Midwest City

History

W.P. "Bill" Atkinson bought land in the area that would become Midwest City after hearing speculation that an air field was going to be built nearby. The city, which was incorporated on March 11, 1943, was named for the air field's original designation as the Midwest Air Depot. Seward Mott, the director of the Federal Housing Administration's Land Planning Division, helped design the city, gaining national print and broadcast attention, and it became a model for postwar community development. In 1947, returning veteran Nicholas Harroz opened Nick's Brett Drive Grocery, which later became Crest Discount Foods, which is now one of the largest discount chains in the Oklahoma City metro area. Soon after its opening, Midwest City citizens opted for a charter-council-city manager form of government to better manage their rapid growth. The first Sam's Club was opened in Midwest City on April 7, 1983. In the early 1970s, the Glenwood Addition subdivision, just north of the TAFB runway, was purchased from individual owners with funds raised in a county-wide bond election after plane crashes in the area killed several civilians and military crewmen. 835 homes were moved and an elementary school was closed down. The former subdivision is fenced off and used as storage and training exercises for TAFB personnel. Portions of Midwest City particularly northwest of Tinker Air Force Base sustained extreme damage from a violent tornado that swept through the southern and eastern areas of the Oklahoma City Metro on May 3, 1999. While it produced F5 damage in South Oklahoma City, damage in Midwest City was rated high-end F4 (although F5 was considered), with numerous destroyed homes and three fatalities. Another F4 tornado struck the southeastern end of Tinker AFB and Midwest City…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The city's elevation is 1,157 feet above sea level. The city is located in Oklahoma County and the area is known for low hills and two species of blackjack oak and post oak. Midwest City also falls into an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers, and the Frontier Country tourism region Midwest City has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,080
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,639
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  6,206
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  5,888
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  5,424
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,060
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  4,525
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,399

Largest nearby schools

• CHOCTAW HS
  High · Choctaw · 1,811 students · 23.8:1 ratio
• CAPITOL HILL HS
  High · Oklahoma City · 1,455 students · 15.5:1 ratio
• MIDWEST CITY HS
  High · Midwest City · 1,368 students · 18.5:1 ratio
• OKLA. VIRTUAL CHARTER ACAD ES
  Elementary · Midwest City · 1,316 students · 30.6:1 ratio
• DEL CITY HS
  High · Del City · 1,158 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• SANTA FE SOUTH HS
  High · Oklahoma City · 1,121 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• CARL ALBERT HS
  High · Oklahoma City · 1,115 students · 18:1 ratio
• MIDWEST CITY MS
  Middle · Midwest City · 1,046 students · 16.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.57 — 2026-09-14
  6 km E of Calumet, Oklahoma
• M 2.9 — 2026-09-11
  5 km N of Stroud, Oklahoma
• M 3.29 — 2026-09-04
  2 km SSW of Dibble, Oklahoma
• M 2.56 — 2026-06-13
  6 km ENE of Edmond, Oklahoma
• M 2.72 — 2026-06-03
  7 km S of Perry, Oklahoma
• M 2.9 — 2026-05-22
  10 km N of Stillwater, Oklahoma