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71-525: The Civic Center Music Hall is managed and operated in conjunction with the Rose State Performing Arts Theatre. Together they serve more than 300,000 patrons at around 250 performances at four different stages each year. The center is home to seven professional arts organizations: Canterbury Voices, OKC Broadway, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Ballet , Oklahoma City Philharmonic , Oklahoma City Rep, and Painted Sky Opera. In 1927,

142-517: A 40+ year career at the music hall). The band was called Mountain Smoke which featured an unknown artist by the name of Vince Gill. The Little Theatre was closed in 1985 because it was damaged from old age, abuse, and a fire. It was later renovated and reopened to the public. In September 2001, the Civic Center Music Hall reopened after a three-year renovation. A complete interior renovation of

213-587: A Sirloin Stockade restaurant on the city's south side were murdered execution-style in the restaurant's freezer. An intensive investigation followed, and the three individuals involved, who also killed three others in Purcell, Oklahoma , were identified. One, Harold Stafford, died in a motorcycle accident in Tulsa not long after the restaurant murders. Another, Verna Stafford, was sentenced to life without parole after being granted

284-580: A bomb in front of the Murrah building . The building was destroyed (the remnants of which had to be imploded in a controlled demolition later that year), more than 100 nearby buildings suffered severe damage, and 168 people were killed. The site has been commemorated as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. Since its opening in 2000, over three million people have visited. Every year on April 19, survivors, families, and friends return to

355-618: A central business district left almost deserted by the Oil Bust of the early 1980s. The centerpiece of downtown is the newly renovated Crystal Bridge and Myriad Botanical Gardens, one of the few elements of the Pei Plan to be completed. In 2021, a massive new central park will link the gardens near the CBD and the new convention center to be built just south of it to the North Canadian River as part of

426-470: A female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. One person households account for 30.5% of all households, and 8.7% of all households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.11. According to the American Community Survey 1-year estimates in 2022, the median income for a household in

497-420: A massive works project known as "Core to Shore"; the new park is part of MAPS3, a collection of civic projects funded by a one-cent temporary (seven-year) sales tax increase. Oklahoma City has a temperate humid subtropical climate ( Köppen : Cfa), along with significant continental influences. The city features hot, humid summers and cool winters. Prolonged and severe droughts (sometimes leading to wildfires in

568-544: A new trial after she had been sentenced to death. Roger Dale Stafford , considered the mastermind of the murder spree, was executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 1995. The Oklahoma City Police Department has a uniformed force of 1,169 officers and 300+ civilian employees. The department has a central police station and five substations covering 2,500 police reporting districts that average 1/4 square mile in size. On April 19, 1995,

639-644: A population greater than 600,000 residents and the first city in the Great Plains region to record a population greater than 600,000 residents. It is the largest municipal population of the Great Plains region (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota). In the 2020 census , there were 268,035 households in the city, out of which 81,374 households (30.4%) were individuals, 113,161 (42.2%) were opposite-sex married couples , 17,699 (6.6%) were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 2,930 (1.1%) were same-sex married couples or partnerships . According to

710-499: A population of 1,469,124, making it Oklahoma's largest municipality and metropolitan area by population. Oklahoma City's city limits extend somewhat into Canadian , Cleveland , and Pottawatomie counties. However, much of those areas outside the core Oklahoma County area are suburban tracts or protected rural zones ( watershed ). The city is the eighth-largest in the United States by area including consolidated city-counties ; it

781-523: A rating of F5 on the Fujita scale before the Enhanced Fujita scale replaced it in 2007. While the tornado was in the vicinity of Bridge Creek to the southwest, wind speeds of 318 mph (510 km/h) were estimated by a mobile Doppler radar, the highest wind speeds ever recorded on Earth. A second top-of-the-scale tornado occurred on May 20, 2013; South Oklahoma City, along with Newcastle and Moore ,

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852-491: A six-story building with both neoclassical and Art Deco features that seated 6,200 in the main hall and smaller theatre that seated 400.[citation needed] In August 1935, the Roosevelt Administration announced that all PWA projects had to break ground by December 1935 or risk losing federal support. W. S. Bellows Construction became the primary contractor and began on-site excavation on time. The Municipal Auditorium

