65.255.77.24 at 21:11, 4 January 2007

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Located in Northeast [[Oklahoma]], '''Green Country''' is a heavily-wooded area of the state with a relatively high amount of rolling hills, mountains and foliage as opposed to Central and Western Oklahoma (which have geography similar to "[[Great Plains|the Great Plains]]" region of the U.S.). Average rainfall totals in Green Country are generally above 40 inches per year, making it considerably wetter and greener than most of the state.

Its name was devised in the 1960s by the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation as one of six travel destination regions within the state, but is the most historically significant of all of them, as the name's usage can be traced to the early part of the 20th century.

The official borders of "Green Country," according to the [[Oklahoma Department of Transportation]], include all of northeastern Oklahoma, reaching in the northwest to include [[Osage County, Oklahoma|Osage County]], [[Okfuskee County, Oklahoma|Okfuskee County]] in the southwest, the [[Canadian River]] in the south, and the Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas borders in the north, northeast, and east.

The region is anchored by the [[Tulsa]] Metropolitan Area, which includes the cities of [[Tulsa]], [[Broken Arrow]], [[Jenks]], [[Owasso]], and [[Bixby]], among others. [[Muskogee]], [[Bartlesville]] and [[Tahlequah]] are other major cities.

==Alternate Meanings ==
The term "Green Country" may be used to describe all of eastern Oklahoma, although southeastern Oklahoma has its own regional designation, [[Kiamichi country]]. Tulsa, the principal city in northeastern Oklahoma, is sometimes referred to as "Green Country" in its own right (or "the heart of Green Country").

== Geographic Importance ==
[[Image:natural_falls1.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Near Natural Falls State Park]]
Northeastern Oklahoma has the most diversified [[agricultural]] [[Economic system|economy]] in the state, as well as the state's second largest city, [[Tulsa]]. In addition to the area's abundance of foliage and rolling hills, it has more lakes than any other geographical area of Oklahoma, as well as more than half of the state's registered state parks. Six of Oklahoma's 11 ecosystems are in northeastern Oklahoma. <ref>[http://www.travelok.com/atv/index.asp#map] [Oklahoma Department of Tourism]</ref> (The state is one of only 4 with more than 10, according to the EPA)<ref>[http://www.travelok.com/atv/index.asp#map] [Oklahoma Department of Tourism]</ref>

The heavily-wooded [[Ozark Mountains]] and their foothills dominate most of the area, containing mixed forests of [[evergreen]] [[pine]]s and [[deciduous]] [[trees]].

Prairie terrain is most apparent in a strip of Green Country's northern section, running roughly from [[Bartlesville, Oklahoma|Bartlesville]] to [[Miami, Oklahoma|Miami]], where the landscape can most accurately be described as a mix of true prairie and forest.

The [[Arkansas River]] is the area's largest river, and hosts the state's only sea [[ports]], the [[Tulsa Port of Catoosa]] (via an extensive navigation system involving the [[Verdigris River]]) and the [[Port of Muskogee]]. From either of these two ports, goods may be transported (via the Arkansas River's connection to the [[Mississippi River]]) to the sea port in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], and then to points beyond.

=== Sportsman's Paradise ===
[http://wikitravel.org/en/Green_Country_%28Oklahoma%29 Green Country] is known as an outdoor sportsmen's paradise, with its many lakes, streams and rivers, and abundant wilderness used for hunting and fishing, along with its sheer number of state parks and camping areas.

== Infrastructure ==

The area's highway system is dominated by turnpikes.

[[Interstate 44]] in the primary thoroughfare, and runs diagonally through Green Country, exiting on the southwest and northeast corners. All portions of the road through northeastern Oklahoma exists as a toll road, except for in the city of [[Tulsa]]. Interstate 40 straddles the southernmost border of Green Country, while other important highways include the north-south Highway 75 (not a turnpike), The Muskogee Turnpike, the north-south Highway 69, Highway 169, and the east-west Highway 412.

In addition, Historic [[Route 66]] is an active road the entire way (with breaks) between the Kansas border and [[Stroud, Oklahoma|Stroud]], the southwestern most town in the region.

The [[Tulsa International Airport]] is the primary commercial flight operation in Green Country, and the [[Tulsa Port of Catoosa]] and [[Port of Muskogee]] are Oklahoma's only seaports, connecting the state directly with international trade routes.

== Important cities and towns in Green Country ==

*[[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]]
*[[Broken Arrow, Oklahoma|Broken Arrow]]
*[[Bartlesville, Oklahoma|Bartlesville]]
*[[Jenks, Oklahoma|Jenks]]
*[[Bixby, Oklahoma|Bixby]]
*[[Claremore, Oklahoma|Claremore]]
*[[Okmulgee, Oklahoma|Okmulgee]]
*[[Muskogee, Oklahoma|Muskogee]]
*[[Miami, Oklahoma|Miami]]
*[[Tahlequah, OK|Tahlequah]]
*[[Vinita, Oklahoma|Vinita]]
*[[Grove, Oklahoma|Grove]]
*[[Sapulpa, Oklahoma|Sapulpa]]
*[[Sand Springs, Oklahoma|Sand Springs]]
*[[Nowata, Oklahoma|Nowata]]

Other Oklahoma regions include [http://wikitravel.org/en/Red_Carpet_Country Red Carpet Country], [http://wikitravel.org/en/Great_Plains_Country Great Plains Country], [http://wikitravel.org/en/Kiamichi_Country Kiamichi Country], [http://wikitravel.org/en/Frontier_Country_%28Oklahoma%29 Frontier Country], and [http://wikitravel.org/en/Lake_and_Trail_Country Fun Country] (known in later years as [http://wikitravel.org/en/Lake_and_Trail_Country Lake Country] and today as [http://wikitravel.org/en/Lake_and_Trail_Country Lake & Trail Country]).

== External links and references==

*[http://www.greencountryok.com/ Official 'Green Country' tourism website]

{{Oklahoma}}

[[Category:Geography of Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Southern United States]]

[[Category:Oklahoma]]

Green Country - Revision history

65.255.77.24 at 21:11, 4 January 2007