OK · Oklahoma County · 681,054 (2020) · 22nd-largest US city · state capital
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City lies on the North Canadian River in the geographic centre of Oklahoma, where Interstates 35, 40 and 44 cross. It is the state capital, the largest city in Oklahoma and the twenty-second in the United States.
- State
- Oklahoma
- County
- Oklahoma County (parts in Canadian, Cleveland, Pottawatomie)
- Population (2020)
- 681,054
- Rank
- 22nd in the US
- Coordinates
- 35.47°N, 97.52°W
- Time zone
- Central
- Metro area
- about 1.4 million
- State capital
- Yes – capital of Oklahoma
Where Oklahoma City is
Oklahoma City is at 35.47°N, 97.52°W in Oklahoma County, of which it is the county seat; the city limits also spill into Canadian, Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties. At about 620 square miles it has one of the largest land areas of any US city — much of it still rural — and the terrain is gently rolling prairie at roughly 1,200 feet above sea level, part of the Cross Timbers and Osage Plains. The city was founded in a single day, 22 April 1889, when the Unassigned Lands were opened to settlement. Dallas is 205 miles south on Interstate 35, Kansas City 350 miles northeast and Tulsa 105 miles northeast.
Population and rank
The 2020 Census counted 681,054 residents, ranking Oklahoma City 22nd in the US and first in Oklahoma, ahead of Tulsa by about 268,000. The city grew by about 17 percent between 2010 and 2020. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area, seven counties, has about 1.4 million people, a little over a third of the state's population and comfortably the largest metro in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City is the seventh most populous state capital.
Geography
- North Canadian River — flows east through the south side of downtown; the seven-mile stretch in the city was dammed and re-landscaped as the Oklahoma River in the 2000s. It joins the Canadian River near Eufaula on its way to the Arkansas River.
- Lakes — Lake Hefner, Lake Overholser and Lake Stanley Draper are municipal reservoirs inside the city limits.
- Prairie and Cross Timbers — the western edge of the oak scrub belt meets the open plains here; the Wichita Mountains are 90 miles southwest.
- Tornado Alley — the city lies in the most tornado-prone part of the Great Plains; Moore, on its southern edge, was struck by violent tornadoes in 1999 and 2013.
Nearest large cities
Dallas and Fort Worth are three hours south; Tulsa, not on this list, is the nearest large city at 105 miles. Distances are approximate road miles from the Capitol.
| City | State | Road distance (mi) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | TX | 205 | S |
| Fort Worth | TX | 200 | S |
| Kansas City | MO | 350 | NE |
| Memphis | TN | 465 | E |
| Austin | TX | 390 | S |
Oklahoma City as state capital
Oklahoma City became the state capital in 1910, three years after statehood, when voters chose it over Guthrie, the territorial capital 30 miles north; the state seal was moved overnight. The Capitol, completed in 1917, only received its planned dome in 2002, and working oil wells stand on its grounds. Oklahoma City is both the capital and the largest city in the state. See the Oklahoma City capital page for the story of the move from Guthrie.
Related maps
- Oklahoma map — the state with its 77 counties.
- Oklahoma City, state capital — capital facts and history.
- US cities map.
- Great Plains and Arkansas River maps.
- Nearby cities: Dallas, Fort Worth, Kansas City.
- West South Central division · Central Time Zone.