Canadian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 154,405, making it the fourth most populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is El Reno.

The county is named for the Canadian River, which forms part of its southern border. The river may have been named for early European explorers who were fur traders and trappers from New France, or pre-1763 colonial Canada.

Canadian County is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

History

In 1859, the United States expelled the Caddo Nation of Louisiana from its Brazos reservation in Texas and relocated it to what would eventually become Canadian County, Oklahoma. Showetat, the last hereditary chief of the Caddo, set up his camp here and is considered Canadian County's first permanent resident. (Union City developed near his camp site.) It was named after the Canadian River, which runs through the county.

This county was settled by European-Americans after the April 22, 1889, land run, which gave away expropriated Native American land. The county lies mostly within the Red Bed Plains, a subregion of the Osage Plains physiographic region. Its northwestern corner is in the Gypsum Hills. The county is drained by the North Canadian River and the Canadian River, which both flow through the county from northwest to southeast.

The North Canadian River enters Canadian County near the northwest corner, flows generally southeast towards the middle of the county, then turns southward to leave the county about north of the southeastern corner. The river length is about . The elevation drops from at the entry to about at the exit. Its named tributaries are Sixmile Creek, Fourmile Creek, Purcell Creek, Shell Creek, and Mustang Creek.

The Canadian River enters the western border of the county about north of the southwest corner at an elevation of and flows southeast about , where it becomes the southern border of the county. Its course within the county is long, and the elevation where it leaves the county is . Named tributaries include Dry Creek and Boggy Creek.

The Cimarron River does not flow through the county, but drains part of the northeastern area via its tributaries: Kingfisher, Dead Indian, Uncle John, Cottonwood, Soldier, and Deer creeks. The Washita River flows more than south of the county, but drains about in the southwest corner of Canadian County.

Adjacent counties

  • Kingfisher County (north)
  • Logan County (northeast)
  • Oklahoma County (east)
  • Cleveland County (southeast)
  • Grady County (south)
  • Caddo County (southwest)
  • Blaine County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, the county had a population of 154,405. Of the residents, 27.0% were under the age of 18 and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 35.9 years. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.9 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 72.9% White, 3.5% Black or African American, 4.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 3.1% Asian, 4.0% from some other race, and 11.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 10.6% of the population. there were 87,697 people, 31,484 households, and 24,431 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 33,969 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 87.01% White, 2.16% Black or African American, 4.27% Native American, 2.45% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.35% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. 3.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of 2000, there were 31,484 households, out of which 39.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.30% were married couples living together, 9.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.40% were non-families. 19.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.10. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.00% under the age of 18, 8.20% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.70 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the county was $45,439, and the median income for a family was $51,180. Males had a median income of $35,944 versus $24,631 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,691. About 5.80% of families and 7.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.70% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of January 15, 2024

|-

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 58,711

| align = center | 59.24%

|-

|

| Democratic

| align = center | 19,974

| align = center | 20.15%

|-

|

| Libertarian

| align = center | 1,139

| align = center | 1.15%

|-

|

| Unaffiliated

| align = center | 19,284

| align = center | 19.46%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 99,108

! align = center | 100%

|}

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Government and infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno in El Reno, Canadian County.

Economy

Agriculture has been a mainstay of the economy since the beginning of non-Indigenous settlement in the late 1800s.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

  • Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport is a public use airport located in Canadian County, west of the central business district of Oklahoma City, which also owns this airport.
  • Sundance Airpark is a public use airport located in Canadian County, northwest of the central business district of Oklahoma City. This airport is privately owned.
  • El Reno Regional Airport, El Reno, OK

Communities

Cities

  • El Reno (county seat)
  • Geary (partly in Blaine County)
  • Mustang
  • Oklahoma City (mostly in Oklahoma County)
  • Piedmont (partly in Kingfisher County)
  • Yukon

Towns

  • Calumet
  • Okarche (partly in Kingfisher County)
  • Union City

Census-designated place

  • Cedar Lake

Other unincorporated communities

  • Four Counties Corner (formerly Lockridge)
  • Scott (partly in Caddo County)

Education

thumb|Old Yukon Public Library

School districts include:

K-12:

  • Calumet Public Schools
  • Cashion Public Schools
  • Deer Creek Public Schools
  • El Reno Public Schools
  • Geary Public Schools
  • Hinton Public Schools
  • Lookeba-Sickles Public Schools
  • Minco Public Schools
  • Mustang Public Schools
  • Okarche Public Schools
  • Piedmont Public Schools
  • Union City Public Schools
  • Yukon Public Schools

Elementary:

  • Banner Public School
  • Darlington Public School
  • Maple Public School
  • Riverside Public School

NRHP sites

thumb|Henry Lassen House in El Reno

The following sites in Canadian County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

  • Avant's Cities Service Station, El Reno
  • Bridgeport Hill Service Station, Geary
  • Bridgeport Hill-Hydro Route 66 Segment, Hydro
  • Canadian County Jail, El Reno
  • Carnegie Library, El Reno
  • Czech Hall, Yukon
  • Darlington Agency Site, El Reno
  • El Reno High School, El Reno
  • El Reno Hotel, El Reno
  • El Reno Municipal Swimming Pool Bath House, El Reno
  • Fort Reno, El Reno
  • William I. and Magdalen M. Goff House, El Reno
  • Jackson Conoco Service Station, El Reno
  • Henry Lassen House, El Reno
  • McGranahan Portion of the Chisholm Trail Roadbed, Yukon vicinity
  • Meloy House, Mustang
  • Mennoville Mennonite Church, El Reno
  • Mulvey Mercantile, Yukon
  • Red Cross Canteen, El Reno
  • Richardson Building, Union City
  • Rock Island Depot, El Reno
  • Southern Hotel, El Reno
  • West Point Christian Church, Yukon
  • Yukon Public Library, Yukon

References

Notes

Further reading

  • Canadian County Government website
  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Canadian County
  • Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
  • Mogg, Joe L., Stuart L. Schoff and E. W. Reed. Ground Water Resources of Canadian County, Oklahoma. Oklahoma Geological Society Bulletin No. 87. 1960. Accessed June 20, 2016.