Return to the Oklahoma State Government Master Homepage
Geography
The state’s major rivers are the Arkansas and the Red; the Red River forms the state’s southern boundary with Texas. Other large streams, all flowing into either the Arkansas or the Red, are the Illinois, Grand (or Neosho), Verdigris, Poteau, Canadian, Cimarron, Salt Fork of the Arkansas, and the Washita. On most of the larger rivers, great lakes ranging in size from 890 acres to over 102,500 acres, have been impounded. Largest of more than 60 such reservoirs are Eufaula, Texoma, Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, Fort Gibson, Oologah, Kerr, Pine Creek, Broken Bow, Tenkiller, Hudson, Keystone, Foss, Fort Cobb and Great Salt Plains.
Most of Oklahoma has a warm, dry climate. The northwestern part of the state is cooler and drier than the southeast. Temperatures range from below zero to over 100o F. Precipitation (rain, melted snow and other forms of moisture) varies greatly throughout the state. Annual average precipitation ranges from 50 inches in the southeast to 15 inches in the western Panhandle. Snowfall ranges from 2 inches a year in the southeast to 25 inches in the northwest with the Panhandle receiving the most snow.
According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, Oklahoma’s 1990 population is 3,145,585. Major metropolitan areas are Enid, Lawton, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The state has 25 municipalities with more than 15,000 residents:
Ada 15,820 Altus 21,910 Ardmore 23,079 Bartlesville 34,256 Bethany 20,075 Broken Arrow 58,043 Del City 23,928 Duncan 21,732 Edmond 52,315 El Reno 15,414 Enid 45,309 Lawton 80,561 McAlester 16,370 Midwest City 52,267 Moore 40,318 Muskogee 37,708 Norman 80,071 Oklahoma City 444,719 Ponca City 26,359 Sand Springs 15,346 Sapulpa 18,074 Shawnee 26,017 Stillwater 36,676 Tulsa 367,302 Yukon 20,935There are 38 communities with populations of 5,000 to 15,000. The rest of Oklahoma’s people live in smaller towns, rural areas, or on farms and ranches.
The state government consists of three branches: Executive, with the governor as chief executive officer; Legislative, composed of a Senate with 49 members and a House of Representatives with 101 members; and Judicial, a unified court divided into a series of courts with various responsibilities. To contact your state Senator, call (405) 524-0126. For your state Representative, call (405) 521-2711 or 1-800-522-8502. Oklahoma has two U.S. Senators and six U.S. Representatives. Oklahoma City is the state capital.
The state’s 77 counties are governed by boards of commissioners with headquarters in the respective county seats. Specific information concerning county governments can usually be obtained at the county courthouse.
To vote, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, and registered with the county election board 10 days prior to the election. Registration should be updated after a residential move. To find out about your polling place and also your legislators, call the County Election Board at the county courthouse.
Income
Income tax on personal income ranges from 0.5% on the first $2,000 of taxable income to 7% over $21,000. Personal exemption is $1,000. The corporate tax rate is 6%.
Property
Real estate and tangible property taxes are levied only by county governments with the local millage rates to meet local budgets. County assessors must assess property within three percentage points of 12% of fair cash value. There is a general homestead exemption of $1,000. For more information, contact the County Assessor's office at the county courthouse.
Sales
The state sales and use tax is 4.5%. Most cities levy an additional tax of 1% to 4%. Items not subject to sales tax are motor vehicles, mobile homes, travel trailers, gasoline, prescription drugs and water service. Also, commercial farm machinery, feed, seed plants, fertilizer, pesticides and products used by animals. An agricultural exemption card is necessary for farm exemption on sales tax (available through the County Assessor's office. Natural and artificial gas and electricity are exempt from state and county sales tax when sold exclusively for residential use. In addition, counties have the authority to levy a county sales tax not to exceed 2%.
