Census Bureau Report |
Time Zone: Central |
Capital: Oklahoma City |
Statehood Date: 11/16/1907 |
Statehood Order: 46 |
Flower: Mistletoe |
Bird: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher |
Land: 68679 Sq. Miles |
Water: 1224 Sq. Miles |
Rank In Area Size: 20 |
|
|
The name Oklahoma comes from two Choctaw Indian words, okla, which means "people," and humma, which means "red." In 1889, Congress opened up 2 million acres for white settlement (it was previously open only to Native Americans who were forced to leave their homelands), and the first of a number of land runs began. Some of the state's settlers were called "Sooners" because they had already staked their land claims before the land was officially opened for settlement. |
|