Altus, Oklahoma#Education

The town that would later be named Altus was founded in 1886.[http://countyext.okstate.edu/jackson/JC%20Ec%20Dev.%20Site/comindex/altus.html Altus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026020958/http://countyext.okstate.edu/jackson/JC%20Ec%20Dev.%20Site/comindex/altus.html |date=2010-10-26 }}, [http://countyext.okstate.edu/ Oklahoma State University County Extension Service] (accessed May 10, 2010) The community was originally called "Frazer", a settlement of about 50 people on Bitter Creek that served as a trading post on the Great Western Cattle Trail. Cowboys driving herds northward often stopped to buy buttermilk from John McClearan. Thus, the town was known locally as "Buttermilk Station". The Frazer post office opened February 18, 1886. A flash flood nearly destroyed Frazer on June 4, 1891. The residents moved to higher ground {{convert|2.5|miles|km}} east of the original site. W. R. Baucum suggested renaming the town "Altus", a Latin word meaning "high". This name stuck, although the town was also known as "Leger" from July 10, 1901, to May 14, 1904.{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=AL013 |first=Frances |last=Herron |title=Altus |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture |publisher=Oklahoma Historical Society |date=2009 |edition=online |access-date=January 16, 2014}}

The population doubled between the time of Oklahoma statehood and the 1910 census and even increased during the Great Depression. Although Altus had been designated as the Jackson county seat at the time of statehood, an election was held in 1908 to determine the permanent seat. The two towns contending were Altus and Olustee. Altus won by a vote of 2,077 to 1,365. The county courthouse was built there in 1910. An irrigation project in the 1940s and World War II led to further growth in the town as the nearby airfield was used to train military pilots.

In 1908, the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railway (acquired by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1929) built a line through Altus. Around the same time, the Altus, Wichita Falls and Hollis Railway (which became the Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway in 1911, then was acquired by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway in 1922) constructed a line from Altus to the Oklahoma-Texas border. The railroads stimulated economic growth in the area and made Altus a regional agricultural center. By 1930, Altus had eight cotton gins, two cotton compresses, and eighteen wholesale businesses.

Altus is located in northeastern Jackson County. It is situated in what used to be Old Greer County, an area with disputed ownership until a Supreme Court decision awarded it to Oklahoma Territory instead of Texas.{{cite report |url=http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/architsurveys/RLSofAltusParts.pdf |title=Reconnaissance Level Survey of Certain Parts of the City of Altus |date=1993 |publisher=Oklahoma Historical Society |access-date=May 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721204915/http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/architsurveys/RLSofAltusParts.pdf |archive-date=July 21, 2016 |url-status=dead }} The city lies between the main channel and North Fork of the Red River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city of Altus has a total area of {{convert|48.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|47.6|sqkm|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|0.5|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 1.08%, are water.{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4001700| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Altus city, Oklahoma| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=October 16, 2018| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213111928/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4001700| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}

Altus has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) bordering upon a semi-arid climate (BSk). Summers are very hot to sweltering, though occasionally heavy rainfall does occur due to remains of Gulf of Mexico hurricanes moving inland. A record high of {{convert|120|F|C|1|disp=or}} was recorded twice in 1936.{{cite web|title=Record Highest Temperatures by State (through 2003)|url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/pub/data/special/maxtemps.pdf|work=NOAA.gov|publisher=NOAA|access-date=January 31, 2012}}

Autumn is brief, with generally very warm afternoons and comfortably cool mornings, while winter is extremely variable. Chinook winds can sometimes raise temperatures to uncomfortably hot even in the low winter sun, in the process often drying out vegetation to produce wildfires. On the other hand, if a block forms over the Gulf of Alaska very cold air can be driven into the Plains States from Canada, producing temperatures below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}} in extreme cases. Such cold temperatures on average occur once every three winters, although on average 78.5 mornings each year fall to or below the freezing point. Snowfall is rare and erratic: the most in a months being {{convert|16.1|in|m|2}} in January 1966, while most rainfall comes during the unsettled spring season, when heavy thunderstorms can occur from the convergence of hot and cold air masses to produce very intense short-period rainfall. The wettest month has been May 1980 with {{convert|13.34|in|mm|1}}, whilst zero precipitation has on occasion been recorded in every month except May and June, and the wettest 24 hour period on October 20, 1983, with {{convert|7.10|in|mm|1}}. The wettest calendar year has been 1941 with {{convert|49.30|in|mm|1}} and the driest 1970 with {{convert|10.42|in|mm|1}}.

