Norman, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Norman is a city in Cleveland County
, Oklahoma
, United States
, and is located 20 miles (32.2 km) south of downtown Oklahoma City
. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area
. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the 234th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Cleveland County and is the county's center for business and employment.
In 2008, CNN/Money Magazine ranked Norman as the sixth best small city in the United States, the highest ranking of any city in Oklahoma.
The city was founded during the Land Run of April 1889
, and formally incorporated in 1891. The city’s economy is primarily based on higher education
and related research industries. Norman is home to the University of Oklahoma
, the largest university in the state with approximately 30,000 students enrolled.
in 1803. Prior to the American Civil War
the United States government began relocating the Five Civilized Tribes
, the five Native American tribes that the United States officially recognized via treaty, to Oklahoma. The area known today as Norman was assigned to the Creek Nation by treaties of 1832 and 1833.
Following the Civil War, the Creeks were accused of aiding the Confederate States of America
and as a result they ceded the region back to the United States in 1866. Shortly after this the Arbuckle Trail, a feeder route to the Chisholm Trail
, was developed to hasten the transfer of cattle from Texas to the railroads in Kansas. A federal survey of the empty lands along the Arbuckle Trail was undertaken in the early 1870s, headed by 23-year-old Abner Norman. Norman’s work crew set up camp at what is today the corner of Classen and Lindsey streets; it was there that the men, perhaps jokingly, carved a sign on an elm tree that read "Norman’s Camp," in honor of their young surveyor. In 1887, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
began service to the area, the railroad continued the use of this name for their station site. The area was opened to settlement as part of the Land Run of April 1889
; early settlers decided to keep the name "Norman."
On April 22, 1889, the Land Run saw the founding of Norman with at least 150 residents spending the night in makeshift campsites; by the next morning a downtown was already being constructed. Almost immediately two prominent Norman businessmen, former Purcell railroad freight agent Delbert Larsh and railroad station chief cashier Thomas Waggoner, began lobbying for the territorial government to locate its first university in Norman. The two were interested in growing the city and had reasoned that rather than trying to influence legislatures to locate the heavily contested territory capitol in Norman that it made sense to attempt to secure the state's first university instead (a move that would be far less controversial). On December 19, 1890, Larsh and Waggoner were successful with the passage of Council Bill 114, establishing the University of Oklahoma
in Norman approximately 18 years before Oklahoma statehood.
The city of Norman was formally incorporated on May 13, 1891. The city has continued to grow throughout the decades. By 1902 the downtown district contained two banks, two hotels, and a flour mill, and other businesses; by 1913 there were over 3,700 residents living in Norman when the Oklahoma Railway Company decided to extend its interurban
streetcar running from Oklahoma City to Moore into Norman, spurring additional population growth. The rail lines eventually transitioned to freight during the 1940s as the United States Numbered Highway system developed. The city population reached 11,429 in 1940.
In 1941, the University of Oklahoma
and Norman city officials established Max Westheimer Field, a university airstrip, and then leased it to the US Navy as a Naval Flight Training Center in 1942. The training center was used for training combat pilots during World War II
. A second training center, known as Naval Air Technical Training Center, and a naval hospital were later established to the south. In the years following World War II the airstrip was transferred back to the university's control. Today the airstrip is called the University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport
. Following the war the remaining military presence and post-war veterans who came to Norman to get an education again grew the city's population, which was 27,006 by 1950. The Navy again utilized the bases in a lesser capacity from 1952 to 1959 in support of the Korean War
effort.
With the completion of Interstate 35
in June 1959, Norman found its status as a bedroom community to Oklahoma City increasing rapidly; in 1960 Norman's population was 33,412 but by the end of the decade had grown to 52,117. Throughout the 1960s Norman's land mass increased by 174 square miles (450.7 km²) by annexing surrounding areas. The city's growth trends have continued early in the 21st century, with population reaching 95,694 in 2000.
has been in place in Norman since the adoption of its city charter on June 28, 1919. A councilor
from each of the city's eight council wards
is elected to office every two years, each serving a term of two years. Councilors are elected from their own respective wards based on a plurality voting system
; a councilor from each ward serves on the Norman City Council
. A mayor
is elected by the entire voting population of Norman and serves as an at-large
councilor; the mayor serves for a term of three years. As a whole, the council acts as the legislative body of city government; it aims to pass laws, approve the city budget, and manage efficiency in the government. The City Council appoints a professional City Manager
who is responsible for the day-to-day administrative activities of the city. The City of Norman has approximately 650 employees working in eleven departments and 31 boards and commissions that help oversee and implement the policies and services of the city. The City Council meets bi-weekly in City Hall
located at 201 W. Gray Street in downtown Norman; various boards and commissions meet in accordance with their own schedules.
Municipal and State laws are enforced in Norman by the Norman Police Department
. In 2008, Norman's crime rate was 3275.4 per 100,000 people, about 25% less than the national average. There were two murders, 55 robberies, and 727 burglaries in 2008.
, an organization that began under President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, Norman has been given four international sister cities in an attempt to foster cross-cultural understanding:
Arezzo, Italy
Clermont-Ferrand
, France
Colima, Col.
, Mexico
Seika
, Japan
The city has a total area of 189.5 square miles (490.8 km²), of which 177 square miles (458.4 km²) is land and 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²) or 6.60% is water. Approximately 27 square miles (69.9 km²) are developed urban area.
, consists of some 6000 acres (24 km²) of lakes and Cross Timbers
forest. The lowest point within city limits is approximately 970 feet (296 m) above sea level (located at 35.20388N, 97.17735W). The highest point is approximately 1245 feet (379 m) above sea level (located at 35.21266N, 97.39000W).
, sub-humid climate, with frequent variations in weather daily and seasonally, except during the consistently hot and humid summer months. During most of the year, temperatures can change from 80 °F (26.7 °C) to 20 °F (-6.7 °C) in a few hours. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods. Temperatures can drop below 0 °F (-17.8 °C) during major winter storms. However, only a few days each year have temperatures this low.
The summer can be extremely hot, as was evident in 2006 with a few-weeks span of nearly 110 °F (43.3 °C) temperatures. The average temperature is 61.3 °F (16.3 °C), though colder though the winter months, with a 37.8 °F (3.2 °C) average in January, and warmer during the summer months, with an 82.2 °F (27.9 °C) average in July. The city receives about 35.4 inches (899.2 mm) of precipitation annually.
Norman lies within Tornado Alley
and has a severe weather
season lasting from March through August, with peak activity in April and May. Tornadoes have occurred during every month of the year. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, including Norman, is one of the most tornado-prone areas in the United States. As recently as May 10, 2010, a tornado outbreak occurred in southeastern Norman that resulted in the loss of multiple homes and businesses.
of 2000, there were 95,694 people, 38,834 households, and 22,562 families residing in the city. The population density
was 540.6 people per square mile (208.7/km²). There were 41,547 housing units at an average density of 234.7 per square mile (90.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.36% White
, 4.26% African American
, 4.45% Native American
, 3.49% Asian
, 0.05% Pacific Islander
, 1.37% from other races, and 4.01% from two or more races. Hispanic
or Latino
of any race were 3.89% of the population.
