Piedmont, Oklahoma

History

The city of Piedmont was founded on land claimed during the Unassigned Land Run of April 22, 1889. The town was founded in 1903 by Dr. E. H. Long.

Piedmont's success was spurred by the now-defunct St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway that extended a line from Guthrie to El Reno, which allowed it to become an agricultural market center. However, the railroad ceased to operate in 1924.

Piedmont remained a small but stable rural community for the first half of the 20th century. Starting in the 1950s, the town became an increasingly popular bedroom community for those working in nearby Oklahoma City. Development of the "Northwest Expressway" (Oklahoma State Highway 3) resulted in population growth of 124%.

Geography

Piedmont is located in the northeastern corner of Canadian County at 35°40′15″N 97°45′7″W (35.670849, -97.751903). It is 10 miles (16 km) north of Yukon. It is bordered to the south by the Oklahoma City limits. The center of Piedmont is about 22 miles (35 km) northwest of the center of Oklahoma City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Piedmont has a total area of 44.1 square miles (114.1 km²), of which 43.6 square miles (112.9 km²) is land and 0.46 square miles (1.2 km²), or 1.02%, is water.

Demographics

Piedmont also has many plains and has lots of crops growing, meaning many farmers.

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,720 people in 1,836 households in the city. The population density was 83.3 people per square mile (32.2/km²). There were 1,270 housing units at an average density of 29.0 per square mile (11.2/km²). The 2010 racial makeup of the city was 87.7% white, 1% African American, 3.4% Native American, 0.07% Asian, and 3.7% from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin were 4.8% of the population.Census 2000 numbers list 1,226 households out of which 49.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.6% were non-families. 9.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city, the population was spread out with 31.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $85,313 from 2006-2010 and the median income for a family was $57,121. Males had a median income of $37,273 versus $26,332 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,694. About 4.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Piedmont school district reports an enrollment of 3,083 students for the 2012-2013 school year. Piedmont's school district consists of 7 school facilities: Primary School, 3 Elementary Schools, Intermediate School, Middle School, and High School. School teams are known by the nickname "Wildcats."

Piedmont High School won the Class C girls basketball State Championship in 1967.

The Pride of Piedmont Winter Guard won a MAPAA State Championship in 2006. In 2009, they won the WGPO State Championship. In 2010, the Pride of Piedmont Middle School Winter Guard won the state championship in their class.

The Piedmont Girls' Track Team won the Class 4A State Championship in 2009 and 2010.

Government

Piedmont is a home rule city served by a council–manager government.

Media

Piedmont and nearby communities are served by the The Piedmont-Surrey Hills Gazette.

2011 tornado

On May 24, 2011, the Piedmont community was hit by an EF5/F4 tornado that destroyed hundreds of homes in the city, caused over $20 million in property damage and killed two small children.