Afton, Oklahoma
| Afton, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 |
|
 Location within Ottawa County and the state of Oklahoma |
|
| Coordinates: 36°41′31″N 94°57′50″W / 36.69194°N 94.96389°WCoordinates: 36°41′31″N 94°57′50″W / 36.69194°N 94.96389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Ottawa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2) |
| • Land | 1.7 sq mi (4.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 787 ft (240 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 1,049 |
| • Density | 620/sq mi (240/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 74331 |
| Area code(s) | 539/918 |
| FIPS code | 40-00600 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1089546 |
Afton is a town in Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,049 as of the 2010 census, with population growth stemming from the near abandonment of nearby towns of Cardin and Picher because of ground contamination sites by local mining quarries. The town may have been named for the Scottish river Afton.
Afton developed in this part of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory after the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company (later the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway, or Frisco) built tracks through the area to Vinita in 1871. Oklahoma historian George Shirk asserts that a Scottish railroad surveyor, Anton Aires, named the town Afton after his daughter. Others have claimed the name comes from Robert Burns's poem, "Flow Gently Sweet Afton." Both Afton Aires' name and the Burns's poem honor the Afton River in Scotland.
A post office was established in Afton during 1886. In 1901, the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad, which soon became part of the Frisco system, constructed another line through the town, creating a shorter route to Kansas City. The town became a Frisco division point and shipping center.
Afton is located at 36°41′31″N 94°57′50″W / 36.69194°N 94.96389°W (36.691845, -94.964024).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2), all of it land.
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