There were 38,834 households of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18, 45.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 21.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,713, and the median income for a family was $51,189. Males had a median income of $35,896 versus $26,394 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $20,630. About 7.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
The University of Oklahoma
employs over 10,700 personnel across three campuses, making it a significant driver of Norman’s economy. The campus is a center for scientific and technological research, having contributed over $277 million to such programs in 2009.
Norman is also home of the National Weather Center
, a cooperative research effort between the University of Oklahoma
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
that houses a number of weather
- and climate
-related organizations; the city is also the proposed location of a future National Weather Museum. As a result of this on-going academic and public weather research, several private meteorological
businesses are present in the city, including Weathernews Americas, Inc., Vieux and Associates, Inc., Weather Decision Technologies, WeatherBank, Inc., and Computational Geosciences, Inc.
In addition to weather, Norman is also a center for other scientific ventures both public and private. The Oklahoma Geological Survey, which conducts geological
research, and the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council, which is a public-private alliance that is attempting to foster renewable energy
applications, both make the city their home. SouthWest NanoTechnologies is a producer of single-walled carbon nanotube
s, and Bergey Windpower is a leading supplier of small wind turbines.
Other major employers in the city include Norman Regional Health System, Norman Public Schools
, Johnson Controls
, Griffin Memorial Hospital, Hitachi
, Astellas Pharma
Technologies, Albon Engineering, Xyant Technology, MSCI, Office Max National Sales Center, SITEL
, the United States Postal Service National Center for Employee Development, Sysco Corporation
, and AT&T
.
University North Park, a lifestyle center
with planned development on over 12000000 square feet (1,114,836.5 m²) of land, is located on 24th Ave NW along the I-35 corridor between Robinson Street and Tecumseh Road. Begun in 2006, the project will feature 2 miles (3.2 km) of parks, offices, and high-end retail once completed.
Town. The resolution states that the city of Norman supports the purchasing of goods from the local community; when goods cannot be purchased locally the city will support buying from producers abroad who meet Fair Trade standards. These standards include supporting quality of life in developing countries and planning for environmental sustainability.
Norman is an area of approximately 2 square miles (5 km²) surrounded by University Blvd., Symmes St., Porter Ave., and Daws St.; primary streets include Main St. and Gray Ave. The area consists mostly of businesses and is home to some of the oldest buildings in Oklahoma.
Hall Park is an area northeast of downtown Norman that was originally an independent township
; in 2005 it was annexed into Norman, becoming one of its neighborhoods. The area is home to many upper middle-class suburban homes and is historically important in that it was advertised as the United States' first "all-electric town." President Ronald Reagan
, then an executive with General Electric
, attended Hall Park's grand opening ceremonies in 1962 where he was named as the town's honorary first mayor.
The University of Oklahoma
and the area surrounding it are home to many historically significant neighborhoods. The university itself has a unique Gothic-inspired architecture
, known as "Cherokee Gothic," so named by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
. Churches and houses in the surrounding neighborhoods can be described as neo-Gothic or Queen Anne
in style. The area immediately north of the university is known as Campus Corner
and contains a mixture of businesses, bars, and restaurants. The neighborhoods to the east of the campus are home to many students, both in residential housing and high-rise condos/apartments.
Norman west of I-35 is home to several upper-class modern neighborhoods, including Brookhaven, Cambridge, and Cascade Estates. Brookhaven Village is a retail area consisting of numerous restaurants and other retail and is located within the Brookhaven addition.
Norman enjoys many tree-lined landscapes thanks in part to its participation in ReLeaf Norman and the Tree City USA
programs.
The University of Oklahoma
is the largest university in the state of Oklahoma, with approximately 30,000 students enrolled. The university was founded in 1890, prior to Oklahoma statehood. The university includes both Norman and Oklahoma City
campuses with the main campus located in Norman. In 2007, The Princeton Review
named the University of Oklahoma one of its "Best Value" colleges. The school is ranked first per capita among public universities in enrollment of National Merit Scholars and among the top five in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars. PC Magazine and the Princeton Review rated it one of the "20 Most Wired Colleges" in both 2006 and 2008, while the Carnegie Foundation
classifies it as a research university with "high research activity."
The school is well known for its athletic programs, having won many awards including seven NCAA
Division I National Football Championships.
. The school was established in 1972 and has been awarded the Oklahoma Association of Technology Center’s Gold Star School Award on multiple occasions. The Franklin Road Campus consists of six buildings totaling 323500 square feet (30,054.1 m²) of classroom, meeting, and office space. The school has a full-time staff of 207.
is the city's major school district serving metropolitan Norman. There are 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools in the district. More than 14,000 students are enrolled in the district, making it one of the largest in the state.
Little Axe Public Schools is a school district that serves the eastern rural area of Norman. It is the smaller of the two districts, consisting of an elementary, junior, and high school.
of Oklahoma City. This allows patrons of the Norman Public Library to check out books from any library in the Pioneer Library System or in the Metropolitan Library System. Books can be reserved and shipped to a local library free of charge. In addition to books, the library maintains a collection of periodicals, videos, audio books, and research materials.
The Bizzell Memorial Library
at the University of Oklahoma
is the largest library in the state of Oklahoma, containing more than five million volumes. In addition to books, the library maintains over 17000 feet (5,181.6 m) in length of manuscripts and archives, 1.6 million photographs, and more than 1.5 million maps. The library also houses more than 50 books printed before the year 1500.
made national and international news in 2000 when it was given the Weitzenhoffer Collection, the largest collection of French Impressionist
art ever given to an American university. The collection includes works by Mary Cassatt
, Claude Monet
, Vincent van Gogh
, Paul Gauguin
, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
, and Camille Pissarro
.
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
is a museum containing over 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of exhibits ranging from archaeology
, paleontology
, ethnology
, herpetology
, ornithology
, and Native American studies
. Its exhibits are intended to immerse visitors in the state’s long history. The museum features many complete collections of dinosaur
fossils and is also noted for its Paleozoic
collection, considered to be one of the largest and most important in existence.
The Moore-Lindsay House
is a Queen Anne
-style home built prior to 1900 by prominent Norman home builder William Moore; it was purchased by the city of Norman in 1973 and today serves as the city and Cleveland County's
historical museum. Located at 508 N. Peters, the Moore-Lindsay House's architecture is representative of Norman during the Victorian era
. The Cleveland County Historical Society maintains a collection of over 5,000 rare books, documents, and other artifacts in its archives located inside the house.
Catlett Music Center at the University of Oklahoma
features many orchestral and jazz performances and the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre offers many student programs throughout the year.
The city is also home to many privately funded galleries and performance sites.
is the most widely circulated Norman-based newspaper in the city. It is a daily newspaper covering events in Cleveland and McClain counties. It is the oldest continuous business in Norman and was founded shortly after the Land Run of April 1889
on July 13, 1889.
The Oklahoma Daily
is a student-run newspaper at the University of Oklahoma
. It was first published in 1897, several years after the university’s founding. The paper has received numerous awards for journalism excellence including the Associated Collegiate Press
’ Pacemaker Award.
KGOU
is a full-service public radio station licensed to the University of Oklahoma. The station serves Norman and the greater Oklahoma City
metropolitan area with a news/talk/jazz format, using programs from National Public Radio
, Public Radio International
, and others.
