McCurtain County, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
McCurtain County is a county located in the U.S. state
of Oklahoma
. As of 2010, the population was 33,151. Its county seat
is Idabel
.
and Little River
drainages lie in McCurtain county. The Mountain Fork river is one of the two year round trout
fisheries in the state. The lowest point in the state of Oklahoma is located on the Little River
in McCurtain County, where it flows out of Oklahoma and into Arkansas
.
of 2000, there were 34,402 people, 13,216 households, and 9,541 families residing in the county. The population density
was 7/km² (19/mi²). There were 15,427 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (8/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.54% White
, 9.30% Black
or African American
, 13.57% Native American
, 0.22% Asian
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
, 1.34% from other races
, and 5.02% from two or more races. 3.09% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race. 28.6% were of American
, 7.6% Irish
and 5.9% English
ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.4% spoke English
, 2.9% Spanish
and 2.6% Choctaw
as their first language.
There were 13,216 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.30% were married couples
living together, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,162, and the median income for a family was $29,933. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $17,869 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $13,693. About 21.00% of families and 24.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.40% of those under age 18 and 21.20% of those age 65 or over.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of 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...
. As of 2010, the population was 33,151. Its county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Idabel
Idabel, Oklahoma
Idabel is a city in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,658 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McCurtain County. The town is located in the tourist area Kiamichi Country.-History:...
.
Geography
The county has a total area of 4,924 km² (1,901 mi²). 4,797 km² (1,852 mi²) of it is land and 127 km² (49 mi²) of it (2.58%) is water. The terrain of McCurtain county varies from the mountainous northern part of the county to the rich Red River bottoms of the southern part. Sections of the Mountain ForkMountain Fork
Mountain Fork, also known as the Mountain Fork of the Little River, is a tributary of the Little River in western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma in the United States...
and Little River
Little River (Red River)
The Little River is a tributary of the Red River, about long, in southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas in the United States. Via the Red, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
drainages lie in McCurtain county. The Mountain Fork river is one of the two year round trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
fisheries in the state. The lowest point in the state of Oklahoma is located on the Little River
Little River (Red River)
The Little River is a tributary of the Red River, about long, in southeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas in the United States. Via the Red, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...
in McCurtain County, where it flows out of Oklahoma and into Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
.
Major highways
U.S. Highway 70
U.S. Highway 259
State Highway 3State Highway 3 (Oklahoma)State Highway 3, also abbreviated as SH-3 or OK-3, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Traveling diagonally through Oklahoma, from the Panhandle to the far southeastern corner of the state, SH-3 is the longest state highway in the Oklahoma road system, at a total length of...
State Highway 37State Highway 37 (Oklahoma)State Highway 37 is a designation for two separate highways in the state of Oklahoma. The northern section runs between Hinton and Moore in central Oklahoma, while the southern section runs from the Texas state line at the Red River to Idabel, in southeastern Oklahoma...
State Highway 98State Highway 98 (Oklahoma)State Highway 98, also abbreviated to SH-98 or OK-98, is a highway maintained by the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It travels for 20.3 miles through McCurtain Co. It has one unsigned spur route, SH-98S....
Adjacent counties
- Le Flore County, OklahomaLe Flore County, OklahomaLe Flore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 48,109. Its county seat is Poteau. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the federal...
(north) - Polk County, Arkansas (northeast)
- Sevier County, Arkansas (east)
- Little River County, ArkansasLittle River County, ArkansasLittle River County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 13,171. The county seat is Ashdown. Little River County is Arkansas's 59th county, formed from Sevier County on March 5, 1867, and named for the Little River...
(southeast) - Bowie County, TexasBowie County, TexasBowie County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. It is part of the Texarkana, Texas - Texarkana, Arkansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 89,306. Its legal county seat is Boston, though its courthouse is located in New Boston...
(south) - Red River County, Texas (southwest)
- Choctaw County, OklahomaChoctaw County, OklahomaChoctaw County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 15,342. Its county seat is Hugo.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water....
