Earlsboro is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 594 by the 2020 United States census. It was once called "...the town that whisky built and oil broke."
History
The town of Earlsborough (as it was spelled on the town plat) began in 1891, when the Choctaw Coal and Railway (later the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad) built a line west from the Seminole Nation into Oklahoma Territory.
The town was located one-half mile inside Oklahoma Territory. It was named for James Earls, a local African American who had served as an orderly for Confederate General Joseph Wheeler during the Civil War. The spelling of the town name changed when the Earlsboro post office opened on June 12, 1895.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.22%) is water.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Earlsboro had a population of 594. The median age was 40.3 years. 26.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.6 males age 18 and over.
There were 228 households in Earlsboro, of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.4% were married-couple households, 21.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 395 || 66.5%
|-
| Black or African American || 33 || 5.6%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 68 || 11.4%
|-
| Asian || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 7 || 1.2%
|-
| Two or more races || 91 || 15.3%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 24 || 4.0%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 628 people living in the town. The population density was . There were 260 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 70.46% White, 11.22% African American, 12.16% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.16% from other races, and 5.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population.
There were 229 households,
Notable residents
- Oleta Crain, African-American military officer and federal civil servant
- Ival Goodman, MLB all-star
- Joe Liggins, R&B pianist
- Jimmy Liggins, R&B guitarist and brother of Joe Liggins
- Ernest McFarland, Governor of Arizona and Senate Majority Leader from Arizona
- Willie Stargell, Hall of Fame American baseball player
Notable events
The podcast Song Salad, with hosts Shannon and Scott (featuring special guest Abby Trott), covered the town of Earlsboro in episode 66 (June 2017). https://soundcloud.com/songsaladpodcast/ep-66-shinda-ushi-dead-cows