English. Most of the remaining residents were listed as Hispanic or Latino (4.02%), who spoke Spanish (4.1%), Native American (0.9%), or mixed (1.44%). A few spoke German as their first language.

Of the 3,046 households in 2000, 31% had children under 18, 63.7% were married couples, 6% were a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were not families. A quarter of the households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44, and the average family size was 2.92.

The median age was 42 years. The age distribution was 24.7% under 18, 6.7% were 18 to 24, 24.4% were 25 to 44, 24.9% were 45 to 64, and 19.4% were 65 or older. Females slightly outnumber males, with 95.4 males for every 100 females and 91.5 males for every 100 females 18 and over.

The median income for a household was $30,949, and for a family was $36,888. Males had a median income of $28,078 versus $17,658 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,272. About 9.3 percent of families and 12 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under 18 and 9.3% of those 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023 [15]
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	423	9.55%
	Republican	3,520	79.46%
	Others	487	10.99%
Total		4,430	100%

Major County has been won by the Republican presidential nominee in every election except the 1932 Roosevelt landslide, when Herbert Hoover lost every county in the West South Central States, ^[16] being the only county in Oklahoma to be won by Alf Landon in 1936. ^[17] In the last five elections the Republican presidential candidate has defeated the Democratic candidate by at least 60%, ^[18] and no Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976 has obtained even 30% of the county's vote.

It is part of Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+29 and is represented by Frank Lucas. In the Oklahoma Senate, it is part of the 27th district and is represented by Republican Casey Murdock. In the Oklahoma House of Representatives, it is part of the 58th district and is represented by Republican Carl Newton.

United States presidential election results for Major County, Oklahoma ^[19]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	3,084	88.95%	320	9.23%	63	1.82%
2016	2,948	86.53%	310	9.10%	149	4.37%
2012	2,700	85.82%	446	14.18%	0	0.00%
2008	2,956	85.16%	515	14.84%	0	0.00%
2004	3,122	85.32%	537	14.68%	0	0.00%
2000	2,672	79.71%	635	18.94%	45	1.34%
1996	2,188	62.30%	900	25.63%	424	12.07%
1992	2,154	57.36%	731	19.47%	870	23.17%
1988	2,638	71.86%	982	26.75%	51	1.39%
1984	3,385	83.89%	619	15.34%	31	0.77%
1980	3,059	81.81%	584	15.62%	96	2.57%
1976	2,282	61.73%	1,357	36.71%	58	1.57%
1972	3,203	83.89%	512	13.41%	103	2.70%
1968	2,550	72.84%	594	16.97%	357	10.20%
1964	2,436	65.36%	1,291	34.64%	0	0.00%
1960	2,892	80.16%	716	19.84%	0	0.00%
1956	2,826	74.82%	951	25.18%	0	0.00%
1952	3,495	80.53%	845	19.47%	0	0.00%
1948	2,467	66.78%	1,227	33.22%	0	0.00%
1944	3,019	75.38%	965	24.09%	21	0.52%
1940	3,453	70.60%	1,404	28.71%	34	0.70%
1936	2,230	53.04%	1,929	45.88%	45	1.07%
1932	1,374	35.24%	2,525	64.76%	0	0.00%
1928	2,891	78.73%	674	18.36%	107	2.91%
1924	1,781	58.51%	649	21.32%	614	20.17%
1920	1,921	60.01%	784	24.49%	496	15.50%
1916	946	39.71%	762	31.99%	674	28.30%
1912	1,210	48.50%	689	27.62%	596	23.89%
1908	1,446	51.59%	877	31.29%	480	17.12%

Economy

The county's economy has historically been based on agriculture, specifically wheat farming, poultry raising, and cattle ranching. Major crops have included corn, wheat, kaffir corn, broomcorn, and alfalfa. The Hallren Poultry and Creamery founded in Fairview in 1936 was the county's largest employer by the late 1950s. ^[4]

Oil and gas production have significantly bolstered the county economy, especially around the Ames Structure and the Ringwood oil field. ^[4]

Communities

City

• Fairview (county seat)

Towns

• Ames
• Cleo Springs
• Meno
• Ringwood

Census-designated places

• Chester
• Isabella

Other unincorporated places

• Orienta

NRHP sites

Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Major County, Oklahoma

These sites in Major County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Major County Courthouse, Fairview
• First United Methodist Church, Fairview

References

1. "Major County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved May 13, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. "Oklahoma: Individual County Chronologies". Oklahoma Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. Archived from the original on April 2, 2018. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
4. Peterson-Veatch, Ross. "Major County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
5. Wilson, Linda D. "Fairview," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
6. Peterson-Veatch, Ross. "Ringwood," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 4, 2015.
7. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
8. Petter, Rodolphe. (1915). English-Cheyenne dictionary. Kettle Falls, Wash.: V. Petter. pp.  920.
9. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
10. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
11. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
12. "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.
13. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
15. "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
16. Robinson, Edgar Eugene; The Presidential Vote 1896-1932, pp. 68, 109 ISBN   9780804716963
17. Geographie Electorale
18. New York Times Election Map (Zoom in on Oklahoma)
19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 29, 2018.

36°19′N98°32′W / 36.31°N 98.54°W / 36.31; -98.54