Del City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 21,822 at the United States Census, 2020, a 2.3% increase from 2010.

Del City is located near two major interstate highways, both of which connect it to Oklahoma City. Interstate 40 bisects the town from the northwest to southeast, and Interstate 35 lies just a short distance west of the city. The city borders southeast Oklahoma City, Midwest City and Tinker Air Force Base. George Epperly, founded the city, which was incorporated by a vote of its residents in 1948. Del City is named after Epperly's eldest daughter, Delaphene Campbell. Since its incorporation Del City has expanded three times, first by annexing Carter Park in 1954, Midway Village in 1963 and the acquisition of an undeveloped piece of land between the city and Tinker AFB Before 1946 there were only two families living in what would become Del City. Developer George Epperly purchased a wheat field large at the corner of SE 29th Street and Sunnylane Road in 1946 with a plan to build fifty houses.

Del City is in a region dominated by the Cross Timbers, an area of prairie and patches of forest at the eastern extent of the Great Plains. The region is essentially a transition buffer between the wetter and more forested Eastern Oklahoma and the semi-arid high plains of Western Oklahoma, and experiences extreme swings between dry and wet weather patterns. Climate is dominated by large differences in annual rainfall totals, with Central Oklahoma's western boundary receiving far less rain than compared to its eastern boundary. Because of these convergences of dry and wet weather patterns, Del City is located at the heart of what is known as Tornado Alley, and is in one of the most tornado-prone areas in the United States.

Eagle Lake is located within Del City; the lake is located in the northern part of the city and is the only large body of water. The lake is stocked with bass, catfish, bluegill, carp, vancuren trout and crappie.

Climate

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Del City had a population of 21,822. The median age was 36.1 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.6 males age 18 and over.

One hundred percent of residents lived in urban areas, while zero percent lived in rural areas.

There were 8,835 households in Del City, of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.7% were married-couple households, 22.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 35.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Percent

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| White || 52.9%

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| Black or African American || 21.9%

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| American Indian and Alaska Native || 4.3%

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| Asian || 1.8%

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| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.2%

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| Some other race || 5.4%

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| Two or more races || 13.5%

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| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 12.7%

|}

2010 census

At the 2010 census, there were 21,332 people living in the city. The population of the city peaked at 28,523 in 1980, just before the oil bust and subsequent economic downturn.

There were 8,669 households and 5,538 families in the city in 2010. There were 9,580 housing units at an average density of . Of those 8,669 households, 27.6 percent had children under the age of 18, 38.9 percent were headed by married couples living together, 18.8 percent were headed by a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1 percent were non-families. 27.2 percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.9 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.04.

The median household income was $32,218 and the median family income was $36,515. Males had a median income of $28,806 versus $21,997 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,717. About 10.5 percent of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.8 percent of those under age 18 and 7.2 percent of those age 65 or over. Four councilpersons represent each of the four wards of Del City. The city manager is currently held by J.D. Hock. The Del City Police Department is headed by Police Chief Steven Stogner and is staffed by 34 full-time officers. The Del City Fire Department is headed by Fire Chief Zion Williams and is staffed by 30 full-time firefighters.

Economy

Del City borders Tinker Air Force Base, the largest single-site employer in Oklahoma. Other major employers in the area include Rose State College, AllianceHealth Midwest, base-affiliated companies and many of the major employers in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

Education

thumb|upright=1.25|Del City High School

The Mid-Del School District provides education in almost all of Del City, with one high school (Del City High School), one middle school (Del City Middle School), three elementary schools (Del City Elementary School, Epperly Heights Elementary School and Townsend Elementary School) located in Del City.

A small portion of Del City is in Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS). Webster Middle School, and Capitol Hill High School.

Del City also has three private schools (Destiny Christian School, Cristo Rey, and Christian Heritage Academy). Rose State Community College is located within of Del City.

Museums and other points of interest

Historical exhibits can be found at the Oklahoma County & Western Museum, Del City Preservation & Historical Society, and War Memorial. The Oklahoma Country Western Music Hall of Fame hosts regular bluegrass and country events.

Religion

Del City's largest church, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, was founded in 1956 as the St. Francis Xavier Church. The parish had grown to 340 families by 1966 and broke ground on a new building on along Sunnylane Road. Its name was changed to St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in 1967.

1999 tornado

thumb|upright=1.15|Aerial view of Del City after the tornado

thumb|Tornado victims' memorial

A large area of Del City was significantly damaged by the Bridge Creek–Moore F5 tornado that passed through the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on May 3, 1999. The tornado first touched down southwest of the community of Amber. The funnel was approximately a half-mile wide when it entered Del City as an F4 from the west near the intersection of S.E. 44th Street and Spiva Drive. The tornado continued on a north-northeast trajectory, exiting the city near Sooner Road and Woodview Drive. Hail and high winds were experienced by residents in the surrounding area. President Bill Clinton visited Del City and the surrounding areas a few days later to view the damage caused by the storm.

thumb|upright|left|Tornado victims' Monument

The tornado was the last to be classified as an F5 tornado in the United States under the original Fujita scale system before the Enhanced Fujita Scale was implemented in February 2007. Even so, within a few years most of the area had been rebuilt. The only visible evidence of the tornado's path today include the cluster of newly constructed homes, the absence of large trees, and an interruption in the row of evergreen trees that lined Sooner Road between 44th Street and 29th Street.

A memorial stands along a walking and bike path on Sooner Road and is dedicated to the seven people who lost their lives during the May 3 tornado. United States Air Force Staff Sergeant James Day was killed in an ATV accident on May 8, 1999, while he was patrolling an area of Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, which had been damaged in the tornado. He is also listed on the memorial.

The tornado was the deadliest and most destructive of the numerous tornadoes that were part of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. A 2006 National Geographic Channel documentary, Ultimate Tornado, discusses unusually violent tornado events and includes footage of the outbreak. The tornado ultimately claimed a total of 36 lives throughout the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

Notable people

  • Nick Blackburn – Major League Baseball player, pitched for the Minnesota Twins from 2008 to 2011.
  • Scott Inman – former Democratic Leader and member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives (2006–2018) grew up in Del City.
  • Bob Kalsu – All-American tackle at the University of Oklahoma and NFL player for the Buffalo Bills, attended Del City High School. Kalsu was killed in action during the Vietnam War.
  • J. T. Realmuto – Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Josh Scobey – former NFL player, later played for the UFL Las Vegas Locomotives football team.
  • John Smith – two-time Olympic gold medalist (1988, 1992) and four-time World Champion in freestyle wrestling.

See also

  • List of towns and cities in Oklahoma by population

References

  • City Website
  • Del City Chamber of Commerce
  • Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Del City