Jackson County, Oklahoma

Jackson County, Oklahoma
Jackson County Courthouse in Altus, Oklahoma
Location in the state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location in the U.S.
Founded	information needed
Seat	Altus
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	804 sq mi (2,083 km²) 803 sq mi (2,079 km²) 1 sq mi (4 km²), 0.18%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	28,439 35/sq mi (14/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5

Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 28,439. Its county seat is Altus^[1].

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 804 square miles (2,082.4 km²), of which 803 square miles (2,079.8 km²) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km²) (0.18%) is water.

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)

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. The county was then assigned to the Oklahoma Territory on May 4, 1896, and when Oklahoma became a state, in addition to becoming Jackson County, the region was also further split into Greer, Harmon, and part of Beckham counties.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] 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.

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.

Cities and towns

Altus Blair East Duke

Eldorado Elmer

Friendship Headrick

Martha Olustee

See also

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

References

1. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Jackson County

Coordinates: 34°35′N 99°25′W / 34.59°N 99.41°W / 34.59; -99.41