Do you ever wonder what comes to mind when non-Oklahomans think of our state? Before I moved to Oklahoma from California, I remember all the things that came to mind when I heard I was moving to a state in the middle of the country. Of course, tornadoes, cowboys and friendly people came to mind, but what other things are we known for? After doing a bit of research and asking around, here are the most common things that come to everyone’s minds when they think of the Sooner state.
- Flat, prairie land
Flickr/Robot Brainz While we do have flat, prairie lands, we also have the most diverse landscape of any state, with everything from swamps and prairies to sand dunes and forests.
But we’ll keep it a secret a bit longer.
Flickr/Jose Joseph
- Oil Boom
Flickr/Jonathan C. Wheeler We are a major producer of oil and at one point, produced the most oil of any state in the country.
- Tornadoes
Flickr/Niccolo Ubalducci Per square mile, Oklahoma has more tornadoes than any other place in the world.
- College Football
Flickr/Bolton With 7 National Football Titles, you can say we are well-known in college football.
- Oklahoma City Bombing
Flickr/Larry An unfortunate day we will always remember in our nation’s history. In memory of those who lost their lives, we now have the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
- Country Music Stars
Flickr/Carlos Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Garth Brooks, and Vince Gill are just a few country music stars Oklahoma has produced.
- Church
Flickr/Frank Boston We are in the Bible Belt…which means we have a church on every corner.
- Cowboys and Cowgirls
Flickr/Eric Bjerke Yes, we do have a lot of them and we are home to The National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
- Native Americans
Flickr/Marion Doss Oklahoma was previously Indian Territory and is now home to over 250,000 American Indians.
- Cattle
Flickr/George Thomas Cattle are the number one agricultural commodity in Oklahoma. This ranks Oklahoma as the number three cattle producing state in the nation.
- Hot and Humid
Flickr/Julian Lim Alright, so maybe not that bad, but we are known for awful summers.
- Rodeos
Flickr/Michael Martin Oklahoma hosts many world renowned rodeo events and competitions all around the state.
- Loud bugs, ugly bugs, scary bugs, poisonous bugs, flesh-eating bugs…you name it, we probably have it.
Flickr/OakleyOriginals
- Friendly People
Flickr/Susan Adams Oklahomans are known for being friendly and kind people.
- Land Rush
Flickr/Serge Melki The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land rush into the Unassigned Lands. Those that entered early gained the title “Sooners.”
- Buffalo and Lightning
Facebook/Michelle Ophus Apparently, Starbucks created an “Oklahoma” mug and this is what they think of us…buffalo (bison) and thunderstorms/lightning.
What else can we add to this list? What do you hear outsiders say about our state?
Flickr/Robot Brainz
While we do have flat, prairie lands, we also have the most diverse landscape of any state, with everything from swamps and prairies to sand dunes and forests.
Flickr/Jose Joseph
Flickr/Jonathan C. Wheeler
We are a major producer of oil and at one point, produced the most oil of any state in the country.
Flickr/Niccolo Ubalducci
Per square mile, Oklahoma has more tornadoes than any other place in the world.
Flickr/Bolton
With 7 National Football Titles, you can say we are well-known in college football.
Flickr/Larry
An unfortunate day we will always remember in our nation’s history. In memory of those who lost their lives, we now have the Oklahoma City National Memorial.
Flickr/Carlos
Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Garth Brooks, and Vince Gill are just a few country music stars Oklahoma has produced.
Flickr/Frank Boston
We are in the Bible Belt…which means we have a church on every corner.
Flickr/Eric Bjerke
Yes, we do have a lot of them and we are home to The National Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Flickr/Marion Doss
Oklahoma was previously Indian Territory and is now home to over 250,000 American Indians.
Flickr/George Thomas
Cattle are the number one agricultural commodity in Oklahoma. This ranks Oklahoma as the number three cattle producing state in the nation.
Flickr/Julian Lim
Alright, so maybe not that bad, but we are known for awful summers.
Flickr/Michael Martin
Oklahoma hosts many world renowned rodeo events and competitions all around the state.
Flickr/OakleyOriginals
Flickr/Susan Adams
Oklahomans are known for being friendly and kind people.
Flickr/Serge Melki
The Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was the first land rush into the Unassigned Lands. Those that entered early gained the title “Sooners.”
Facebook/Michelle Ophus
Apparently, Starbucks created an “Oklahoma” mug and this is what they think of us…buffalo (bison) and thunderstorms/lightning.
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