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Renting an Apartment in Muskogee
What You Should Know
Muskogee is a city in Muskogee County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the
county seat of Muskogee CountyGR6. The population was 38,310 at the 2000 census,
making it the eleventh largest city in Oklahoma.
19th Century History
Muskogee first received recognition when in 1805 US President Thomas Jefferson
addressed the United States Congress seconding the recommendation of Meriwether
Lewis that a trading post be established near the modern day city. French fur
traders had already existed in the area for some time before the American
acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase. The French were believed to have
established a temporary village near Muskogee in 1806, but the first permanent
settlement was established in 1817 on the south bank of the Verdigris River,
north of Muskogee.
When President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the Five
Civilized Tribes were relocated from their homes in the south to Indian
Territory through the Trail of Tears. Of the five tribes, the Cherokee and Creek
tribes established settlements near Muskogee, with the town being incorporated
into both Indian Nations. The Creeks, recognizing the economic value of the
location, made Muskogee the Capital of the Creek Nation in 1836.
Following the American Civil War, renewed interest was created in western
expansion. The United States Federal government allowed railroads to be built on
Indian soil for the first time. In 1872, the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was
extended to this area. In 1889, recognizing Muskogee’s growing economic and
political value, a United States federal court was established at the city. This
was the first federal court that exercised jurisdiction in Indian Territory that
was actually located within the Territory. Before this point, all jurisdiction
had been given to the federal court located in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
With the establishment of a federal court, Indian Territory was opened to white
settlers via land runs.
Modern history
Modern day Muskogee’s official founding was in 1898, even though settlements had
existed in the area for decades before under the same name. Also, it was not
until 1898 that a non-citizen of Indian Territory could legally own land in this
area. Even though Muskogee sat at the intersection of three rivers and offered
vast fertile farm lands, the town remained relatively quiet for the first years
following its founding.
Muskogee made a turn towards prominence when an Ohio native, Charles N. Haskell
moved to the city. When Haskell arrived in March of 1901, he found it a quiet
town of over four thousand people.
However, immediately on his arrival, the town took new life. Business blocks
were constructed with Haskell building the first five-story business block in
Oklahoma Territory. Haskell organized and built most the railroads running into
that city. He built and owned fourteen brick buildings in the city. Through his
influence, Muskogee grew to be a center of business and industry with a
population of over twenty thousand inhabitants in a matter of years. Haskell
often told others that he hoped Muskogee would become the "Queen City of the
Southwest."
Many of Muskogee's streets in the downtown district still show their original
brick composition. Buildings dating back to the Haskell era abut modern
architecture.
As Muskogee’s economic and business importance grew, so did its political power.
When the Civilized Tribes met together in order to propose an Indian State, the
State of Sequoyah, they met on August 21, 1905 in Muskogee to draft its
constitution, with Muskogee to serve as the State's capital. Vetoed by US
President Theodore Roosevelt, the proposed State of Sequoyah did not receive
federal recognition. Instead, the State of Oklahoma was admitted to the Union on
November 16, 1907 as the 46th State.
Today, Muskogee is an economic center for eastern Oklahoma. With a population of
over 38,000, it is the eleventh largest city in the state.
Muskogee operates the Port of Muskogee, which is accessible to the Gulf of
Mexico. The Five Civilized Tribes Museum, a museum dedicated to preserving the
art and culture of the five civilized tribes, as well Honor Heights Park, a
World War One memorial park which is world famous for its azaleas and its annual
Azalea Festival. During the winter time, people from across all 50 states travel
to Muskogee to see Honor Heights transformed into the Garden of Lights, a 132
acre Christmas lights display. Muskogee is also home to the Oklahoma Music Hall
of Fame in which great Oklahoma Musicians have been honored since 1997.
Geography
Muskogee is located at 35°44′48″N, 95°22′5″W (35.746617, -95.368047)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 100.4
km˛ (38.8 mi˛). 96.7 km˛ (37.3 mi˛) of it is land and 3.7 km˛ (1.4 mi˛) of it
(3.69%) is water.
