Adair County, Oklahoma

History

The county was created in 1906 from the Goingsnake and Flint districts of the Cherokee Nation. There was a decade-long struggle over what town would become the county seat between Stilwell and Westville.{{cite encyclopedia

During the Great Depression and World War II, strawberries became a major crop in Adair County. In 1948, the first Stilwell Strawberry Festival was organized. The 2002 festival saw some 40,000 people in attendance.

The 1910 census counted 10,535 residents. By 1990, it was up to 18,421.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 577 sqmi, of which 573 sqmi is land and 3.6 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

The county is part of the Ozark plateau uplift, the tree-covered foothills of the Boston Mountains.{{cite encyclopedia

Major highways

• [[Image:US 59.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 59
• [[Image:US 62.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 62
• [[Image:Oklahoma State Highway 51.svg|20px]] State Highway 51

Adjacent counties

• Delaware County (north)
• Benton County, Arkansas (northeast)
• Washington County, Arkansas (east)
• Crawford County, Arkansas (southeast)
• Sequoyah County (south)
• Cherokee County (west)

National protected area

• Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 19,495. Of the residents, 26.0% were under the age of 18 and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39.4 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.4 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 39.2% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 44.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 2.3% from some other race, and 13.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.4% of the population.

There were 7,076 households in the county, of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.6% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 8,059 housing units, of which 12.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 71.0% were owner-occupied and 29.0% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.7%.

In 2020, the most commonly reported ancestries were Cherokee (33.5%), Cherokee Nation (12.8%), English (10.2%), Irish (7.4%), German (6.2%), and Mexican (5.3%).

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, Adair County had a small population relative to its surrounding counties, with only 21,038 people, a large percentage of them, 43.3 percent, Native American. The remainder of the population was 43 percent white, 10.5 percent of more than one race, and 5.3 percent Hispanic or Latino. Less than 1 percent of the population was either Black or African American, Asian, or Pacific Islander, and 2.3 percent were identified as other. This makes it the only majority-minority county in Oklahoma. Adair county had a higher percentage of Native Americans (American Indians) in its population than any other Oklahoma county.

The median age of the population was 36.2 years and two-thirds of the county's population were either under the age of 18 (28 percent) or between the ages of 25 and 44 (24.8 percent). Of the remaining population, 25.9 percent were ages 45 to 64, 12.9 percent were 65 years of age or older, and 13.2 percent were ages 18 to 24. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.3 males.

There were a total of 8,156 households and 5,982 families in the county in 2010. There were 9,142 housing units. Of the 8,156 households, 31.4 percent included children under the age of 18 and slightly more than half (52.7 percent) included married couples living together. 26.7 percent were non-family, 14.2 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8 percent contained a single individual of 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.25.

The median income for a household in the county was $27,258, and the median income for a family was $32,930. Males had a median income of $28,370 versus $23,384 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,560. About 25.3 percent of families and 27.8 percent of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.8 percent of those under age 18 and 18.7 percent of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Although most Native American counties tend to skew Democratic, the Cherokee Nation - which Adair County is a part of - has tended to be deeply Republican at the federal level for most its existence, though Southern Democrats have occasionally taken it in strong election years such as 1964 and 1976. No Democrat has won Adair County since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Economy

The county is home to food processing and canning industries; poultry farms; cattle ranches; horse breeders; dog breeders, and strawberry fields.

Communities

City

• Stilwell (county seat)

Towns

• Watts
• Westville

Census-designated places

• Baron
• Bell
• Bunch
• Cave Spring
• Chance
• Cherry Tree
• Chewey
• Christie
• Elm Grove
• Elohim City
• Fairfield
• Greasy
• Honey Hill
• Lyons Switch
• Marietta
• Mulberry
• Old Green
• Peavine
• Piney
• Proctor
• Rocky Mountain
• Salem (former)
• Titanic
• Watts Community (former)
• Wauhillau
• West Peavine
• Zion

Other unincorporated places

• Ballard
• Lyons

NRHP sites

Main article: National Register of Historic Places listings in Adair County, Oklahoma

The following sites in Adair County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

• Adair County Courthouse, Stilwell
• Breadtown, Westville vicinity
• Ballard Creek Roadbed, Westville vicinity
• Buffington Hotel, Westville
• Golda's Mill, Stilwell
• Opera Block, Westville
• Rev. Jesse Bushyhead Grave, Westville

Education

K-12 school districts include:

• Cave Springs Public Schools
• Kansas Public Schools
• Stilwell Public Schools
• Watts Public Schools
• Westville Public Schools

Elementary school districts include:

• Belfonte Public School
• Dahlonegah Public School
• Greasy Public School
• Peavine Public School
• Maryetta Public Schools
• Moseley Public School
• Rocky Mountain Public School
• Zion Public School

In 2010 the Bell Public School school district ceased operations, with area taken by the Belfonte and Stilwell school districts.

References

References

1. "Adair County, Oklahoma". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. [http://www.farmandhomerealty.net/areainformation.htm "Stilwell is part of 'Green County Oklahoma'""] {{Webarchive. link. (February 7, 2015 Retrieved September 14, 2014.)
4. Oklahoma Almanac 2005
5. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
8. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
9. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
10. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
11. "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE (2020)". U.S. Census Bureau.
12. "HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE (2010)". U.S. Census Bureau.
13. "Oklahoma: 2000". U.S. Census Bureau.
14. "Oklahoma: 1990". U.S. Census Bureau.
15. "General Social and Economic Characteristics: Oklahoma". U.S. Census Bureau.
16. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
17. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
18. "Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census". U.S. Census Bureau.
19. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
20. "Oklahoma American Indian and Alaska Native Population by County".
21. "Voter Registration Totals".
22. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
23. [http://www.odl.state.ok.us/almanac/2005/counties/adair.pdf Adair], Oklahoma Almanac, 2005 (accessed May 22, 2013)
24. Geography Division. (December 22, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Adair County, OK". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
25. Adcock, Clifton. (June 24, 2010). "Bell Public Schools to close". [[Tulsa World]].