Bowlegs, Oklahoma

Etymology

According to tradition, the community has the name of Billy Bowlegs, a leader of the Seminoles in Florida. Bowlegs has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.

Geography

Bowlegs is located at 35°8′51″N 96°40′11″W (35.147566, -96.669603). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 371 people, 148 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was 98.7 people per square mile (38.1/km²). There were 167 housing units at an average density of 44.4 per square mile (17.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 81.13% White, 0.54% African American, 15.63% Native American, 0.27% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 148 households out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $28,333. Males had a median income of $22,125 versus $16,354 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,459. About 15.5% of families and 24.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.5% of those under age 18 and 36.0% of those age 65 or over.