What is the population of Blackwell, Oklahoma?

Blackwell has a population of approximately 6,042 according to the latest available open data.

Where is Blackwell, Oklahoma located?

Blackwell is located in Oklahoma, United States, at approximate coordinates 36.8013°, -97.3009°.

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Blackwell

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Blackwell

Total population

6,042

Founded

1893

Elevation309 m

Land area14.24 km²

Weather65°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Coordinates36.80°, -97.30°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded

1893

Elevation

309 m

Area

14.24 km²

Official website

www.cityofblackwell.com

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

Blackwell is a city in Kay County, Oklahoma, United States, located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 177 and State Highway 11 along Interstate 35. The population was 6,085 as of the 2020 census. Blackwell was established following the September 16, 1893 Cherokee Outlet land run by A. J. Blackwell. Blackwell has an agricultural and fossil fuel based economy.

History & geography

History

Blackwell came into existence during the Cherokee Outlet Opening on September 16, 1893, in the run known as the Cherokee Strip Land Run. The town is named for A. J. Blackwell, who was the dominant force in its founding. Andrew Blackwell had settled in the area in 1882, Blackwell's first school opened in September 1893 in a small, frame building with fifty-two students in attendance. A gradual enrollment increase created a need for ten teachers by 1899. A post office was established on December 1, 1893. Due to a struggle for regional prominence between Blackwell and nearby Parker, the post office was named Parker from April 2, 1894, to February 4, 1895. After that, the name reverted to Blackwell. having kept out African Americans through violent expulsion and the display of a sign warning them to leave town by sunset. Blackwell's expulsion of its African-American residents around 1893 is described in the 1967 book From Slavery to Freedom by John Hope Franklin. According to local newspaper records from the time, the town had a sign that read, "Negro, don't let the sun set on you here." The Blackwell Zinc Company smelter first began operations in 1917. Blackwell Zinc Smelter facility ceased operations. At the time, it was the city's largest employer, employing 800 people in 1972, and over 1,000 at its peak. After its closure the land was donated to the Blackwell Industrial Authority (BIA). Soil from the land was repurposed throughout the city, leading to widespread contamination of air and water, including the Chikaskia River. Phelps Dodge Corporation, a subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc, has owned the site since 1999. On October 15, 2009, the City of Blackwell filed suit against Freeport-McMoRan calling the contamination a nuisance, and alleging that 58…

Geography

Blackwell is located along the Chikaskia River and to the east of Interstate 35. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and 0.18% is water. In May 1906, an L5 meteorite fell, landing in Blackwell, Oklahoma. On May 25, 1955, a deadly F5 tornado, part of the 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak, struck Blackwell at approximately 9:30pm and cut a swath of destruction through the northeastern portion of the city, roughly centered in the neighborhoods surrounding Riverside Park. 20 residents died and over 250 were injured. The tornado outbreak included another F5 tornado that struck Udall, Kansas killing 80 people and injuring over 270. The outbreak spawned 19 tornadoes across Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas alone.

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