923-450: A water canal in the Bricktown entertainment district. Water taxis transport passengers within the district, adding color and activity along the canal. MAPS has become one of the most successful public-private partnerships undertaken in the U.S., exceeding $ 3 billion in private investment as of 2010. As a result of MAPS, the population in downtown housing has exponentially increased, with

994-402: A width of 2.6 miles (4.2 km), making it the widest tornado ever recorded. Additionally, winds over 295 mph (475 km/h) were measured, one of the two highest wind records for a tornado. With 19.48 inches (495 mm) of rainfall, May 2015 was Oklahoma City's record-wettest month since record-keeping began in 1890. Across Oklahoma and Texas generally, there was a record flooding in

1065-596: Is a professional dance company and school located in Oklahoma City . The company began under the artistic direction of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo dancers Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov in the Science and Arts Foundation building on the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds . Founded in 1963, Oklahoma City Ballet has been the city's professional ballet company for over 40 years. It is the resident dance company of

1136-558: Is based on days receiving more than one inch of rainfall. Oklahoma City has an active severe weather season from March through June, especially during April and May. Being in the center of what is colloquially referred to as Tornado Alley , it is prone to widespread and severe tornadoes, as well as severe hailstorms and occasional derechoes . Tornadoes occur every month of the year, and a secondary smaller peak also occurs during autumn, especially in October. The Oklahoma City metropolitan area

1207-515: Is land and 19.23 square miles (49.8 km ) is water. Oklahoma City lies in the Sandstone Hills region of Oklahoma, known for hills of 250 to 400 feet (80 to 120 m) and two species of oak: blackjack oak ( Quercus marilandica ) and post oak ( Q. stellata ). The northeastern part of the city and its eastern suburbs fall into an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers . The city

1278-496: Is named to honor the memory of Yvonne Chouteau, who was the first artistic director along with her husband Miguel Terekhov. The Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School trains students who wish to become professional ballet dancers, and recreational students. Students trained in the school have been regularly accepted into summer sessions and advanced classes at the School of American Ballet , Houston Ballet , Pacific Northwest Ballet ,

1349-411: Is one of the most tornado-prone major cities in the world, with about 150 tornadoes striking within the city limits since 1890. Since the time weather records have been kept, Oklahoma City has been struck by 13 violent tornadoes, eleven rated F/EF4 and two rated F/EF5. On May 3, 1999 , parts of Oklahoma City and surrounding communities were impacted by a tornado. It was the last U.S. tornado to be given

1420-521: Is ranked thirteenth on Forbes ' list of private companies. As of March 2024, the top 20 employers in the city were: Other major corporations with a significant presence (over 1,000 employees) in the city of Oklahoma City include the United Parcel Service , Farmers Insurance Group , Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Deaconess Hospital , Johnson Controls , MidFirst Bank , Rose State College, and Continental Resources. While not in

1491-530: Is roughly bisected by the North Canadian River (recently renamed the Oklahoma River inside city limits). The North Canadian once had sufficient flow to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding areas, including the central business district and the original Oklahoma City Zoo. In the 1940s, a dam was built on the river to manage the flood control and reduce its level. In the 1990s, as part of

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1562-428: Is the second-largest, after Houston , not including consolidated cities. The city is also the second-largest by area among state capital cities in the United States, after Juneau, Alaska . Oklahoma City has one of the world's largest livestock markets. Oil, natural gas, petroleum products , and related industries are its economy's largest sector. The city is in the middle of an active oil field, and oil derricks dot

1633-456: The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was destroyed by a fertilizer bomb manufactured and detonated by Timothy McVeigh . The blast and catastrophic collapse killed 168 people and injured over 680. The blast shock-wave destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 340-meter radius, destroyed or burned 86 cars, and shattered glass in 258 nearby buildings, causing at least an estimated $ 652 million. McVeigh

1704-573: The Civic Center Music Hall and as of 2019 has 30 dancers from around the world. Led by Artistic Director Robert Mills, the company produces 5 main stage productions per season in Oklahoma City and tours across Oklahoma and the surrounding states. The Oklahoma City Ballet also participates in a number of community outreach projects designed to provide dance education and experience throughout central Oklahoma. The company began in 1963 under

1775-506: The Clean Air Act . Oklahoma City neighborhoods are highly varied, with affluent historic neighborhoods located next to districts that have not wholly recovered from the economic and social decline of the 1970s and 1980s. The city is bisected geographically and culturally by the North Canadian River, which divides North Oklahoma City and South Oklahoma City. The north side is characterized by diverse and fashionable urban neighborhoods near

