Moore, Oklahoma

Moore, Oklahoma
City
Location of Moore, Oklahoma within the state of Oklahoma and Cleveland County.
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Cleveland
Founded	1889
Incorporated	1893
Government
• Mayor	Glenn Lewis
• City Manager	Stephen Eddy
Area
• Total	21.9 sq mi (56.7 km2)
• Land	21.7 sq mi (56.3 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	1,253 ft (382 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	55,081
• Density	2,477.6/sq mi (954.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	73160, 73170 Template:GR
Area code	405
FIPS code	40-49200 Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1095494 Template:GR

Moore is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United StatesTemplate:GR and is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The population was 55,081 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh largest city in the state of Oklahoma.

History

Moore was founded during the land-run of 1889. The early settlers came on train, horseback, wagons, and some, on foot. According to local historians, the town's original name was Verbeck as designated by the railroad company. However, a railroad employee named Al Moore, reported to be either a conductor or a brakeman, lived in a boxcar at the camp and had difficulty receiving his mail. He painted his name—"Moore"—on a board and nailed it on the boxcar. When a postmaster was appointed, he continued to call the settlement Moore. When the town incorporated in 1893, it used the name Moore to honor Kristin Moore.

The original town site comprised a small area bounded by the present NE 3rd Street on the north and SE 4th Street on the south; the eastern limit was situated about one and a half blocks east of the railroad and the western edge about two and a half blocks west of the railroad.

In 1961 approximately 21.6 square miles (56 km²) of additional territory was annexed and Moore became a city in 1962. The decade of the 60s saw Moore's population soar. The 1970 census showed an increase of more than 950% for a total of 18,761. The 1980 Census recorded 35,063 residents - an 86% growth rate. Moore's population continued to grow during the 80s, with the 1990 Census indicating a 15% increase to 40,318. The 2000 census listed Moore's population as 41,138. The 2010 population was 55,086.

Moore has experienced several strong tornadoes during its history; the strongest and most damaging tornadoes were on May 3, 1999 and May 20, 2013.

Damage from tornadoes

The city of Moore was damaged by significant tornadoes on October 4, 1998, May 3, 1999, May 8, 2003, May 10, 2010, and May 20, 2013.

1999 Moore tornado

Main article: 1999 Bridge Creek – Moore tornado

The May 3, 1999 tornado that hit Moore, which was rated an F5 on the Fujita scale, was the strongest tornado ever recorded and the fourth costliest in world history. The tornado, which occurred during the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak, had an approximate recorded wind speed of 318 mph (512 km/h), the highest speed ever recorded from a tornado. It left a swath of destruction over 1 mile (1.6 km) wide at times, and 38 miles (60 km) long. It killed a total of 36 people in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. This was the deadliest F5 tornado recorded since the Delhi, Louisiana tornado in 1971 until this mark was eclipsed by several tornadoes in 2011 and the 2013 Moore tornado.

2013 Moore tornado

Main article: 2013 Moore tornado

On May 20, 2013, parts of Moore and neighboring Newcastle and Oklahoma City's south side, were affected by an intense tornado. Classified by reports as an EF5 tornado, it had an estimated windspeed of at least 200 mph, and in most places was 2 miles wide and the path was 20 miles long. Entire subdivisions were destroyed; the tornado also struck Briarwood and Plaza Towers elementary schools in Moore, while school was in session. As of the night of May 20, the Oklahoma Medical Examiner's office reported that 24 people, were killed and that the death toll was expected to rise.

Geography

Moore is located at 35°20′20″N 97°29′15″W (35.338813, -97.487584).Template:GR According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.9 square miles (56.7 km²), of which, 21.7 square miles (56.2 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1900	129		—
1910	225		74.4%
1920	254		12.9%
1930	538		111.8%
1940	499		−7.2%
1950	942		88.8%
1960	1,783		89.3%
1970	18,761		952.2%
1980	35,063		86.9%
1990	40,318		15.0%
2000	41,138		2.0%
2010	55,081		33.9%
2011 (est.)	56,315		2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 41,138 people, 14,848 households, and 11,566 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,892.8 people per square mile (730.9/km²). There were 15,801 housing units at an average density of 727.0 per square mile (280.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.63% White, 2.92% Black, 4.14% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.75% from other races, and 4.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.10% of the population.

There were 14,848 households out of which 41.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,409, and the median income for a family was $47,773. Males had a median income of $33,394 versus $24,753 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,689. About 6.3% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.6% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Moore Public Schools has 3 high schools: Moore, Southmoore, Westmoore; 5 junior high schools: Brink, Central, Highland East, Highland West, Moore West; and 22 elementary schools: Apple Creek, Briarwood, Broadmoore, Bryant, Earlywine, Eastlake, Fairview, Fisher, Heritage Trails, Houchin, Kelley, Kingsgate, Northmoor, Oakridge, Plaza Towers, Red Oak, Santa Fe, Sky Ranch, Sooner, Southgate-Rippetoe, Wayland Bonds and Winding Creek.

On May 20, 2013, while classes were in progress, several of Moore's schools were damaged or destroyed by the 2013 Moore Tornado.

Media

Two media outlets focus on the Moore community. Moore Monthly publishes a free monthly print publication while its website provides daily stories and videos about Moore, Norman and south Oklahoma City. The other media outlet is the Moore American.

Moore Veterans Memorial

The City of Moore has funded the construction of a memorial to honor America's veterans and their families. The City renamed JD Estates Park to Veterans Memorial Park and at the entrance to that park, a memorial is being constructed.

The main feature of the memorial is a 15' black, granite obelisk that has the following inscription on it "May this hallowed ground honor the sacrifice of America's finest veterans, civilians, and their families- past, present, and future. We will never forget." Another major feature of the memorial are five black, granite tablets with the seal of the five branches of the service. At the center of the memorial is a flag plaza with a 30' foot pole for the American flag and two 25' poles for the Oklahoma flag and the POW/MIA flag. The flag plaza is surrounded by a polished concrete walking area with a stained 5 pointed star stretching the entire width and height of the walking area. The memorial also features beautiful landscaping.

A committee was formed to plan the second phase of the Moore Veterans Memorial. A campaign to sell bricks to be placed in the memorial was completed in early 2009. Over 190 bricks were purchased by supporters from the community and surrounding areas. The bricks were placed in the Memorial Wall and Phase II completed in May 2009.

The Soldiers' Memorial was dedicated on May 15, 2010. It consists of four carved, wooden soldiers representing the four major wars since the end of World War I. They include World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Afghanistan/Iraq War.

Notable people

• Kellie Coffey, country music artist.
• Danny Cooksey, actor, singer, voice artist, comedian .
• Tom Cole, U.S. Representative, lives in Moore.
• Michael Hinckley, former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals.
• Jesse Jane, pornographic actress, graduated from high school in Moore.
• Toby Keith, country music singer-songwriter, record producer, actor.
• Randy Wayne, born and raised in Moore.
• Morgan Woolard, Miss Oklahoma USA and first runner-up to Miss USA 2010.

External links

• City of Moore (Temporarily overloaded because of current events. See March 31 archive at archive.org)
• Moore School System (Temporarily overloaded because of current events. See March 2 archive at archive.org)
• Moore Public Library
• Moore travel guide from Wikivoyage