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The most visited tourist attractions in Oklahoma City include Bricktown/Downtown Oklahoma City, Omniplex, Frontier City - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Zoo, and White Water Bay - Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is ... more »
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45th Infantry Division Museum Frontier City - Oklahoma City Governors Mansion Myriad Botanical Gardens National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum Oklahoma City Museum of Art Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum Oklahoma City Zoo Oklahoma National Stockyards Oklahoma Sports Museum Omniplex Red Earth Museum Remington Park Race Track State Capitol White Water Bay - Oklahoma City
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Airports The most visited tourist attractions in Oklahoma City include Bricktown/Downtown Oklahoma City, Omniplex, Frontier City - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City Zoo, and White Water Bay - Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is also the county seat of Oklahoma County, Oklahoma. Oklahoma City was founded during the Land Run of 1889, first of five land runs in Oklahoma.
The city is known throughout the state as "the city" and throughout the nation as "OKC" after its airport's IATA code. Local socialites have affectionately named the city "Action City" and it is also known more recently as the 'Renaissance City' due to its downtown renaissance.
Oklahoma City is a large, diverse, and growing metropolitan area; it is the civic, business, entertainment, and commercial center of the state. It is the largest city in the Great Plains region of the United States, and it is the largest city in population of the 5 "plains states" (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota) in addition to four of its neighbouring states (Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and New Mexico). It is also a major crossroads, being one of the very few cities in the country where three interstates "cross": Interstate 35, Interstate 40 and Interstate 44.
Oklahoma City is the 31st largest city in the nation, according to a 2005 report from the U.S. Census Bureau. The city's population on July 1, 2005 totaled 532,517, with 1.3 million residents in its metropolitan area.
Oklahoma City was the site of the bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995, the largest act of terrorism on American soil prior to the September 11th attacks and the most destructive act of domestic terrorism in American history. It is the third largest city in the country in terms of geographic area, although its urbanized zone is 244 mi² - resulting in an urban population density more comparable to that found in other major cities, 2,515/mi² in 2004.
For the outdoor minded, Oklahoma City has a number of community attractions to keep you fit and healthy. Walking trails line Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser in the northwest part of the city and downtown at the canal and the Oklahoma River. Part of the east shore of Lake Hefner has been developed into upscale offices and restaurants, but the majority of the area around the lake is taken up by parks and trails, including a new leashless dog park and the popular postwar era Stars and Stripes Park. Lake Stanley Draper, the city's largest and most remote, offers more of an escape from the big city and has a more natural feel. The city is implementing a new trail system that will be akin to a bicycle freeway system, allowing residents to access all of the natural beauty of the region and still be within stomping distance to city attractions.
Oklahoma City is an integral point on the U.S. Interstate Network. Most highways throughout the city are 6-8 lanes and have a level of congestion lower than most comparably sized cities. Interstate 35, Interstate 40, and Interstate 44 bisect the city, Interstate 240 connects I-40 to I-44 in South OKC, the Lake Hefner Parkway (OK-74) runs through Northwest Oklahoma City, Kilpatrick Turnpike makes a loop around North and West Oklahoma City, Airport Rd. (actually a freeway section of S.W. 44th Street) runs through Southwest Oklahoma City and leads to Will Rogers World Airport, Broadway Extension/U.S. 77 connects Central Oklahoma City to Edmond, and Interstate 235 spurs from I-44 in North Central OKC into downtown Oklahoma City.
The section of I-40 known as the "Crosstown" because of its intersecting path right by downtown, will soon be experiencing renovation. The I-40 Crosstown Construction Project will slightly relocate the stretch of highway using state-of-the-art construction. It is expected to be completed in 2008. Oklahoma City was a major stop on Route 66 and was prominently mentioned in Bobby Troup's 1946 jazz classic, "(Get Your Kicks) on Route 66," later made famous by Nat King Cole.
Airports
Oklahoma City is served by two primary airports, Will Rogers World Airport and the much smaller Wiley Post Airport (incidentally, the two honorees died in the same plane crash in Alaska). Will Rogers World Airport is currently undergoing a major reconstruction period. Tinker Air Force Base, in East OKC, is the largest military air depot in the nation, a major maintenance and deployment facility for the Navy and the Air Force, and the second largest military institution in the state (after Fort Sill in Lawton).
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Amtrak
Amtrak has an Art Deco train station downtown, with daily service to Fort Worth and the nation's rail network via the Heartland Flyer. There is also a heritage rail line under re-construction that will connect Bricktown and the Adventure District in NE Oklahoma City.
Greyhound Bus
Greyhound and several other intercity bus companies serve Oklahoma City at Union Bus Station, Downtown. METRO Transit is the public transit company. Their bus terminal and headquarters is located downtown at NW 5th Street and Hudson Avenue.
There were plans in the early 1990s to build a light rail system for the city as part of the MAPS urban redevelopment program, but the project stalled repeatedly on issues of funding. (Ernest Istook, 5th District Congressman and chairman of the congressional transportation committee, played a major role in killing federal funding for the project).
New Development: A downtown trolley system could be implemented under a future new MAPS III initiative. METRO Transit released a new Mass Transit plan in January 2006 that details its vision of rapid transit in the coming years. The study results showed light-rail trolley in downtown OKC, commuter rail from downtown to the suburbs of Edmond and Norman, and a comprehensive, specialized metropolian bus network that has been long overdue.
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* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Source wikipedia.
