City in Oklahoma, United States
Grove is a city in Delaware County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,623 at the 2010 census, an increase of 27.6 percent over the figure of 5,131 recorded in 2000.[4] Grove is surrounded by Grand Lake o’ the Cherokees, a professional bass fishing tournament lake and recreational hotspot during the travel season of Memorial Day to Labor Day.
History
Prior to Oklahoma statehood, Grove was part of the Delaware District of the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory. It was named for a grove of trees where it was sited. A post office, named "Brennen", was located in the limits of present-day Grove in 1888, but the city was not incorporated until the 1890s.[a][5]
Grove was aided in 1900 by connection to the Arkansas and Oklahoma Railroad (later acquired by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway).[6][4] Grove was the only incorporated town in Delaware County by the time of Oklahoma statehood in 1907, and became the county seat.[4] However, Grove’s location near the northern border of the county, and not near the county center, made it inconvenient for some county residents to visit, and after a county-wide vote in 1908, Jay was redesignated as the county seat.[4] Grove eventually lost its railroad connection in 1940.[4]
In recent years, the city underwent a $3.7 million park project to attract fishing events to Grand Lake, most recently attracting the 2013 and 2016 Bassmaster Classic.[7] Grove is also home to the Grand Lake Casino, which was opened in 1988.
Geography
Grove is located in northern Delaware County on the east side of the Grand Lake o' the Cherokees. U.S. Route 59 passes through the city, leading north 15 miles (24 km) to Interstate 44 near Afton and south 12 miles (19 km) to Jay, the Delaware County seat. Oklahoma State Highways 10 and 25 lead east out of town.
Grove is also located 12.6 miles (20.27 km) southeast of two Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) subdivisions, the Cherokee from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Springfield, Missouri, and the Afton, from nearby Afton Oklahoma to Kansas City's BNSF Argentine Yard. In nearby Afton lies Historic Route 66, now US-60. This historic route begins in Chicago, Illinois and ends in Santa Monica, California. It serves the states of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California respectively.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24.0 km2), of which 9.2 square miles (23.8 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2), or 0.69%, is water.[8]
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 5,131 people, 2,286 households, and 1,490 families residing in the city. The population density was 569.2 inhabitants per square mile (219.8/km2). There were 2,807 housing units at an average density of 311.4 per square mile (120.2/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.60% White, 0.08% African American, 10.19% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 5.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.
There were 2,286 households, out of which 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.68.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 19.9% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 19.0% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 29.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 80.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,464, and the median income for a family was $38,347. Males had a median income of $31,908 versus $19,106 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,351. About 9.3% of families and 14.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.0% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Grove is served by a public school system. Schools in the Grove Public School System[9] are as follows;
9th through 12th grades
- Grove High School[10]
- Grove Alternative Academy
7th through 8th grades
4th through 6th grade
- Grove Upper Elementary School[12]
1st Through 3rd grades
- Grove Lower Elementary School[13]
Pre-K and Kindergarten
- Grove Early Childhood Center[14]
Grove Oklahoma's mascot is the Ridgerunner
Northeast Oklahoma A&M College[15] serves the adult community's post-secondary college educational needs. In nearby Afton Oklahoma Northeast Tech[16] offers technical training opportunities in many educational and technical fields of studies.
Government
Grove has a council-manager system of government. There are four wards within the city. Representation consist of a mayor, vice-mayor, and three other council members. The mayor represents one of the wards within the city, and the vice-mayor is an at-large member. The current council members are:[citation needed]
- Ed Trumbull, mayor and ward 1 councilman
- Ivan Devitt, vice-mayor
- Josh McElhaney, ward 2 councilman
- Matt Henderson, ward 3 councilman
- Martin (Marty) Dyer, ward 4 councilman
Debbie Bottoroff is the city manager.
Grove is represented in the Oklahoma State Legislature by the following individuals;
- Tom Woods (R)[17] in Senate District 4
- Josh West (R)[18] in House District 5
Grove is represented in the House of Representatives and Senate by the following individuals;
Senators
House of Representatives
- Markwayne Mullin (R)[21] in the Oklahoma House District 02
Arts and entertainment
Grove is the site of the annual American Heritage Music Festival.[30] This free event, presented by Grand Lake Festivals and the Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, typically runs multiple days in early June and may include not only live music, but also food, races and more.[30]