1846-708: The MAPS 3 proposal approved by voters in late 2009. Oklahoma City lies along one of the primary corridors into Texas and Mexico and is a three-hour drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex . The city is in the Frontier Country region in the state's center, making it ideal for state government. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 620.34 square miles (1,606.7 km ), of which 601.11 square miles (1,556.9 km )

1917-519: The Pei Plan , removed older structures but failed to spark much new development, leaving the city dotted with vacant lots used for parking. A notable exception was the city's construction of the Myriad Gardens and Crystal Bridge , a botanical garden and modernistic conservatory in the heart of downtown. Architecturally significant historic buildings lost to clearances were the Criterion Theater,

1988-588: The capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma . The county seat of Oklahoma County , its population ranks 20th among United States cities and 8th in the Southern United States . The population grew following the 2010 census and reached 681,054 in the 2020 census . The Oklahoma City metropolitan area had a population of 1,396,445, and the Oklahoma City– Shawnee Combined Statistical Area had

2059-549: The 1928 discovery of oil within the city limits (including under the State Capitol), Oklahoma City became a major center of oil production. Post-war growth accompanied the construction of the Interstate Highway System , which made Oklahoma City a major interchange as the convergence of I-35 , I-40 , and I-44 . It was also aided by the federal development of Tinker Air Force Base after successful lobbying efforts by

2130-463: The 2020 census, the racial composition of Oklahoma City was as follows: White or European American 49.5%, Hispanic or Latino 21.3%, Black or African American 13.8%, Asian 4.6%, Native American 2.8%, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.2%, other race 0.4%, and two or more races (non-Hispanic) 7.6%. Its population has diversified since the 1940s census, where 90.4% was non-Hispanic white . An analysis in 2017 found Oklahoma City to be

2201-593: The 8th least racially segregated significant city in the United States. Of the 20 largest US cities, Oklahoma City has the second-highest percentage of the population reporting two or more races on the Census, 7.6%, second to 8.9% in New York City . Oklahoma City is the principal city of the eight-county Oklahoma City metropolitan statistical Area in Central Oklahoma and is the state's largest urbanized area. As of 2015,

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2272-654: The Baum Building, the Hales Building, and the Biltmore Hotel. In 1993, the city passed a massive redevelopment package known as the Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), intended to rebuild the city's core with civic projects to establish more activities and life in downtown. The city added a new baseball park ; a central library; renovations to the civic center , convention center , and fairgrounds; and

2343-617: The Board of Trustees formed a new group, Oklahoma City Metropolitan Ballet Society and with the generous support of Vernon Pellow, Sr. The company began as the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Ballet with Yvonne Chouteau staying on as founding artistic director. Ballerina and Oklahoma native Maria Tallchief worked together with Ms. Chouteau to audition dancers for the company. Yvonne Chouteau was succeeded by New York City Ballet principal dancers Conrad and Joy Ludlow , who directed

2414-580: The City of Oklahoma City. The Civic Center Foundation, established in 2001, is a private non-profit organization that supports the Civic Center Music Hall financially to help bring performing arts to Oklahoma City to improve the community. The Civic Center Foundation has helped make capital improvements including the Civic Center Music Hall's new message center and improvements to the Freede Little Theatre. The Foundation raises funds through two programs,

2485-665: The Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and the city jointly purchased the land that would become home to a municipal auditorium after voters approved a $ 4 million bond for the site. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs in the 1930s contributed 55 percent of the cost of building through the Public Works Administration . J. O. Parr began planning and designing the Municipal Auditorium, budgeted at $ 1.25 million. The original design features

2556-638: The San Francisco Ballet and others. Former students have gone on to professional careers with the American Ballet Theatre, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet, Sacramento Ballet , David Parsons Dance and the Oklahoma City Ballet itself. Oklahoma City Oklahoma City ( / ˌ oʊ k l ə ˈ h oʊ m ə -/ ), officially the City of Oklahoma City , and often shortened to OKC , is

2627-661: The Seat Back Campaign and the Suite Holder Program. Patrons can help the Civic Center Music Hall by purchasing personalized seat back plates at the Thelma Gaylord Performing Arts Theatre or by becoming a suite or box holder at the Civic Center Music Hall. The Civic Center Music Hall is also home to STARS, a volunteer group of more than 300 people who contribute thousands of hours each year. Oklahoma City Ballet The Oklahoma City Ballet