Norman TV is a government-access television station airing on Cox Communications cable television
channel 20. It broadcasts programming provided by the City of Norman, including video from city council
meetings.
Most sports in Norman center around the University of Oklahoma
. The school is well-known for its athletic programs and has won seven NCAA
Division I National Football Championships. Its baseball team has won two NCAA
national championships and the women's softball team won the national championship in 2000. The gymnastics teams have won four national championships since 2002.
OU's football program
has the best winning percentage of any Division I FBS team since the introduction of the AP Poll
in 1936, playing in four BCS national championship games
since the inception of the BCS
system in 1998.
University men's sports include the following: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Women's sports include: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Medieval Fair is a celebration of medieval-themed games, art, and culture. The event is held during the last weekend of March in Reaves Park. It has been held annually in Norman since 1976 and was originally a forum for the English Department at the University of Oklahoma
. Today it is the largest weekend event held in the state of Oklahoma
, with over 325,000 people in attendance in 2006. Events Media Network has named Medieval Fair one of the top 100 events in the United States
.
Norman Music Festival
is an annual weekend music festival
held in April in downtown Norman. Established in 2008, the event had over 26,000 people in attendance during the 2009 festival. Originally a one-day event, the festival has quickly grown so large that it is now an all-weekend concert series. The festival highlights both local musicians and internationally acclaimed artists and features many forms and styles of music
.
Groovefest is a music festival
held semi-annually at Andrews Park. Each Spring and Fall the music festival is held to help raise awareness about human rights
. The event was established in 1986 by the University of Oklahoma
chapter of Amnesty International
.
Jazz in June is a music festival
held the last full weekend in June at various venues across Norman. The festival features both jazz
and blues musical performances as well as jazz educational clinics
taught by professional musicians appearing in the festival and post-concert jam sessions at local venues which bring headliners and local artists together. Jazz in June, one of the major cultural events in the state as well as the City of Norman, attracts a combined concert audience of 50,000 drawn from throughout the state, region and nation. Another 100,000 or more enjoy these same performances through post-festival broadcasts on KGOU Public Radio as well as other public radio stations throughout the state, region and nation.
May Fair is an arts festival
held every year during the first weekend in May at Andrews Park. It features top area performers, fine art, crafts, and food.
Summer Breeze Concert Series is a series of concert
s held from Spring to Fall at various park venues across Norman. The series is sponsored by the Performing Arts Studio.
Midsummer Nights' Fair is a nighttime arts festival
held during two evenings in June. The fair features art, music, and food and is held outside the Firehouse Art Center located in Lions Park.
The Norman Mardi Gras parade is a celebration of Mardi Gras
occurring on the Saturday closest to Fat Tuesday. The parade is held in downtown Norman and features themed costumes and floats
.
The Main Street Christmas Holiday Parade is a celebration of Christmas
and the holiday season held every December in downtown Norman. The parade features holiday-themed costumes and floats
.
Norman is the location of the Bavinger House
, a structure designed by architect Bruce Goff
and completed in 1955. The home is named after its initial owners, who had hired Goff, who had served as head of the University of Oklahoma
's school of architecture and as a professor. The home has been honored by the American Institute of Architects
.
Norman Regional Health System is the largest provider of medical services in the city. Its Porter Avenue campus, located north of downtown Norman, is a 337-bed general hospital providing a wide range of services including acute care
. In October 2009, the Norman Regional HealthPlex campus opened in west Norman. It provides a 152-bed state-of-the-art facility specializing in cardiology
, cardiovascular services, as well as women's and children's services.
in Oklahoma City
, located approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Norman. The airport serves approximately 3.38 million passengers per year.
Norman is served locally by Max Westheimer Airport
, a general aviation
airport run by the University of Oklahoma. The airport is one of only two airports in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area
designated as a reliever airport to Will Rogers World Airport. Max Westheimer Airport is capable of handling aircraft up through and including executive class jet aircraft.
, operated by the University of Oklahoma
, provides bus
service throughout the 191 square miles (494.7 km²) Norman area. CART also provides service to the Social Security Administration
offices in Moore, OK, as well as to Oklahoma City
's Metro Transit hub in downtown Oklahoma City. Metro Transit maintains a fleet of buses and trolleys serving the greater Oklahoma City area, including Will Rogers World Airport
.
CART buses transport more than 1.3 million travelers annually.
at Norman's Depot
. Amtrak's Heartland Flyer
provides daily round trip service to downtown Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas
.
Although Norman currently has no light rail
or commuter rail service, there is growing interest in incorporating such services into the city's future transportation plans.
Norman is served by two major federal highways:
Norman is served by two major Oklahoma state highways:
, which is headquartered in Oklahoma City. Natural gas is provided by Oklahoma Natural Gas, also headquartered in Oklahoma City. The city of Norman offers water, garbage pickup, and recycling service through its Utilities Department. Telephone networks, broadband internet, and cable television service are available from several companies including AT&T
and Cox Communications
.
non-profit group known as the Environmental Working Group
showed that Norman's tap water
has a hexavalent chromium
VI (chromium-6) concentration level of 12.90 parts per billion (ppb), which was the highest level detected among 35 US cities sampled in the study. The group is currently studying chromium-6 levels in water supplies nationwide because it believes the chemical compound
to be a carcinogen
when ingested by humans. There is currently no scientific consensus on the matter; however, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
is expected to make a determination based on peer reviewed evidence sometime in 2011. In a study published in 2007 the National Institutes of Health
deemed chromium-6 to be a likely carcinogen when consumed in drinking water in large quantities by lab animals. Prior to the NIH study, a World Health Organization
study found that chromium-6 was a likely cause of lung cancer when inhaled by humans in combination with nickel. The US EPA does not currently require testing for or set limits on chromium-6 levels in American cities' water supplies but it does require that total chromium (combined chromium-3 and chromium-6) not exceed 100 ppb.
The official combined chromium-3/chromium-6 level present in Norman's drinking water has ranged from 20 to 80 ppb. It has been proposed that the source of the chromium-6 is the Garber-Wellington Aquifer
, which is known to have elevated levels of heavy metals
.
The issue of chromium-6 levels gained national attention with the 2000 film
release of Erin Brockovich
, which detailed a California woman's legal fight against Pacific Gas and Electric Company
for allegedly contaminating her hometown with excessive levels of the chemical compound.
In the past the Norman water supply has also been criticized for the presence of excessive levels of arsenic
. The city is attempting to combat this problem by building new wells
and removing older ones.
Cleveland County, Oklahoma
Cleveland County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 255,755 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Norman. Cleveland County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, 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...
, and is located 20 miles (32.2 km) south of downtown Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area
Oklahoma City metropolitan area
-Metro-area suburbs and exurbs:The following communities are suburbs and exurbs of Oklahoma City with populations of at least 1,000 found within the bounds of State Highway 33 to the north, State Highway 18 and US-177 to the east, State Highway 39 and State Highway 9 to the south, and US-81 to the...
. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the 234th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Cleveland County and is the county's center for business and employment.
In 2008, CNN/Money Magazine ranked Norman as the sixth best small city in the United States, the highest ranking of any city in Oklahoma.
The city was founded during the Land Run of April 1889
Land run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...
