Oklahoma at a Glance

Native America

With more than 40 Native American tribes and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma is “Native America.”

Oklahoma bills itself as “Native America,” and the name fits. With more than 40 Native American tribes, more different terrains per square kilometer than any other state and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, Oklahoma offers a taste of all kinds of Americana.

Find out more about Oklahoma at DiscoverAmerica.com.

Capital: Oklahoma City

Population: Approximately 3.8 million people live in Oklahoma.

Geography: Located in the South Central Plains, Oklahoma is bordered by Kansas to the north, Texas to the south and west, and Arkansas and Missouri to the east. Oklahoma also shares a narrow border with New Mexico and Colorado.

Higher Education: Oklahoma is home to more than 30 colleges and universities. The largest public universities in the state are Oklahoma State University (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma (OU). Both are known for their outstanding academic programs and nationally recognized sports teams. With its flagship campus in Stillwater, the OSU system is the largest in the state with more than 35,000 students spread across six educational institutes. Founded in 1890, this university is known for its strong agricultural, engineering, business and education programs. While many students are from Oklahoma, the university is also home to 1,700 international students from 101 countries. OU was also founded in 1890. Today, there are approximately 30,000 students enrolled at the university. OU is ranked first per capita among public universities in enrollment of National Merit Scholars and among the top 10 in the graduation of Rhodes Scholars. Known for its athletic programs, OU has won seven NCAA Division I National Football Championships. Its gymnastics team has won four national championships since 2002.

Major Industries: Manufacturing, mining, agriculture and service industries all play important roles in Oklahoma’s economy. The state’s major manufacturing outputs include machinery such as oil field machinery and construction machinery; transportation equipment such as aircraft and aerospace equipment and automobile assembly equipment; and electronic equipment. Oklahoma’s top mined products include petroleum and natural gas. Oklahoma is a leading producer of both goods within the United States. Its key agricultural products include cattle, hogs, poultry, wheat and dairy; and its service industry includes the private health care, equipment rental and telemarketing sectors.

Sports Teams: Oklahoma hosts one professional sports team, the National Basketball Association’s Oklahoma City Thunder.

Famous Oklahomans: Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker; World Series–winning baseball players Johnny Bench and Mickey Mantle; actors Kristin Chenoweth, James Garner, Ron Howard, Chuck Norris and Brad Pitt; African-American novelist Ralph Ellison; country singers Vince Gill, Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton and Carrie Underwood; pop psychologist "Dr. Phil" McGraw and Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton were all born in the Sooner State.

Pop Culture: The 1983 drama The Outsiders, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze and Diane Lane, was set in Tulsa; the 1988 drama Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise featured scenes from Guthrie; and the 1996 drama Twister starring Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton followed tornadoes across the Sooner State.

Culinary Specialties: Oklahoma offers mouthwatering barbeque, fantastic Tex-Mex, and great Southern food. Oklahoma is also home to Braum’s, a family-owned and -operated fast-food chain that specializes in dairy products. In fact, all of the dairy products come from the family’s farm in Tuttle. This ensures that their milk and ice cream are always fresh.

International Connection: Oklahoma City is sister cities with Puebla, Mexico, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Fun Facts:

• The National Cowboy Hall of Fame is in Oklahoma City.

• Oklahoma has had six Miss Americas, including back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007.

• Both the parking meter and the shopping cart were invented in Oklahoma.

Adventure Idea: Oklahoma is cowboy country. So put on your cowboy boots and attend a professional rodeo in Oklahoma City or Tulsa. Guthrie also hosts several rodeo events throughout the year, as do many small towns across the state.