Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County but also with a small section of the city in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 US Census, Broken Arrow has a population of 98,850 residents and is the fourth largest city in the state. The city is part of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, which has a population of 937,478 residents.

Lots for the town site were sold in 1902 by the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad and it was named Broken Arrow by William. S. Fears, secretary of the company. The city was named for a Creek community settled by Creek Indians who came to Oklahoma from Alabama along the Trail of Tears.

Though Broken Arrow was originally an agricultural community, its current economy is diverse. The city has the third largest concentration of manufacturers in the state.

History
The city's name comes from an old Creek community in Alabama. When members of that community moved to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears and founded a new community, they named it after their old settlement in Alabama. The town's Creek name was Rekackv (pronounced thlee-Kawtch-kuh), meaning broken arrow. The new settlement was located several miles south of present-day downtown Broken Arrow.

Decades later, the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad built a railroad which ran through the area. MKT was granted town site privileges along the route. They sold three of the as-yet-unnamed sites in 1902 to the Arkansas Valley Town Site company. William. S. Fears, secretary of the company, was allowed to choose and name one of the locations. He selected a site about 18 miles southeast of Tulsa and about five miles north of the thlee-Kawtch-kuh settlement and named the new town site Broken Arrow, after the former Indian settlement. The MKT railroad, which ran through the middle of the city, still exists today and is now owned by Union Pacific which currently uses it for freight.

For the first decades of Broken Arrow's history, the town's economy was based mainly on agriculture. The coal industry also played an important role, with several strip coal mines located near the city in the early 20th century. The city's newspaper, the Broken Arrow Ledger, started within a couple of years after the city's founding. Broken Arrow's first school was built in 1904. The city did not grow much during the first half of the 1900s. During this time Broken Arrow's main commercial center was along Main Street. Most of the city's churches were also located on or near Main Street as well.

Haskell State School of Agriculture opened in the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Opera House on November 15, 1909. The school closed in 1917 for lack of funding, and the building was then used as by Broken Arrow High School.The building was razed in 1987. Only a marker remains at 808 East College Street in Broken Arrow. The school is commemorated on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the 1960s, Broken Arrow began to grow from a small town into a suburban city. The Broken Arrow Expressway (Highway 51) was constructed in the mid-1960s and connected the city with downtown Tulsa, fueling growth in Broken Arrow. The population swelled from a little above 11,000 in 1970 to more than 50,000 in 1990, and then more than 74,000 by the year 2000. During this time, the city was more of a bedroom community. In recent years, city leaders have pushed for more economic development to help keep more Broken Arrowans shopping and dining in town rather than going to other cities.

Geography and climate
Broken Arrow is located in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma, situated between the Great Plains and the Ozark Mountains. The city is part of the state's Green Country region known for its green vegetation, hills and lakes. Green Country is the most topographically diverse portion of the state with seven of Oklahoma's 11 eco-regions

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 45.6 square miles (118.1 km²), of which, 45.0 square miles (116.5 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 74,859 people, 26,159 households, and 21,162 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,664.0 people per square mile (642.4/km²). There were 27,085 housing units at an average density of 602.0 per square mile (232.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.34% White, 3.73% African American, 4.02% Native American, 1.90% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.22% from other races, and 3.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.56% of the population.

There were 30,154 households out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population dispersal was 30.8% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $65,118, and the median income for a family was $61,570. Males had a median income of $42,397 versus $27,559 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,238. About 3.4% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Awards

 * A 2007 crime survey by CQ Press found Broken Arrow to be the 22nd safest city in the nation and the safest city in Oklahoma.
 * Broken Arrow was listed as #66 in Money Magazine's 2006 list of the 100 best places to live.
 * Broken Arrow was listed as one of the "Top 25 Affordable Suburbs in the South" by Business Week Magazine in 2007.
 * The Pride of Broken Arrow marching band won 1st place in the Bands of America Grand Nationals championship at Indianapolis in 2006 and 2011.
 * Broken Arrow has been listed as a "Tree City USA" for over 6 years in a row.
 * Broken Arrow's new logo received an Award of Merit from the Public Relations Society of America - Tulsa Chapter in 2008.
 * Broken Arrow's branding campaign received the 2008 Innovations Award from the Oklahoma Municipal League.
 * Family Circle Magazine featured Broken Arrow as one of the 10 best towns for families in 2008.

Business and industry
Broken Arrow is home to a wide range of businesses and industries. In fact, the city is ranked third in its concentration of manufacturers in the state.

Some of the city's more notable employers include: Located in Broken Arrow since 1985, FlightSafety International (FSI) designs and builds aviation crew training devices called Flight Simulators at its Simulation Systems Division. With currently over 675 employees located there, about half of them engineers, FSI is the largest private employer in the city. A number of new commercial developments are being built throughout the city, most notably along Highway 51 which runs through the city. A Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World opened several years ago as the anchor to a development that includes hotels, restaurants, shopping, and eventually offices. A new full-service hospital and medical office building were constructed nearby in 2010 as an anchor to another large commercial development that will include retail space and two hotels. Oklahoma's first Dick's Sporting Goods opened in late 2011.
 * FlightSafety International
 * Blue Bell Creameries
 * Windstream Communications

In 2007 the city created the Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation to help oversee economic development.

In late 2007, the BA Chamber of Commerce began "Advance Broken Arrow", an economic development campaign aimed at expanding and diversifying the city's economic base.