, and formally incorporated in 1891. The city’s economy is primarily based on higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
and related research industries. Norman is home to the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, the largest university in the state with approximately 30,000 students enrolled.
History
The central Oklahoma region became part of the United States with the Louisiana PurchaseLouisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
in 1803. Prior to the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
the United States government began relocating the Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
, the five Native American tribes that the United States officially recognized via treaty, to Oklahoma. The area known today as Norman was assigned to the Creek Nation by treaties of 1832 and 1833.
Following the Civil War, the Creeks were accused of aiding the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and as a result they ceded the region back to the United States in 1866. Shortly after this the Arbuckle Trail, a feeder route to the Chisholm Trail
Chisholm Trail
The Chisholm Trail was a trail used in the late 19th century to drive cattle overland from ranches in Texas to Kansas railheads. The portion of the trail marked by Jesse Chisholm went from his southern trading post near the Red River, to his northern trading post near Kansas City, Kansas...
, was developed to hasten the transfer of cattle from Texas to the railroads in Kansas. A federal survey of the empty lands along the Arbuckle Trail was undertaken in the early 1870s, headed by 23-year-old Abner Norman. Norman’s work crew set up camp at what is today the corner of Classen and Lindsey streets; it was there that the men, perhaps jokingly, carved a sign on an elm tree that read "Norman’s Camp," in honor of their young surveyor. In 1887, when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
began service to the area, the railroad continued the use of this name for their station site. The area was opened to settlement as part of the Land Run of April 1889
Land run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...
; early settlers decided to keep the name "Norman."
On April 22, 1889, the Land Run saw the founding of Norman with at least 150 residents spending the night in makeshift campsites; by the next morning a downtown was already being constructed. Almost immediately two prominent Norman businessmen, former Purcell railroad freight agent Delbert Larsh and railroad station chief cashier Thomas Waggoner, began lobbying for the territorial government to locate its first university in Norman. The two were interested in growing the city and had reasoned that rather than trying to influence legislatures to locate the heavily contested territory capitol in Norman that it made sense to attempt to secure the state's first university instead (a move that would be far less controversial). On December 19, 1890, Larsh and Waggoner were successful with the passage of Council Bill 114, establishing the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
in Norman approximately 18 years before Oklahoma statehood.
The city of Norman was formally incorporated on May 13, 1891. The city has continued to grow throughout the decades. By 1902 the downtown district contained two banks, two hotels, and a flour mill, and other businesses; by 1913 there were over 3,700 residents living in Norman when the Oklahoma Railway Company decided to extend its interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
streetcar running from Oklahoma City to Moore into Norman, spurring additional population growth. The rail lines eventually transitioned to freight during the 1940s as the United States Numbered Highway system developed. The city population reached 11,429 in 1940.
In 1941, the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and Norman city officials established Max Westheimer Field, a university airstrip, and then leased it to the US Navy as a Naval Flight Training Center in 1942. The training center was used for training combat pilots during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. A second training center, known as Naval Air Technical Training Center, and a naval hospital were later established to the south. In the years following World War II the airstrip was transferred back to the university's control. Today the airstrip is called the University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport
University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport
University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport , also known as Max Westheimer Airport, is a public general aviation airport located three miles northwest of the city of Norman in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, USA. The airport is run by the University of Oklahoma...
. Following the war the remaining military presence and post-war veterans who came to Norman to get an education again grew the city's population, which was 27,006 by 1950. The Navy again utilized the bases in a lesser capacity from 1952 to 1959 in support of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
effort.
With the completion of Interstate 35
Interstate 35 in Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the second state that Interstate 35 passes through from south to north. In Oklahoma, I-35 runs from the Red River at the Texas border to the Kansas line near Braman, for a length of 236 miles . I-35 has one spur route in the state, Interstate 235 in the inner city of Oklahoma...
in June 1959, Norman found its status as a bedroom community to Oklahoma City increasing rapidly; in 1960 Norman's population was 33,412 but by the end of the decade had grown to 52,117. Throughout the 1960s Norman's land mass increased by 174 square miles (450.7 km²) by annexing surrounding areas. The city's growth trends have continued early in the 21st century, with population reaching 95,694 in 2000.
Law and government
A council-manager governmentCouncil-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
has been in place in Norman since the adoption of its city charter on June 28, 1919. A councilor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
from each of the city's eight council wards
Wards of the United States
In the United States, a ward is an optional division of a city or town, especially an electoral district, for administrative and representative purposes...
is elected to office every two years, each serving a term of two years. Councilors are elected from their own respective wards based on a plurality voting system
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
; a councilor from each ward serves on the Norman City Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
. A mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
is elected by the entire voting population of Norman and serves as an at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...
councilor; the mayor serves for a term of three years. As a whole, the council acts as the legislative body of city government; it aims to pass laws, approve the city budget, and manage efficiency in the government. The City Council appoints a professional City Manager
City manager
A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a council-manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief executive officer or chief administrative officer in some municipalities...
who is responsible for the day-to-day administrative activities of the city. The City of Norman has approximately 650 employees working in eleven departments and 31 boards and commissions that help oversee and implement the policies and services of the city. The City Council meets bi-weekly in City Hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
located at 201 W. Gray Street in downtown Norman; various boards and commissions meet in accordance with their own schedules.
Municipal and State laws are enforced in Norman by the Norman Police Department
Norman Police Department
Norman Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in Norman, Oklahoma. Consisting of over 150 officers and numerous office staff, the department is the third largest in Oklahoma, and serves a population of over 100,000 people. The city can boast one of the lowest per capita crime rates...
. In 2008, Norman's crime rate was 3275.4 per 100,000 people, about 25% less than the national average. There were two murders, 55 robberies, and 727 burglaries in 2008.
Sister cities
In accordance with Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
, an organization that began under President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, Norman has been given four international sister cities in an attempt to foster cross-cultural understanding:
Arezzo, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Colima, Col.
Colima, Colima
Colima is capital of the state of the same name, a city and municipality located in the center west of Mexico. It is located near the Colima Volcano, which divides the small state from that of Jalisco. Despite being the capital, the city is not the state’s main tourist attraction, eclipsed by...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
Seika
Seika, Kyoto
is a town located in Sōraku District, Kyoto, Japan.As of 2008, the town has a population which exceeds 35,797. The total area is 25.66 km². Seika, although largely agriculturally based, has in recent years become the center of a national project of the Kansai Science City and has been referred to...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Geography
Norman is located at 35°13′N 97°25′W / 35.2217°N 97.4183°W / 35.2217; -97.4183 (35.2216, -97.4182)The city has a total area of 189.5 square miles (490.8 km²), of which 177 square miles (458.4 km²) is land and 12.5 square miles (32.4 km²) or 6.60% is water. Approximately 27 square miles (69.9 km²) are developed urban area.
Topography
Norman and the surrounding areas are mostly flat. The terrain in the western section of Norman is prairie while the eastern section, including the area surrounding Lake ThunderbirdLake Thunderbird
Lake Thunderbird is a reservoir within the city limits of Norman, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The lake was constructed between 1962 and 1965 for the purpose of providing municipal water to nearby communities. It is formed by an earthfill embankment 7,300 feet long and up to high on the...
