Bessie, Oklahoma Explained

Official Name:Bessie, Oklahoma
Settlement Type:Town
Mapsize:250px
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Oklahoma
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Washita
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:1.34
Area Land Km2:1.34
Area Water Km2:0.00
Area Total Sq Mi:0.52
Area Land Sq Mi:0.52
Area Water Sq Mi:0.00
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:182
Population Density Km2:135.70
Population Density Sq Mi:351.35
Timezone:Central (CST)
Utc Offset:-6
Timezone Dst:CDT
Utc Offset Dst:-5
Elevation Ft:1542
Coordinates:35.3856°N -98.9892°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:73622
Area Code:580
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:40-05650[2]
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:2411682

Bessie is a town in Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 181 at the 2010 census, a 4.7 percent decline from 190 in 2000.[3]

History

A post office called Bessie has been in operation since 1903.[4] Some say Bessie was the name of the wife of a railroad official, while others believe the town derives its name from the Blackwell, Enid and Southwestern Railway (BES Line).[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.5sqmi, all land.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 190 people, 87 households, and 56 families residing in the town. The population density was 370.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 95 housing units at an average density of 185.3sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 96.32% White, 2.11% Native American, 0.53% Asian, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.58% of the population.

There were 87 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.6% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 128.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,111, and the median income for a family was $26,806. Males had a median income of $25,938 versus $19,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,110. About 5.5% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ArcGIS REST Services Directory. United States Census Bureau. September 20, 2022.
  2. Web site: U.S. Census website . . January 31, 2008 .
  3. CensusViewer http://censusviewer.com/city/OK/Bessie.
  4. Web site: Washita County . Jim Forte Postal History . November 14, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024701/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=OK&county=Washita . November 17, 2015 .
  5. Web site: Oklahoma's Strangely Named Towns . KWTV . November 14, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20010822212431/http://www.kwtv.com/news/strange/bessie.htm . August 22, 2001 .