Oklahoma

     Thanks, Alicia, for sharing with us about your home state. 

Welcome to Oklahoma! 

Oklahoma is located in the West South Central United States.  We are the 20th most extensive and the 28th most populated state.  Our capital is Oklahoma City, state flower is the Oklahoma Rose, and state bird is the Scissortail Flycatcher.  The state name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people", although most people know us as the "Sooner State".  We were formed on November 16, 1907 and were the 46th state to enter the union. 

Oklahoma has a history unlike any other state, from Indian heritage to Viking explorers.  Land runs and the oil boom, and the Dust Bowl.  Most people probably don't know that there are 28 sites were military action during the Civil War took place.

We have 4 mountain ranges; Ouachita, Arbuckle, Wichita and Ozark.  And more shoreline than the East and Gulf Coasts combined.  Our highest point is the Black Mesa, at 4,975 feet, and our lowest is the Little River at the Arkansas border at 289 feet.

As one of the most geographically diverse states, Oklahoma is home to 11 distinct ecological regions, more per square mile than any other state.  We have forests, the prairie grasslands, marshlands.  We are home to white-tailed deer, mule deer, antelope, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats and elk.  Quail, doves, cardinals, bald eagles, red-tail hawks, pheasants, bison, prairie chickens, badgers, armadillo and prairie dogs also call Oklahoma home.  The Ouachita Mountains are home to black bear, red fox, grey fox and river otter, while the American Alligator lives in the southeastern part of the state.

We are the third largest producer of natural gas and the fifth largest producer of crude oil.  We have the second greatest number of active drilling rigs and rank fifth in crude oil reserves.  

While we are placed in the South by the Census Bureau, we live fully or partially in the Southwest.  Oklahomans have a high rate of English, Scotch-Irish, German and Native American ancestry, and there are 25 native languages spoken.  The term "Okie" was first used in John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath", which told the story of the Dust Bowl and farmers stricken by it.  We often use it in a positive manner nowadays.

I've lived in Oklahoma most of my and I can honestly say I did not know we had most of these symbols.

State symbols:

·         State bird: Scissor-tailed flycatcher

·         State tree: Eastern Redbud

·         State mammal: American Bison

·         State vegetable: Watermelon

·         State beverage: Milk

·         State fruit: Strawberry

·         State game bird: Wild Turkey

·         State fish: Sand bass

·         State floral emblem: Mistletoe

·         State flower: Oklahoma Rose

·         State wildflower: Indian Blanket (Gaillardia pulchellum)

·         State grass: Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

·         State fossil: Saurophaganax maximus

·         State rock: Rose rock

·         State insect: Honeybee

·         State soil: Port Silt Loam

·         State reptile: Collared Lizard

·         State amphibian: Bullfrog

·         State meal: fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and black-eyed peas.

·         State folk dance: Square Dance

·         State percussive instrument: drum

·         State waltz: Oklahoma Wind

·         State butterfly: Black Swallowtail

·         State song: "Oklahoma!"

·         State language: English

·         State Gospel Song: "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"

·         State rock song: "Do You Realize??" by The Flaming Lips

·         State cartoon character: GUSTY, drawn by late KTUL-TV meteorologist Don Woods

Blessings!

Alicia

Alicia lives with her husband, Lester and children, Aidan and Rori in Oklahoma.  When she's not homeschooling, Alicia enjoys quilting, baking, crafting, reading and scrapbooking.  You can follow their adventures in homeschooling and life in general at Walking In Faith.