Delaware County, Oklahoma

Delaware County
Delaware County
County
	Delaware County Courthouse
	Location within the U.S. state of Oklahoma
	Oklahoma's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 36°25′N 94°48′W / 36.41°N 94.8°W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
Founded	1907
Named for	Delaware Indians
Seat	Jay
Largest city	Grove
Area
• Total	792 sq mi (2,050 km2)
• Land	738 sq mi (1,910 km2)
• Water	54 sq mi (140 km2) 6.8%
Population (2020)
• Total	40,397
• Density	51/sq mi (20/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	delaware.okcounties.org

Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,397.^[1] Its county seat is Jay.^[2] The county was named for the Delaware Indians, who had established a village in the area prior to the Cherokees being assigned to relocate to Indian Territory in the 1830s. Delaware County was created in 1907. Prior to becoming Delaware County, a large portion of the area was known as the Delaware District of the Cherokee Nation. Today, Delaware County continues to be recognized by the Cherokee Nation as the Delaware District.

History

Archaeological studies have shown that at least three different periods of prehistoric people had lived in the area covered by Delaware County. These included 23 Archaic, 17 Woodland, and 63 Eastern Villager sites. Artifacts date back between 1400 and 2000 years from the present. Many of these sites have been submerged since the creation of Grand Lake o' the Cherokees.^[3]

Few Native Americans lived in the area until the early nineteenth century, when the federal government began relocating tribes from the Eastern United States. About 1820, a group of Delaware, who had allied with the Cherokee against the Osage, settled Delaware Town, about two miles south of the present town of Eucha. In 1828, the Western Cherokee moved from Arkansas Territory into the area just south of the present Delaware County. In 1832, the Seneca moved from Ohio into an area that included the northeastern part of Delaware County.^[3]

The present day county was created at statehood in 1907. Initially, Grove, the only incorporated town in the county, was designated as the county seat. However, a large number of county residents wanted a more centrally located seat. This group founded the town of Jay, where they built a wooden courthouse and won an election to move the county seat. A court suit resolved the dispute in favor of the Jay location.^[3]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 792 square miles (2,050 km²), of which 738 square miles (1,910 km²) is land and 54 square miles (140 km²) (6.8%) is water.^[4] The county lies on the western slope of the Ozark Plateau. There are no oil, gas or mineral resources of economic consequence, but the county has abundant water.^[3]

Lake Eucha, a man-made reservoir on Spavinaw Creek, completed in 1952, lies primarily within Delaware County. Grand Lake o' the Cherokees, completed in 1940, and Lake Spavinaw, completed in 1924, are partly within Delaware County. The Neosho River and the Elk River drain the northern part of the county, while Flint Creek and the Illinois River drain the southern part.^[3]

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1910	11,469	—
1920	13,868	20.9%
1930	15,370	10.8%
1940	18,592	21.0%
1950	14,734	−20.8%
1960	13,198	−10.4%
1970	17,767	34.6%
1980	23,946	34.8%
1990	28,070	17.2%
2000	37,077	32.1%
2010	41,487	11.9%
2020	40,397	−2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census^[5] 1790-1960^[6] 1900-1990^[7] 1990-2000^[8] 2010^[9]

As of the 2010 census, there were 41,487 people, up from 37,077 people in 2000. In 2000, there were 14,838 households, and 10,772 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile (19 people/km²). There were 22,290 housing units at an average density of 30 units per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 70.22% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 22.31% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 6.53% from two or more races. Self-identified Hispanic or Latino Americans made up 1.75% of the population. 93.8% spoke English, 3.5% Cherokee and 2.3% Spanish as their first language. By 2020, its population declined to 40,397.^[1]

In 2010, there were 14,838 households, out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.50% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.40% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.50% under the age of 18, 6.90% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.80 males.

As of 2010, the median income for a household in the county was $27,996, and the median income for a family was $33,093. Males had a median income of $25,758 versus $19,345 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,424. About 14.10% of families and 18.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 11.60% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of June 30, 2023^[10]
Party		Number of Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	5,872	22.79%
	Republican	15,725	61.03%
	Others	4,169	16.18%
Total		25,766	100%

United States presidential election results for Delaware County, Oklahoma^[11]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	13,557	78.61%	3,472	20.13%	216	1.25%
2016	11,826	75.25%	3,311	21.07%	579	3.68%
2012	10,080	70.61%	4,196	29.39%	0	0.00%
2008	10,277	66.90%	5,085	33.10%	0	0.00%
2004	10,017	64.18%	5,591	35.82%	0	0.00%
2000	7,618	57.05%	5,514	41.29%	221	1.66%
1996	5,230	43.81%	5,094	42.67%	1,615	13.53%
1992	4,840	38.95%	4,842	38.97%	2,744	22.08%
1988	5,248	51.39%	4,889	47.88%	75	0.73%
1984	6,690	63.46%	3,789	35.94%	63	0.60%
1980	5,302	54.00%	4,244	43.22%	273	2.78%
1976	3,642	42.07%	4,924	56.88%	91	1.05%
1972	5,476	70.30%	2,135	27.41%	178	2.29%
1968	3,168	47.29%	2,129	31.78%	1,402	20.93%
1964	2,743	42.56%	3,702	57.44%	0	0.00%
1960	3,639	61.46%	2,282	38.54%	0	0.00%
1956	3,078	53.47%	2,679	46.53%	0	0.00%
1952	3,399	55.86%	2,686	44.14%	0	0.00%
1948	2,343	42.60%	3,157	57.40%	0	0.00%
1944	2,660	51.89%	2,373	46.29%	93	1.81%
1940	3,305	49.04%	3,417	50.70%	17	0.25%
1936	2,632	43.54%	3,398	56.21%	15	0.25%
1932	1,469	28.51%	3,684	71.49%	0	0.00%
1928	2,603	59.70%	1,706	39.13%	51	1.17%
1924	1,563	43.97%	1,729	48.64%	263	7.40%
1920	2,059	59.17%	1,282	36.84%	139	3.99%
1916	837	36.44%	1,227	53.42%	233	10.14%
1912	732	38.55%	983	51.76%	184	9.69%

Communities

Cities

Grove
Jay

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

NRHP sites

Delaware County, together with Ottawa County to the north, has a large impact on tourism in Oklahoma. Said counties combined are the third-largest tourism destination in the state, following only the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metropolitan areas.^[12]

The following sites are in Delaware County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

References

^ ^a ^b "Delaware County, Oklahoma". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Stauber, Rose. "Delaware County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, 2009. Accessed March 25, 2015.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
^ "Oklahoma Registration Statistics by County" (PDF). OK.gov. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 17, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
^ "Ottawa, Delaware counties generates $519 million combined in visitor spending as 'welcome mat' for Oklahoma". Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller, Tulsa World, October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.