Demographics
The population is one of the most diverse in the state. The population of
Muskogee has remained relatively unchanged since the first half of the twentieth
century. Twenty-four different nationalities are represented within in the
city’s limits as well as 17 non-English languages being spoken as first
languages.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 38,310 people, 15,523 households, and
9,950 families residing in the city. The population density was 396.1/km˛
(1,026.0/mi˛). There were 17,517 housing units at an average density of
181.1/km˛ (469.1/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city was 61.12% White, 17.90%
African American, 12.34% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander,
1.57% from other races, and 6.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of
any race were 3.28% of the population.
There were 15,523 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 45.2% were married couples living together, 15.4% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 31.8% of all
households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the
average family size was 3.00.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 9.7%
from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there
were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $26,418, and the median income
for a family was $33,358. Males had a median income of $28,153 versus $20,341
for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,351. About 14.6% of
families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including
25.9% of those under age 18 and 14.3% of those age 65 or over.
Crime
According to the July 2, 2006 edition of the Tulsa World, Muskogee's homicide
rate was the highest in the state five times from 1997 to 2005, and it tied with
Tulsa one other year. The report from the Tulsa World was controversial, coming
during a time when Tulsa's crime rate was skyrocketing, and homicides were
nearing record numbers.
Points of interest
* Ataloa Lodge Museum
* Honor Heights Park
* The Five Civilized Tribes Museum
* USS Batfish (SS-310)
* Three Rivers Museum
Trivia and noteworthy residents
Muskogee was commemorated in the 1969 Merle Haggard song "Okie from Muskogee".
* Keith Birdsong, illustrator known for his Star Trek novel covers
* Charles N. Haskell, noted lawyer, oilman, statesman, and the first governor of
Oklahoma
* Les Walrond, Major League Baseball player
* Joe Rector., internationally-acclaimed Creek/Seminole artist
* George Faught, first Republican State Representative from 14th State House
District
* L. R. Kershaw, lawyer, banker, cattle breeder, real estate developer and
candidate for governor in 1930
* birthplace of country musician and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood
* birthplace of jazz musician Jay McShann (who gave Charlie Parker his first
high-profile job)
* birthplace of jazz musician Claude "Fiddler" Williams
* birthplace of jazz musician Don Byas (a member of Dizzy Gillespie's first
band)
* birthplace of actor Pee Wee Russell
* birthplace of Barney Kessel
Some Things to Consider When Looking for an Apartment...
When searching for a new apartment make sure to take your time to think
through what are the most important things to you in an apartment and plan your
search based on those priorities. Here are some things to consider when planning
your move:
1. Consider the areas where you would like to live
* What is the crime rate?
* If you have children - what rating does the local school system have?
* Is there area convenient shopping, health and recreation services in the area?
2. Make a list of your housing priorities
* Do you have pets?
* Do you need parking?
* Do you need to be on the ground floor?
* What amenities are important to you - swimming pool, fitness room, in unit
laundry?
3. Evaluate the building
* What is the condition of the unit and building?
* Are the grounds maintained?
* Are windows, steps, and railings in good condition?
* View the property at night. Is it safe and well lit?
4. The security of the property
* Are there security service? When is the guard on duty?
* Does the building have controlled access?
* Does each unit have secure door and window locks?
5. Talk to the neighbors
* Ask other residents whether they are satisfied with the building.
6. Amenities
* Who is allowed to use the amenities?
* When are they open?
* Are the fees charged to use those facilities included in rent?
7. Ask about Utilities
* Does the owner or tenant pay the utility bills?
* Are any utilities included with monthly rent?
* Do units have separate thermostats to control heat and air conditioning?
8. Review the lease
* How much notice must you give before moving out?
* Can the rent be increased? If so, by how much and how often?
* Are pets allowed?
* What is the security deposit and cleaning costs upon move out?
* What is the responsibility of tenants for damage to property?
* Is there a penalty for breaking a lease?
