Editing Piedmont, Oklahoma (section)

== History ==
The city of Piedmont was founded on land claimed during the [[Land Rush of 1889|Unassigned Land Run of April 22, 1889]]. The town was founded in 1903 by Dr. E. H. Long.<ref name="EOHC-Piedmont">Savage, Cynthia. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=PI004 "Piedmont,"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society. Accessed April 17, 2015.</ref>

Piedmont's success was spurred by the now-defunct [[St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway]] that extended a line from [[Guthrie, Oklahoma|Guthrie]] to [[El Reno, Oklahoma|El Reno]], which allowed it to become an agricultural market center. However, the railroad ceased to operate in 1924.<ref name="EOHC-Piedmont"/>

Piedmont remained a small but stable rural community for the first half of the 20th century. Starting in the 1970s, the town became an increasingly popular [[bedroom community]] for those working in nearby [[Oklahoma City]]. Development of the "Northwest Expressway" ([[Oklahoma State Highway 3]]) resulted in population growth of 124%.

=== 2011 tornado ===
On May 24, 2011, Piedmont and surrounding areas were struck by the [[2011 El Reno–Piedmont tornado]]. Rated EF5, it destroyed about 180 homes in the city,<ref>https://yojanaorg.in/e-shram-card-2025/</ref> caused over $20 million in property damage,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Archived copy |url=http://www.piedmonttoday.com/city/insurance-commissioner-visits-piedmont-city-estimates-at-least-20m-in-property-damage/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929062043/http://www.piedmonttoday.com/city/insurance-commissioner-visits-piedmont-city-estimates-at-least-20m-in-property-damage |archive-date=2012-09-29 |access-date=2012-01-27}}</ref> and killed two children.<ref>https://pmkisan.website/bank-of-baroda-personal-loan-apply-2025/</ref>