Discover Oklahoma

Introduction

Oklahoma sits at the meeting point of the plains, the Cross Timbers and the U.S. Interior Highlands, a landlocked state bordered by Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico and Colorado. Its name comes from the Choctaw words for "red people," and it carries the nickname "The Sooner State" for the settlers who staked claims ahead of the official 1889 Land Run. Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city; Tulsa, once known as the "Oil Capital of the World," is the second. Some 14.2 percent of Oklahomans identify as American Indian, the highest share of any U.S. state, and the land itself was Indian Territory before statehood in 1907, the destination of the forced 1830s removals known as the Trail of Tears.

The state's landscape ranges from the ancient, 500-million-year-old granite of the Wichita Mountains to Black Mesa, its highest point at 4,368 feet, and the world's largest protected tallgrass prairie. Route 66 once crossed the state from Texas to Kansas, and the 1930s Dust Bowl, born partly on Oklahoma's own plains, drove out Woody Guthrie and thousands of migrants he sang about. The state's history holds hard chapters too: the 1921 Tulsa race massacre and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, both now marked by memorials. Chicken-fried steak and the fried onion burger are the state's signature dishes. This page covers Oklahoma as a whole; its six city pages hold the detail.

Geography

A landlocked state at the meeting point of the plains, the Cross Timbers and the U.S. Interior Highlands, bordered by Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico and Colorado. Black Mesa, at 4,368 feet in the panhandle, is the highest point; four mountain ranges (the Arbuckle, Wichita, Ozark and Ouachita) rise across the state, and more than 200 dam-built lakes give Oklahoma the most reservoirs of any U.S. state.

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History

Spiro Mounds and Mississippian culture before AD 1450; the Coronado Expedition of 1541 and the 1803 Louisiana Purchase; forced Native American removal along the Trail of Tears (1830-1838) into Indian Territory; the 1889 Land Run and 1907 statehood; the 1921 Tulsa race massacre; the 1930s Dust Bowl; and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

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Culture

A state where Native American nations, above all the Cherokee, Muscogee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Osage, hold real governing territory and the highest per-capita American Indian population in the country; frontier and oil-boom identity from the 1889 Land Run through Tulsa's Art Deco skyline; and native sons Will Rogers, Woody Guthrie and Jim Thorpe, the first Native American Olympic gold medalist.

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Climate Patterns

A humid subtropical climate in the east shifting to semi-arid in the panhandle west, with hot, often humid summers and generally mild winters. Oklahoma sits within Tornado Alley, and spring (roughly April to June) brings the state's severe-weather season, with Oklahoma and Kansas ranking among the most tornado-prone areas in the country.

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Food & Traditional Cuisine

Chicken-fried steak, part of Oklahoma's official state meal since 1988, alongside the fried onion burger, invented in El Reno in the 1920s to stretch ground beef during a railroad strike. Native American food traditions from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw and other nations run alongside classic Southern and cattle-country cooking.

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How many days do I need?

A long weekend covers Oklahoma City or Tulsa individually. A week allows time for both cities plus the Wichita Mountains or another natural or historic stop.

Do I need a car?

Yes, for anywhere beyond central Oklahoma City or Tulsa themselves. The Wichita Mountains, Chickasaw National Recreation Area and most Route 66 sites require driving.

What is Oklahoma known for?

Native American nations and history (the Trail of Tears, the Five Civilized Tribes), the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Route 66, the Oklahoma City National Memorial, and the state's oil-boom cities of Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

When is tornado season?

Roughly April through June, when Oklahoma sees its highest frequency of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Monitor local weather warnings closely if travelling during this period.

When is the best time to visit?

April, May and October offer the mildest, most comfortable weather for outdoor sightseeing; summer is hot and humid, and spring carries tornado risk.

See Oklahoma through traveler photos →

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