Miami, Oklahoma


Miami is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Oklahoma, United States, founded in 1891. Lead and zinc mining were established by 1918, causing the area's economy to boom.
This area was part of Indian Territory. Miami is the capital of the federally recognized Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, the Peoria Tribe of Indians, and the Shawnee Tribe. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,969.

History

The city was founded in an unusual way, compared to other towns established in Indian Territory. Per the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, "... it was settled in a business-like way by men of vision who looked into the future and saw possibilities. It didn't just grow. It was carefully planned."
W. C. Lykins petitioned the U.S. Congress to pass legislation on March 3, 1891, to establish the town. He met with Thomas F. Richardville, chief of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, who agreed to meet in turn with the U.S. Indian Commission and the Ottawa Tribe. That meeting resulted in Congress authorizing the secretary of the United States Department of the Interior to approve the townsite purchase from the Ottawa. Lykins, Richardville, and Manford Pooler, chief of the Ottawa, are identified in historical accounts as "fathers of Miami". Lykins' company, the Miami Town Company, bought of land from the Ottawa for $10 an acre. On June 25–26, 1891 they held an auction of lots. In 1895, Miami incorporated and had more than 800 residents.
The discovery of rich deposits of lead and zinc under Quapaw land a few miles north caused Miami to boom. In 1907, at the time of statehood, its population was 1,893. As mining increased and more mills were built, the population more than tripled to 6,802 by 1920.
Miami was on the route of the Jefferson Highway established in 1915, with that international road running more than from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, across the border and to New Orleans, Louisiana. US Route 66 in Oklahoma also passed through Miami. An historic section of the Route 66 roadbed is marked in Miami.
It is the capital of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma, Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma, Peoria Tribe of Indians, and Shawnee Tribe.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is covered by water.

Flooding

Miami is located on the Neosho River, and was severely affected by the Great Flood of 1951. The town has flooded more than two dozen times since the 1990s, most recently during the 2019 Arkansas River floods. Town residents and neighboring Native American groups have objected to maintaining high water levels on the river at Pensacola Dam and its popular vacation area, Grand Lake, on the grounds that when water backs up downstream, it can increase Miami's flooding problems.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Miami had a population of 12,969. The median age was 35.5 years; 23.8% of residents were under 18 and 18.0% were 65 or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males, and for every 100 females 18 and over, there were 89.8 males age 18 and over.
About 99.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.0% lived in rural areas.
Of the 5,046 households in Miami, 31.4% had children under 18 living in them, 37.9% were married-couple households, 19.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 or older.
Of the 5,825 housing units, 13.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.3% were owner-occupied and 43.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 10.2%.
In 2020, about one in four residents lived in poverty.
RacePercent
White63.7%
Black or African American1.8%
American Indian and Alaska Native17.5%
Asian0.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander1.6%
Some other race2.2%
Two or more races12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, 13,570 people, 5,315 households, and 3,337 families resided in the city. The 2010 population represented a 1.0% decline from 13,704 at the 2000 census. The population density was. The racial makeup of the city was 68.9% White, 1.3% African American, 17.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 2.0% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 8% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 4.8% of the population.
Of the 5,315 households, 31.9% had children under 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 15% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were not families. Individuals living alone accounted for 31.9% of households and individuals 65 or older living alone accounted for 14.7% of households. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the age distribution was 24.7% under 18, 57.1% from 18 to 64, and 18.2% who were 65 or older. The median age was 35.8 years. The population was 53.2% female and 46.8% male.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,561 and for a family was $42,313. Males had a median income of $32,699 versus $25,320 for females. About 14.2% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, 13,704 people lived in the city.

Government

Local government in Miami consists of an elected mayor at-large and four councilmen representing four wards.
  • Mayor – Bless Parker
  • Ward one councilman – Brian Estep
  • Ward two councilman – Kevin Dunkel
  • Ward three councilman – Dwain Sundberg
  • Ward four councilman – Brad Williams
As of 2023, the city is represented in the Oklahoma House of Representatives by Republican Steve Bashore, and in the Oklahoma Senate by Republican Micheal Bergstrom. The city lies within Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district, represented by Josh Brecheen since 2023.

Transportation

Miami is on Interstate 44 and U.S. Route 69, and is approximately from U.S. Route 59.
Pelivan Transit, owned and operated by Grand Gateway EDA and Northeast Oklahoma Tribal Transit Consortium, provides a trolley loop in Miami, as well as certain on-demand bus services.
Miami is served by Miami Regional Airport, with a paved runway. Commercial air transportation is available from Joplin Regional Airport in Missouri, about northeast, or the larger, Tulsa International Airport, about southwest.

Coleman Theatre and historical buildings

Miami and Ottawa County, together with nearby Delaware County, Oklahoma, to the south, attract numerous tourists to the state. These counties combined make up the third-largest tourism destination in the state, following only the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.
Miami is home to the historic Coleman Theatre, located at 103 N. Main St. On April 18, 1929, the 1,600-seat Coleman Theatre enjoyed a grand opening as a luxurious movie theater of the time. Designed by the Boller Bros. and built by George L. Coleman Sr. at a cost of $600,000, the Louis XV interior includes gold leaf trim, silk damask panels, stained glass panels, marble accents, a carved mahogany staircase, Wurlitzer pipe organ, decorative plaster moldings, and bronze railings. While many changes in seeing movies in grand theaters have occurred, the building has been preserved and also serves as a venue for live performances. In 1959, a local nonprofit community group established the Miami Little Theatre. The community theater group presents five large-scale productions on the Coleman stage every year. In 1983, the Coleman Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historical Places for Ottawa County.
Other Miami structures are also listed on the National Register of Historical Places, including the George L. Coleman Sr. House, the Miami Marathon Oil Company Service Station, and the Miami Downtown Historic District.

Education

Public schools serving most of Miami are managed by the Miami Public Schools district. The high school is Miami High School, whose mascot is the Wardog,which ist unique to Miami and has not been adopted as a mascot by any other school in the United States.
A portion of northern Miami is within the Commerce Public Schools district.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College was accredited initially in 1925 by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition to its certificate programs, it has working relationships with other higher-education institutions in the state to promote transfers of students seeking four-year college degrees. In 2015, the two-year community college had about 2,000 students.

Sport

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College fields teams in baseball, football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball, women's volleyball, and men's wrestling. The football and soccer teams play at the 7,000 capacity Red Robertson Field. The NEO Fieldhouse is home to the basketball and wrestling teams, and Homa Thomas Field is the home stadium for the baseball team.
Other athletic facilities in Miami include the high school multipurpose field and softball field, a softball complex and a baseball complex in the southern part of the city, a park with a baseball field and tennis/pickleball courts, a grass football field, and a soccer complex located just south of the airport.

Notable people