Noble is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 6,985 at the 2020 census, a 7.8% increase from 2010. Noble is Cleveland County's third-largest city behind Norman and Moore.
History
On April 22, 1889, the day the first Oklahoma "Land Run" opened the Unassigned Lands in the middle of Indian Territory to settlers, J.W. Klinglesmith, Albert Rennie and several other businessmen forded the South Canadian River and laid claim to the town site that was to become Noble. The town was named in honor of Secretary of the Interior John Noble, who was instrumental in opening the Unassigned Lands to settlement. The group had great plans for Noble, hoping it would become the future county seat.
The Santa Fe Railroad completed a railroad depot in Noble in August 1889. For several years, Noble was a major shipping point for cattle and other goods from both sides of the Canadian River. Business prospered even more when Charles Edwin Garee built a new suspension toll bridge across the Canadian River in 1898.
The suspension bridge washed out in 1904 and other communities began developing nearby. The last passenger train stopped in Noble in 1944 and the depot was moved.
Rose Rock Capital of the World
thumb|250px|right|Rose rocks
Noble considers itself to be the "Rose Rock Capital of the World", as the concentration of barium sulfate in the soil is believed to be higher there than anywhere else, causing the formation of rose rocks. Similar formations are found throughout Cleveland County and the Wichita and Ouachita Mountains. Noble sets aside the first Saturday each May to celebrate its annual Rose Rock Festival. Local geologist Joe Stine and his wife opened the Timberlake Rose Rock Museum in 1986 and closed it in 2019.
Geography
Noble is located along the southwest edge of Cleveland County. It is bordered to the north by Norman, to the south by Slaughterville, and to the west by the Canadian River, across which is McClain County. U.S. Route 77 passes through Noble, leading north to the center of Oklahoma City and south to Purcell.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Noble has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.72%, is water.
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census
| align = right
| align-fn = center
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Noble had a population of 6,985. The median age was 37.4 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.9 males age 18 and over.
There were 2,699 households in Noble, of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.8% were married-couple households, 14.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 28.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Percent
|-
| White || 79.7%
|-
| Black or African American || 0.9%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 5.6%
|-
| Asian || 0.5%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || <0.1%
|-
| Some other race || 1.7%
|-
| Two or more races || 11.6%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 5.5%
|}
2010 census
As of the 2010 census