Sallisaw, Oklahoma

Sallisaw, Oklahoma
—  City  —
Stanley Tubbs Memorial Library
Motto: "Built on Pride, Dedicated to Excellence"
Sallisaw, Oklahoma Location within the state of Oklahoma
Coordinates: 35°27′29″N 94°47′40″W
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Sequoyah
Government
• Mayor	Shannon Vann
Area
• Total	33.4 sq mi (87 km2)
• Land	32.9 sq mi (85 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	8,880
• Density	Bad rounding here270/sq mi (Bad rounding here100/km2)
Time zone	Central (CST) (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CST (UTC-5)
ZIP Code	74955
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID
Website	City of Sallisaw

Sallisaw is a city in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,880 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sequoyah County.

It has three highways running through it: U.S. 59, or Kerr Boulevard, U.S. 64, or Cherokee Avenue,which is the city's main street, and I-40. East Cherokee Avenue is a business loop, with Sallisaw's only mall, the Eastgate Shopping Center, originally a Wal-Mart store. Wal-Mart was moved to 1101 W. Ruth Avenue in 2001. The Sallisaw Municipal Airport is located a half mile south of the intersection of I-40 and U.S. 59. In higher education, it features a branch of CASC, based in Poteau. The post office is located at 111 McGee Drive, on the east side of town. The town itself is the largest in Sequoyah County. It is located in the central area of the county, 14 miles from Muldrow, 11 Miles from Vian, and 19 miles from Roland. It is 22 miles from Fort Smith. Aside from the Muskogee and Tahlequah branches, there is a branch of ICTC. The hospital is Sequoyah Memorial Hospital, at 213 Redwood Avenue.

City name

The word Sallisaw was taken from the French word 'salaison' meaning salt provisions. The French, who hunted in the area long before the town was founded, called Sallisaw Creek "Salaiseau" because hunters salted bison meat there.

Geography

Sallisaw is located at 35°27′29″N 94°47′40″W (35.457978, -94.794421). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km²), of which 12.7 square miles (33 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (1.40%) is water.

The city lies within the Green Country region of Oklahoma, known for its rolling green hills.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,989½ people, 3,206 households, and 2,151 families residing in the city. The population density was 629.0 inhabitants per square mile (242.9/km²). There were 3,556 housing units at an average density of 280.0 per square mile (108.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.29% White, 1.35% African American, 20.30% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 8.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.

There were 3,206 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,821, and the median income for a family was $31,572. Males had a median income of $26,793 versus $19,775 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,231. About 18.5% of families and 23.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.6% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Its main schools are Eastside Elementary, Tommie Spear Middle School, and the high school which is located on West Ruth Avenue.

Cultural references

• The Joad family from the Pulitzer Prize -winning novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck were sharecroppers from Sallisaw.
• Brad Paisley mentions Sallisaw in his song I Wish You'd Stay.
• Charlie Daniels mentions Sallisaw in the song "Christmas Time in Dixie."

Notable people

• Pretty Boy Floyd grew up near Sallisaw. His Sallisaw funeral in 1934 attracted 20 thousand and maybe as many as 40 thousand people. As of 2013 it remains the most highly attended funeral in Oklahoma history. Floyd is buried in the Akins Cemetery in the nearby town of Akins.
• Jack C. Montgomery (1917–2002) was a United States Army officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during World War II.
• Robert Reed of Brady Bunch fame lived for a time on Highway 64 east of Sallisaw near the Gans exit.

External links

• City of Sallisaw
• Sallisaw Public Schools Website