Wanette, Oklahoma

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Wanette, Oklahoma
—  Town  —
Location of Wanette, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°57′46″N 97°1′52″W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Pottawatomie
Area
• Total	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
• Land	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,027 ft (313 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	350
• Density	978.8/sq mi (377.9/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	74878
Area code(s)	405
FIPS code	40-78200
GNIS feature ID	1099348

Wanette is a town in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 350 at the 2010 census, a decline of 13 percent from 402 at the 2000 census. Wanette is part of the Purcell-Lexington retail trade area, and is within the Greater Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area

History

The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture indicates that the first settlement at this location occurred in 1868, when two settlers from Kansas built a two-story cabin. Their cabin still existed as recently as 2003. Other settlers followed. The community had several different names before a post office named Wanette opened on March 19, 1894. In 1903, the town moved one mile north to be on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway line between Newkirk and Pauls Valley

By 1907, Wanette had a population of 739. The population peaked at 783 in 1920. The local economy was based on agriculture. Discovery of the Wanette-Asher oil field aided the economy during the 1930s, but did not prevent a population decline. The town still has an agricultural base, but is increasingly a bedroom community for people working in Moore, Norman and Oklahoma City.

Wanette High School

Wanette High School has an average graduating class of 16. The percentage of children on Individualized Education Programs is well over 30%. Wanette High School is also the largest business in the town. The current superintendent is Crystal Shaw. The school board consists of Robbie Sanders, Bryan Richards, Linda Fullingim, Lori Lambert, & Kelly Teague. Wanette High School is home of the Tigers.

Geography

Wanette is located at 34°57′46″N 97°1′52″W (34.962707, -97.031170). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 402 people, 147 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was 978.8 people per square mile (378.6/km²). There were 168 housing units at an average density of 409.0 per square mile (158.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.31% White, 8.71% Native American, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.

There were 147 households out of which 39.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town the population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 13.7% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $21,818, and the median income for a family was $23,000. Males had a median income of $21,731 versus $14,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,740. About 20.2% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 30.6% of those age 65 or over.