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Adair County, Oklahoma

Coordinates: 35°53′N 94°40′W / 35.88°N 94.66°W / 35.88; -94.66
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Not to be confused with Adair, Oklahoma.

Adair County
County
Adair County Courthouse
Adair County Courthouse
Map of Oklahoma highlighting Adair County
Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Map of the United States highlighting Oklahoma
Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 35°53′N 94°40′W / 35.88°N 94.66°W / 35.88; -94.66
Country United States
State Oklahoma
FoundedJuly 16, 1907
Named forThe Adair family of the Cherokee tribe.
SeatStilwell
Largest cityStilwell
Area
 • Total577 sq mi (1,490 km2)
 • Land573 sq mi (1,480 km2)
 • Water3.6 sq mi (9 km2)  0.6%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total19,495
 • Density34/sq mi (13/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district2nd

Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,495.[1] Its county seat is Stilwell.[2] Adair County was named after the Adair family of the Cherokee tribe.[3] One source says that the county was specifically named for Watt Adair, one of the first Cherokees to settle in the area.[4] Adair County is part of the Cherokee Nation reservation.

History

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The county was created in 1906 from the Goingsnake and Flint districts of the Cherokee Nation.[5] There was a decade-long struggle over what town would become the county seat between Stilwell and Westville.[6] When the county was formed, Westville was identified as the county seat, due partly to its location at the intersection of two major railroads: the Kansas City Southern Railway and the St. Louis – San Francisco Railway.[7] The county seat was moved to Stilwell in 1910.[8]

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.[6]

The 1910 census counted 10,535 residents.[5] By 1990, it was up to 18,421.[5]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 577 square miles (1,490 km2), of which 573 square miles (1,480 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (0.6%) is water.[9]

The county is part of the Ozark plateau uplift, the tree-covered foothills of the Boston Mountains.[5] North and central Adair County are drained by the Illinois River and three creeks.[5] Two more creeks lie near Stilwell.[5]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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National protected area

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
191010,535—
192013,70330.1%
193014,7567.7%
194015,7556.8%
195014,918−5.3%
196013,112−12.1%
197015,14115.5%
198018,57522.7%
199018,421−0.8%
200021,03814.2%
201022,6837.8%
202019,495−14.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]
1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12]
1990-2000[13] 2010[14]
Age pyramid for Adair County, Oklahoma, based on census 2000 data.

As of the census[15] 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.[16] As of 2020, its population was 19,495.[1]

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

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Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of March 28, 2024[17]
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic 3,406 31.07%
Republican 5,885 53.68%
Others 1,672 15.25%
Total 10,963 100%
United States presidential election results for Adair County, Oklahoma[18]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 5,585 78.57% 1,387 19.51% 136 1.91%
2016 4,787 73.50% 1,382 21.22% 344 5.28%
2012 4,381 67.32% 2,127 32.68% 0 0.00%
2008 4,638 69.33% 2,052 30.67% 0 0.00%
2004 4,971 65.99% 2,562 34.01% 0 0.00%
2000 3,503 58.61% 2,361 39.50% 113 1.89%
1996 2,956 45.33% 2,792 42.82% 773 11.85%
1992 2,994 45.48% 2,645 40.18% 944 14.34%
1988 3,558 57.02% 2,624 42.05% 58 0.93%
1984 4,423 65.57% 2,266 33.60% 56 0.83%
1980 3,429 54.08% 2,761 43.54% 151 2.38%
1976 3,013 48.14% 3,183 50.85% 63 1.01%
1972 4,720 73.12% 1,601 24.80% 134 2.08%
1968 2,877 53.02% 1,549 28.55% 1,000 18.43%
1964 2,859 48.77% 3,003 51.23% 0 0.00%
1960 3,655 65.76% 1,903 34.24% 0 0.00%
1956 3,152 56.59% 2,418 43.41% 0 0.00%
1952 3,037 52.71% 2,725 47.29% 0 0.00%
1948 2,407 43.97% 3,067 56.03% 0 0.00%
1944 2,792 50.18% 2,760 49.60% 12 0.22%
1940 3,275 50.51% 3,203 49.40% 6 0.09%
1936 2,699 45.19% 3,257 54.54% 16 0.27%
1932 1,941 33.74% 3,812 66.26% 0 0.00%
1928 2,867 59.35% 1,944 40.24% 20 0.41%
1924 2,317 51.63% 1,942 43.27% 229 5.10%
1920 2,181 57.99% 1,559 41.45% 21 0.56%
1916 1,010 41.72% 1,190 49.15% 221 9.13%
1912 850 44.18% 916 47.61% 158 8.21%
1908 782 47.86% 825 50.49% 27 1.65%

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

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The county is home to food processing and canning industries; poultry farms; cattle ranches; horse breeders; dog breeders, and strawberry fields.[19]

Communities

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Map of Adair County

City

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated places

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NRHP sites

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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:

References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Adair County, Oklahoma.
  1. ^ a b "Adair County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Oklahoma Almanac Online (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Libraries.
  4. ^ "Stilwell is part of 'Green County Oklahoma'"" Archived February 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Whitaker, Rachel. "Adair County". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Barker, Betty Starr. "Stilwell". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  7. ^ Hill, Luther B. (1910). A History of the State of Oklahoma. Vol. I. The Lewis Publishing Company. p. 470.
  8. ^ Oklahoma Almanac 2005
  9. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  10. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  11. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  12. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  13. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  14. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 15, 2001. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
  15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Oklahoma American Indian and Alaska Native Population by County". Indexmundi. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Voter Registration Totals". OK Elections Interactive Statistics Beta. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  19. ^ Adair, Oklahoma Almanac, 2005 (accessed May 22, 2013)
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35°53′N 94°40′W / 35.88°N 94.66°W / 35.88; -94.66

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