2698-415: The area of its city limits can be misleading. Its urbanized zone covers roughly 244 square miles (630 km ) resulting in a 2013 estimated density of 2,500 per square mile (970/km ), compared with larger rural watershed areas incorporated by the city, which cover the remaining 377 sq mi (980 km ) of the city limits. Oklahoma City is one of the largest cities in the nation in compliance with

2769-415: The attacks of September 11, 2001 , and the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. Since weather records have been kept beginning in 1890, Oklahoma City has been struck by 14 violent tornadoes , 11 of which were rated F4 or EF4 on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita scales , and two rated F5 and EF5. Oklahoma City was settled on April 22, 1889, when the area known as the " Unassigned Lands "

2840-849: The capitol grounds. The federal government employs a large number of workers at Tinker Air Force Base and the United States Department of Transportation 's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (which house offices of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Department's Enterprise Service Center, respectively). Oklahoma City is on the I-35 and I-40 corridors, one of the primary travel corridors south into neighboring Texas and New Mexico , north towards Wichita and Kansas City , west to Albuquerque , and east towards Little Rock and Memphis . Located in

2911-536: The city center and sprawling suburbs further north. South Oklahoma City is generally more blue-collar working class and significantly more industrial, having grown up around the Stockyards and meat packing plants at the turn of the century. It is also the center of the city's rapidly growing Latino community. Downtown Oklahoma City , which has 7,600 residents, is seeing an influx of new private investment and large-scale public works projects, which have helped to revitalize

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2982-429: The city was $ 63,713, and the median income for a family was $ 80,833. Married-couple families $ 99,839, and nonfamily households $ 40,521. The per capita income for the city was $ 35,902. 15.5% of the population and 11.2% of families were below the poverty line. Of the total population, 20.1% of those under 18 and 10.6% of those 65 and older lived below the poverty line. In the 2000 census , Oklahoma City's age composition

3053-435: The citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low-water dams, returning water to the portion of the river flowing near downtown. The city has three large lakes: Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser , in the northwestern quarter of the city; and the largest, Lake Stanley Draper , in the city's sparsely populated far southeast portion. The population density typically reported for Oklahoma City using

3124-600: The community. In the past, it has sponsored performances by Mikhail Baryshnikov , Rudolf Nureyev , the San Francisco Ballet , Hubbard Street Dance Chicago , and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater . The Oklahoma City Ballet tours regionally and is the resident dance company of the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City. The Yvonne Chouteau School, the official school of Oklahoma City Ballet, offers classes from beginner to advanced levels. The School

3195-583: The company as artistic director and assistant to the director respectively. During the Pitts’ tenure, the company instituted its annual Artsreach program to bring students from across the state to the Civic Center for a live ballet performance. This program received the Governor's Arts Award in 1997. In 2008, the Board of Trustees appointed dancer, choreographer and former Ballet Nouveau Colorado director Robert Mills

3266-569: The company from 1973 to 1979. The Ludlow's founded the company's affiliate school and joined Oklahoma City's Allied Arts organization. During this time the Company and School used studios on the campus of Oklahoma City University and performed at the Kirkpatrick Theater also on the OCU campus. In 1979, American Ballet Theatre dancers Bojan Spassoff and Stephanie Wolf-Spassoff assumed direction of

3337-409: The company. This was the beginning of the change from a civic company to a semi-professional company which was now performing three productions plus The Nutcracker in a season. In 1980, the company name was changed to Ballet Oklahoma and in the spring of 1981 the company moved into a newly renovated facility. The building was donated by Robert Hefner, III and a campaign to raise funds for renovations

3408-603: The demand for additional residential and retail amenities, such as groceries, services, and shops. Since the completion of the MAPS projects, the downtown area has seen continued development. Several downtown buildings are undergoing renovation/restoration. Notable among these was the restoration of the Skirvin Hotel in 2007. The famed First National Center is also being renovated. Residents of Oklahoma City suffered substantial losses on April 19, 1995, when Timothy McVeigh detonated

3479-520: The director of the Chamber of Commerce Stanley Draper . In 1950, the Census Bureau reported the city's population as 8.6% black and 90.7% white. In 1959, the city government launched a "Great Annexation Drive" that expanded the city's area from 80 to 475.55 square miles (207.2 to 1,231.7 square kilometers) by the end of 1961, making it the largest U.S. city by land mass at the time. Patience Latting