, consists of some 6000 acres (24 km²) of lakes and Cross Timbers
Cross Timbers
The term Cross Timbers is used to describe a strip of land in the United States that runs from southeastern Kansas across Central Oklahoma to Central Texas...
forest. The lowest point within city limits is approximately 970 feet (296 m) above sea level (located at 35.20388N, 97.17735W). The highest point is approximately 1245 feet (379 m) above sea level (located at 35.21266N, 97.39000W).
Climate
Norman lies in a temperateTemperate
In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...
, sub-humid climate, with frequent variations in weather daily and seasonally, except during the consistently hot and humid summer months. During most of the year, temperatures can change from 80 °F (26.7 °C) to 20 °F (-6.7 °C) in a few hours. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods. Temperatures can drop below 0 °F (-17.8 °C) during major winter storms. However, only a few days each year have temperatures this low.
The summer can be extremely hot, as was evident in 2006 with a few-weeks span of nearly 110 °F (43.3 °C) temperatures. The average temperature is 61.3 °F (16.3 °C), though colder though the winter months, with a 37.8 °F (3.2 °C) average in January, and warmer during the summer months, with an 82.2 °F (27.9 °C) average in July. The city receives about 35.4 inches (899.2 mm) of precipitation annually.
Norman lies within Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley is a colloquial and popular media term that most often refers to the area of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. Although an official location is not defined, the area between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains is usually associated with it.The areas...
and has a severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
season lasting from March through August, with peak activity in April and May. Tornadoes have occurred during every month of the year. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, including Norman, is one of the most tornado-prone areas in the United States. As recently as May 10, 2010, a tornado outbreak occurred in southeastern Norman that resulted in the loss of multiple homes and businesses.
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 95,694 people, 38,834 households, and 22,562 families residing in the city. 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 540.6 people per square mile (208.7/km²). There were 41,547 housing units at an average density of 234.7 per square mile (90.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.36% White
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
, 4.26% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 4.45% Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
, 3.49% Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
, 0.05% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 1.37% from other races, and 4.01% from two or more races. Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race were 3.89% of the population.
There were 38,834 households of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18, 45.1% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.9% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 21.4% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 101.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,713, and the median income for a family was $51,189. Males had a median income of $35,896 versus $26,394 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 city was $20,630. About 7.8% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.4% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
employs over 10,700 personnel across three campuses, making it a significant driver of Norman’s economy. The campus is a center for scientific and technological research, having contributed over $277 million to such programs in 2009.
Norman is also home of the National Weather Center
National Weather Center
The National Weather Center , located on the campus of the University of Oklahoma, is a confederation of federal, state, and academic organizations that work together in partnership to improve understanding of events occurring in Earth's atmosphere over a wide range of time and space scales...
, a cooperative research effort between the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , pronounced , like "noah", is a scientific agency within the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere...
that houses a number of weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
- and climate
Climate
Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
-related organizations; the city is also the proposed location of a future National Weather Museum. As a result of this on-going academic and public weather research, several private meteorological
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
businesses are present in the city, including Weathernews Americas, Inc., Vieux and Associates, Inc., Weather Decision Technologies, WeatherBank, Inc., and Computational Geosciences, Inc.
In addition to weather, Norman is also a center for other scientific ventures both public and private. The Oklahoma Geological Survey, which conducts geological
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
research, and the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council, which is a public-private alliance that is attempting to foster renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
applications, both make the city their home. SouthWest NanoTechnologies is a producer of single-walled carbon nanotube
Carbon nanotube
Carbon nanotubes are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. Nanotubes have been constructed with length-to-diameter ratio of up to 132,000,000:1, significantly larger than for any other material...
s, and Bergey Windpower is a leading supplier of small wind turbines.
Other major employers in the city include Norman Regional Health System, Norman Public Schools
Norman Public Schools
Norman Public Schools is a public school district serving Norman, Oklahoma. There are over 14,000 students enrolled in the district...
, Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls, Inc. is a company, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It was founded in 1885 by professor Warren S. Johnson, inventor of the first electric room thermostat....
, Griffin Memorial Hospital, Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
, Astellas Pharma
Astellas Pharma
is a Japanese pharmaceutical company, formed on 1 April 2005 from the merger of and .Astellas' franchise areas are urology, immunology , dermatology, cardiology, and infectious disease...
Technologies, Albon Engineering, Xyant Technology, MSCI, Office Max National Sales Center, SITEL
Sitel
Sitel is a telemarketing and outsourcing business headquartered in Nashville, TN. It maintains over 140 call centers in 27 countries.Prior to its acquisition by ClientLogic, described below, it had 70 call centers in 25 countries and over 30,000 employees...
, the United States Postal Service National Center for Employee Development, Sysco Corporation
SYSCO
Sysco Corporation is the global leader in marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, hotels and inns, and other foodservice and hospitality businesses...
, and AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
.
University North Park, a lifestyle center
Lifestyle center (retail)
A lifestyle center is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mall with leisure amenities oriented towards upscale consumers...
with planned development on over 12000000 square feet (1,114,836.5 m²) of land, is located on 24th Ave NW along the I-35 corridor between Robinson Street and Tecumseh Road. Begun in 2006, the project will feature 2 miles (3.2 km) of parks, offices, and high-end retail once completed.
Fair trade
In 2010, Norman became the 17th city in the United States to adopt a council resolution giving it status as a Fair TradeFair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
Town. The resolution states that the city of Norman supports the purchasing of goods from the local community; when goods cannot be purchased locally the city will support buying from producers abroad who meet Fair Trade standards. These standards include supporting quality of life in developing countries and planning for environmental sustainability.
Neighborhoods
Norman has a wide variety of neighborhoods. DowntownDowntown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
Norman is an area of approximately 2 square miles (5 km²) surrounded by University Blvd., Symmes St., Porter Ave., and Daws St.; primary streets include Main St. and Gray Ave. The area consists mostly of businesses and is home to some of the oldest buildings in Oklahoma.
Hall Park is an area northeast of downtown Norman that was originally an independent township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
; in 2005 it was annexed into Norman, becoming one of its neighborhoods. The area is home to many upper middle-class suburban homes and is historically important in that it was advertised as the United States' first "all-electric town." President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, then an executive with General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, attended Hall Park's grand opening ceremonies in 1962 where he was named as the town's honorary first mayor.
The University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
and the area surrounding it are home to many historically significant neighborhoods. The university itself has a unique Gothic-inspired architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
, known as "Cherokee Gothic," so named by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. Churches and houses in the surrounding neighborhoods can be described as neo-Gothic or Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
in style. The area immediately north of the university is known as Campus Corner
Campus Corner
Campus Corner is a commercial area in Norman, Oklahoma directly north of the University of Oklahoma campus. The growth of Campus Corner has been directly related with the growth of the university campus. Over the years, many merchants have occupied the Corner. Some include restaurants, clothing...
and contains a mixture of businesses, bars, and restaurants. The neighborhoods to the east of the campus are home to many students, both in residential housing and high-rise condos/apartments.
Norman west of I-35 is home to several upper-class modern neighborhoods, including Brookhaven, Cambridge, and Cascade Estates. Brookhaven Village is a retail area consisting of numerous restaurants and other retail and is located within the Brookhaven addition.
