El Reno, Oklahoma

Canadian County

40-23700

El Reno is a city and administrative headquarters of the Canadian County in the center of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is located 40 km west of the capital Oklahoma City.

Today El Reno has many historic buildings and is the only city in Oklahoma with a historical tram network in the city center.

History

El Reno was founded by Hobart Johnstone Whitley a land developers, bankers, farmers, and railroad manager. The city was formerly 8 km further north than it is today, on the banks of the North Canadian River. At that time it was called nor Reno City, which many times led to a mixing of the post with that of Reno City, Nevada. After the second total flooding the city moved to its present location and changed the name to " El Reno ". In the north- west, the Fort Reno, founded in 1875, which from 1943 to 1945 as a warehouse for over 1000, mostly German prisoners of war who mainly came from the Africa Corps, served. The site is now used by the Department of Agriculture of the United States. Fort Reno was recorded in 1970 in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP ID: 70,000,529 ).

Population

El Reno has 16,212 inhabitants, spread over 5727 households (as of 2000). In 50 % of households married couples living together. Children under 18 years are in 31.7 %, over 65 years in 12.7 % of households.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Sam Rivers, jazz musician and composer ( b. 1923 )
• Erik Rhodes, actor ( * 1906, † 1990)