Central High is a town in Stephens County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, United States. The population was 1,181 at the time of the 2020 Census.

History

The town was named in 1921, because it was near the center of a consolidated high school district (District 34), created from four smaller districts in Stephens County: Wolf Creek, Nellie, Prairie Center, and Pleasant Hill. Until then, students living in the area only had access to eighth grade education in each of the old districts. When Central High was formed, it built a four-room junior high and a senior high school named Central High School. Lower-grade students attended elementary schools in their former districts. This arrangement lasted until the late 1930s. A fire in 1952 destroyed the original Central High School.O'Dell, Larry. "Central High." ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture''.
Retrieved October 4, 2013. The town incorporated in 1995. Supporters of incorporation wanted this so Central High could prevent annexation by surrounding towns, notably

Duncan Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (di ...

, Lawton or Marlow. Incorporation would also permit Central High to apply for municipal grants.

Geography

Central High is located west of Marlow and north of SH 7. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.24%) is water.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 954 people, 352 households, and 292 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 17.8 people per square mile (6.9/km²). There were 398 housing units at an average density of 7.4 per square mile (2.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.66%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.10%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 3.04%

Native American Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

, 0.73% from

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, and 3.46% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.41% of the population. There were 352 households, out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.8% were non-families. 14.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 2.98. In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,125, and the median income for a family was $40,104. Males had a median income of $34,130 versus $22,273 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,679. About 11.8% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' - Central High
{{authority control Towns in Stephens County, Oklahoma Towns in Oklahoma Populated places established in 1921