Fort Cobb, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Fort Cobb is a town in Caddo County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 667 at the 2000 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 667 people, 270 households, and 189 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,307.1 people per square mile (505.0/km²). There were 317 housing units at an average density of 621.2 per square mile (240.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.96% White, 1.20% African American, 16.04% Native American, 0.45% from other races
, and 4.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.25% of the population.
There were 270 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $34,000. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $18,854 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,085. About 12.5% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.
on October 1, 1859, 1 mile East of the present location of the town. The fort was named after Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb
, a friend of the founding officer
, Major
William Emory. The post was later occupied by both Southern and Northern forces during the Civil War.
Later, General George Armstrong Custer
's command was encamped at Fort Cobb from Dec. 18, 1868, to Jan. 6, 1869. Shortly after that on March 12, 1869, the fort was abandoned in favor a location 30 miles to the South near the Wichita Mountains
, and renamed Fort Sill
. This Fort is where the town gets its name.
Caddo County, Oklahoma
Caddo County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 30,150. Its county seat is Anadarko. It is named after the Caddo tribe who were settled here on the 1870s...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 667 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Geography
Fort Cobb is located at 35°5′58"N 98°26′19"W (35.099581, -98.438498).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 667 people, 270 households, and 189 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,307.1 people per square mile (505.0/km²). There were 317 housing units at an average density of 621.2 per square mile (240.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.96% White, 1.20% African American, 16.04% Native American, 0.45% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 4.35% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.25% of the population.
There were 270 households out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $25,625, and the median income for a family was $34,000. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $18,854 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,085. About 12.5% of families and 17.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.
History
Fort Cobb was established as a US Army frontier post in Indian TerritoryIndian Territory
The Indian Territory, also known as the Indian Territories and the Indian Country, was land set aside within the United States for the settlement of American Indians...
on October 1, 1859, 1 mile East of the present location of the town. The fort was named after Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb
Howell Cobb was an American political figure. A Southern Democrat, Cobb was a five-term member of the United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the House from 1849 to 1851...
, a friend of the founding officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
William Emory. The post was later occupied by both Southern and Northern forces during the Civil War.
Later, General George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
's command was encamped at Fort Cobb from Dec. 18, 1868, to Jan. 6, 1869. Shortly after that on March 12, 1869, the fort was abandoned in favor a location 30 miles to the South near the Wichita Mountains
Wichita Mountains
The Wichita Mountains are located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The mountains are a northwest-southeast trending series of rocky promontories, many capped by 540 million-year old granite. These were exposed and rounded by weathering during the Permian Period...
, and renamed Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
. This Fort is where the town gets its name.
Famous residents
- Gary GrayGary Gray (basketball)Gary Gray is a former American basketball player who played guard in the National Basketball Association. Gray was drafted in the third round of the 1967 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals and played that season with the team. He was later selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1968 NBA Expansion...
, formerly of the NBA's Cincinnati RoyalsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. - Wendi Willits, formerly of the WNBA's Los Angeles SparksLos Angeles SparksThe Los Angeles Sparks is a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began...
. - Reggie WillitsReggie WillitsReggie Gene Willits is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent.-Early life:...
(younger sibling to Wendi), a member of the MLB's Los Angeles Angels organization.