9. Information too bring to a lease signing
* Credit Report
* Pay stubs/tax returns
* Reference
* Application
More Apartment Information
An apartment (or flat in Britain and most other Commonwealth countries) is a
self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building. Apartments
may be owned (by an owner-occupier) or rented (by tenants).
Some apartment-dwellers own their apartments, either as co-ops, in which the
residents own shares of a corporation that owns the building or development; or
in condominiums, whose residents own their apartments and share ownership of the
public spaces. Most apartments are in buildings designed for the purpose, but
large older houses are sometimes divided into apartments. The word apartment
connotes a residential unit or section in a building. Apartment building owners,
lessors, or managers often use the more general word units to refer to
apartments. Units can be used to refer to rental business suites as well as
residential apartments. When there is no tenant occupying an apartment, the
lessor is said to have a vacancy. For apartment lessors, each vacancy represents
a loss of income from rent-paying tenants for the time the apartment is vacant
(i.e., unoccupied). Lessors' objectives are often to minimize the vacancy rate
for their units. The owner of the apartment typically transfers possession to
the occupant by giving him/her the key to the apartment entrance door and any
other keys need to live there, such as a common key to the building or any other
common areas, and an individual unit mailbox key. When the occupant move out,
these keys should typically be returned to the owner.
Apartments can be classified into several types. Studio, efficiency, bed-sit, or
bachelor apartments tend to be the smallest apartments with the cheapest rents
in a given area. These kinds of apartment usually consist mainly of a large room
which is the living, dining, and bedroom combined. There are usually kitchen
facilities as part of this central room, but the bathroom is its own smaller
separate room. Moving up from the efficiencies are one-bedroom apartments where
one bedroom is a separate room from the rest of the apartment. Then there are
two-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc. apartments. Small apartments often have only
one entrance/exit. Large apartments often have two entrances/exits, perhaps a
door in the front and another in the back. Depending on the building design, the
entrance/exit doors may be directly to the outside or to a common area inside,
such as a hallway. Depending on location, apartments may be available for rent
furnished with furniture or unfurnished into which a tenant usually moves in
with his/her own furniture. Permanent carpeting is often included in an
apartment.
Laundry facilities are usually kept in a separate area accessible to all the
tenants in the building. Depending on when the building was built and the design
of the building, utilities such as water, heating, and electric may be common
for all the apartments in the building or separate for each apartment and billed
separately to each tenant (however, many areas in the US have ruled it illegal
to split a water bill among all the tenants, especially if a pool is on the
premises). Outlets for connection to telephones are typically included in
apartments. Telephone service is optional and is practically always billed
separately from the rent payments. Cable television and similar amenities are
extra also. Parking space, air conditioner, and extra storage space may or may
not be included with an apartment. Rental leases often limit the maximum number
of people who can reside in each apartment. On or around the ground floor of the
apartment building, a series of mailboxes are typically kept in a location
accessible to the public and, thus, to the letter-carrier too. Every unit
typically gets its own mailbox with individual keys to it. Some very large
apartment buildings with a full-time staff may take mail from the mailman and
provide mail-sorting service. Near the mailboxes or some other location
accessible by outsiders, there may be a buzzer (equivalent to a doorbell) for
each individual unit. In smaller apartment buildings such as two- or
three-flats, or even four-flats, garbage is often disposed of in trash
containers similar to those used at houses. In larger buildings, garbage is
often collected in a common trash bin or dumpster. For cleanliness or minimizing
noise, many lessors will place restrictions on tenants regarding keeping pets in
an apartment.
In some parts of the world, the word apartment is used generally to refer to a
new purpose-built self-contained residential unit in a building, whereas the
word flat means a converted self-contained unit in an older building. An
industrial, warehouse, or commercial space converted to an apartment is commonly
called a loft.
When part of a house is converted for the ostensible use of a landlord's family
member, the unit may be known as an in-law apartment or granny flat, though
these (sometimes illegally) created units are often occupied by ordinary renters
rather than family members. In Canada these suites are commonly located in the
basements of houses and are therefore normally called basement suites.
Staying in privately owned apartments rather than in a hotel is quickly becoming
popular with travelers.