Edmond, Oklahoma

Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma.

The city limits are located on the northern border of Oklahoma City. Two major highways connect Edmond to downtown Oklahoma City: U.S. Route 77 (the Broadway Extension), which runs through the center of Edmond, and Interstate 35, which runs along the eastern side. Public transportation is provided by Citylink Edmond bus service.

In 2011, Edmond was #1 on CNBC's "10 Perfect Suburbs" list. Edmond was listed as one of the "Top 100 Places to Live in 2007" by Relocate America. Edmond was selected the most outstanding community in its class for five years in a row by the State Chamber of Commerce and State Industrial Development Department. Edmond residents have a choice from 57 Protestant and 2 Catholic congregations, one LDS church, one Unitarian Universalist church, one Islamic mosque, and one Bahá'í center.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 87.9 sqmi, of which, 85.1 sqmi of it is land and 2.8 sqmi of it (3.19%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 68,315 people, 25,256 households, and 18,588 families residing in the city. The population density was 802.4 people per square mile (309.8/km2). There were 26,380 housing units at an average density of 309.9 per square mile (119.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 86.58% White, 4.04% African American, 2.27% Native American, 3.26% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 2.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.75% of the population.

There were 25,256 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.

The city's population consisted of 27.5% under the age of 18, 11.3% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $69,081, and the median income for a family was $85,759.The per capita income for the city was $37,972. About 4.4% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

History
The Santa Fe rail line in Oklahoma Territory, established a water and coaling station for steam engines at this location when the Santa Fe Railroad built into Indian Territory in 1887. The site for the station was chosen because it was the highest point on the line in Oklahoma County; train could more easily accelerate going downhill while leaving the station in either direction. The railroad then named the station for Edmond Burdick, the Santa Fe’s traveling freight agent; when the town was formed after the Oklahoma Land Run of 1889, early settlers decided to adopt the name. Though most of the remnants of the old railroad infrastructure are gone, the Santa Fe, now BNSF, freight line still runs through the same course.

The town of Edmond sprang up overnight during the great Oklahoma land run on April 22, 1889, when homesteads were staked around the Santa Fe station. The original plat for Edmond was prepared by the Seminole Town and Development Company, a newly formed syndicate with ties to the railroad. Many of the original streets were named for men associated with either the Santa Fe Railroad or the town syndicate. The first mayor and city officers were elected in May 1889, and Edmond’s population was 394 in the 1890 census.

The first public schoolhouse in Oklahoma Territory, completed in August 1889, is in Edmond and still stands as a historic monument on 2nd Street between Boulevard and Broadway. It is open to the public the first two Saturdays of each month, or by appointment.

The first church opened after the land run, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, was located on the southwest corner of East First and South Boulevard. The congregation still exists, although not in its original building or location.

In December 1890, the Legislature established three universities: the state university in Norman, the agricultural and mechanical college in Stillwater, and a "normal" or teaching school in Edmond. The first classes for the Territorial Normal School (University of Central Oklahoma) were held November 9, 1891, in the Methodist Church on the southwest corner of North Broadway and West Hurd. Old North, the Territorial Normal School’s iconic first building, was opened for classes on January 2, 1893, and ahead of Oklahoma State University’s Central Hall or Oklahoma University's Science Hall.

The Edmond Sun, established by Milton W. "Kicking Bird" Reynolds on July 18, 1889, is the state's oldest continuous newspaper dating from Oklahoma Territorial days.

Events
Edmond was the site of the post office massacre on August 20, 1986, in which fourteen people were killed and six wounded by Patrick Sherrill, an ex- postman who then committed suicide. This event was the first in a string of postal employee murder-suicides throughout the U.S. A memorial to the victims of that tragic event stands outside of the U.S. Post Office in downtown Edmond.

Edmond is the home town of Olympic gymnast Shannon Miller, America's most decorated Olympic gymnast. She won five medals (2 silver, 3 bronze) in the 1992 Summer Olympics and 2 gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Interstate 35 has been designated as the Shannon Miller Parkway from the Memorial Road exit to the Logan/Oklahoma County line.

The city was also the subject of a U.S. Supreme Court case in which a Christian cross was depicted on the city seal, raising issues concerning the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In May 1996, the Supreme Court let stand a Federal Appeals Court ruling ordering the city to remove the cross from the seal. A replacement icon has yet to be agreed upon, resulting in the curiously vacant spot on the city's seal.

The memorial service for famed Oklahoman baseball player Bobby Murcer was held in Edmond on August 6, 2008, at the Memorial Road Church of Christ. Among the some 2,000 attending the memorial were Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and current Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

Economy
The supermarket chain Homeland is based in Edmond.

