Savanna is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, Savanna had a population of 623. It is the hometown of former Harlem Globetrotter and 2014 NAIA Dunk Champion Tyler Inman.
History
Begun as a rural settlement in Tobucksy County, Choctaw Nation during the 1860s, the community's economy was based on agriculture and cattle ranching. Coal mining became the most important economic activity during the 1870s.
A post office was established at Savanna, Indian Territory on May 5, 1876. The town owed its existence to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad, for which it was a station stop, and the new post office was named for the private railroad car used by Robert Stevens, general manager of the railroad.
As coal mining developed, the community became one of the largest in Indian Territory. The mining companies built rows of 2- and 3- bedroom houses for the families of the miners. In 1887, accidental explosions in Mines #1 and #2 killed 6 miners and 12 rescue personnel. The Savanna Coal Mining and Trading Company closed its mines and moved the houses it owned to Lehigh, Oklahoma. Some growth continued, and Savanna boasted 450 residents in 1911. The Savanna News began publishing in 1915, but went out of business before the end of the decade.
However, the demand for coal fell, as the country began shifting to oil and gas as preferred fuels. Coal mining never regained its former importance to Pittsburg County after WWI. Savanna's boom essentially collapsed until after statehood came in 1907.
During World War II, the U.S. Navy constructed an ammunition production facility at McAlester. Many of Savanna's work force went to work there. In 1960, the census reported a population of 620, which grew to 948 in 1990. It is south of McAlester on U.S. Highway 69.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Savanna had a population of 623. The median age was 43.8 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.0 males age 18 and over.
There were 257 households in Savanna, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 42.8% were married-couple households, 24.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
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| White || 412 || 66.1%
|-
| Black or African American || 3 || 0.5%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 107 || 17.2%
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| Asian || 6 || 1.0%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
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| Some other race || 0 || 0.0%
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| Two or more races || 95 || 15.2%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 15 || 2.4%
|}
2000 census
As of the census