For additional information concerning Oklahoma taxes, contact:
Oklahoma Tax Commission
M.C. Connors Building
2501 Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City, OK 73194
(405) 521-3637
(Public Information Office)
1-800-522-8165
Motor Vehicle Division
Oklahoma Tax Commission
409 N. E. 28th
Oklahoma City, OK 73194
(405) 521-3229
1-800-522-8165
Driver’s License Division
Department of Public Safety
3600 N. Martin Luther King
Oklahoma City, OK 73136
(405) 425-2032
Fee for driver’s license, valid for four years, is $15 for operator and $25-$35 for chauffeur and commercial licenses. Written exam, driving test and vision screening are required for original license. Color photo appears on license. Minimum age is 16; except driver education students, 15 1/2.
New vehicle registration fees are based on the factory delivered price; $15 plus 1.25% of the manufacturer’s listed factory delivered price. Each year the tag fee decreases to 90% of the previous year’s fee on automobiles. Applicant must present a certificate of title and registration certificate or Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin, as well as an Insurance Verification Form, if the vehicle has not been previously registered in Oklahoma.
Passenger Car Trailers
Registration is not required for boat or utility type trailers, but other types must be licensed annually. Compliance with lights, brakes, hitch and size regulations is required.
Motorcycles
Operators between ages 14 and 16 must have a special license and are restricted as to speed, horsepower and hours used. Protection glasses, goggles or windscreen are required. Operators and passengers under 18 must wear safety helmets. Some cities require helmets for all. Goggles required behind windshield or windscreen must be adequate to protect face. Riding between lanes is prohibited.
Motor Vehicle Inspection is required annually at State licensed stations for $5.
Security Verification Form
Proof of insurance is required as a prerequisite to the registration of ALL motor vehicles. An Insurance Verification Form is issued by the insurance carrier in duplicate, bearing the name and address of the carrier, the name of the insured, the year, make and Vehicle Identification Number or VIN. One copy must be carried in the vehicle at all times. The other copy must be surrendered to the tag agent or Oklahoma Tax Commission. The last 3 numbers of the VIN must be on the Insurance Verification Form.
Animal Industry Division
Department of Agriculture
2800 N. Lincoln Boulevard
Oklahoma City 73105-4298
(405) 521-3864
Major commodities produced by industrial firms include non-electric machinery; petroleum and coal products; food products; fabricated metal products; glass, rubber and plastic products; and transportation equipment. Principal minerals are petroleum, natural gas, coal, iodine, helium, gypsum, clay, sand and gravel. Chief agricultural products are beef cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry, milk, wheat, hay, sorghum and other grains, peanuts and cotton.
For current information about employment opportunities in the state contact:
Oklahoma Employment
Security Commission
Will Rogers Memorial
Building, Room 200
2401 North Lincoln Blvd.
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 557-7100
Oklahoma’s public schools have undergone dramatic changes since the state began implementing a major school reform and funding law in 1990. The law increased teacher pay, reduced elementary class sizes to a maximum of 20 students and mandated a new statewide curriculum based on results. Between 1990 and 1993, funding of local schools rose 53 percent.
Public schools in Oklahoma are operated by local boards of education, under accreditation standards established by a State Board of Education. Attendance is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 18, though schools are required to provide kindergarten programs for all children age 5. In addition, Oklahoma is implementing a variety of early childhood education and parental outreach programs designed to help the state meet the National Education Goals. In most cases, the school year runs from mid-August through late May, although extended school day and year programs are optional.
The statewide Priority Academic Student Skills curriculum, implemented in 1993, sets student learning goals for all grades in the core subjects. Beginning in 1994, students will be tested on their mastery of those goals, and no one will receive a high school diploma without first passing a basic literacy test. The state has implemented a number of other school accountability programs to assure that all students are receiving a quality education.
Oklahoma school districts range from large urban and suburban districts to small rural schools, many of which are involved in satellite and fiber optics programs to increase instructional opportunities for their students. Other small schools have chosen consolidation or annexation to improve services, and the total number of districts has been reduced by about ten percent since 1990.
