Oklahoma

When I think of Oklahoma, the first thing that comes to mind is the musical, which portrays Oklahoma as somewhere that is made up of small dusty towns, farms, cowboys and as somewhere with a hot climate and little rainfall. Oklahoma lies in the southern part of the Great Plains, which means that much of Oklahoma is uninhabitable as these areas are prone to severe weather conditions, such as tornadoes, as it lies in what has come to be known as 'Tornado Alley', with statistics showing that Oklahoma has been struck by two or more tornadoes in one day, more than 25 times throughout its history. Oklahoma has a medium population density- 55 people/sq mile, but the population distribution across the state is fairly uneven, as shown on the map to the left. There are a lot of small towns in Oklahoma that are surrounded by vast grasslands and forests, which is why Oklahoma is also typically associated with farming and agriculture. This is a fairly accurate stereotype for a small percentage of the state, as Oklahoma is actually one of the US' major agricultural producers, along with oil and natural gases, despite a majority of its inhabitants actually living in Oklahoma's cities and major towns. The vast open spaces in Oklahoma make for good farmland and Oklahoma is famous for its production of crops during the winter months, because the wetter weather at these times is ideal for the growth and production of crops such as wheat, corn and peanuts. 





sources: http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/acsbr10-07.pdf, http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=tornadodata-okc