Editing Del City, Oklahoma (section)

==History==
Founded in Boone Township, Oklahoma County, as a "bedroom" community, Del City lies three miles (5&nbsp;km) east of Oklahoma City and one mile (1.6&nbsp;km) west of [[Midwest City]]. At the turn of the 21st century, Del City was a {{convert|7.5|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} community surrounded on the north, west, and south by [[Oklahoma City]] and on the east by Midwest City. [[Interstate 40 in Oklahoma|Interstate Highway 40]] bisects the town from the northwest to southeast. Oklahoma City streets define the boundaries: NE 10th Street on the north; Sooner Road on the east; SE 44th Street on the south; and Bryant Avenue on the west. Northwestern corner of the city is a mile from the junction of [[Interstate 35 in Oklahoma|Interstate 35]] and Interstate 40, justifying its claim to being "the Crossroads of America."<ref name="Hedglen" />

In the [[Land Run of 1889]], Jordan Pybas and his wife settled in what is present-day Del City. Five generations later the family still lives in the house that was completed in 1907.<ref>{{cite web|title=Del City Road Trip|url=http://www.news9.com/category/208045/del-city-road-trip?redirected=true|publisher=News9.com|access-date=May 14, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002203429/http://www.news9.com/category/208045/del-city-road-trip?redirected=true|archive-date=October 2, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>  Before 1946 there were only two families living in what would become Del City.<ref name=Delcity>{{cite web|title=Road Trip Oklahoma headed to Del City|url=http://www.news9.com/story/14587523/road-trip-oklahoma-headed-to-del-city|publisher=News9.com|access-date=May 14, 2011}}</ref> Developer [[George Epperly]] purchased a wheat field {{convert|160|acre|km2}} large at the corner of SE 29th Street and Sunnylane Road in 1946 with a plan to build fifty houses.<ref name="Hedglen" /> In 1948 there were 582 homes in Del City, 75% of which were built by George Epperly, Despite opposition, the unincorporated Epperly Heights and its 200 families voted to approve incorporation on October 9, 1948.<ref name=Delcity/> In February 1959, Del City adopted a charter and a council-manager form of town government.<ref name="Hedglen" /> The city was named for Epperly's daughter, Delaphene Campbell.<ref name="Hedglen" />

The city expanded through the annexation of [[Carter Park, Oklahoma|Carter Park]] in 1954 and Midway Village in 1963. Del City attempted to annex the ''Rose Smith Addition'' but its residents incorporated and became the town of [[Smith Village, Oklahoma|Smith Village]].  The city also acquired a piece of undeveloped land that separated it from [[Tinker Air Force Base]]. Oklahoma City annexed this same piece of land, and a court fight ensued. In District court, Del City won and Oklahoma City appealed to the State Supreme Court. Del City officials, while awaiting the hearing, pursued negotiation again with Oklahoma City this time accepting {{convert|20|acre|m2}} along the Tinker AFB boundary. Del City, having expanded to its greatest possible physical limits in 1964, joined Midwest City and Norman in underwriting the '''Little River Reservoir Project''' that became [[Lake Thunderbird]].<ref name="Hedglen" />

The Del City Historical Society was organized in 1975 with Andy Evans as its first president. Several children of the Eighty-niners (89ers) still lived in the area, and they identified every original homestead within city limits. Residents also learned that their town was on the path of the 1870s Arbuckle Trail, a Texas to Kansas cattle trail. Wrestler and two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner John Smith previously resided in Del City.<ref name="Hedglen" />

With home building and family-oriented amenities the founding focus, industry was slow to develop in Del City to create any jobs (99 percent of Del Citians commuted to work in 1948, while only 96 percent commuted in 2000). Don's Alley Restaurant and Midwest Trophy Manufacturing are two businesses of long standing. Don Moore opened his hamburger grill at 4601 SE 29th Street in 1955, but on October 31, 2022 it was announced that Don's Alley Restaurant would permanently close. Midwest Trophy Manufacturing began in David R. Smith's garage in Del City in 1971. Midwest Trophy Manufacturing (now known as MTM Recognition) employs over 750 people throughout North America, 400 of them in Del City. It is the city's largest industry. MTM Recognition's corporate headquarters are in Del City at 3405 SE 29th Street.<ref name="Hedglen" />

Del City is represented in the [[Oklahoma Legislature]] by House [[Oklahoma House of Representatives|District 94]] Representative [[Andy Fugate]] and Senate [[Oklahoma Senate|District 46]] Senator [[Mark Mann (politician)|Mark Mann]]. On the national level Del City is represented by [[Oklahoma's 4th congressional district|4th district]] Representative [[Tom Cole]], and by [[List of United States Senators from Oklahoma|U.S. Senators]] [[James Lankford]] and [[Markwayne Mullin]].
Del City as had four newspapers ''Del City Leader'', ''Del City Sun'', ''Del City Times'', and the ''Del City News''.{{citation needed|date=October 2012}}