The results of Oklahoma’s school reform efforts are dramatic: since 1990, student achievement test scores have risen steadily and remain well above national averages, and, in 1992, the state ranked near the top in a national assessment of fourth-grade reading comprehension. Oklahoma’s schools are on the cutting edge of reform.
For information about Oklahoma schools, contact:
State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Oliver Hodge Memorial
Education Building
2500 N. Lincoln
Okla. City, OK 73105-4599
(405) 521-3301
Junior College Locations
Altus
Midwest City
Tishomingo
Wilburton
Claremore
Oklahoma City
Tonkawa
El Reno
Poteau
Tulsa
Miami
Seminole
Warner
Universities
Cameron University, Lawton
University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond
East Central Oklahoma State University, Ada
Langston University, Langston
Northeastern Oklahoma State University, Tahlequah
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva
Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Goodwell
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant
Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford
University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Chickasha
University of Oklahoma, Norman
Information concerning state junior colleges and universities may be obtained from the Dean of Admissions of the institution in question, or from:
State Regents for Higher Education
500 Education Building
State Capitol Complex
Okla. City, OK 73105-4503
(405) 524-9100
Information concerning vocational-technical education may be obtained from:
Oklahoma State Dept. of Vocational and
Technical Education
1500 West Seventh Avenue
Stillwater, OK 74074-4364
(405) 377-2000
In State, call toll free:
1-800-522-5810
Private Education
Privately-operated schools include nursery schools, kindergartens, day and boarding schools, parochial schools of several denominations, and schools for education of physically and mentally handicapped children and children with learning disabilities and/or other problems.
Higher Education There are three private junior colleges (two-year) and 11 private senior colleges and universities.
Private Junior Colleges
Bacone College, Muskogee
Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College, Moore
St. Gregory's College, Shawnee
Private Senior Colleges and Universities
Bartlesville Wesleyan College, Bartlesville
Mid-America Bible College, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee
Oklahoma Christian University of Science and Arts, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Missionary Baptist College, Marlow
Oral Roberts University, Tulsa
Phillips University, Enid
Southern Nazarene College, Bethany
Southwestern College of Christian Ministries, Bethany
University of Tulsa, Tulsa
For more information, contact:
Regents for Higher Education
Education Building
State Capitol Complex
Oklahoma City, OK 73105-4503
(405) 524-9100
With more than 200 lakes, 56 state parks and recreation areas, one conservation area, the state capitol park complex, six resorts, and ten information centers, Oklahoma’s list of outdoor recreational opportunities seems endless. Activities such as golfing, swimming, water skiing, fishing, spelunking, rapelling, hiking and dune buggy riding are available throughout the state.
Along with many outstanding frontier museums, there are also technological and educational exhibits, such as Enterprise Square U.S.A. and the Kirkpatrick Center in Oklahoma City. Tulsa and Oklahoma City both have top-notch zoos, as well as outstanding art museums.
Horse racing is available in Sallisaw, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Claremore.
There are state fairs in Oklahoma City and Tulsa in late September, music festivals of all types, a variety of theatrical productions, and arts and crafts festivals throughout the year in many locations around the state. For information and free literature on Oklahoma’s attractions and activities, please contact:
Oklahoma Department
of Tourism & Recreation
Will Rogers Memorial
Office Building, Room 500
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-2409
1-800-652-6552
Most of the state’s larger municipalities maintain parks and recreation departments, and sponsor a variety of activities for residents. Information about scheduled programs can usually be obtained at the local city hall or chamber of commerce.
Acknowledgements to:
Secretary of State
Department of Education
Oklahoma Tax Commission
State Department of Public Safety
State Department of Agriculture
State Department of Tourism and Recreation
Prepared by:
Research and Planning Division
Oklahoma Department of Commerce
P.O. Box 26980
Oklahoma City, OK 73126-0980
1-800-879-6552
(405) 841-9770
Return to the Oklahoma State Government Master Homepage