Editing Texola, Oklahoma

{{Short description|Town in Oklahoma, US}}
{{redirect|Texola|the butterfly genus|Texola (butterfly){{!}}''Texola'' (butterfly)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Texola, Oklahoma
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = Beerola
|motto                    =

<!-- Images -->
|image_skyline            = 5th_Street,_Texola_Oklahoma.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = 5th Street (Historic Route 66) in Texola
|image_flag               = 
|image_seal               =

<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = Beckham County Oklahoma incorporated and unincorporated areas Texola highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 260px
|map_caption              = Location in [[Beckham County, Oklahoma|Beckham County]] and the state of [[Oklahoma]].

<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = Country
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Oklahoma]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Oklahoma|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Beckham County, Oklahoma|Beckham]]

<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     = 
|government_type          = 
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = 
|leader_name1             = 
|established_title        = 
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  = Imperial
|area_footnotes           = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 1.59
|area_land_km2            = 1.59
|area_water_km2           = 0.00
|area_total_sq_mi         = 0.61
|area_land_sq_mi          = 0.61
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 43
|population_density_km2   = 27.11
|population_density_sq_mi = 70.26

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[North American Central Time Zone|Central (CST)]]
|utc_offset               = -6
|timezone_DST             = CDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -5
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 2152
|coordinates              = {{coord|35|13|21|N|99|59|35|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}<ref name=gnis/>
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 73668
|area_code                = [[Area code 580|580]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 40-73150<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2413380<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413380}}</ref>
|website                  = 
|footnotes                = 
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
}}
'''Texola''' is a town in [[Beckham County, Oklahoma]], United States. The population was 43 at the time of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]],<ref name=2020Census>{{cite web|url=  https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=Texola%20town,%20Oklahoma |title=Texola (town), Oklahoma|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=August 29, 2023}}</ref> an increase over the 36 figure from the [[United States Census, 2010|2010 census]].

==History==
[[File:Magnolia Service Station.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Magnolia Service Station]]
The History of Texola dates back to the early 1900s. Before being named Texola, the town site had been called Texokla and Texoma. Because of its location near the [[100th meridian west|100th Meridian]], the town was surveyed eight different times, which meant that some early residents lived in both [[Texas]] and Oklahoma without ever moving.<ref name="Legends of America">{{cite web | url = http://www.legendsofamerica.com/OK-Erick.html | title = Erick and Texola Oklahoma – Gateway to Oklahoma | publisher = Legends of America, A Travel Site for the Nostalgic & Historic Minded | date =  | accessdate = July 22, 2009}}</ref><ref name="TravelOK">{{cite web | url = http://www.travelok.com/vacationIdeas/in-depth-detail.asp?row_id=15 | title = The Oklahoma Route 66 Journey (Part I, Texola to Elk City) | format = | publisher = Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department | date =  | accessdate = July 22, 2009}}</ref> Texola was originally part of northern [[Greer County, Oklahoma|Greer County]] until [[Beckham County, Oklahoma|Beckham County]] was formed after [[Oklahoma]] gained statehood in 1907.<ref name="Oklahoma Encyclopedia">Wilson, Linda D. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=TE027 "Texola,"] ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, 2009. Accessed April 15, 2015.</ref> A post office was established in the community on December 12, 1901, with Reuben H. Grimes serving as the first postmaster. In 1902, the [[Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad]] (later owned by the [[Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway]]) was built through the town. A weekly newspaper, the ''Texola Herald'', began publishing in 1902 and continued to operate into the early 1920s. By 1909, Texola had two cotton gins as well as a corn and grist mill. The local economy was agriculturally based and several businesses opened in the community.

