50 Fun Facts About Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City was founded during which 1889 event?

The 'Unassigned Lands' were opened on April 22 and some 10,000 homesteaders arrived within hours.

Who was elected Oklahoma City's first mayor in April 1889?

The election came just four days after the Land Run.

Which city was Oklahoma's territorial capital before the move to Oklahoma City?

Oklahoma City had already overtaken it as the population center by statehood in 1907.

In which year was Oklahoma admitted to the Union?

The capital moved from Guthrie soon after.

Oklahoma City is namechecked in which 1946 Bobby Troup song?

Nat King Cole made the tune famous.

In which year was oil discovered within the city limits, including under the Capitol?

The Capitol grounds remain the only ones in the US with active oil rigs.

The Oklahoma State Capitol is unique among US capitols for having what on its grounds?

The building sits directly atop the Oklahoma City Oil Field.

The Capitol's dome, omitted from the original building, was finally completed in which year?

It was part of the original 1914 plans but dropped over cost overruns.

The 1959-61 'Great Annexation Drive' expanded the city to roughly how many square miles?

It made Oklahoma City the largest US city by land mass at the time, up from 80 square miles.

Who became Oklahoma City's first female mayor in 1971?

She was also the first woman to run a US city of more than 350,000 people.

The downtown botanical garden and conservatory built in the 1970s is called what?

It was one of the few parts of I. M. Pei's urban renewal plan to be completed.

The 1993 redevelopment package that rebuilt downtown is known by what acronym?

It stands for Metropolitan Area Projects and drew over $3 billion in private investment by 2010.

Which entertainment district has a water canal with water taxis?

The former warehouse district also holds the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark and a 16-screen theatre.

Which historic downtown hotel was restored and reopened in 2007?

The First National Center has also been undergoing renovation.

How many people were killed in the April 19, 1995 bombing?

It remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history.

The building destroyed in 1995 was named for which Oklahoma federal judge?

The national memorial and museum now stand on its site.

The memorial's twin bronze gates are inscribed with which two times?

They frame 9:02, the moment of the blast; one marks the last moment of peace, the other the first of recovery.

What species is the memorial's 'Survivor Tree'?

Saplings grown from its seeds are given away each anniversary.

The Field of Empty Chairs is arranged in how many rows, one per floor of the building?

Each chair sits on the row matching the floor where that person was.

Which president signed the act creating the national memorial in 1997?

The memorial opened in 2000 and has drawn over three million visitors.

The tallest building in Oklahoma, completed in 2012, is named for which energy company?

Locals call the 844-foot tower simply 'Devon Tower'.

How tall is the Devon Energy Center?

It took just over three years to build.

Which skyscraper proposed for Oklahoma City in 2024 was planned as the tallest in the US?

At its proposed height it would rank among the tallest buildings in the world if completed.

The waterway bisecting the city was renamed what inside city limits in 2004?

It was the North Canadian River, tamed by a 1940s dam and revived with low-water dams under MAPS.

Which is the largest of Oklahoma City's three big lakes?

It sits in the sparsely populated far southeast of the city.

Only one state capital is larger than Oklahoma City by area. Which?

Among all US cities it is second by area after Houston, excluding consolidated city-counties.

What was Oklahoma City's population at the 2020 census?

It was the first city in the Great Plains region to top 600,000 residents.

The May 3, 1999 tornado produced estimated winds of what speed, the highest ever recorded on Earth?

It was the last tornado rated F5 on the original Fujita scale.

The 2013 El Reno twister near the city set what record?

It measured 2.6 miles across.

Which month in 2015 was Oklahoma City's wettest on record?

It brought 19.48 inches of rain and record flooding across Oklahoma and Texas.

Which Air Force base is the metro's largest employer?

It is named for Clarence L. Tinker, the first Native American major general.

The FAA's Oklahoma City campus is named for which Oklahoma senator?

The Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center houses the FAA Academy.

Which two Fortune 500 companies were headquartered in Oklahoma City in 2025?

Love's Travel Stops is also based there but is private.

Which lender's 1982 collapse helped trigger the city's 1980s economic woes?

The post-1985 crash in oil prices made things worse.

The city's art museum holds the world's most comprehensive collection of which artist's glass?

Its atrium features a 55-foot glass tower.

Which OKC institution, displaying 450 skeletons, is the only one of its kind in America?

It displays more than 450 real skeletons.

A museum in the canal district is dedicated to which stringed instrument?

Its collection runs from the instrument's roots in slavery through bluegrass and folk.

Which institution focused on Oklahoma's tribal nations opened in September 2021?

The Oklahoma History Center, the state history museum, opened in 2005.

Which Oklahoma City eatery won the state's first James Beard award in 2022?

It was named one of America's Classics; The Oklahoman calls it 'The Grand Dame of all local restaurants'.

The Thunder relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 from which city?

Owner Clay Bennett moved the former SuperSonics.

Which NBA team temporarily played in Oklahoma City from 2005 to 2007?

They relocated after Hurricane Katrina.

What is the name of the Thunder's mascot?

The team plays at the Paycom Center downtown.

Whom did the Thunder beat in the 2025 NBA Finals for their first title in Oklahoma City?

They won in seven games, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The city's Triple-A baseball team, the Comets, is affiliated with which MLB club?

They play at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, locally called 'The Brick'.

Oklahoma City hosts which annual NCAA championship event?

It also hosts the World Cup of Softball.

The city's two airports honor Will Rogers and Wiley Post, who shared what fate?

Will Rogers airport only began international flights in November 2025.

Which Amtrak train links Oklahoma City's Santa Fe Depot to Fort Worth?

The city was once a crossroads of several passenger railroads.

MAPS 3, passed in 2009, funded a modern downtown what?

The $777 million, one-cent sales tax also paid for a new central park and convention center.

Who became mayor of Oklahoma City in April 2018?

The city has used a council-manager government since 1927.

Oklahoma City University was founded in 1904 by which church?

It was originally called Epworth University.