Billings, Oklahoma

Billings is a town in northwest Noble County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 509 at the 2010 census, an increase from the figure of 436 in 2000. It was the childhood home of Oklahoma governor Henry Bellmon.<ref name="EOHC-Billings">Jerry H. McKeown, "Billings," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed March 29, 2015.</ref>

History

Billings was called "White Rock", when it was founded in 1893, at the time of the Cherokee Strip Land Run. It was then Template:Convert east and Template:Convert south of its present site. Billings' economy was based on agriculture in the surrounding area. The Enid and Tonkawa Railway (acquired by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway in 1900) built a spur line out from North Enid in 1899. The railroad, however, did not go through White Rock, so the residents soon moved to the present location. The new town opened October 23, 1899, and was renamed for M. O. Billings, a director of the Billings Town Company.<ref name="EOHC-Billings"/>

Geography

Billings is Template:Convert from Enid and Ponca City.<ref name="EOHC-Billings"/> According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Billings has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Billings was Template:Convert on July 7, 1996, while the coldest temperature recorded was Template:Convert on February 10–11, 2011.<ref name = NOWData />

Demographics

Template:US Census population As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2010, there were 509 people, 171 households, and 95 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 212 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the town was 93.7% White, 2.9% Native American, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.29% of the population.

There were 171 households, out of which 12.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.4% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 28.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 16.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,481, and the median income for a family was $40,375. Males had a median income of $26,250 versus $17,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,671. About 9.6% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

• Henry Bellmon, former Oklahoma governor; was born in Tonkawa, but raised in Billings.

References

<references />

External links

• Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Billings
• Voices of Oklahoma interview with Henry Bellmon. First person interview conducted on April 14, 2009, with Henry Bellmon. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.