Downtown redevelopment
In 2005, the city adopted a downtown revitalization master plan to help revive the city's historic downtown area. Some of the plans include a new 3-story museum to house the historical society and genealogical society, a farmer's market and plaza, a new performing arts center, updates and expansions to area parks, the conversion of the historic Central Middle School on Main Street into a professional development center, infrastructure and landscape improvements, and incentives to encourage denser infill, redevelopment, and reuse of the area's historic structures. Numerous buildings and homes have since been renovated, many new shops and offices have moved to downtown, and new townhomes are being built. The new historical museum, farmers market, and performing arts center will all open in 2008.

The city also set strict new design standards in place that all new developments in the downtown area must adhere to. These standards were created to prevent "suburban" development in favor of denser, "urban" development and to ensure that new structures compliment and fit in with the historic buildings in downtown.

Government
Broken Arrow uses the council-manager model of municipal government. The city's primary authority resides in the City Council which approves ordinances, resolutions, and contracts. The City Council consists of five members with four members are elected from the four city wards with the fifth member as an at-large member. Each council member serves for a two year term and is eligible to serve for four years. Out of the council members, a mayor and vice-mayor is chosen every two years. The day to day operations of the city is run by the City Manager who reports directly to the Council.

At the federal level, Broken Arrow lies in Oklahoma 1st Congressional district, represented by John Sullivan. In the State Senate, Broken Arrow is in District 25 (Mike Mazzei) and 36 (Bill Brown). In the House, District 75 (Dan Kirby), 76 (David Brumbaugh), 98 (John Trebilcock) covers the city.

Primary and Secondary Schools
Education in Broken Arrow is provided by Broken Arrow Public Schools. The district operates twenty five schools with fifteen Elementary Schools, Five Middle Schools, and Five Secondary Schools. A portion of Broken Arrow is also served by Union Public Schools.

Colleges and universities
Higher education in Broken Arrow is provided by Northeastern State University (Broken Arrow campus). The campus opened in 2001 and has an upperclassmen and graduate student population of 3,000.

Broken Arrow is also served by Tulsa Technology Center Broken Arrow Campus. Established in 1983, it has an enrollment of about 3,500 full and part-time secondary and adult students.

Libraries
The city's two libraries, Broken Arrow Central Library and South Broken Arrow Library, are part of the Tulsa City-County Library System.

Infrastructure
Major highways in Broken Arrow include State Highway 51 (Broken Arrow Expressway). It passes through the north side of the city and leads to downtown Tulsa to the northwest. Heading east on the Broken Arrow Expressway leads to the Muskogee Turnpike, which connects the city to Muskogee. Partial beltway, Creek Turnpike turnpike circles around the south of the city and connects the Turner Turnpike to the west terminus of the Will Rogers Turnpike.

Public transportation for Broken Arrow is provided by Tulsa Transit. It has one route that connects the city to Tulsa. Bus services run Monday through Friday.

Newspapers
Broken Arrow has one newspaper, the Broken Arrow Ledger. The paper is published every Wednesday. It is owned by Community Publishers, a newspaper and Internet publisher and commercial printer that serves Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas. The Tulsa World, northeast Oklahoma's major daily newspaper, also features Broken Arrow news regularly.

Television
Cox Cable channel 24 is the Broken Arrow Government-access television (GATV) cable TV municipal information channel. It displays, among other things, information about the city government, upcoming events, and general information about the city. The channel also features local weather reports.

Internet
Broken Arrow has a website that provides a large amount of information on the city, its government, local amenities, safety, local news, and economic development. The city's chamber of commerce also has a website, which contains information about the chamber and economic development in the city. Broken Arrow has a community website, N2BrokenArrow that provides everyone in the community a free place to discuss local topics, share status updates, blog, list events, participate in discussions, and share photos and videos.

Notable residents

 * Jim Baumer, former Major League infielder and general manager for the Milwaukee Brewers
 * Jim Brewer, former Major League pitcher with Los Angeles Dodgers
 * Archie Bradley, pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization
 * Josh Bryant, UFC fighter, semi-finalist on season 11.
 * P.C. Cast, author and novelist best known for the House of Night series
 * Kristin Chenoweth, actress and soprano
 * Ernest Childers, Medal of Honor recipient in World War II
 * DeDe Dorsey, Las Vegas Locomotives runningback, former NFL player with Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts
 * Ester Drang, indie rock band
 * Phil Farrand, author known for Nitpicker's Guides
 * Destiny Frankenstein, pro softball player for New England Riptide and assistant coach at North Dakota State University
 * Ralph Blane Hunsecker, famous Hollywood singer, composer, and songwriter
 * Mike Iles, professional wrestling announcer, commissioner, and manager
 * Steve Logan, running backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
 * Phenie Lou (Gillett) Ownby, first woman in Oklahoma to become a mayor; served for one term in the 1930s and became nationally famous for her strict policy on water payments.
 * Brad Penny, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
 * H. Cecil Rhoades, historian and author, wrote "Establishment and Development of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma."<8>Broken Arrow
 * Kahlen Rondot, America's Next Top Model Cycle 4 Runner-up
 * Warren Spahn, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher and longtime Broken Arrow resident
 * Will Thomas, historical mystery writer, winner of the 2005 Oklahoma Book Award for fiction
 * Kathryn Zaremba, Broadway and TV actress.