{{Weather box |location = Altus, Oklahoma (elevation {{convert|1,380|ft|m|-1|disp=or}})

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 88

|Feb record high F = 98

|Mar record high F = 103

|Apr record high F = 105

|May record high F = 112

|Jun record high F = 116

|Jul record high F = 120

|Aug record high F = 120

|Sep record high F = 109

|Oct record high F = 104

|Nov record high F = 92

|Dec record high F = 88

|year record high F= 120

|Jan high F = 53.1

|Feb high F = 58.3

|Mar high F = 67.4

|Apr high F = 76.6

|May high F = 84.3

|Jun high F = 92.8

|Jul high F = 97.5

|Aug high F = 96.6

|Sep high F = 88.4

|Oct high F = 77.8

|Nov high F = 65.0

|Dec high F = 54.4

|year high F= 76.0

|Jan low F = 26.8

|Feb low F = 30.8

|Mar low F = 38.1

|Apr low F = 47.8

|May low F = 57.8

|Jun low F = 66.8

|Jul low F = 70.7

|Aug low F = 69.4

|Sep low F = 62.0

|Oct low F = 50.4

|Nov low F = 38.2

|Dec low F = 29.4

|year low F= 49.0

|Jan record low F = −11

|Feb record low F = -7

|Mar record low F = 6

|Apr record low F = 22

|May record low F = 34

|Jun record low F = 44

|Jul record low F = 55

|Aug record low F = 49

|Sep record low F = 28

|Oct record low F = 17

|Nov record low F = 12

|Dec record low F = -10

|year record low F= −11

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.93

|Feb precipitation inch = 1.01

|Mar precipitation inch = 1.55

|Apr precipitation inch = 2.36

|May precipitation inch = 3.96

|Jun precipitation inch = 3.55

|Jul precipitation inch = 2.05

|Aug precipitation inch = 2.46

|Sep precipitation inch = 2.70

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.84

|Nov precipitation inch = 1.19

|Dec precipitation inch = 1.16

|Jan precipitation days = 4

|Feb precipitation days = 4

|Mar precipitation days = 5

|Apr precipitation days = 6

|May precipitation days = 8

|Jun precipitation days = 7

|Jul precipitation days = 5

|Aug precipitation days = 6

|Sep precipitation days = 6

|Oct precipitation days = 6

|Nov precipitation days = 4

|Dec precipitation days = 4

|year precipitation days = 64

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch

|Jan snow inch = 1.8

|Feb snow inch = 1.3

|Mar snow inch = 0.7

|Apr snow inch = 0.1

|May snow inch = 0

|Jun snow inch = 0

|Jul snow inch = 0

|Aug snow inch = 0

|Sep snow inch = 0

|Oct snow inch = 0

|Nov snow inch = 0.3

|Dec snow inch = 0.8

|year snow inch= 4.9

|source 1 = The Western Regional Climate Center{{cite web

| url =http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?ok0179| title =Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information | access-date =November 24, 2013 | publisher =Western Regional Climate Center }}

|date=November 2013

}}

{{US Census population

|1910= 4821

|1920= 4522

|1930= 8439

|1940= 8593

|1950= 9735

|1960= 21225

|1970= 23302

|1980= 23101

|1990= 21910

|2000= 21447

|2010= 19813

|2020= 18729

|footnote=Sources:{{cite web|title=Population-Oklahoma|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/36894832v3ch3.pdf|work=U.S. Census 1910|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=22 November 2013}}{{cite web|title=Population-Oklahoma|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch08.pdf|work=15th Census of the United States|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=27 November 2013}}{{cite web|title=Number of Inhabitants: Oklahoma|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/37749197v1p38ch2.pdf|work=18th Census of the United States|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=22 November 2013 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|title=Oklahoma: Population and Housing Unit Counts|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen1990/cph2/cph-2-38.pdf|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=22 November 2013}}{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=25 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013 }}

}}

As of the census of 2010, there were 19,813 people living in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,200|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 8,890 housing units at an average density of {{convert|540|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 72.62% White, 10.41% African American, 1.48% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 10.32% from other races, and 3.59% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.25% of the population.

There were 7,896 households, out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.8% under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,217, and the median income for a family was $38,400. Males had a median income of $28,041 versus $18,856 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,378. About 14.6% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 12.8% of those age 65 or over.

