Oklahoma Panhandle
From Oklahoma
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The Oklahoma Panhandle is the extreme western region of the state of Oklahoma, comprised of Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County. Its name comes from the similarity of shape to the handle of a cooking pan.
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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, which is the county seat of Texas County. Black Mesa, the highest point in Oklahoma, is located in Cimarron County. The Panhandle lies in the 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 ranching operations occupy most of the economic activity in the region, with ranching dominating the drier western end. The region's higher educational 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.
By the second half of the 19th century, although in routine use, the Panhandle had remained unclaimed by any state or territory (from 1850, when it was ceded from Texas, until 1890, when it was assigned to Oklahoma Territory--see Neutral Strip). The Panhandle was Seventh County, with a county seat at 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".
Following the U.S. Census of 2000, the three counties of the panhandle were assigned to Oklahoma Congressional District 3, which, geographically speaking, is Oklahoma's largest Congressional district.
Comparison to other state panhandles
Although many states, including Texas, Florida, Alaska, Idaho and Nebraska, have a region which is referred to as "The Panhandle", Oklahoma's is unquestionably the one that most resembles the handle of a pan.
See also
Geography:
History:
Other state panhandles:
