Alva, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Alva is a city in Woods County
Woods County, Oklahoma
Woods County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 9,089. Its county seat is Alva. The county is named after Samuel Newitt Wood, a renowned Kansas populist. -Geography:According to the U.S...

, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

, along the Salt Fork Arkansas River
Salt Fork Arkansas River
The Salt Fork of the Arkansas River is a tributary of the Arkansas River in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma in the United States. Via the Arkansas River, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.-Course:...

. The population was 4,945 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...

. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Woods County
Woods County, Oklahoma
Woods County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 9,089. Its county seat is Alva. The county is named after Samuel Newitt Wood, a renowned Kansas populist. -Geography:According to the U.S...

.

Established in 1893, the town got a normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

 in 1897 that became today's Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, also known as NWOSU, is a university in Alva, Oklahoma, United States, with satellite campuses in Enid and Woodward. A state university, it offers both bachelor's and master's degrees.-Establishment:...

.

History and Description

Alva was established in 1893 as a land office for the Cherokee Outlet
Cherokee Outlet
The Cherokee Outlet, often mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma, in the United States. It was a sixty-mile wide strip of land south of the Oklahoma-Kansas border between the 96th and 100th meridians. It was about 225 miles long and in 1891...

 land run
Land run
Land run usually refers to an historical event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened for homesteading on a first arrival basis. Some newly opened lands were sold first-come, sold by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run...

, the largest of the land rushes that settled western and central Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

. The site was chosen for its location on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway and likely named for a railroad attorney, Alva Adams
Alva Adams (governor)
Alva Adams was an American politician. He was born in Iowa County, Wisconsin. He served as the fifth, tenth and 14th Governor of Colorado from 1887 to 1889, 1897 to 1899, and briefly in 1905. He died in Battle Creek, Michigan.Adams County, Colorado, is named for Alva Adams, and it's believed the...

, who had become governor of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

.

Alva is home to Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University, also known as NWOSU, is a university in Alva, Oklahoma, United States, with satellite campuses in Enid and Woodward. A state university, it offers both bachelor's and master's degrees.-Establishment:...

 (NWOSU), founded in 1897 as a normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

. The college's main building for a time was the "Castle on the Hill," a huge, fanciful brick building, modeled after a Norman castle, that towered over much of the town. The Castle burned down in 1935, to be replaced by the more staid Jesse Dunn Hall, which was dedicated in 1937 by Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...

.

Today, the city council is actively soliciting mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...

s -- one of the most recent is of the storied Castle—and trying to attract businesses and tourists to keep people in town, important as the population of Woods County has been dropping since the 1930s. Alva lost 200 people between 1990 and 2000 according to official census figures. It has a Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...

 Supercenter that is one of the smallest supercenters ever built. The area is generally religious, with 16 different churches, all Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

, in town. The city is one of the few of its size in Oklahoma to still boast a daily (almost) newspaper, the Alva Review-Courier
Alva Review-Courier
The Alva Review-Courier is a semi-weekly newspaper for Alva, Oklahoma and surrounding areas. The newspaper was purchased in 1990 by Martin Broadcasting Corporation. The President is Lynn L. Martin and the vice-president is Marione E. Martin....

 no longer a daily paper.published on sun,wed and fri.

Geography

Alva is located in the northeastern quadrant of Woods County, Oklahoma
Woods County, Oklahoma
Woods County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 9,089. Its county seat is Alva. The county is named after Samuel Newitt Wood, a renowned Kansas populist. -Geography:According to the U.S...

, 65 miles northeast of Woodward, Oklahoma
Woodward, Oklahoma
Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 12,051 at the 2010 census....

 and 72 miles northwest of Enid, Oklahoma
Enid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...

. Its geographic coordinates are 36°48′7"N 98°39′57"W (36.801931, -98.665959).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km²), all land.

Climate



Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 5,288 people, 2,205 households, and 1,261 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,228.6 people per square mile (861.5/km²). There were 2,644 housing units at an average density of 1,114.3 per square mile (430.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.99% White, 1.30% African American, 1.34% Native American, 0.78% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.82% of the population.

There were 2,205 households out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.8% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.9% under the age of 18, 21.7% from 18 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,432, and the median income for a family was $38,041. Males had a median income of $27,531 versus $17,981 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $17,966. About 9.1% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Like NWOSU, the Northwest Technology Center
Northwest Technology Center
Northwest Technology Center is a public career and technology education center with campuses located in Alva and Fairview, Oklahoma. It is part of the statewide system of career and technology education overseen by the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.-Student...

 is based in Alva. The city's high school, middle school and three elementary schools are governed by the Alva Independent School District
Alva Independent School District
The Alva Independent School District is a school district based in Alva, Oklahoma United States....

.

Famous natives

Alva is the birthplace of actor Jack Ging
Jack Ging
Jack Lee Ging is an American actor best known for his role as General Harlan 'Bull' Fullbright in the NBC television series The A-Team.-Early life:...

 and disability activist Lex Frieden
Lex Frieden
Lex Frieden is one of America's pre-eminent disability activists and leaders of the independent living movement. He is Professor of Health Informatics and of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He is also Professor of Physical Medicine...

.

External links

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