Norman enjoys many tree-lined landscapes thanks in part to its participation in ReLeaf Norman and the Tree City USA
Tree City USA
Tree City USA is a tree planting and tree care program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation for cities and towns in the United States.- Requirements :...
programs.
Colleges and universities
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
is the largest university in the state of Oklahoma, with approximately 30,000 students enrolled. The university was founded in 1890, prior to Oklahoma statehood. The university includes both Norman and Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
campuses with the main campus located in Norman. In 2007, The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
named the University of Oklahoma one of its "Best Value" colleges. The school is ranked first per capita among public universities in enrollment of National Merit Scholars and among the top five in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars. PC Magazine and the Princeton Review rated it one of the "20 Most Wired Colleges" in both 2006 and 2008, while the Carnegie Foundation
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
classifies it as a research university with "high research activity."
The school is well known for its athletic programs, having won many awards including seven NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I National Football Championships.
CareerTech
The city of Norman is served by the Moore Norman Technology CenterMoore Norman Technology Center
Moore Norman Technology Center is a public career and technology education center with two campus locations: The Franklin Road Campus in Norman, Oklahoma and the South Penn Campus in South Oklahoma City...
. The school was established in 1972 and has been awarded the Oklahoma Association of Technology Center’s Gold Star School Award on multiple occasions. The Franklin Road Campus consists of six buildings totaling 323500 square feet (30,054.1 m²) of classroom, meeting, and office space. The school has a full-time staff of 207.
Public schools
Norman Public SchoolsNorman Public Schools
Norman Public Schools is a public school district serving Norman, Oklahoma. There are over 14,000 students enrolled in the district...
is the city's major school district serving metropolitan Norman. There are 15 elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools in the district. More than 14,000 students are enrolled in the district, making it one of the largest in the state.
Little Axe Public Schools is a school district that serves the eastern rural area of Norman. It is the smaller of the two districts, consisting of an elementary, junior, and high school.
Private schools
Several private schools also serve the area, most having religious affiliations:- Community Christian School - kindergarten through 12th grade
- Robinson Street Christian School - kindergarten through 12th grade
- Blue Eagle Christian Academy - kindergarten through 11th grade
- All Saints Catholic School - pre-kindergarten through 8th grade
- Norman Christian Academy - pre-kindergarten through 7th grade
- Trinity Lutheran School - pre-kindergarten through 6th grade
- Veritas Classical Christian Academy - pre-kindergarten through 10th grade
Libraries
Norman is served by the Norman Public Library, which is part of the Pioneer Library System spanning many of the suburbs of Oklahoma City. The library has an inter-library agreement with the Metropolitan Library SystemMetropolitan Library System (Oklahoma)
The Metropolitan Library System is a public library system that serves Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. It consists of 12 full-service libraries as well as 5 smaller extension libraries...
of Oklahoma City. This allows patrons of the Norman Public Library to check out books from any library in the Pioneer Library System or in the Metropolitan Library System. Books can be reserved and shipped to a local library free of charge. In addition to books, the library maintains a collection of periodicals, videos, audio books, and research materials.
The Bizzell Memorial Library
Bizzell Memorial Library
The Bizzell Memorial Library, known also as Bizzell Library, is located at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It was constructed in 1929 during the administration of OU's fifth president, William Bennett Bizzell...
at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
is the largest library in the state of Oklahoma, containing more than five million volumes. In addition to books, the library maintains over 17000 feet (5,181.6 m) in length of manuscripts and archives, 1.6 million photographs, and more than 1.5 million maps. The library also houses more than 50 books printed before the year 1500.
Museums and theater
Norman enjoys many cultural attractions that are funded by the university. The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of ArtFred Jones Jr. Museum of Art
The Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is an art museum on the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, Oklahoma.-Overview:The University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art is one of the finest university art museums in the United States. Strengths of the nearly 16,000-object permanent collection...
made national and international news in 2000 when it was given the Weitzenhoffer Collection, the largest collection of French Impressionist
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
art ever given to an American university. The collection includes works by Mary Cassatt
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists...
, Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
, Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality, it has been said that "Renoir is the final representative of a tradition which runs directly from Rubens to...
, and Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro was a French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of St Thomas . His importance resides in his contributions to both Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, as he was the only artist to exhibit in both forms...
.
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
The Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in Norman, Oklahoma, operated by the University of Oklahoma. It is currently housed in a building on Chautauqua Avenue that opened on May 1, 2000. The museum's exhibits include a Native American gallery and collections of...
is a museum containing over 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of exhibits ranging from archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, paleontology
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
, ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
, herpetology
Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians and reptiles...
, ornithology
Ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and the aesthetic appeal of birds...
, and Native American studies
Native American Studies
Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic field that examines the history, culture, politics, issues and contemporary experience of Native peoples in North America, or, taking a hemispheric approach, the Americas...
. Its exhibits are intended to immerse visitors in the state’s long history. The museum features many complete collections of dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
fossils and is also noted for its Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
collection, considered to be one of the largest and most important in existence.
The Moore-Lindsay House
Moore-Lindsay House
The Moore-Lindsay House is a Queen Anne style Victorian historic home located in Norman, Oklahoma. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and now houses a museum.-History:...
is a Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...
-style home built prior to 1900 by prominent Norman home builder William Moore; it was purchased by the city of Norman in 1973 and today serves as the city and Cleveland County's
Cleveland County, Oklahoma
Cleveland County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 255,755 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Norman. Cleveland County is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
historical museum. Located at 508 N. Peters, the Moore-Lindsay House's architecture is representative of Norman during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. The Cleveland County Historical Society maintains a collection of over 5,000 rare books, documents, and other artifacts in its archives located inside the house.
Catlett Music Center at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
features many orchestral and jazz performances and the Weitzenhoffer School of Musical Theatre offers many student programs throughout the year.
The city is also home to many privately funded galleries and performance sites.
Parks and recreation
Norman’s Parks and Recreation Department facilitates 55 neighborhood and community parks, three recreation centers, a golf course and driving range, three disc golf courses, a complete swim complex with waterslides, a wading pool, 32 tennis courts, and three special services centers (that offer cultural arts and senior citizen activities). Griffin Community Park Sports Complex includes 16 soccer fields, 14 baseball/softball fields, and four football fields.Media
The Norman TranscriptThe Norman Transcript
The Norman Transcript is a daily newspaper published in Norman, Oklahoma, USA, covering Cleveland and McClain counties, in the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc....
is the most widely circulated Norman-based newspaper in the city. It is a daily newspaper covering events in Cleveland and McClain counties. It is the oldest continuous business in Norman and was founded shortly after the Land Run of April 1889
Land run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...
on July 13, 1889.
The Oklahoma Daily
The Oklahoma Daily
The Oklahoma Daily is the student-run newspaper at the University of Oklahoma. Though it maintains its connections with OU's Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the newspaper is not a part of required learning for journalism students at OU, but some classes are offered at The...
is a student-run newspaper at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. It was first published in 1897, several years after the university’s founding. The paper has received numerous awards for journalism excellence including the Associated Collegiate Press
Associated Collegiate Press
The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association...
’ Pacemaker Award.