3550-567: The historic Civic Center Music Hall includes accommodations for major theatrical, dance and musical groups; a multi-story atrium; balconies, box seats and suites; excellent acoustics; and a hydraulic orchestra pit. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. In 2018, the Civic Center Foundation assumed full management of the Civic Center Music Hall and Rose State College Performing Arts Theatre from

3621-936: The latter part of the month . In the 2010 census , there were 579,999 people, 230,233 households, and 144,120 families in the city. The population density was 956.4 inhabitants per square mile (321.9/km ). There were 256,930 housing units at an average density of 375.9 per square mile (145.1/km ). By the 2020 census , its population grew to 681,054. Of Oklahoma City's 579,999 people in 2010, 44,541 resided in Canadian County, 63,723 lived in Cleveland County, 471,671 resided in Oklahoma County, and 64 resided in Pottawatomie County. In 2010, there were 230,233 households, 29.4% of which had children under 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 13.9% had

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3692-450: The memorial to read the names of each person lost. McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. The "Core-to-Shore" project was created to relocate I-40 one mile (1.6 km) south and replace it with a boulevard to create a landscaped entrance to the city. This also allows the central portion of the city to expand south and connect with the shore of the Oklahoma River. Several elements of "Core to Shore" were included in

3763-551: The metro area was the 41st largest in the nation based on population. The Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 reported that the Southern Baptist Convention was the city and metropolitan area's most prominent Christian tradition with 213,008 members, Christianity being the area's predominant religion. Non/interdenominational Protestants were the second largest tradition with 195,158 members. The Roman Catholic Church claimed 142,491 adherents throughout

3834-521: The metropolitan region and Pentecostals within the Assemblies of God USA numbered 48,470. The remainder of Christians in the area held to predominantly Evangelical Christian beliefs in numerous evangelical Protestant denominations. Outside of Christendom, there were 4,230 practitioners of Hinduism and 2,078 Mahayana Buddhists . An estimated 8,904 residents practiced Islam during this study. Law enforcement claims Oklahoma City has traditionally been

3905-506: The monthly daily average ranging from 39.2 °F (4.0 °C) in January to 83.0 °F (28.3 °C) in July. Extremes range from −17 °F (−27 °C) on February 12, 1899 to 113 °F (45 °C) on August 11, 1936, and August 3, 2012 ; The last sub-zero (Fahrenheit) reading was −14 °F (−26 °C) on February 16, 2021. Temperatures reach 100 °F (38 °C) on 10.4 days of

3976-522: The name Oklahoma City Civic Ballet, brought together by the foundation's civic ballet committee and chief benefactors, Mr. and Mrs. John E. Kirkpatrick. The Oklahoma City Ballet Society was incorporated in 1967 to support the company. That same year the Ballet joined the newly formed Arts Council of Oklahoma City and performed in the first Festival of the Arts, celebrating Oklahoma's 60th year of statehood. In 1970,

4047-841: The new artistic director. That same year the name of the company was changed to Oklahoma City Ballet. In 2017, the name of the affiliate school was changed to The Oklahoma City Ballet Yvonne Chouteau School thanks to a generous endowment gift from Kirkpatrick Philanthropies. Also in 2017, the company moved into a new state of the art, 29,000 square foot facility designed by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris Architects. Oklahoma City Ballet's repertory includes works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, Gerald Arpino, Antony Tudor, Robert Joffrey, Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Jessica Lang, Cayetano Soto, Stanton Welch, Perrot , Coralli , Fokine , Petipa , Bournonville and Artistic Director Robert Mills. Oklahoma City Ballet has also presented special dance attractions as part of its role in serving

4118-514: The state's Frontier Country region, the city's northeast section lies in an ecological region known as the Cross Timbers . The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889 and grew to a population of over 10,000 within hours of its founding. It was the site of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building , in which 167 people died, the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history until

4189-544: The territory of the notorious Juárez Cartel , but the Sinaloa Cartel has been reported as trying to establish a foothold in Oklahoma City. There are many rival gangs in Oklahoma City, one whose headquarters has been established in the city, the Southside Locos, traditionally known as Sureños . Oklahoma City also has its share of violent crimes, particularly in the 1970s. The worst occurred in 1978 when six employees of