(west) - Pushmataha County, OklahomaPushmataha County, Oklahoma-Administrative History:* Ca. 1000-1500: Caddoan Mississippian civilization at Spiro Mounds* 1492-1718: Spain* 1718-1763: France* 1763-1800: Spain* 1800-1803: France* 1803–present: United States...
(northwest)
National protected areas
- Little River National Wildlife RefugeLittle River National Wildlife RefugeContaining most of the remaining bottomland hardwood habitat in southeastern Oklahoma, the Little River National Wildlife Refuge is characterized by low, wet habitat with old oxbows and sloughs interspersed throughout oak and hickory forest....
- Ouachita National ForestOuachita National ForestThe Ouachita National Forest is a National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of eastern Oklahoma.-History:The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The Forest encompasses , including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountains...
(part)
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 34,402 people, 13,216 households, and 9,541 families residing in the county. 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 7/km² (19/mi²). There were 15,427 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (8/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.54% White
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...
, 9.30% Black
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...
or African American
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...
, 13.57% Native American
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...
, 0.22% Asian
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...
, 0.01% Pacific Islander
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...
, 1.34% 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 5.02% from two or more races. 3.09% of the population were Hispanic
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...
or Latino
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...
of any race. 28.6% were of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 7.6% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and 5.9% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
ancestry according to Census 2000. 94.4% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, 2.9% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and 2.6% Choctaw
Choctaw language
The Choctaw language, traditionally spoken by the Native American Choctaw people of the southeastern United States, is a member of the Muskogean family...
as their first language.
There were 13,216 households out of which 34.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.30% 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, 14.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.80% were non-families. 25.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,162, and the median income for a family was $29,933. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $17,869 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 county was $13,693. About 21.00% of families and 24.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.40% of those under age 18 and 21.20% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- BattiestBattiest, OklahomaBattiest is a small unincorporated community in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The post office was established November 1, 1926. It was named for Choctaw jurist Byington Battiest. The population today is approximately 250 people.-Sources:...
- Broken BowBroken Bow, OklahomaBroken Bow is a city in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,230 at the 2000 census. It is named after Broken Bow, Nebraska, the former hometown of the city's founders, the Dierks brothers.-History:...
- EagletownEagletown, OklahomaEagletown is a small unincorporated community in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The post office was established in 1834 and it was the first permanent Choctaw settlement in the West. At the Stockbridge Mission located here, Reverend Cyrus Byington produced the Dictionary of the Choctaw...
- GarvinGarvin, OklahomaGarvin is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 143 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Garvin is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, this town has a total area of , all of it land....
- HaworthHaworth, OklahomaHaworth is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 354 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Haworth is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
- IdabelIdabel, OklahomaIdabel is a city in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,658 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of McCurtain County. The town is located in the tourist area Kiamichi Country.-History:...
- MillertonMillerton, OklahomaMillerton is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 359 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Millerton is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
- PickensPickens, OklahomaPickens is an unincorporated community in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named for John T. Pickens, the first postmaster. The post office was established October 26, 1912 and remains operational, with the ZIP code of 74952.-External links:...
- SmithvilleSmithville, OklahomaSmithville is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 123 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Smithville is located at ....
- TomTom, OklahomaTom is a small unincorporated community in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The post office was established in 1916 and named for Tom Stewart, an early settler. It is the southeastern-most community in Oklahoma....
- ValliantValliant, OklahomaValliant is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 771 at the 2000 census.Valliant was founded June 2, 1902, and named for Frank W...
- WatsonWatson, OklahomaWatson is an unincorporated community in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located along State Highway 4 in northeastern McCurtain County. Although it is unincorporated, Watson has a post office, which was established on January 25, 1908. It remains operational and uses the ZIP code...
- Wright CityWright City, OklahomaWright City is a town in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, United States, along the Little River. The population was 848 at the 2000 census.Wright City was once home to a Weyerhaeuser plant; it closed permanently in mid March 2009 due to the slowed lumber industry...