KGOU
KGOU
KGOU is an NPR/Jazz music Blues music radio station serving the Oklahoma City area and is owned by the University of Oklahoma.-History:...
is a full-service public radio station licensed to the University of Oklahoma. The station serves Norman and the greater Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
metropolitan area with a news/talk/jazz format, using programs from National Public Radio
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Public Radio International
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
, and others.
Norman TV is a government-access television station airing on Cox Communications cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel 20. It broadcasts programming provided by the City of Norman, including video from city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
meetings.
Sports
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. The school is well-known for its athletic programs and has won seven NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I National Football Championships. Its baseball team has won two NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
national championships and the women's softball team won the national championship in 2000. The gymnastics teams have won four national championships since 2002.
OU's football program
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
has the best winning percentage of any Division I FBS team since the introduction of the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
in 1936, playing in four BCS national championship games
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
since the inception of the BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
system in 1998.
University men's sports include the following: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, tennis, track and field, and wrestling. Women's sports include: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.
Community events
Norman hosts many free festivals and community events that occur throughout the year.Medieval Fair is a celebration of medieval-themed games, art, and culture. The event is held during the last weekend of March in Reaves Park. It has been held annually in Norman since 1976 and was originally a forum for the English Department at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
. Today it is the largest weekend event held in the state 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...
, with over 325,000 people in attendance in 2006. Events Media Network has named Medieval Fair one of the top 100 events in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Norman Music Festival
Norman Music Festival
Norman Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in downtown Norman, Oklahoma. Each year the festival highlights performances from many different genres of music. The festival includes both indoor and outdoor venues with musicians performing throughout the...
is an annual weekend music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
held in April in downtown Norman. Established in 2008, the event had over 26,000 people in attendance during the 2009 festival. Originally a one-day event, the festival has quickly grown so large that it is now an all-weekend concert series. The festival highlights both local musicians and internationally acclaimed artists and features many forms and styles of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
.
Groovefest is a music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
held semi-annually at Andrews Park. Each Spring and Fall the music festival is held to help raise awareness about human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. The event was established in 1986 by the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
chapter of Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
.
Jazz in June is a music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
held the last full weekend in June at various venues across Norman. The festival features both jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and blues musical performances as well as jazz educational clinics
Clinic (music)
A musical clinic is an informal meeting with a guest musician, where a small-to-medium sized audience questions the musician's styles and techniques and also how to improve their own skill. The musician might perform an entire piece, or demonstrate certain techniques for the audience to observe.The...
taught by professional musicians appearing in the festival and post-concert jam sessions at local venues which bring headliners and local artists together. Jazz in June, one of the major cultural events in the state as well as the City of Norman, attracts a combined concert audience of 50,000 drawn from throughout the state, region and nation. Another 100,000 or more enjoy these same performances through post-festival broadcasts on KGOU Public Radio as well as other public radio stations throughout the state, region and nation.
May Fair is an arts festival
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
held every year during the first weekend in May at Andrews Park. It features top area performers, fine art, crafts, and food.
Summer Breeze Concert Series is a series of concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s held from Spring to Fall at various park venues across Norman. The series is sponsored by the Performing Arts Studio.
Midsummer Nights' Fair is a nighttime arts festival
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
held during two evenings in June. The fair features art, music, and food and is held outside the Firehouse Art Center located in Lions Park.
The Norman Mardi Gras parade is a celebration of Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
occurring on the Saturday closest to Fat Tuesday. The parade is held in downtown Norman and features themed costumes and floats
Float (parade)
A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the...
.
The Main Street Christmas Holiday Parade is a celebration of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and the holiday season held every December in downtown Norman. The parade features holiday-themed costumes and floats
Float (parade)
A float is a decorated platform, either built on a vehicle or towed behind one, which is a component of many festive parades, such as those of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Carnival of Viareggio, the Maltese Carnival, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Key West Fantasy Fest parade, the...
.
Architecture
Bavinger House
The Bavinger House was completed in 1955 in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. It was designed by architect Bruce Goff. Considered a significant example of organic architecture, the house was awarded the Twenty-five Year Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1987.The house was built over...
, a structure designed by architect Bruce Goff
Bruce Goff
Bruce Alonzo Goff was an American architect distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere.-Early years:...
and completed in 1955. The home is named after its initial owners, who had hired Goff, who had served as head of the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
's school of architecture and as a professor. The home has been honored by the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
Infrastructure
Health systems
Norman has several hospitals, urgent care clinics, and medical research facilities within its city limits.Norman Regional Health System is the largest provider of medical services in the city. Its Porter Avenue campus, located north of downtown Norman, is a 337-bed general hospital providing a wide range of services including acute care
Acute care
Acute care is a branch of secondary health care where a patient receives active but short-term treatment for a severe injury or episode of illness, an urgent medical condition, or during recovery from surgery...
. In October 2009, the Norman Regional HealthPlex campus opened in west Norman. It provides a 152-bed state-of-the-art facility specializing in cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, cardiovascular services, as well as women's and children's services.
Airports
Scheduled air transport, or major commercial air transportation, is available at Will Rogers World AirportWill Rogers World Airport
Will Rogers World Airport , also known as Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is located in southwestern Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 6 miles from downtown and is the principal commercial airport of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, located approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) north of Norman. The airport serves approximately 3.38 million passengers per year.
Norman is served locally by Max Westheimer Airport
University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport
University of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport , also known as Max Westheimer Airport, is a public general aviation airport located three miles northwest of the city of Norman in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, USA. The airport is run by the University of Oklahoma...
, a general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport run by the University of Oklahoma. The airport is one of only two airports in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area
Oklahoma City metropolitan area
-Metro-area suburbs and exurbs:The following communities are suburbs and exurbs of Oklahoma City with populations of at least 1,000 found within the bounds of State Highway 33 to the north, State Highway 18 and US-177 to the east, State Highway 39 and State Highway 9 to the south, and US-81 to the...
designated as a reliever airport to Will Rogers World Airport. Max Westheimer Airport is capable of handling aircraft up through and including executive class jet aircraft.
Buses
The Cleveland Area Rapid TransitCleveland Area Rapid Transit
Cleveland Area Rapid Transit is a public transit system operating in Norman, Oklahoma. It is named after Cleveland County, Oklahoma of which Norman is county seat.-Routes:...
, operated by the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, provides bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service throughout the 191 square miles (494.7 km²) Norman area. CART also provides service to the Social Security Administration
Social Security Administration
The United States Social Security Administration is an independent agency of the United States federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability, and survivors' benefits...
offices in Moore, OK, as well as to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
's Metro Transit hub in downtown Oklahoma City. Metro Transit maintains a fleet of buses and trolleys serving the greater Oklahoma City area, including Will Rogers World Airport
Will Rogers World Airport
Will Rogers World Airport , also known as Will Rogers Airport or simply Will Rogers, is located in southwestern Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 6 miles from downtown and is the principal commercial airport of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area...
.
CART buses transport more than 1.3 million travelers annually.
Rail
Inter-city passenger train service is available via AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
at Norman's Depot
Norman (Amtrak station)
The Norman Depot serves a dual function in the Norman, Oklahoma, community. As a passenger rail station it is served by Amtrak's Heartland Flyer and as a community center it houses the Norman Performing Arts Studio, a non-profit arts association...