U.S. Routes 62 and 283 cross in the center of Altus. US 62 leads east {{convert|73|mi}} to Lawton, and west {{convert|66|mi}} to Childress, Texas, while US 283 leads north {{convert|23|mi}} to Mangum, and south {{convert|34|mi}} to Vernon, Texas.

Altus/Quartz Mountain Regional Airport (KAXS; FAA ID: AXS), 3 miles to the north, has a 5501’ x 75’ paved runway.{{cite web|url= https://www.airnav.com/airport/KAXS |title= Altus/Quartz Mountain Regional Airport|publisher=AirNav.com|access-date=January 14, 2021}}

Commercial air transportation is available at the Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport, about 57 miles to the east.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Lawton-Fort+Sill+Regional+Airport,+Southwest+11th+Street,+Lawton,+OK/Altus,+OK/@34.5723756,-99.1502247,10z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x87ad1f5f4fb4e93d:0xc99afe6d3d51b2cc!2m2!1d-98.4155887!2d34.5690812!1m5!1m1!1s0x87ab64ec18dc2d4f:0xacb0762d79ecd227!2m2!1d-99.3340442!2d34.637765 |title= Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport to Altus, Oklahoma|publisher=Google Maps|access-date=January 14, 2021}}

The Wichita, Tillman and Jackson Railway provides rail freight service.{{cite web|url= https://rgpc.com/railroads/wichita-tillman-jackson-railway/ |title= Wichita, Tillman & Jackson Railway Company|publisher=Rio Grande Pacific|accessdate=November 4, 2021}}

• Lake Altus-Lugert, about {{convert|18|mi}} to the north
• Great Plains State Park, on Tom Steed Reservoir, about {{convert|30|mi}} east-northeast.
• Morgan Doll Museum
• Altus Air Force Base

The public schools of Altus are in Oklahoma School District number 18. In the Altus Public School District there are nine schools, including five elementary schools, an intermediate school, a junior high school, a high school, and a learning center. For the 2011–2012 school year there were approximately 3,851 students.{{cite web| url=http://www.altusschools.k12.ok.us/district/|title=Altus Public Schools|publisher=Altus Public Schools|access-date=2012-03-06}}

Western Oklahoma State College and Southwest Technology Center provide opportunities for higher education in the area.

{{div col}}

• Robert N. Bellah, sociologist of religion
• Jake Colhouer, American football player
• Mark Cotney, National Football League (NFL) player (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• Herschal Crow, Oklahoma state senator
• Brandon Dickerson, music video director
• Eddie Fisher, relief pitcher
• Suzi Gardner, guitarist for the band L7
• Kelly Garrison, 1988 Olympic gymnast (competed as Kelly Garrison-Steves)
• Jason Gildon, NFL player; all-time sack leader for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• David Green, founder of Hobby Lobby
• Steve Marino, professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour
• Moon Martin, singer and musician
• Richard Lee McNair, prisoner
• Thomas C. Oden, United Methodist theologian and religious author
• Juan Pérez, Major League Baseball player for the San Francisco Giants, played at Western Oklahoma State College
• Samuel M. Sampler, World War I Medal of Honor Recipient
• Andrelton Simmons, shortstop, Los Angeles Angels, played at Western Oklahoma State College
• John Sterling, NFL player (Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos)
• Viva Wright, PhD Canine Studies
• Rodney Yee, yoga instructor

{{div col end}}

{{Gallery

|File:Altus Oklahoma Tornado.jpg|Altus tornado, May 11, 1982

|File:Rainbow with reflection - NOAA.jpg|Rainbows near Altus, May 29, 1975

|File:Altuslake-2.jpg|Lake Altus-Lugert, looking south

|File:Foreign Aircrew Training.jpg|Norwegian pilots training at the C-17 Aircrew Training Center at Altus AFB

|File:Altusafb-17feb1995.jpg|Satellite image of Altus AFB, February 17, 1995

}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.altusok.gov/ City of Altus official website]
• [http://www.wosc.edu/ Western Oklahoma State College]
• [http://www.travelok.com/Altus Altus information, photos and videos on TravelOK.com] Official travel and tourism website for the State of Oklahoma

{{Jackson County, Oklahoma}}

{{Oklahoma county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Cities in Jackson County, Oklahoma

Category:Cities in Oklahoma

Category:County seats in Oklahoma

Category:Micropolitan areas of Oklahoma