Editing Whitefield, Oklahoma

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Whitefield, Oklahoma
|settlement_type          = [[Town]]
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    =

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|pushpin_map              = USA Oklahoma
|pushpin_mapsize          = 250
|map_caption              = Location of Whitefield, Oklahoma

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

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|area_total_km2           = 4.85
|area_land_km2            = 4.42
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|area_land_sq_mi          = 1.71
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<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = 
|population_total         = 371
|population_density_km2   = 83.89
|population_density_sq_mi = 217.21

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|coordinates              = {{coord|35|15|16|N|95|14|21|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 74472
|area_code                = [[area codes 539 and 918|539/918]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 40-80800<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              = 2413479<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2413479}}</ref>
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'''Whitefield''' is a town in northwestern [[Haskell County, Oklahoma|Haskell County]], [[Oklahoma]], United States. The population was 377 at the 2020 census,<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4080800| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Whitefield town, Oklahoma| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| accessdate=January 16, 2018| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213111039/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4080800| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> compared with the figure of 391 recorded in 2010. It was named for Methodist bishop [[George Whitefield]] (1714 - 1770).<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield">[http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=WH007 Hyder, Glenn O. "Whitefield." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.''] Accessed October 18, 2016.</ref>

==History==
At the time of its founding, the community that became Whitefield was located in the [[Moshulatubbee District]] of the [[Choctaw Nation]], in the [[Indian Territory]].<ref>Morris, John W.  ''Historical Atlas of Oklahoma'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986), plate 38.</ref>

Whitefield's history can be traced to the [[American Civil War]], when the [[Confederate Army]] established Camp Pike for two thousand  Confederate soldiers in 1861. The camp was named for Confederate Brigadier General [[Albert Pike]], who had persuaded the [[Five Civilized Tribes]] to ally with the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]].<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield"/>

After the end of the Civil War, Camp Pike became a [[Choctaw]] trading post. The trading post and the adjacent community were renamed as Oklahoma, Indian Territory. Its clientele were not only members of the Choctaw tribe, but also white settlers who had permits from the tribe to farm land in the Choctaw Nation. Occasionally, it was patronized by white outlaws such as [[Belle Starr]], who were hiding from the law in the mountains of southern Oklahoma.The Post Office wanted to change the name because of confusion with another post office already known as Oklahoma Station. In 1888, the local residents voted to accept Whitfield as the name of the settlement and post office.<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield"/>  The post office at Whitefield, Indian Territory, which had originally been established as Oklahoma, Indian Territory on December 21, 1881, was reestablished on November 27, 1888.  It was named for Bishop George Whitefield, an early-day Methodist leader.<ref>Shirk, George H.  ''Oklahoma Place Names'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pp. 154 & 221.</ref>

Whitefield existed primarily as a town to support the nearby farms. By 1911, it counted approximately 500 residents. Improvements included two groceries, two general stores, a cotton gin and mill, a drugstore, a doctor, and a blacksmith. It had about 300 residents by 1920. Reportedly, the population declined sharply with the onset of the Great Depression. Whitfield incorporated in 1978, so its first Federal Census in 1980 recorded 240 people.<ref name="EOHC-Whitefield"/> The population has trended upward since that year.

==Geography==
Whitefield is located in northwestern Haskell County on high ground south of the [[Canadian River]].

Oklahoma State Highways 2 and 9 intersect in the center of Whitefield. [[Oklahoma State Highway 2|OK-2]] leads north {{convert|16|mi}} to [[Interstate 40 in Oklahoma|Interstate 40]] near [[Warner, Oklahoma|Warner]] and south {{convert|10|mi|0}} to [[Kinta, Oklahoma|Kinta]], while OK-9 leads east {{convert|6|mi|0}} to [[Stigler, Oklahoma|Stigler]], the Haskell [[county seat]], and west {{convert|23|mi}} to [[Eufaula, Oklahoma|Eufaula]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|4.8|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|4.4|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|0.4|km2|order=flip|1}}, or 8.81%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010"/>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1980= 240
|1990= 253
|2000= 231
|2010= 391
|2020= 371
|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 231 people, 99 households, and 73 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|94.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 110 housing units at an average density of {{convert|44.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 77.92% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 12.99% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.43% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 8.66% from two or more races.

There were 99 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.74.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,389, and the median income for a family was $33,125. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $15,000 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $14,306. About 15.7% of families and 23.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 27.5% of those under the age of eighteen and 33.3% of those 65 or over.

== Governance ==
{{unreferenced section|date=September 2023}}

=== Town Council ===
Whitefield has a Mayor - Trustees form of government. Town officials are:

* Mayor - Larry McGuire
* Trustee - Jimmy Wixom
* Trustee - Jorge Sosa
* Trustee - Carolene Underwood
* Trustee - Deborah Glanz

=== City departments ===

* '''Town Clerk/Treasurer''' - Royce Alverson
* '''Sewer Manager''' - Chris Fraley

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090501032822/http://www.inhaskell.com/ Whitefield, Haskell County Independent News]

{{Haskell County, Oklahoma}}

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[[Category:Towns in Haskell County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Towns in Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma]]