Oklahoma City the most populous city, as well as the capital of Oklahoma, with an estimated 531,324 residents. The city was founded during the Land Run of 1889, the first of five land runs that formed the state. By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, it was already the commercial hub of the new state. Today the city is home to numerous corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities like Sonic, AT&T, DEVON Energy, COX Enterprises, Express Personnel Services, Dobson Communications, Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company, Tronox, Hobby Lobby, Hertz, The Boeing Company, and Northrop Grumman.
Sadly, Oklahoma City is most famous for being the site of the bombing on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995, which was the largest and most destructive act of terrorism on American soil prior to September 11, 2001. The city and its surrounding areas are also known for their location in America's Tornado Alley.
Oklahoma City is home to several colleges and universities including Oklahoma City University. The University of Oklahoma is one of only four major universities in the nation to have all six medical schools and the OU Medical Center is the nation's largest independent medical center, employing over 12,000 people. Other educational institutions in the area include the University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Christian University, Southern Nazarene University, American Christian College, DeVry University - Oklahoma City Campus, and Metropolitan College.
Landmarks, history, art, and culture can be found in almost every corner of downtown. They include the Crystal Bridge at the Myriad Botanical Gardens, The Oklahoma City Zoological Park, The Omniplex Science Museum in the Kirkpatrick Center, The Oklahoma City National Memorial, The Donald W. Reynolds Visual Arts Center, and the newly renovated art deco Civic Center Music Hall. Oklahoma City also has two amusement parks: Six Flags Frontier City (an "Old West" theme park) and White Water Bay Waterpark. Walking trails line Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser, in the northwest part of the city and downtown at the canal and the Oklahoma River. The city is implementing a new trail system that will be akin to a bicycle freeway system.
