OKLAHOMA CITY

..OKC instantly became a city of 10,000 people with the GREAT LAND RUN of APRILL 22, 1889. The INDIAN LANDS or UNASSIGNED LANDS were open to the public and given away free to whomever could first "STAKE A CLAIM". People who snuck in the night before the GREAT LAND RUN and staked the choice plots first...are labeled as "SOONERS". OKLAHOMA gets its name from two CHOCTAW words meaning LAND OF THE RED PEOPLE. Today, OKC is a sprawling city of 600 square miles (area wise is the 3rd largest in the U.S.) and has a METRO population of over 1.3 million people. OKC is a large, diverse, and growing metropolitan area; it is the civic, business, entertainment, and commercial center of the state as well as the capital. It is one of the largest cities in the Great Plains of the United States, and it is the largest city in population of the 5 "plains states" (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) in addition to three of its neighboring states to Oklahoma (Kansas, Arkansas, New Mexico). Three major highways intersect through OKC; I-35 (running North & South) I-40 (running East & West) and I-44 (running diagonal to Chicago). The city's name is sometimes abbreviated to 'OKC.' Non-residents often refer to Oklahoma City as 'Oak City,' but locals never use this name. Residents of outlying suburbs or rural areas often call Oklahoma City simply "The City." Unfortunately, OKC was the site of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, the largest act of terrorism on American soil prior to the September 11th attacks and the most destructive act of domestic terrorism in American history.This city has gone thru countless TRIUMPHS as well as it's share of TRADGEDIES..... BOOMS and BUSTS. HOWEVER, the people here are strong, kind, and are adept at dealing with adversity. The key industries here include health care and medical research, the thoroughbred and quarter horse industry, aviation, automobile manufacturing, communication and computer electronics. Currently, OKC is experiencing a rennaisance, massive redevelopment, and fantastic growth. OKLAHOMA CITY definitely has a "CAN DO" attitude and is doing everything it can to become a MAJOR LEAGUE CITY. OKC has two prominent skylines, DOWNTOWN and NW EXPRESSWAY. DISCLAIMER: there are a few pics of OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY which is actually located in NORMAN, a suburb of OKC...the CAPITOL buildingOKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ARTthe dome of the STATE CAPITOL buildingGREAT BANKING HALL inside FIRST NATIONAL TOWEROKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIALRENAISSANCE HOTELOKLAHOMA TOWER