Information About Enid, Oklahoma

ENID, OK - Welcome to Enid, Oklahoma, home to the friendliest folks in the country! You've found the local website devoted entirely to what's happening in our fine community. Enid Buzz covers current events, interesting history and lifestyle news. Our website and blog will guide you through the best of Enid, from local attractions and popular activities to the hottest businesses and top family entertainment.
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This page is meant to be a quick information source about Enid, OK. Please feel free to link to it as a resource about Enid for local residents, Oklahoma tourists and folks moving to town. Contact us at buzz@enidbuzz.com if you have questions.
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A Short History of Enid

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In the mid 1800's, Enid was nothing more than a watering hole on the Chisholm Trail and a mail route stop known as Skeleton Stage Station. Around 1889, Skeleton Stage Station was being used as a train stop in northwest Oklahoma. It is believed that M. A. Low, vice-president and general counsel for Rock Island Railroad, changed the name of the station to Enid. Enid was a character in Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, a book Low had been reading.
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Enid became a town at noon on September 16, 1893 with the opening of the Cherokee Outlet. We were the location of one of four U.S. Land Offices. Our original land office is now preserved in the Humphrey Heritage Village, part of the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. The Enid train station was originally located in what is now North Enid but after a brief conflict with the south side of town, a "South Enid" station was built which eventually became the site of our city.
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Where To Find Enid, Oklahoma

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Enid, OK is located in northwest Oklahoma in Garfield County. We are a short drive to Oklahoma City to the south; Tulsa, Oklahoma to the east; Wichita, Kansas to the north; and the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandles to the west. Visitors can easily reach town by way of Highway 81 running north and south or Highway 412 running east and west. We are located about 25 minutes west of I-35.
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Enid can be found at latitude 36.40 N, longitude -97.88 W with an elevation of 1246 feet. We are within a 250 mile radius of the exact center of the geographic United States.
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The population of Enid fluctuates just above or below 50,000 making us the 9th largest city in Oklahoma. Enid covers a land area of about 74 square miles with our downtown square being near the middle of town. Enid has three main zip codes including 73701, 73703 and 73705. North and south sides of town are split at Broadway Ave. while east and west are divided at Grand St. Our biggest intersection is at Van Buren (Highway 81) and Owen K Garriott (Highway 412).
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Our main area code is 580 and our time zone is Central Standard Time. Our city observes Daylight Savings Time and you can expect annual precipitation to average around 34 inches per year.
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The Enid Economy

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The local economy is driven by agriculture, oil and cattle. The discovery of the Garber-Covington Oil Field east of town in 1916 led Herbert H. Champlin to build the Champlin Refining Company. Champlin refinery was closed on January 1, 1984. In 1970, Enid was known as the Wheat Capital of the United States of America. Enid had a total grain storage capacity of 80 million bushels in 1987.
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Our public library, United States Post Office and County Court House are all located in the center of our town square. The downtown square is surrounded by historic brick buildings including three high rises. The 14 story Independence Tower, originally the Youngblood Hotel, was built in 1930, the 11 story Triangle Business Center, originally the Bass Building, and the 15 story Broadway Tower built in 1931.
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In 1906 Dr. Ely V. Zollars and the Disciples of Christ denomination located the Oklahoma Christian College in Enid. OCC was later renamed Phillips University, a private university, which closed in 1998. That campus was later purchased by Northern Oklahoma College. Students can now take classes at NOC-Enid, a 2-year school, or NWOSU-Enid, a 4-year school. Residents can also enroll and take classes at Autry Technology Center or Enid Beauty College.
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During World War II the U.S. Army located the Air Corps Basic Flying School in Enid. Once a wheat field, the flying school opened south of town in November 1941. After a brief closure it was purchased by the US Government for $1 and reopened in 1948 under U.S. Air Force command. The base was renamed Vance Air Force Base to honor local Medal of Honor recipient Leon R. Vance, Jr. One-third of all Air Force pilots get their training here. Vance has been Enid's largest employer for many years.
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Interesting Facts About Enid

