Editing Bethel Acres, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
The area comprising the present Bethel Acres was opened to non-Indian settlement September 22, 1891. The people who settled here established the Bethel school district. Bethel Acres was not incorporated until April 24, 1962, when the residents feared annexation by [[Shawnee, Oklahoma|Shawnee]], [[Tecumseh, Oklahoma|Tecumseh]] or [[Oklahoma City]]. They wanted to protect their rural lifestyle, especially to be free to keep livestock on their property.<ref name="EOHC-BethelAcres">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=BE027  Linda D. Wilson, "Bethel Acres," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.] Accessed May 23, 2015</ref>

In 1970, Bethel Acres had 1,083 residents. The number jumped to 2,314 in 1980 and has continued to increase through the 2010 census. Over 97 percent of the employed residents commute to work in Oklahoma City, Shawnee and Tecumseh.<ref name="EOHC-BethelAcres"/>

On May 19, 2013, an EF4 tornado tore through Northwest Bethel Acres, and a mobile home park sustained a direct hit from this tornado, killing one person and injuring six others, two critically. This was part of the [[tornado outbreak of May 18–21, 2013]].