4260-771: The time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie , the territorial capital, as the new state's population center and commercial hub. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City was a significant stop on Route 66 during the early part of the 20th century; it was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup 's 1946 jazz song " (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 " made famous by artist Nat King Cole . Before World War II , Oklahoma City developed significant stockyards , attracting jobs and revenue formerly in Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska . With

4331-411: The vicinity) and hefty rainfall leading to flash flooding and flooding occur regularly. Consistent winds, usually from the south or south-southeast during the summer, help temper the hotter weather. Consistent northerly winds during the winter can intensify cold periods. Severe ice storms and snowstorms happen sporadically during the winter. The average temperature is 61.4 °F (16.3 °C), with

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4402-539: The year, 90 °F (32 °C) on nearly 70 days, and fail to rise above freezing on 8.3 days. The city receives about 35.9 inches (91.2 cm) of precipitation annually, of which 8.6 inches (21.8 cm) is snow. The report "Regional Climate Trends and Scenarios for the U.S. National Climate Assessment" ( NCA ) from 2013 by NOAA projects that parts of the Great Plains region can expect up to 30% (high emissions scenario based on CMIP3 and NARCCAP models) increase in extreme precipitation days by mid-century. This definition

4473-406: Was 25.5% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. Oklahoma City has experienced significant population increases since the late 1990s. It is the first city in the state to record

4544-427: Was chaired by Ann Simmons Alspaugh. Rand Elliott provided the architectural design and the renovations were completed by Bill McNatt Construction. In 1983, New York City Ballet dancer Edward Villella joined the company as artistic director and directed the company for three seasons, bringing the work of George Balanchine into the repertory. In 1986, Dallas Ballet dancers Bryan Pitts and Laura Flagg-Pitts joined

4615-404: Was completed in April 1937. The first performance, "Rhapsodic Rhythms" took place on October 4, 1937. The Oklahoma Art Center, a community art center administered by the Federal Art Project , was located in Municipal Auditorium. Fundraising campaigns began for the successful organization as the Federal Art Project came to an end, and in May 1945 the Oklahoma Art Center was incorporated. In 1989 it

4686-441: Was converted into office space and later converted back to the theatre space and dressing rooms. One of the biggest concerts to ever play the venue was KISS on their 1976 Alive! tour. The band's opening act did not make it to the building forcing the management to find a new opening act on the day of the show. The band that was called to fill in was referred by the then assistant technical director Richard Charnay (who would put in

4757-473: Was convicted and subsequently executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. The economy of Oklahoma City, once just a regional power center of government and energy exploration, has since diversified to include the sectors of information technology, services , health services , and administration. The city is headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies: Expand Energy and Devon Energy , as well as being home to Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores , which

4828-417: Was elected Mayor of Oklahoma City in 1971, becoming the city's first female mayor. Latting was also the first woman to serve as mayor of a U.S. city with over 350,000 residents. Like many other American cities, the center city population declined in the 1970s and 1980s as families followed newly constructed highways to move to newer housing in nearby suburbs. Urban renewal projects in the 1970s, including

4899-445: Was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was 0.5 to 1.3 miles (0.80 to 2.09 km) wide and killed 23 people. On May 31, less than two weeks after the May 20 event, another outbreak affected the Oklahoma City area. Within Oklahoma City, the system spawned an EF1 and an EF0 tornado, and in El Reno to the west, an EF3 tornado occurred. This lattermost tornado , which was heading in the direction of Oklahoma City before it dissipated, had

4970-407: Was merged into the Oklahoma City Museum of Art . In 1966, the Municipal Auditorium was remodeled and renamed the Civic Center Music Hall. The main auditorium was renovated to cater more to the performing arts by decreasing the size of the hall, moving the side wall in and installing mahogany panels, lowering the ceiling and replacing the portable floor with a sloped fixed floor. In 1971, the basement

5041-498: Was opened for settlement in an event known as " The Land Run ". On April 26 of that year, its first mayor was elected, William Couch . Some 10,000 homesteaders settled in the area that would become the capital of Oklahoma. The town grew quickly; the population doubled between 1890 and 1900. Early leaders of the development of the city included Anton H. Classen , John Wilford Shartel , Henry Overholser , Oscar Ameringer , Jack C. Walton , Angelo C. Scott , and James W. Maney . By

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