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One of the costliest local disasters was the “Enid Flood” which took place on October 10-11 of 1973. This storm produced the greatest urban rainfall on record in Oklahoma. Rainfall accumulations were 15 to 20 inches within a 100 square mile area. A recorded 2 inches fell in 3 hours. Nine people died due to the flood.
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Enid's past includes a seven mile trolley system that ran from 1907 thru 1929 operating 14 cars at its peak. The city also had a municipal zoo open throughout the 50's and 60's called the Springs Park Zoo, later called Grady Brock Zoo, which closed in 1972.
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Cyde Cessna was a successful car dealer in Enid that turned a love of flight into an airplane manufacturing company. Cessna tested his airplanes near Enid and was known as the"Birdman of Enid". He was the first person to build and fly an aircraft between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains in 1911. He eventually moved his company to Wichita, Kansas.
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Amelia Earhart flew into Enid in June of 1931 touring in her Beech-Nut ‘Wind-Mill’ plane. She gave a demonstration at the Municipal air park, was the guest of the Rotary club and greeted members of the Oklahoma Lions Convention and area residents at the Hotel Youngblood.
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Geronimo Motor Company built a pioneer vintage era American automobile in Enid, Oklahoma, between 1917 and 1920. The company manufactured between 600-1000 cars in Enid with only one known to exist today.
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Enid was once the home to the Oklahoma Storm basketball team which played in the United States Basketball League. We also had a minor league baseball team in the early 1920's called the Enid Harvesters. The Enid High Plainsmen were State Football Champions in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1983.
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Things To Do In Enid, OK Today

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Today, Enid offers families many fun things to do including Leonardo's Children's Museum (aka Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse) founded by Helen Mary Walker Garriott and Astronaut Owen Garriott. The hands-on museum opened in 1994. Over 12,000 local volunteers then helped build the world's largest community built playground called Adventure Quest across the street in 1996. Adventure Quest was designed by the grandson of artist Norman Rockwell and named by Curtis Tucker (owner of Enid Buzz).
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Visitors to Enid, OK will find lots of family entertainment in our many museums including the Oklahoma Railway Museum, the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, the Midgley Rock Museum and the Simpsons Old Time Museum.
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Popular annual events have included the only free Shakespeare in the Park, Tour de Trykes & Criterium Bike Racing, Tri-State Music Festival, Summerfest, Chautauqua In The Park, Fling at the Spring Outdoor Concert, July 4th Fireworks Display, Enid Lights Up The Plains Christmas Fireworks and the Cherokee Strip Celebration & Parade.
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Enid has more than 30 beautiful parks including Meadowlake Park which offers a lake for fishing plus a train ride crossing two bridges, a carousel, a Ferris wheel, paddle boats and more. Meadowlake Park hosts our annual fireworks display on July 4th. You'll also find two dog parks located at Meadowlake and Crosslin.
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Oklahoma's longest-running symphony is the Enid Symphony Orchestra, which started in 1905. The ESO is housed in the old Knox Building downtown. Gaslight Theatre, one of Oklahoma's oldest and most active community theaters, was founded in 1966. Gaslights presents performances throughout the year ranging from dramas to musicals.
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Enid is serviced by Woodring Regional Airport, the first municipality owned airport in Oklahoma. The airport was dedicated in 1928, and built on 80 acres of land donated by a citizen backed by the American Legion. Airport services include a restaurant, numerous hangar facilities, avionics maintenance facilities, FAA repair stations, flight school, air taxi and aircraft rental.
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Woodring Airport is also the home to an 80 percent scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. This replica Wall traveled the country with the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Mission and has now been retired, finding its permanent home here in Enid. The replica is more than 380 feet long and 8 feet high at its tallest point. Over 990 Oklahoma names are on this wall.
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David Allen Memorial Ballpark, a state of the art baseball facility, has hosted the NJCAA Div. II World Series. The brick ballpark is located in downtown Enid and includes a large video display board in the outfield. The stands include 359 chair-back seats that were imported from the old Baltimore Memorial Stadium as well as seating upstairs in a balcony area.
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Downtown Enid also boasts a world class concert facility in the Central National Bank Center. The concert facility has a two-story, 4,000 seat arena. It opened on June 15, 2013 and also includes ballrooms located in the old Convention Hall building. The center has hosted acts such as Reba, Vince Gill, the Beach Boys, Styx, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, Goo Goo Dolls, Willie Nelson and the State of Oklahoma Speakers Ball.
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Fun Enid Trivia

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Legend says that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of President Abraham Lincoln, died in Enid around 1903. A man named David E. George, committed suicide in Enid, Oklahoma Territory, in 1903 and claimed to have been Booth himself. There have been books written and documentaries created trying to prove or disprove this this interesting Enid tale.
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Famous Enidites include astronaut, Owen K. Garriott; musician, Michael Hedges; legendary basketball coach, Don Haskins; opera singer, Leona Mitchell; NBA players, Mark and Brent Price; author, Marquis James; oil billionaire, Harold Hamm; attorney, Stephen Jones; plus many, many others.
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Enid was a filming location for the movies Dillinger, The Killer Inside Me and Wildlife. Enid has also been mentioned in the movies Jurassic Park III and Twister, an episode of Big Bang Theory, and the novels Grapes of Wrath and Left Behind. Enid is a popular girls name and also known as a four letter US town in many crossword puzzles.
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