. Amtrak's Heartland Flyer
Heartland Flyer
The Heartland Flyer is a daily passenger train that follows a 206-mile route between Fort Worth, Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Amtrak serves as contractor, initially only for the State of Oklahoma, but now also to the State of Texas....
provides daily round trip service to downtown Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
Although Norman currently has no light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
or commuter rail service, there is growing interest in incorporating such services into the city's future transportation plans.
Roads and highways
Like many other cities in the United States, roads and highways are the primary means of transportation in the city of Norman; as of 2007, I-35 alone was handling over 99,000 vehicles per day. City roads are arranged in a grid-like fashion, with Porter Avenue running from north to south and serving as the east-west boundary, and Main Street serving as the north-south boundary. Major east-west streets include: Tecumseh Road, Rock Creek Road, Robinson Street, Main Street, Boyd Street, Lindsey Street, and Imhoff Road. Almost all major north-south avenues are numbered, separated by 12 city blocks each with a direction abbreviation following, such as "36th Avenue NW." Exceptions include Flood Ave., Porter Ave., and Classen Blvd.Norman is served by two major federal highways:
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Interstate 35
U.S. Highway 77
Norman is served by two major Oklahoma state highways:
State Highway 9State Highway 9 (Oklahoma)State Highway 9, abbreviated as SH-9, OK-9, or simply Highway 9, is a major east–west highway in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Spanning across the central part of the state, SH-9 begins at the Texas state line near Madge, Oklahoma, and ends at the Arkansas state line near Fort Smith, Arkansas. State...
State Highway 77HState Highway 77H (Oklahoma)State Highway 77H is a spur that runs from US-77 in Norman, north through a small piece of unincorporated Cleveland County and Moore, to Oklahoma City...
Utilities
Norman's electric system is maintained by several companies including Oklahoma Gas & ElectricOklahoma Gas & Electric
Oklahoma Gas & Electric is a regulated electric utility company that serves over 750,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. On December 9, 2007 OG&E experienced the worst power outage in Oklahoma history with over 250 thousand customers without power and over 630 thousand state wide...
, which is headquartered in Oklahoma City. Natural gas is provided by Oklahoma Natural Gas, also headquartered in Oklahoma City. The city of Norman offers water, garbage pickup, and recycling service through its Utilities Department. Telephone networks, broadband internet, and cable television service are available from several companies including AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
and Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
.
Drinking water controversy
In 2010, test results released from a CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
non-profit group known as the Environmental Working Group
Environmental Working Group
The Environmental Working Group is an American environmental organization that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability...
showed that Norman's tap water
Tap water
Tap water is a principal component of "indoor plumbing", which became available in urban areas of the developed world during the last quarter of the 19th century, and common during the mid-20th century...
has a hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium
Hexavalent chromium refers to chemical compounds that contain the element chromium in the +6 oxidation state. Virtually all chromium ore is processed via hexavalent chromium, specifically the salt sodium dichromate. Approximately of hexavalent chromium were produced in 1985...
VI (chromium-6) concentration level of 12.90 parts per billion (ppb), which was the highest level detected among 35 US cities sampled in the study. The group is currently studying chromium-6 levels in water supplies nationwide because it believes the chemical compound
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
to be a carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
when ingested by humans. There is currently no scientific consensus on the matter; however, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
is expected to make a determination based on peer reviewed evidence sometime in 2011. In a study published in 2007 the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
deemed chromium-6 to be a likely carcinogen when consumed in drinking water in large quantities by lab animals. Prior to the NIH study, a World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
study found that chromium-6 was a likely cause of lung cancer when inhaled by humans in combination with nickel. The US EPA does not currently require testing for or set limits on chromium-6 levels in American cities' water supplies but it does require that total chromium (combined chromium-3 and chromium-6) not exceed 100 ppb.
The official combined chromium-3/chromium-6 level present in Norman's drinking water has ranged from 20 to 80 ppb. It has been proposed that the source of the chromium-6 is the Garber-Wellington Aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
, which is known to have elevated levels of heavy metals
Heavy metals
A heavy metal is a member of a loosely-defined subset of elements that exhibit metallic properties. It mainly includes the transition metals, some metalloids, lanthanides, and actinides. Many different definitions have been proposed—some based on density, some on atomic number or atomic weight,...
.
The issue of chromium-6 levels gained national attention with the 2000 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
release of Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich (film)
Erin Brockovich is a 2000 biographical film directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film is a dramatization of the story of Erin Brockovich, played by Julia Roberts, who fought against the US West Coast energy corporation Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Roberts won the Academy Award, Golden Globe,...
, which detailed a California woman's legal fight against Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
The Pacific Gas and Electric Company , commonly known as PG&E, is the utility that provides natural gas and electricity to most of the northern two-thirds of California, from Bakersfield almost to the Oregon border...
for allegedly contaminating her hometown with excessive levels of the chemical compound.
In the past the Norman water supply has also been criticized for the presence of excessive levels of arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
. The city is attempting to combat this problem by building new wells
Wells
Wells is a cathedral city and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Although the population recorded in the 2001 census is 10,406, it has had city status since 1205...
and removing older ones.
See also
- Campus CornerCampus CornerCampus Corner is a commercial area in Norman, Oklahoma directly north of the University of Oklahoma campus. The growth of Campus Corner has been directly related with the growth of the university campus. Over the years, many merchants have occupied the Corner. Some include restaurants, clothing...
- Cleveland Area Rapid TransitCleveland Area Rapid TransitCleveland Area Rapid Transit is a public transit system operating in Norman, Oklahoma. It is named after Cleveland County, Oklahoma of which Norman is county seat.-Routes:...
- Lake ThunderbirdLake ThunderbirdLake Thunderbird is a reservoir within the city limits of Norman, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The lake was constructed between 1962 and 1965 for the purpose of providing municipal water to nearby communities. It is formed by an earthfill embankment 7,300 feet long and up to high on the...
- List of people from Norman, Oklahoma
- Norman Music FestivalNorman Music FestivalNorman Music Festival is an annual three-day American music festival that takes place in downtown Norman, Oklahoma. Each year the festival highlights performances from many different genres of music. The festival includes both indoor and outdoor venues with musicians performing throughout the...
- Norman Police DepartmentNorman Police DepartmentNorman Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency in Norman, Oklahoma. Consisting of over 150 officers and numerous office staff, the department is the third largest in Oklahoma, and serves a population of over 100,000 people. The city can boast one of the lowest per capita crime rates...
- Norman Public SchoolsNorman Public SchoolsNorman Public Schools is a public school district serving Norman, Oklahoma. There are over 14,000 students enrolled in the district...
- University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
- University of Oklahoma Westheimer AirportUniversity of Oklahoma Westheimer AirportUniversity of Oklahoma Westheimer Airport , also known as Max Westheimer Airport, is a public general aviation airport located three miles northwest of the city of Norman in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, USA. The airport is run by the University of Oklahoma...
External links
- Norman Professional Firefighters
- Campus Corner
- City of Norman
- Groovefest
- Jazz In June
- May Fair Arts Festival
- Medieval Fair
- Midsummer Nights' Fair
- Norman Chamber of Commerce
- Norman Community Events Calendar
- Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Norman Music Festival
- Norman Public Library
- Summer Breeze Concert Series