Garvin County is in south-central Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 27,576. Its county seat is Pauls Valley. In 1906, delegates to Constitution Convention formed Garvin County from part of the Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. The county was named for Samuel J. Garvin, a local Chickasaw rancher, merchant and banker. Its economy is largely based on farming, ranching and oil production.
History
Garvin County came into existence on November 16, 1907, the day Oklahoma became a state. The territory within the present-day county had been a part of Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation in the Indian Territory. An election held June 20, 1908, resulted in county citizens choosing Pauls Valley as the county seat over the towns of Wynnewood and Elmore City. Oil was discovered in the southwestern part of the county known as Robberson Field in the 1920s. The Golden Trend pool, which ran from the northwest to the southern parts of the county developed later.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county lies between the Red Bed plains and the Sandstone Hills physiographic regions. The main waterways are the Washita River, Rush Creek and Wildhorse Creek.
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,210 people, 10,865 households, and 7,605 families residing in the county. The population densitywas 34 people per square mile. There were 12,641 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 84.93% White, 2.55% Black or African American, 7.36% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.54% from other races, and 3.34% from two or more races. 3.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 10,865 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.40% were married couplesliving together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.80% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $28,070, and the median income for a family was $34,774. Males had a median income of $28,033 versus $18,940 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,856. About 11.40% of families and 15.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.60% of those under age 18 and 14.30% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Economy
While oil and gas production are important to the county economy, agriculture has been the major industry for employment since statehood. In 1907 crops of alfalfa, broomcorn, cotton, onions, potatoes, and hay produced in the county were valued at $2.5 million. By the 1930s over had been planted with paper shelled pecan trees. By 1961 the Lindsay area harvested more broomcorn than any other region in the world, and the county slogan became "We sweep the world."
