Laverne is a town in Harper County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,223 at the 2020 census.

History

Laverne's origin is traced to John Mollman's homestead, which he established in 1903. The site was then in Woodward County, Oklahoma Territory. A post office was established in 1896 with the name Laverne and continued operating until 1908. After 1908, mail addressed to Laverne was redirected to another post office named Speedmore (now defunct).

Mollman sold part of his acreage to a townsite promoter in 1911. The promoter platted the area and began selling lots. The Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway (WF&NW), a Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway (Katy) subsidiary, reached the new settlement in spring, 1912.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Laverne had a population of 1,223. The median age was 38.0 years. 27.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.3 males age 18 and over.

There were 502 households in Laverne, of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 50.8% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 831 || 67.9%

|-

| Black or African American || 4 || 0.3%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 24 || 2.0%

|-

| Asian || 1 || 0.1%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 288 || 23.5%

|-

| Two or more races || 75 || 6.1%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 403 || 33.0%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

  • Jimmy Webb, songwriter and musician, moved to Laverne and attended Laverne Public Schools for his junior year. After Laverne, he moved to California to start his career. According to numerous articles about Jimmy Webb he claims Laverne as his hometown in Oklahoma.

References

  • [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/L/LA027.html]