Heavener, Oklahoma
Location of Heavener, Oklahoma
Coordinates: 34°53′21″N 94°36′15″W / 34.88917, -94.60417
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Le Flore
Area
- Total	4.9 sq mi (12.8 km²)
- Land	4.9 sq mi (12.7 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²)
Elevation	554 ft (169 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	3,201
- Density	650.4/sq mi (251.1/km²)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code	74937
Area code(s)	918
FIPS code	40-33400[1]
GNIS feature ID	1093640[2]

Heavener (pronounced /ˈhivnɚ/) is a city in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith Arkansas-Oklahoma Statistical Area. The population was 3,201 at the 2000 census.

Heavener Runestone

The Heavener Runestone

Heavener is best known for the Heavener Runestone just outside the city limits. The cryptic stone appears to have letters from the runic alphabet, which were possibly etched by pre-Columbian Norsemen. There is such an attraction that a state park has been erected around the mysterious rock. Due to this purported connection the nearby school Carl Albert State College in the city of Poteau changed its mascot in the early 1990s from the "Trojan" to the "Viking."

Media

There is a small weekly newspaper in the town called The Heavener Ledger. The radio tower for KPRV FM radio sits on top of Poteau Mountain less than a half mile from the Runestone. KPRV broadcasts out of nearby Poteau and has a sister station with the same call letters on the AM band.

Employers

The Kansas City Southern Railway operates a large repair depot in Heavener that has been the town's largest employer for over seventy years. The second largest employer in Heavener is OK Foods http://www.okfoods.com . This Poultry company opporates a Processing Plant, a Feed Mill, and a Hatchery in Heavener. Ok Foods first came to Heavener in the early 1990s.

If ever in Heavener, try the Southern Belle for good home cooking. The restaurant is a refurbished passenger train car.

Schools

The schools are all located in the city's center and are the sole educational facilities. Heavener Public School's mascot is the Wolf. School colors are Shanghai purple and Vegas gold. Major sports at the school include football , marching band, basketball, baseball, softball, power lifting, track, and cheer leading.

State Championships - 1919 Girls Basketball

Last appearance for the Lady Wolves in state was in 2007.(Lost in first round to Kingfisher)

The lyrics to the school fight song, Allegiance, are as follows:

Allegiance

Allegiance to Old Heavener High. The dearest school in all the world. We'll fight for Heavener High wherever we may be, Allegiance we want all the world to see. Our happy days within our school, will be with us our whole lives through. And we'll remember everything you did for us. Oh our dear Old Heavener High. Heavener High we'll fight for you, high-rickety-whoop-dee-do. Heavener High we shout for you, high-rickety-whoop-dee-do. We love the purple and gold. To you we'll ever be bold. Dear Old Heavener High we will be true. Allegiance to Old Heavener High. The dearest school in all the world. We'll fight for Heavener High wherever we may be, Allegiance we want all the world to see. Our happy days within our school, will be with us our whole lives through. And we'll remember everything you did for us. Allegiance to dear Old Heavener High.

Geography

Heavener is located at 34°53′21″N, 94°36′15″W (34.889108, -94.604217).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.8 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.40%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 3,201 people, 1,113 households, and 783 families residing in the city. The population density was 650.4 people per square mile (251.2/km²). There were 1,255 housing units at an average density of 255.0/sq mi (98.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.79% White, 0.62% African American, 9.84% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 10.56% from other races, and 5.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 22.52% of the population.

There were 1,113 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 12.3% have a female householder with no husband present , and 29.6% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18 , 14.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 100.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,750, and the median income for a family was $28,654. Males had a median income of $19,848 versus $18,487 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,313. About 23.6% of families and 26.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.7% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.

Name Origin

The town of Heavener was named for Joseph H. Heavener born May 6, 1851 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, a prominent resident of Heavener during the town's formative years. He died on March 20, 1906. Most of his relatives now live in southern Illinois. The original name of the town was Choctaw City, due to the large population nearby of Native Americans of the Choctaw tribe. The area was originally settled and developed by a combination of Native Americans and whites. When the railroad came to the region the name was changed. Many area towns maintain names of Native American origin such as Talihina.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Heavener Runestone
• Heavener Public Library
• Chamber of Commerce

• Heavener, Oklahoma is at coordinates 34°53′21″N 94°36′15″W / 34.889108, -94.604217 (Heavener, Oklahoma)Coordinates: 34°53′21″N 94°36′15″W / 34.889108, -94.604217 (Heavener, Oklahoma)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Le Flore County, Oklahoma County seat: Poteau Cities Heavener | Poteau Towns Arkoma | Bokoshe | Cameron | Cowlington | Fort Coffee | Howe | Le Flore | Panama | Pocola | Rock Island | Shady Point | Spiro | Talihina | Wister Unincorporated community Skullyville