The 1910 census recorded 361 people living in Texola. That same year, a small Territorial Jail was built.<ref name="Legends of America"/><ref name="TravelOK"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.theroadwanderer.net/66Oklahoma/texola.htm | title = Shadows of Texola | publisher = The Road Wanderer | date =  | accessdate = July 22, 2009}}</ref> After a slight decline in population during the 1910s, Texola grew rapidly in the 1920s. The population peaked at 581 in the 1930 census. The arrival of [[U.S. Route 66|Route 66]] (also known as 5th Street) had a positive impact on the local economy. Cotton production increased during the decade, necessitating the need for two additional gins. As the town prospered, amenities such as a ten-acre park and an auditorium capable of seating 300 people were found in the community.<ref name="Oklahoma Encyclopedia"/> The population began to decline in the 1940s and continued to do so throughout the remainder of the twentieth century. By 1980, Texola was a town of 106 residents. When the next census was conducted in 1990, Texola had lost nearly 58 percent of its population, leaving just 45 people in the town. The figure is nearly the same in the 2020 census, at 43 people.<ref name=2020Census/>

===Historic places===
The [[Magnolia Service Station]] in Texola is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Beckham County, Oklahoma]], being placed on the list in 1995. The station was built in 1930 by the [[Magnolia Petroleum Company]] on Route 66.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/state/ok/index.htm?program=all nps.gov, Magnolia Service Station in Texola, Oklahoma ]</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= Meacham |first1= Maryjo |title= National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Magnolia Service Station |url= {{NRHP url|id=95000028}} |format= PDF |publisher= National Park Service |accessdate= April 20, 2014 |first2= Brenda |last2= Peck |first3= Lisa |last3= Bradley |first4= Susan |last4= Roth |date= May 31, 1992}} {{NRHP url|id=95000028|title=Accompanied by photos|photos=y}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1= Meacham |first1= Maryjo |title= National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form: Route 66 and Associated Historic Resources in Oklahoma |url= {{NRHP url|id=64500493}} |format= PDF |publisher= National Park Service |accessdate=April 20, 2014 |first2= Brenda |last2= Peck |first3= Lisa |last3= Bradley |first4= Susan |last4=Roth}}</ref>

A quirky roadside attraction in Texola is the One Room Jail.<ref name=Jail>{{cite web|url= https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.28033 |title=One Room Jail|publisher=TravelOK.com|accessdate=October 22, 2021}}</ref>  It was constructed in the late 1800s out of cinderblock, and consists of a single room with an iron-barred door and window.<ref name=Jail/>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|0.6|sqmi|km2}}, all land.

Texola is not directly served by the Oklahoma state highway system. However, the town can be accessed from [[Interstate 40 in Oklahoma|I-40]] Exit 1.<ref name="odot-2008-map">{{cite map|publisher=Oklahoma Department of Transportation|title=Official State Map|edition=2008}}</ref> U.S. Route 66 passed through the town, bringing scores of travelers for decades, until I-40 was completed to the north in 1975.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1910= 361
|1920= 298
|1930= 581
|1940= 337
|1950= 265
|1960= 202
|1970= 144
|1980= 106
|1990= 45
|2000= 47
|2010= 36
|2020= 43
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 47 people, 21 households, and 14 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|76.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 32 housing units at an average density of {{convert|51.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 65.96% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 6.38% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 10.64% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 8.51% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 8.51% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 21 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.57.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.0% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 21.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,500, and the median income for a family was $31,875. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $0 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $13,208. There were 7.7% of families and 23.1% of the population living below the [[poverty line]], including 28.6% of under eighteens and 50.0% of those over 64.

==Education==
The town of Texola is served by [[Erick Public Schools]] district,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40009_beckham/DC20SD_C40009.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Beckham County, OK|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]|access-date=2024-10-13}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st40_ok/schooldistrict_maps/c40009_beckham/DC20SD_C40009_SD2MS.txt Text list]</ref> which is headquartered in the city of [[Erick, Oklahoma|Erick]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://erick.k12.ok.us/ |title=Homepage| publisher=Erick Public Schools|accessdate=October 22, 2021}}</ref> The district operates two campuses, an elementary school and a high school.
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Beckham County, Oklahoma}}
{{NRHP in Beckham County, Oklahoma}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns in Beckham County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Towns in Oklahoma]]