Featured Apartment:
Oklahoma-Midwest City - 1 bedroom - 1 bath - spacious, clean & sunny unit! - Brick Building - Hardwood Floors - Modern Kitchen - Spacious Living Room - Large Bedroom w/ Double Sliding Door Closet - Updated Bathroom - Off Street Parking - access to commuter rail, bus, shops & restaurants, first and last months rent (NO SECURITY DEPOSIT) View More Listings -->
Renting an Apartment in Midwest City
Midwest City is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the
2000 census, the city had a total population of 54,088 and is the seventh
largest city in the state.
Midwest City is a city of 25 square miles whose southern border is Tinker Air
Force Base and is part of the Oklahoma City "OKC Metro" Metropolitan Statistical
Area.
History
Midwest City was founded by W.P. Atkinson in 1941 when he heard speculation that
an air field was going to be built in the area. Atkinson, along with others,
initially planned Midwest City as a one-square-mile development. The air field,
when built, was called the "Midwest Air Depot" and was later renamed in honor of
Major General Clarence L. Tinker of Pawhuska, Okla. General Tinker lost his life
while leading a flight of LB-30 "Liberators" on a long-range strike against
Japanese forces on Wake Island during the early months of World War II.
The economy of Midwest City prospered and continued to surge until the early
1980's when the oil bust of 1983 occurred. The bust was a severe economic blow
to not only the greater OKC metro area, but to also the twin cities of Midwest
City and Del City. From 1983, Midwest City's nominal price for real estate
stagnated for over a decade.
In many ways, the city remains relatively unchanged over the last twenty years.
Air Depot Blvd spanning from Tinker Air Force Base to Heritage Park Mall still
serves as the major commercial district of the city. Of course, many businesses
have come and gone, but there are a few that have stood the test of time. Andy's
Acropolis, a Greek restaurant started by Larry Hicks, has served many thousands
of hungry airmen through the last thirty years. The restaurant, like its city,
remains almost the same as it was when it first opened its doors in the 1970's.
About.com notes that many state and national organizations find Midwest City to
be an ideal site for conferences and special events because of the location and
the amenities, although a specific list of those organizations remains lacking.
However, Rose State College does have a new performing Arts Theater with an
outdoor amphitheater in Rose State College's Communications Center. The area
also features the Oklahoma Welcome Center, Senior Center, Water Park, and nature
and recreational trails.
Midwest City's monolithic economic base of Federal tax dollars via Tinker Air
Force Base has helped the city weather the drastic blows to the State's mainstay
oil and agricultural economy. Tinker is a major area employer. The General
Motors Oklahoma City Assembly plant was another major employer from its opening
in 1979 until its closure in February 2006. GM closed the plant as part as a
cost-savings measure.
Over the past few years, there has been a large amount of development in Midwest
City along I-40. The Reed Center, a 60,000 square foot convention center, was
built in 2003. Because of this, several hotels have been built in the area,
including a $15 million Sheraton hotel that is attached to the convention
center. Also, many big box stores, such as Lowe's, Home Depot, Target, Kohl's,
Marshals and Best Buy have been built along I-40. Some of these stores are a
part of the new Town Center Plaza development along SE 29th Street facing I-40,
which replaced the aging, largely deserted Atkinson Plaza shopping center as
well as several other developments, most of which are situated on the city's
west edge.
Throughout the year, Midwest City is host to many unique special events such as:
Star Spangle Salute in July, Global Oklahoma - A Festival of Cultures in
October, and Holiday Lights Spectacular in November and December.
Midwest City was formerly a Certified City and has successfully transitioned to
a Century Community.
In 2006 Midwest City obtained the prestigious ISO Class 1 from the Insurance
Services Office. [1]
Geography
Location of Midwest City, Oklahoma
Midwest City is located at 35�27′44″N, 97�23′3″W (35.462244, -97.384292)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 63.7
km� (24.6 mi�), all land.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 54,088 people, 22,161 households, and
14,759 families residing in the city. The population density was 849.3/km�
(2,199.3/mi�). There were 23,853 housing units at an average density of
374.5/km� (969.9/mi�). The racial makeup of the city was 69.46% White, 19.55%
African American, 3.49% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander,
1.54% from other races, and 4.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 4.05% of the population.
There were 22,161 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 16.5% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.6% of all
households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average
family size was 2.97.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 10.7%
from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there
were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,027, and the median income
for a family was $40,604. Males had a median income of $31,276 versus $22,543
for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,220. About 11.2% of
families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including
22.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Trivia
* Midwest City is the site of the first Sam's Club location; the store opened in
April 1983.
Points of interest
* Midwest City Hall Arboretum
* Tinker Air Force Base