Seiling is a city in Dewey County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 860 at the 2010 census. The town was named in 1899 for Louis Seiling, a local store owner who had acquired a homestead in the Cheyenne-Arapaho
land run
A land run or land rush was an event in which previously restricted land of the United States was opened to homestead on a first-arrival basis. Lands were opened and sold first-come or by bid, or won by lottery, or by means other than a run. The ...
of April 1892. The Hobson Town and Improvement Company established a town called Hobson, but the name was changed to Seiling in January 1899. It incorporated in 1909. Seiling is now the largest city in Dewey County.Everett, Dianna "Seiling," ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2015. Their girls basketball team has also won the Oklahoma State Championship four times in a row (2016-2019).
History
Seiling developed as a local agricultural center and became the largest town in Dewey County despite the fact that the nearest railroad depot was in Canton, more than away . Moreover, there were no bridges across either of the Canadian rivers until 1906. A horse racing track was built in 1903.
Geography
Seiling is located at (36.148579, -98.925123). It is immediately south of the
North Canadian River
The North Canadian River is a river, long, in Oklahoma in the United States. It is a tributary of the Canadian River, draining an area of U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset/Watershed Boundary Dataset, area data covering North ...
and north of the
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River in the United States. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and Oklahoma. The drainage area is about .Taloga, the county seat.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , all land.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 860 people, 325 households, and 216 families residing in the city.U.S. Census Bureau, 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Seiling city, Oklahoma a U.S. Census website (accessed September 19, 2013) The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was 1,000 people per square mile (400/km). There were 402 housing units at an average density of 488.6 per square mile (786.3/km). Residents self-identified as 95.1%
white
White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
or Latino Americans made up 3.7% of the population.
There were 325 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 12% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 31.1% of households. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.24. The median age was 37.9 years.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,650, and the median income for a family was $58,466.U.S. Census Bureau, 2007-2011 American Community Survey, accessed vi U.S. Census website database search of Seiling city, Oklahoma on September 19, 2013. Males who were employed full-time had a median income of $43,333. Females who were employed full-time had a median income of $32,500. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $24,410. 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 ...
were 9.7% of people, 10.3% of families, 13% of those under 18 and 11.6% of those over 64.
Economy
The local economy has been based on agriculture since the land was opened to non-Indian settlement. The major crops initially were broomcorn and cotton. Seiling soon had a cotton gin and a feed mill. Wheat and rye became important crops before World War I. In 1918, the Seiling Milling Company opened a flour mill and marketed "White Rose Special" flour until it closed in 1952.
US-270
U.S. Route 270 (US 270) is a spur of US 70. It travels for from Liberal, Kansas at US 54 and US 83 to White Hall, Arkansas at Interstate 530 (I-530) and US 65. It travels through the states of Arkansas, Oklahom ...
, US-281, SH-3, and SH-51, some of which run concurrently through the town.US-183 is immediately to the west. Thus the town bills itself as the “Crossroads of Northwest Oklahoma.”
Seiling Airport (FAA Identifier: 1S4) is immediately adjacent to Seiling on the northwest.
Parks and recreation
Seiling City Park is in the town, located on Seiling Creek.
The 9-hole Seiling Golf Course was built in 1980.
The Seiling Swimming Pool is open to the general public, and for special event rental.Canton Lake is to the east.
Little Sahara State Park is about a half-hour to the north.
Notable people
*
Gary England
Gary England (born October 3, 1939) is the former chief meteorologist for KWTV (channel 9), the CBS-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. England was the first ''on-air'' meteorologist to alert his viewers of a possible t ...
, meteorologist for KWTV-News 9
*
Carrie Nation
Caroline Amelia Nation (November 25, 1846June 9, 1911), often referred to by Carrie, Carry Nation, Carrie A. Nation, or Hatchet Granny, was a radical member of the temperance movement, which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition. N ...
, Prohibition advocate
* Tom L. Ward, oil and gas businessman
* Jordy Mercer, Major League Baseball Player
* Gary Gore, owner Gore Nitrogen.