Sparks, Oklahoma
Encyclopedia
Sparks is a town in Lincoln County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. The population was 137 at the 2000 census
. The center of population
of Oklahoma is located in Sparks http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it is land and 2.50% is water.
of 2000, there were 137 people, 55 households, and 37 families residing in the town. The population density
was 354.6 people per square mile (135.6/km²). There were 73 housing units at an average density of 188.9 per square mile (72.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.75% White, 3.65% African American, 11.68% Native American, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 55 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 114.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,000, and the median income for a family was $21,750. Males had a median income of $16,875 versus $12,083 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $7,715. There were 22.9% of families and 25.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including 40.5% of under eighteens and 7.4% of those over 64.
The Eastern Oklahoma Railway (acquired by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1907) and the Fort Smith and Western Railroad (FS&W) established plans for a town at the junction of the two lines as they began surveying Lincoln County in 1902. The town was named in honor of George T. Sparks, an FS&W director. The first school, known as Ball School, was built southeast of Sparks in the late 1890s. In addition, there were two subscription schools, which charged a dollar per pupil per month. A post office was established on August 30, 1902, and the town eventually had approximately fifty businesses. Soon, two newspapers, the Sparks Review and the Sparks Visitor, were published, both Republican in politics. At 1907 statehood the population was 503.
When farm prices fell after World War I and during the Great Depression, people looked elsewhere for employment. In 1920 and 1930 the federal census reported 472 and 470 citizens, respectively. The last bank closed in 1938, and rail service ceased in 1939. By 1940 the population dropped to 339. The high school closed in 1957, and the grade school closed in 1993. The number of citizens declined from 233 in 1950 to 183 in 1970. At the turn of the 21st century the town, with 137 residents, had a post office, a few churches, a rural water district, a volunteer fire department, and two community centers, one in the Old Sparks School Building, which served as a senior citizens' center and town library.
Sparks was nearest the epicenter of the largest earthquake
in Oklahoma's history on November 5, 2011 with a 5.6 magnitude reported.
Lincoln County, Oklahoma
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population as of 2010 was 34,273. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.Its county seat is Chandler....
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 137 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The center of population
Center of population
In demographics, the center of population of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population...
of Oklahoma is located in Sparks http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt.
Geography
Sparks is located at 35°36′35"N 96°49′11"W (35.609854, -96.819861).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 town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), of which, 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it is land and 2.50% is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 137 people, 55 households, and 37 families residing in the town. 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 354.6 people per square mile (135.6/km²). There were 73 housing units at an average density of 188.9 per square mile (72.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.75% White, 3.65% African American, 11.68% Native American, and 2.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 55 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 114.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $20,000, and the median income for a family was $21,750. Males had a median income of $16,875 versus $12,083 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 town was $7,715. There were 22.9% of families and 25.4% of the population living below the poverty line, including 40.5% of under eighteens and 7.4% of those over 64.
History
Located on the Deep Fork River in eastern Lincoln County and five miles (8 km) east of State Highway 18 on State Highway 18B, Sparks lies between Meeker and Chandler. The town is situated on land that was once part of the Sac and Fox Reservation, which was dissolved in 1890 when the principal chiefs signed an agreement with the Jerome Commission that each tribal member would receive a 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) allotment. The surplus land was opened to settlement in a land run on September 22, 1891. The original townsite totaled 186 acre (0.75271596 km²) and was homesteaded by William and Tabitha Baker.The Eastern Oklahoma Railway (acquired by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1907) and the Fort Smith and Western Railroad (FS&W) established plans for a town at the junction of the two lines as they began surveying Lincoln County in 1902. The town was named in honor of George T. Sparks, an FS&W director. The first school, known as Ball School, was built southeast of Sparks in the late 1890s. In addition, there were two subscription schools, which charged a dollar per pupil per month. A post office was established on August 30, 1902, and the town eventually had approximately fifty businesses. Soon, two newspapers, the Sparks Review and the Sparks Visitor, were published, both Republican in politics. At 1907 statehood the population was 503.
When farm prices fell after World War I and during the Great Depression, people looked elsewhere for employment. In 1920 and 1930 the federal census reported 472 and 470 citizens, respectively. The last bank closed in 1938, and rail service ceased in 1939. By 1940 the population dropped to 339. The high school closed in 1957, and the grade school closed in 1993. The number of citizens declined from 233 in 1950 to 183 in 1970. At the turn of the 21st century the town, with 137 residents, had a post office, a few churches, a rural water district, a volunteer fire department, and two community centers, one in the Old Sparks School Building, which served as a senior citizens' center and town library.
Sparks was nearest the epicenter of the largest earthquake
2011 Oklahoma earthquake
The 2011 Oklahoma earthquake was a 5.6 magnitude intraplate earthquake which occurred on November 5, 2011, at 10:53 pm CDT in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. According to the U.S. Geological Survey , it was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma...
in Oklahoma's history on November 5, 2011 with a 5.6 magnitude reported.