Broken Arrow

Sister cities

• La Ceiba

History

The city's name comes from an old Creek community in Alabama. Members of that community were expelled from Alabama by the United States government, along the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. The Creek founded a new community in the Indian Territory and named it after their old settlement in Alabama. The town's name in the Muscogee language was Rekackv (), meaning "broken arrow". The new Creek settlement was located several miles south of present-day downtown Broken Arrow. The community of Elam, located in present-day Broken Arrow near 145th East Avenue and 111th Street, began around 1901. It consisted of a cluster of stores, a cotton gin, and a few homes. In 1902 the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad planned a railroad through the area and was granted town site privileges along the route. The coal industry also played an important role, with several strip coal mines located near the city in the early 20th century. The city's newspaper, the Broken Arrow Ledger, started within a couple of years of the city's founding. Broken Arrow's first school was built in 1904. The Haskell State School of Agriculture opened in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Opera House on November 15, 1909. The school closed in 1917 for lack of funding, and the building was then used as Broken Arrow High School. The building was razed in 1987. Only a marker remains at 808 East College Street in Broken Arrow. The front of cornerstone reads, "Haskell State School / Of Agriculture / J. H. Esslinger Supt. / W. A. Etherton Archt. / Bucy & Walker Contr." The side of cornerstone reads "Laid by the Masonic Fraternity / May 25, A. D. 1910, A. L. 5810. / George Huddell G. M. / Erected by The State Board of Agriculture / J. P. Conners Pres. / B. C. Pittuck Dean.". The school is commemorated on the National Register of…

Geography

Broken Arrow is located in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma. The city is part of the state's Green Country region known for its green vegetation, hills and lakes. Green Country is the most topographically diverse portion of the state with seven of Oklahoma's 11 eco-regions. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.34%, is water. Broken Arrow has the typical eastern and central Oklahoma humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa) with uncomfortably hot summers and highly variable winters that can range from mild to very cold depending on whether the air mass comes from warmed air over the Rocky Mountains or very cold polar anticyclones from Canada.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,852
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,902
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,773
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,659
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,980
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  5,826
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,668
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,650

Largest nearby schools

• BROKEN ARROW HS
  High · Broken Arrow · 4,589 students · 20:1 ratio
• UNION HS
  High · Tulsa · 3,355 students · 21.1:1 ratio
• UNION 6TH-7TH GRADE CTR
  Middle · Tulsa · 2,182 students · 16.7:1 ratio
• BIXBY HS
  High · Bixby · 2,102 students · 20.6:1 ratio
• JENKS MS
  Middle · Jenks · 1,831 students · 18.9:1 ratio
• JENKS EAST ES
  Elementary · Jenks · 1,443 students · 16:1 ratio
• BROKEN ARROW FRESHMAN ACADEMY
  Other · Broken Arrow · 1,305 students · 20.1:1 ratio
• UNION HS FRESHMAN ACADEMY
  Other · Broken Arrow · 1,287 students · 18.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-09-11
  5 km N of Stroud, Oklahoma
• M 2.7 — 2026-05-20
  5 km N of Stroud, Oklahoma
• M 2.82 — 2024-03-23
  9 km SE of Foyil, Oklahoma
• M 2.56 — 2023-02-21
  2 km SSE of Cushing, Oklahoma
• M 2.78 — 2020-05-14
  2 km NNW of Cushing, Oklahoma
• M 2.59 — 2020-03-31
  4 km NE of Davenport, Oklahoma