Norman, Oklahoma

Norman is the largest city in Cleveland County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Norman is situated south of Oklahoma City and is the third largest city in the state. As of July 1, 2003, the city had 99,197 full-time residents. It is the county seat of Cleveland County.

Norman is best known as the location of the University of Oklahoma, making it a center of culture, technology, and scientific research. Norman is one of the world's most prominent centers of meteorology. The city is home to many National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration organizations, and the university's meteorology department is one of the most highly regarded in the world. The new home of the National Weather Center is also currently under construction in Norman. Norman is the birthplace of Doppler radar.

Norman is also home to the university-operated Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, (one of the largest of its kind) and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, which made news in 2001 when it was given the Weitzenhoffer Collection, the single most important collection of impressionist art ever given to an American university, including works by Mary Cassatt, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro, among others.

Norman's picture-book Main Street is a great source of pride for Normanites, as are the many shady, tree-lined housing areas that surround the OU campus. The west side of town has seen the most development in recent years, including affluent areas like Brookhaven, a sprawling neighborhood of townhomes, apartments, large estates and upscale retail and dining. The east side is older and includes the areas around the OU campus and downtown. Both areas retain their historic appearance and resemble what most people would think of as the core area of a college town. In 2006, Money Magazine ranked Norman as the 40th best place to live in the United States, the highest of any city in Oklahoma.

Geography

Norman is located at (35.221617, -97.418236).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 490.8 km² (189.5 mi²). 458.5 km² (177.0 mi²) of it is land and 32.4 km² (12.5 mi²) of it (6.60%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 95,694 people, 38,834 households, and 22,562 families residing in the city. The population density was 208.7/km² (540.6/mi²). There were 41,547 housing units at an average density of 90.6/km² (234.7/mi²). 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 out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 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.

History

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway planned Norman as a station site in Indian Territory in 1886-87, taking the name "Norman's Camp," a phrase that (the story goes) had been carved in a nearby tree 16 years earlier by the crew of a U.S. Land Office surveyor, Abner E. Norman, who camped nearby while mapping the area. The town itself, while platted by the railroad, wasn't settled until the Great Land Run of 1889, the mad dash by white settlers to claim the so-called Unassigned Lands at the center of Indian Territory. By nightfall on April 22, 1889, Norman probably had several hundred residents, camped in tents and covered wagons on town lots that wouldn't remain vacant for long.

Business

Norman is a global center for the sciences of Meteorology and Geology and related research fields. The local business community boosts major employers like Hitachi, UPS, Saxon Publishing, Albon Engineering, Xyant Technology, Office Max, ClientLogic, National Center for Employee Development, Immuno-Mycologics, Inc., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Shaklee Corporation, and several other research companies and smaller firms that take advantage of Norman's hot business climate.

Currently the nation's 4th largest retail site (University Town Center, a project by the OU Regents), is being built in Norman along I 35, between Robinson Street and Tecumseh Road (2-mile stretch). When completed, the site will also include mixed-use development such as hotels and offices in addition to retail.

Community events

Transportation

Air

Norman is served by University of Oklahoma / Max Westheimer Airport (OUN).

Rail

Norman's Depot is served by Amtrak's Heartland Flyer.

Road

Norman is served by several major roadways, as well as a public transit system

Education

Colleges and universities

University of Oklahoma

Vocational and technical schools

Public primary and secondary schools

Norman Public Schools (or Independent School District Number 29 of Cleveland County, Oklahoma), which includes:
- Norman High School,
- Norman North High School,
- four middle schools, and
- thirteen elementary schools.