Editing Oklahoma Panhandle

<div style="float:right;margin-left:5px">[[Image:Map_of_Oklahoma_highlighting_Panhandle.png]]</div>

The '''Oklahoma Panhandle''' is the extreme western region of the state of [[Oklahoma]], comprised of [[Cimarron County, Oklahoma|Cimarron County]], [[Texas County, Oklahoma|Texas County]], and [[Beaver County, Oklahoma|Beaver County]].  Its name comes from the similarity of shape to the [[panhandle|handle]] of a cooking pan.

==Description==
===Geography===
It is bordered by [[Kansas]] and [[Colorado]] at 37°N on the north, [[New Mexico]] at 103°W on the west, [[Texas]] at 36.5°N on the south, and the remainder of Oklahoma at 100°W on the east.  The largest town in the region is [[Guymon, Oklahoma|Guymon]], which is the [[county seat]] of Texas County. [[Black Mesa Mountain|Black Mesa]], the highest point in Oklahoma, is located in Cimarron County. The Panhandle lies in the [[High Plains (United States)|High Plains]] portion of the [[Great Plains]]. The [[North Canadian River]] is named Beaver River or Beaver Creek on its course through the Panhandle.

===Economy===
The Panhandle is rather thinly populated (when compared to the rest of Oklahoma) making the [[labor force]] in this region very small. Nevertheless, [[farming]] and [[ranch]]ing operations occupy most of the economic activity in the region, with ranching dominating the drier western end. The region's [[higher education]]al needs are served by [[Oklahoma Panhandle State University]], which is located in [[Goodwell, Oklahoma]], 10 miles from Guymon.

===History===
In the first half of the [[19th century]], a portion of the Panhandle was part of the the [[Santa Fe Trail]] trade route; it was referred to as the "Cimarron Cutoff." The Santa Fe Trail passed through what is now [[Boise City, Oklahoma]] and on to [[Clayton, New Mexico]] before contining toward [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]].

By the second half of the 19th century, although in routine use, the Panhandle had remained unclaimed by any [[U.S. state|state]] or territory (from [[1850]], when it was [[cede]]d from [[Texas]], until [[1890]], when it was assigned to [[Oklahoma Territory]]--see [[Neutral Strip (Oklahoma)|Neutral Strip]]). The Panhandle was '''Seventh County''', with a county seat at [[Beaver, Oklahoma|Beaver City]], from 1890 until [[statehood]] in [[1907]], when it was divided into the present three counties.  Prior to then, the Panhandle was also commonly referred to as "[[No Man's Land (Oklahoma)|No Man's Land]]".

Following the [[U.S. Census of 2000]], the three counties of the panhandle were assigned to [[Oklahoma Congressional Districts|Oklahoma Congressional District 3]], which, geographically speaking, is Oklahoma's largest [[Congressional district]].

==Comparison to other state panhandles==
Although many states, including [[Texas Panhandle|Texas]], [[Florida Panhandle|Florida]], [[Alaska Panhandle|Alaska]], [[Idaho Panhandle|Idaho]] and [[Nebraska Panhandle|Nebraska]], have a region which is referred to as "The Panhandle", Oklahoma's is unquestionably the one that most resembles the handle of a [[frying pan|pan]].

==See also==
Geography:
* [[Oklahoma]]
* [[Cimarron County, Oklahoma|Cimarron County]]
* [[Texas County, Oklahoma|Texas County]] 
* [[Beaver County, Oklahoma|Beaver County]]
 
History:
* [[Neutral Strip (Oklahoma)|"No Man's Land"]]
* [[Cimarron Territory]]
* [[Santa Fe Trail]]

Other state panhandles:
* [[Texas Panhandle]]
* [[Florida Panhandle]]
* [[Alaska Panhandle]]
* [[Idaho Panhandle]]
* [[Nebraska Panhandle]]

==External links==
* [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-okla.html Oklahoma article at HighBeam Encyclopedia.com]
* [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-CimarronTe.html Oklahoma Panhandle was formerly called Cimarron Territory]

{{Oklahoma}}

[[Category:1890 establishments]]
[[Category:Geography of Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Panhandles]]