Kiowa County, Oklahoma

Kiowa County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 8,509. The county was created in 1901 as part of Oklahoma Territory. It was named for the Kiowa people.

History

In 1892, the Jerome Commission began enrolling the Kiowas, Comanches, and Apaches to prepare for the opening of their reservation to settlement by Whites. Dennis Flynn, the territorial representative to the U. S. Congress, proposed holding a lottery for opening the reservation. He argued successfully that the lottery would be safer and more orderly than land runs used earlier. Individuals could register at offices in Lawton or El Reno; 165,000 individuals registered for 13,000 160-acre claims. The drawing was held August 6, 1901. After the opening, the area was designated as Kiowa County in Oklahoma Territory. The town of Hobart, named for Vice President Garrett A. Hobart, was designated as county seat.

thumb|Plat book of Kiowa County, Oklahoma (1913)

By 1908, residents of the southern part of the county were already agitating for a new county to be formed. In 1910, Governor Charles N. Haskell proclaimed that parts of Kiowa and Comanche Counties would become the new Swanson County. The new county became defunct in 1911, after the Oklahoma Supreme Court voided the change. The county is largely composed of flatlands, although the southern border is covered by the Washita Mountains. and Tom Steed Reservoir on Otter Creek. Other water bodies in the county include the Washita River and Elk Creek.

| align-fn = center

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<br />1790-1960 1900-1990<br />1990-2000 2010

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,509. Of the residents, 23.7% were under the age of 18 and 21.9% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 44.2 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 76.6% White, 3.8% Black or African American, 6.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% Asian, 3.7% from some other race, and 8.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 11.2% of the population.

Of the 4,208 households, 27.9% had children under 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.1% were not families. About 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.92.

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of voters

! Percentage

| Democratic

| align = center | 1,493

| align = center | 31.51%

| Republican

| align = center | 2,622

| align = center | 55.30%

| Others

| align = center | 626

| align = center | 13.20%

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 4,741

! align = center | 100%

Political culture

Communities

Cities

Hobart (county seat)
Snyder

Towns

Cooperton
Gotebo
Lone Wolf
Mountain Park
Mountain View
Roosevelt

Unincorporated communities

Babbs
Cambridge
Lugert
Saddle Mountain

Notable people

Tommy Franks (1945- ), U. S. Army general (retired) and commander of U. S. Central Command during the Iraq War; lives in Roosevelt, Oklahoma, since his army retirement.
Dale Meinert (1933-2004), an All-Pro linebacker for the St. Louis Cardinals, was born at Lone Wolf.
N. Scott Momaday (1934-2024), 1969 Pulitzer Prize winner for House Made of Dawn, is from Mountain View.
Angela R. Riley, chief justice of Citizen Potawatomi Nation (2010–present)
Col. Jack Treadwell (1919-1977) of Snyder, who served in the 180th Infantry, Forty-fifth Infantry Division, during World War II, received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Lt. Gen. La Vern E. Weber (1923-2004), born at Lone Wolf, served as chief of the National Guard Bureau.