Kingfisher, Oklahoma
| Kingfisher, Oklahoma | |
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| City | |
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 Kingfisher, Oklahoma
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| Coordinates: 35°51′22″N 97°56′4″W / 35.85611°N 97.93444°WCoordinates: 35°51′22″N 97°56′4″W / 35.85611°N 97.93444°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oklahoma |
| County | Kingfisher |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.14 sq mi (10.7 km2) |
| • Land | 4.14 sq mi (10.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,053 ft (321 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,633 |
| • Density | 1,100/sq mi (430/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 73750 |
| Area code(s) | 405 |
| FIPS code | 40-39850 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1094390 |
| Website | kingfisher.org |
Kingfisher is a city in and the county seat of Kingfisher County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,633 at the 2010 census. It is the former home and namesake of Kingfisher College. According to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Kingfisher is now primarily a bedroom community for people employed in Enid and Oklahoma City.
Kingfisher came into existence on April 22, 1889, when land owned by the federal government was opened to settlement by "land run." A huge area in what is now central Oklahoma was literally "peopled" by Americans overnight. The city is situated on a part of the Chisholm Trail, over which millions of Texas longhorns were driven to railheads in Kansas in the years immediately following the Civil War. Extension of the railroads and settlement of the open range ended this colorful era.
The town was named for an early resident who several landmarks were named for, a man named King Fisher.
The bill that opened Oklahoma Territory to non-Indian settlement limited the sizes of townsites to 320 acres (130 ha). Settlers in the Kingfisher area formed two communities: Kingfisher City, on the north side of the settlement, and Lisbon, on the south side. The two merged on June 14, 1890 and the resulting town was named Kingfisher. Oklahoma Territory was organized May 2, 1890, and consisted of the Unassigned Lands and the Panhandle. The Western District included presentday Kingfisher County, part of Canadian County and the Panhandle. Abraham Jefferson Seay, a Missouri native, was appointed as District Judge and moved to Kingfisher. In 1892, Seay was appointed as the second territorial governor by President Benjamin Harrison.
Economically, the Kingfisher County Development Foundation was created in 1958 for the purpose of assisting and promoting industrial, economic and civic growth within, and surrounding the Kingfisher area of Oklahoma. By better serving the needs of business development and investment, the K.C.D.F.'s pursuit of economic stability and growth has benefited its merchants, city, schools, hospital and citizens. A present K.C.D.F. strategy includes the investment for development of the Kingfisher Industrial Park. The industrial park is located just south of Kingfisher, further closing the gap between Oklahoma City and Kingfisher. Kingfisher has quickly become a suburban community of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area, already home to many commuters to Oklahoma City. Kingfisher is a Certified City and has received a Community Development Block Grant to inventory infrastructure features for Capital Improvement Planning (CIP).
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Wikipedia