Top employers
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Parks

 * Bickham-Rudkin Park
 * Brookhaven Park
 * Centennial Park
 * Chitwood Park
 * Clegern Park
 * Dog Park
 * E.C. Hafer Park (or simply Hafer Park)
 * Fink Park
 * Gossett Park
 * J.L. Mitch Park (or simply Mitch Park)
 * Johnson Park
 * Kelly Park
 * Meadow Lakes Park
 * Penick Park
 * Shannon Miller Park
 * Stephenson Park
 * Ted Anderson Park
 * Westborough Park
 * Whispering Heights Park

Elementary schools

 * Angie Debo Elementary School
 * Centennial Elementary School
 * Charles Haskell Elementary School
 * Chisholm Elementary School
 * Clegern Elementary School
 * Clyde Howell Elementary School
 * Cross Timbers Elementary School
 * Deer Creek Elementary School
 * Ida Freeman Elementary School
 * John Ross Elementary School
 * Northern Hills Elementary School
 * Oakdale Elementary School
 * Orvis Risner Elementary School
 * Prairie Vale Elementary School
 * Rose Union Elementary School
 * Russell Dougherty Elementary School
 * Sunset Elementary School
 * Washington Irving Elementary School
 * West Field Elementary School
 * Will Rogers Elementary School

Middle schools

 * Central Middle School
 * Cheyenne Middle School
 * Cimarron Middle School
 * Deer Creek Middle School
 * Oakdale Middle School
 * Sequoyah Middle School
 * Summit Middle School

High schools

 * Deer Creek High School
 * Edmond Memorial High School
 * Edmond North High School
 * Edmond Santa Fe High School

Colleges and Universities

 * University of Central Oklahoma
 * Herbert W. Armstrong College
 * Oklahoma Christian University

Private schools

 * Oklahoma Christian School
 * Oklahoma Christian Academy
 * Providence Hall Classical Christian School
 * St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School
 * Mercy School Institute
 * St. Mary's Episcopal School

Awards for schools

 * Cheyenne Middle School became a blue ribbon school in 2009
 * Deer Creek Middle School became a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2002.
 * Edmond Memorial High School became a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2001.
 * Edmond Memorial High School was named the Siemens Foundation 2007-2008 award winner for the state of Oklahoma. This award is given to one high school per state, and only .033 high schools in the nation, in recognition of outstanding performance in AP math, science, and technology.
 * Edmond North High School also became a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2007.

Public art and landmarks
The City of Edmond is making efforts to promote public art with statues, murals, stained glass and steel sculptures. On July 4, 2007, the City inaugurated a bronze statue of Nannita R.H. Daisey, believed to be the first woman laying claim on Oklahoma land in the first (1889) land run.

Rugby Football in Edmond
Rugby union is a developing sport in Edmond as well as in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Edmond boasts two rugby clubs: The Edmond Rugby Club (aka "The Storm")  and  the University of Central Oklahoma Rugby Football Club.

Notable citizens

 * Actor Jim Beaver (star of Deadwood and Supernatural) lived in Edmond 1971-1976.
 * Miss Teen USA 1986 Alison Brown is from Edmond.
 * Bob Ricks, current Chief of Police of the Edmond Police Department and former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent involved in the controversial 1993 Waco Siege
 * Pro wrestling superstar Charlie Haas graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in 1991.
 * National Football League player Reggie Smith graduated from Edmond Santa Fe High School in 2005.
 * Pro BMX rider, Mat Hoffman, was born and raised in Edmond and has broken many world records on Edmond soil including the highest BMX vertical jump.
 * Several stars of golf's PGA Tour call Edmond home, as does the well-known Oak Tree National. Among Edmond's top golfers are Bob Tway, Doug Tewell, Scott Verplank, David Edwards and seniors golf legend Gil Morgan.
 * Former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director and George W. Bush appointee Michael Brown worked as an intern in the city's Emergency Management Department while receiving a B.A. in public administration/political science from Central State University (now the University of Central Oklahoma), in Edmond. Brown was employed by the City of Edmond as the Assistant to the City Manager from 1977 to 1980.
 * Edmond has spawned many in the music industry including Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor of the pop rock group The All-American Rejects, pop rock producer Tom Mitchell, music industry artist/illustrator Jason McManus, and one-hit wonder Mikaila.
 * World-champion gymnast Shannon Miller, whose father Ron is a physics professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, attended Edmond North High School.
 * Baltimore Ravens' noseguard, Kelly Gregg, was an All-State Football player and wrestler for both Edmond Memorial and Edmond North. He graduated in 1995 and attended the University of Oklahoma. Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the '99 draft and later became a free agent with the Ravens in 2001.
 * Blake Griffin, forward for the Los Angeles Clippers graduated from Edmond's Oklahoma Christian School.
 * Actress Hayley McFarland An American Crime, Gilmore Girls, United States of Tara, and Lie To Me grew up in Edmond.
 * Bill Self, the head coach of the University of Kansas basketball team, was the state of Oklahoma's Player of the Year in basketball in 1981 while playing at Edmond Memorial High School.
 * Greyson Chance Internet celebrity and recording artist.
 * Jenny Reeder- Adult Film Superstar, who goes by the name "Oklahoma". Graduated from Edmond Memorial High School.
 * Ekpe Udoh, basketball forward and center with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association
 * William C. Wantland, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire