Woods County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,624. Its county seat is Alva. The county is named after Samuel Newitt Wood, a renowned Kansas populist.

History

The Burnham site in Woods County is a pre-Clovis site, that is, an archaeological site dating before 11,000 years ago.

The region of Woods County, Oklahoma, was home to the Antelope Creek Phase of Southern Plains Villagers, a precontact culture of Native Americans, who are related to the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.

An early European explorer of the area now contained within Woods County was George C. Sibley, who traveled through in 1811. He visited a salt formation near the present town of Freedom, Oklahoma, then followed the Mountain Fork of the Arkansas River southeastward to the Great Salt Plains. In 1843, Nathan Boone traveled along the Cimarron River. It is located along the Kansas border.

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 64
  • 20px U.S. Highway 281
  • 20px State Highway 11
  • 20px State Highway 14
  • 20px State Highway 34
  • 20px State Highway 45

Adjacent counties

  • Comanche County, Kansas (north)
  • Barber County, Kansas (northeast)
  • Alfalfa County (east)
  • Major County (south)
  • Woodward County (southwest)
  • Harper County (west)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 8,624. Of the residents, 19.8% were under the age of 18 and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 35.1 years. For every 100 females there were 109.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 108.6 males.

The racial makeup of the county was 83.4% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 3.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 2.9% from some other race, and 7.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 7.1% of the population. The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 3.3% black or African American, 2.4% Native American, 0.9% Asian, less than 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.3% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. 4.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,533 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 32.3% of households were made up of individuals, and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. 8.2% of the population was institutionalized The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.7 years. For every 100 females there were 114.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.9 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $47,255, and the median income for a family was $60,500. Males had a median income of $39,754 versus $23,897 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,935. About 8% of families and 16% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

{| class=wikitable

! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023

|-

! colspan = 2 | Party

! Number of Voters

! Percentage

|-

|

| Democratic

| align = center | 838

| align = center | 17.23%

|-

|

| Republican

| align = center | 3,404

| align = center | 69.97%

|-

|

| Others

| align = center | 623

| align = center | 12.81%

|-

! colspan = 2 | Total

! align = center | 4,865

! align = center | 100%

|}

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Communities

Cities

  • Alva (county seat)
  • Freedom
  • Waynoka

Towns

  • Capron
  • Dacoma

Census designated places

  • Avard (former town)
  • Hopeton

Unincorporated communities

  • Lookout
  • Winchester

Former communities

A 1911 map of Woods County shows a large number of settlements which either no longer exist or remain only as small populated places, including:

  • Abbie
  • Cora
  • Coy
  • Eagle
  • Fairvalley
  • Fanshaw
  • Farry
  • Faulkner
  • Fritzlen
  • Flagg
  • Galena
  • Gamet
  • Heman
  • Irene
  • Kingman
  • Saratoga
  • Tegarden
  • Whitehorse

NRHP Sites

There are multiple NRHP sites in the county, mostly in Alva but with some in Waynoka.

See also

  • Little Sahara State Park
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Woods County, Oklahoma

References