Elmore City

History

The first business in Elmore City was opened by Jasper N. Black in an area just northeast of what is now Elmore City. Historians state that after Black opened his supply store in 1890 on Rock Creek, the number of settlers quickly grew and a community was formed called Banner. Banner quickly spread to the southwest and a post office was established and the name changed to Elmore for J. O. Elmore, another prominent business man. The word city was added to Elmore after the name was confused with Elmer in Jackson County. The city was incorporated as a community in 1898. At the time of its founding, Elmore City was located in Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation. The movie Footloose (1984) was loosely based on events that took place in the town. Elmore City had a ban, dating from before statehood, on public dancing within town limits. High school students during the 1979-1980 class year began lobbying for the right to hold a school prom with dancing. However, during the first town meeting on the issue, perhaps three-quarters of the crowd was against the idea, led by local church leaders. The controversy was picked up by local newspapers, went national, and ended up as a small item in a San Francisco paper. This was where songwriter/screenwriter Dean Pitchford, who was looking for a movie musical idea, ran across it. The eventual result was the 1984 movie. As to the prom, the town mayor sided with the kids, declaring that a high school function was not a “public” event. The school board then authorized the prom, which proceeded and received national coverage.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  150
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  88
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  86
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  67
• Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

  Tyrannus forficatus (Gmelin, 1789) · Aves
  56
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  54
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  54
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  52

Largest nearby schools

• ELMORE CITY-PERNELL ES
  Elementary · Elmore City · 224 students · 14:1 ratio
• ELMORE CITY-PERNELL HS
  High · Elmore City · 176 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• ELMORE CITY JHS
  Middle · Elmore City · 107 students · 10.7:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.54 — 2026-09-27
  4 km NNE of Tatums, Oklahoma
• M 3.29 — 2026-09-04
  2 km SSW of Dibble, Oklahoma
• M 2.72 — 2026-05-15
  4 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma
• M 2.91 — 2026-03-22
  5 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma
• M 2.76 — 2026-03-21
  10 km N of Alex, Oklahoma
• M 3.27 — 2026-03-01
  7 km SE of Ratliff City, Oklahoma