Bokoshe, Oklahoma

Bokoshe, Oklahoma
Town

Location of Bokoshe, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°11′17″N 94°47′26″W / 35.18806°N 94.79056°W / 35.18806; -94.79056Coordinates: 35°11′17″N 94°47′26″W / 35.18806°N 94.79056°W / 35.18806; -94.79056
Country United States
State Oklahoma
County Le Flore
Area
 • Total 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
 • Land 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 515 ft (157 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 512
 • Density 1,024.0/sq mi (365.7/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code 74930
Area code(s) 539/918
FIPS code 40-07450[1]
GNIS feature ID 1090373[2]

Bokoshe (/bəˈkoʊʃə/ bə-KOH-shə) is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bokoshe is a Choctaw word meaning "little creek."[3] The population was 512 at the 2010 census, a 13.8 percent gain from 450 at the 2000 census.[4]

History

Main Street in Bokoshe (1946)

Bokoshe was a Choctaw settlement in 1886, when a post office was established here with William A. Sanner serving as the first Postmaster.[5] The principal business was a coal mine that employed ten miners. By 1900, the population was 153. The Ft. Smith and Western Railroad built tracks in 1901 to this area to ship the coal elsewhere. The Midland Valley Railroad built its own line in 1903 - 1904. The town moved south from its initial location to the intersection of the two railroads. Two other coal mines soon opened nearby, and the population grew to 483 by 1910. By 1920, the census reported a population of 869.[3]

Bokoshe's mines fared better during the Great Depression than those elsewhere in the state. By 1930, the population had declined to 690, and continued dropping to 431 in 1960. The coal industry recovered and the town's population rebounded to 588 in 1970, then fell again to 403 in 1990. The population was 450 in 2000 and 512 in 2010.[3]

In 2013, the residents of Bokoshe filed a class-action lawsuit against 50 companies after millions of gallons of fracking wastewater had been discharged in the town.[6][7]

Geography

Bokoshe is located at 35°11′17″N 94°47′26″W / 35.18806°N 94.79056°W / 35.18806; -94.79056 (35.188150, -94.790519).[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1900153—
1910483215.7%
192086979.9%
1930715−17.7%
1940690−3.5%
1950589−14.6%
1960431−26.8%
197058836.4%
1980556−5.4%
1990403−27.5%
200045011.7%
201051213.8%
Est. 2015494[9]−3.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 450 people, 174 households, and 121 families residing in the town. The population density was 844.4 people per square mile (327.8/km²). There were 218 housing units at an average density of 409.1 per square mile (158.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 74.00% White, 0.22% African American, 20.67% Native American, and 5.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.22% of the population.

There were 174 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,250, and the median income for a family was $29,375. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $17,813 for females. The per capita income for the town was $11,100. About 18.2% of families and 27.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 18.6% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Larry O'Dell, "Bokoshe." Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture
  4. ↑ CensusViewer: Population of the City of Bokoshe, Oklahoma..
  5. ↑ FIRST POST OFFICES WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF OKLAHOMA by George H. Shirk; "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  6. ↑ Grenoble, Ryan (14 November 2013). "Fracking Waste Linked To City's Toxic Drinking Water, Class-Action Suit Alleges". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  7. ↑ Loren, Jennifer. "Oklahomans Claim Fracking Waste Polluted Their Water". NewsOn6. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  9. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015". Retrieved July 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
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