El Reno () is a city in and the county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the 2010 census. The city was begun shortly after the 1889 land rush and named for the nearby Fort Reno. It is located in Central Oklahoma, about west of downtown Oklahoma City.
History
thumb|Map of El Reno, 1891
thumb|Rail yards, 1944
The land of Canadian County belonged to the historic Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes at the time of European encounter. In 1874, the United States established a fort to supervise the area and General Philip Sheridan took command. He named it Fort Reno in honor of his friend, Gen. Jesse L. Reno, who was killed in the American Civil War.
After the 1889 land run, there were three entities the local postmaster had to keep separate - Fort Reno, Reno City, and the community township or Village of (El) Reno. The Village of El Reno originated shortly after the 1889 land run, with the post office coming into being in June of that year.
Although "el reno" means "the reindeer" in Spanish, the town was actually named, in part, after nearby Fort Reno, with the name "Reno" ultimately derived from Anglicized French "Reynaud". Reindeer are not native to Oklahoma.
The town's name was taken from the nearby military post of Fort Reno, with the "el" (meaning "the" in Spanish) later added by the local postmaster to help differentiate the community from the also newly established Reno City.
Reno City was located on the north-side of the Canadian River five miles northeast of community of El Reno. The community of El Reno was located on the south-side of the Canadian river.
The original village townsite was platted by the Oklahoma Homestead and Town Company on 120 acres of the homestead of John Foreman. In 1890, Foreman's 120 acres along with 80 acres of Thomas Jensen's, were incorporated into the Village of El Reno.
After the railroad company announced their rail lines were going to run on the south side of the Canadian river, Reno City relocated to the township of El Reno. The original Reno City site north of the river was abandoned. What remained and continues to this day is Fort Reno and the city of El Reno.
El Reno is located on the 98th meridian west, about 25 miles west of Oklahoma City. The eastern side of the meridian was opened to non-Indian settlement in the Land Rush of 1889. The western side was opened in 1892, when the federal government also made some Cheyenne and Arapaho lands available for settlement by non-Native Americans. The town was subsequently selected as the land district office for the 1901 land lottery drawings.
During World War II, Fort Reno, about northwest of El Reno, was the site of a prisoner of war camp for Germans and Italians. The POW cemetery has been preserved and has stones bearing the names of German and Italian prisoners who died there.
Following World War II, the US Army determined it did not need the fort. In 1948 the fort was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for use as a research laboratory. The railyards are still vacant. Since 1988 El Reno holds an annual Fried Onion Burger Day Festival in downtown the first Saturday in May.
In 2001, El Reno was the first city in Oklahoma to re-establish streetcar service in the downtown area: the Heritage Express Trolley. Such service had not been available since 1947, and it was the only operating trolley line in the state that year. Another line has since been started in Oklahoma City. The Heritage Express was installed with aid of a federal transportation grant and as part of a complex project also to improve the downtown's streets and drainage system. El Reno's program focusses on the Rock District of downtown. water.
El Reno is located at the interchange of I-40 and U.S. Route 81. At one time, it sat on the boundary between Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory, and sits approximately west of the old Chisholm Trail. Jesse Chisholm is buried nearby.
Climate and weather events
El Reno has endured numerous weather-related incidents.
On May 24, 2011, the violent and long-tracking 2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado, an EF5 tornado, struck parts of northwestern El Reno. The tornado killed a total of 9 people, and injured 181 others.
Two years later, on May 31, 2013, rural areas near El Reno were hit by a record-breaking multiple-vortex tornado. The tornado set a record with a width of . Multiple storm chasers, including Mike Bettes and Dan Robinson, were injured, and Tim Samaras, Paul Samaras, and Carl Young of the TWISTEX team, alongside amateur Richard Henderson, were killed.
This tornado was initially ranked an EF5; however, due to the maximum damage being EF3, the EF5 rating was dropped for an EF3 rating on August 30, 2013.
Despite the EF3 rating, the tornado is widely infamous due to its width.
An EF3 tornado struck southern parts of El Reno on May 25, 2019. Touching down at 10:32 pm, the tornado damaged a service station before moving east-northeastward and crossing Interstate 40. It damaged billboards before striking a motel and a mobile home park at U.S. Highway 81, both of which suffered significant damage. One part of the motel had most of its second-floor walls destroyed, and several mobile homes were destroyed, killing two people and injuring many others. East of Highway 81, the tornado damaged an automobile service building and a house on Route 66. The tornado caused tree damage before dissipating on Alfadale Road north of Route 66. The tornado had a maximum estimated width of and injured 19 people.
Demographics
El Reno is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, El Reno had a population of 16,989. The median age was 36.2 years, with 24.6% of residents under the age of 18 and 14.4% of residents 65 years of age or older, while for every 100 females there were 112.9 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 116.4 males age 18 and over.
84.4% of residents lived in urban areas, while 15.6% lived in rural areas.
There were 5,959 households in El Reno, of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 41.3% were married-couple households, 20.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 64.2%
|-
| Black or African American || 6.3%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 11.1%
|-
| Asian || 0.4%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 6.9%
|-
| Two or more races || 11.0%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 16.1%
|}
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, 16,749 people, 5,727 households, and 3,842 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 6,484 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the city was 71.8% White, 11.1% Native American, 7.2% African American, 0.5% Asian, 4.7% from other races, and 4.7% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 12.9% of the population.
Of the 5,727 households, which 31.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were not families. About 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city, the population was distributed as 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 114.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,200, and for a family was $39,106. Males had a median income of $29,521 versus $20,107 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,570. About 11.4% of families and 16.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
The City of El Reno operates under a council-manager government system. City employees include the city manager, finance director, police chief, fire chief, city clerk, public works director, code enforcement director, community services director, and city librarian.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons operates the Federal Correctional Institution, El Reno.
Transportation
The Union Pacific railroad said El Reno is a "Train Town USA," one of 131 communities out of 7,300 communities it serves, because of the town's relationship with the line.
Education
- Canadian Valley Technology Center is on famed Route 66 about east of the city.
- Redlands Community College opened in 1971.
Public school districts with parts of El Reno include: El Reno Public Schools, Banner Public School, Darlington Public School, Maple Public School, and Riverside Public School.
Media
The El Reno Tribune publishes Wednesday and Sunday and has a circulation around 5,000.
In film
Multiple movies have been filmed at least in part in El Reno, including:
- Human Desire (1954), a Fritz Lang film
- Rain Man (1988), with Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise
- Stillwater (2021), with Matt Damon
Notable people
- Harlond Clift (1912–1992), Major League Baseball infielder
- Suzan Shown Harjo (1945-), advocate for American Indian rights
- Solomon Andrew Layton (1864–1943), architect, lived in El Reno in 1902 - 1911.
- Sam Pittman (1961-), Head Football Coach Arkansas Razorbacks
- Harvey Pratt (1941-), Native American forensic artist
- Hub Reed (1936-2024), pro basketball player
- Erik Rhodes (1906–1990), Broadway and Hollywood actor
- Sam Rivers (1923–2011), jazz musician and composer
- Kenzie Ruston (1991-), NASCAR driver in the K&N Pro Series East
- Gaylord Shaw (1942-2015), 1978 Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist
- Robert Stanley (aviator) (1912–1977), test pilot
References
External links
- City of El Reno
- "El Reno", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture