Hobart Demographics
Kiowa County

Population
Data from the 2000 population census place the Hobart population at 3,997. Just over 39% of the population of Kiowa County resides in Hobart.

Area
1970
1980
1990
2000
City
4,638
4,735
4,305
3,997
County
12,532
12,711
11,347
10,227
30 Mile Radius
N/A
N/A
62,500
60,900

Percent Distributions of the Population by Race --2000
In Hobart, 80% of the population is White, 8.2% is Black, 4.4% is Native American, and the remaining 7.43% is comprised of all other races.

Labor Force
The Kiowa County labor force was 4,767 in 2000. Participation rate in the county labor force constitutes 63.27% of males and 45.47% of females. (*See footnote on the last page for more info on labor.)

City Labor Force Factor
Male
Female
Total
Civilian Labor Force (2000)
928
815
1,743
Employed (2000)
894
789
1,683
Unemployed persons within 30 miles (2000)
430
320
750

Climate
The average January temperature in Hobart is 45 degrees Fahrenheit with a July temperature average of 81 degrees. The area receives an average of 25 inches of rain annually and 8 inches of snow. The average number of flying days is 343.

General Government
Hobart has a Statutory Council-Manager type of government. There is a comprehensive city plan and zoning. The city provides garbage service.

Public Safety
Hobart has 5 full-time fire personnel, 14 volunteer fire personnel and 9 full-time police officers plus 2 reserve officers. The city's fire insurance has a 6 classification while the adjacent area has an 8 classification.

Utility Providers
Utility services are provided primarily by the following carriers:

Electric - AEP/PSO
Natural Gas - Oklahoma Natural Gas Co.
Telephone - Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.

Water System
Daily
Pressure
Storage Capacity
Consumption
In Mains
Source
Capacity
Ground: NA GPD Max:
2,000,000 GPD
65 PSI
Foss
4,000,000 GPD
Elevated: 1,500,000 GPD Min:
1,000,000 GPD
50 PSI
Reservoir/Hobart Lake

Sanitation and Sewage Treatment
Hobart has a lagoon system of treatment. The city's sewage treatment system is currently operating at approximately 60% of capacity.

Sewer Treatment Capacity and Load
Measurement
Capacity
Present Load
Gallons per Day
550,000
300,000
Population Equivalent
5,500
4,000

Express and Motor Freight
More than ten motor freight companies serve Hobart on an as-needed basis, including one express carrier which operates a terminal in the city. United Parcel Service is also available.

Distance to Major Cities
Oklahoma is centrally located in the U.S. The distance from Hobart to the following cities is:

City
Miles to
City
Miles to
Atlanta
939
Memphis
574
Chicago
898
New Orleans
741
Dallas
250
New York
1,563
Denver
568
Oklahoma City
114
Detroit
1,126
San Francisco
1,592
Houston
488
St. Louis
613
Kansas City
458
Seattle
1,848
Los Angeles
1,267
Tulsa
228


Air Transportation
Hobart has its own airport featuring an asphalt runway of 5,300 feet, a fixed base operator and lights. Maintenance and fuel are available. The nearest commercial airport is 114 miles from Hobart at Oklahoma City. This airport is a full service field with four runways, the longest having a total runway length of 9,500 feet. There are at least seven major commercial airlines operating out of Will Rogers. There are 17 air freight companies operating there.

Water Transportation
The nearest water transportation is the Port of Catoosa. It is 240 miles from Hobart and has a channel depth of 9 feet. It is connected via the Arkansas River to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Road System
Hobart is located at the intersection of US 183 and SH 9. The nearest interstate highway is I-40, approximately 38 miles to the north.

Rail Availability
Rail service is available from Farmrail which has four sidings and runs through Hobart.

Accommodations
The city has one motel with 35 rooms. The largest banquet room in Hobart seats 350.

Housing
Hobart has 1,979 dwellings; 71.3% are owner-occupied.

Places of Worship
Hobart is home to 22 Protestant churches and 1 Catholic church.

Media
Hobart has one weekly newspaper. There is one local radio station and cable availability.

Tax Structure
Hobart's property tax rate is $81.64 per $1,000 assessed value for the year 2001. The fractional assessment percentage for real property is 11.00% and for personal property, 12.00%. The property tax is distributed as follows:

City
County
School
Vo-Tech
Total
$0.00
$17.23
$52.02
$12.39
$81.64

Bond Indebtedness

School
City
County
$545,000
$1,875,000
$0

Sales Taxes
The city has a sales tax rate of 4.0%. In addition, the state levies a 4.5% tax rate on sales. Kiowa County levies a 0.5% sales tax.

Commercial Services
Within the city there is at least one machine shop and tool and die service. From the city the nearest electric and motor repair services is 35 miles.

Educational Resources
Hobart has 3 primary and secondary schools with approximately 900 students and 70 teachers.

Type
Grades
Facilities
Enrollment
Teachers
Public
K-5
1
430
23
Public
6-8
1
200
24
Public
9-12
1
270
23
Total
3
900
70

Located nearby are Western Oklahoma State Junior College and Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Three vocational education facilities are available. These are Western Technology Center, Caddo-Kiowa Technology Center, and Great Plains Technology Center with a new Western Technology center being constructed in Hobart.

There is a public library in Hobart with nearly 25,000 volumes.

Telecommunications
Hobart has fiber optic telecommunications.

Medical Facilities and Medical Practitioners
Hobart is home to 1 hospital with 50 beds. There are three clinics in Hobart. There are 3 nursing homes with 138 beds. Practicing in the Hobart area are five medical doctors, three dentists, and two optometrists.

Financial Institutions
Hobart has four banks with assets totaling $365,000,000

Industrial Financing
The Oklahoma Finance Authorities (OFA) provide low interest financing through the issuance of general obligation bonds. The loans are established at 300 basis points over cost. In a first mortgage position the loan can be up to $1.25 million. Many Oklahoma counties have voted approval of General Obligation Limited-Tax Bonds for economic development. The amount of bonds the counties can issue is limited to no more than could be retired by a special tax levy of 5 mills. The proceeds of the bonds are generally used to acquire or build a facility associated with the development project. Lease income from the facility is used to amortize the bonds.

Recreational Facilities
The citizens of Hobart have access to a number of recreational facilities.

Tennis
Country
Swimming
Golf
Parks
Courts
Clubs
Pools
Courses
2
2
1
1
1

Other Attractions
Nearby Quartz Mountain Lodge features facilities for camping, horseback riding, water sliding, go-carting, paddle boating, sailing, swimming, boating, skiing, fishing, and miniature golfing.

Business
The employment and establishment data reported in the following table is for Kiowa County. It should be noted that this employment data excludes some types of employment, namely government and railroad employment.

# of
#
Sector
Establishments
Employed
Forestry, Fishing, Hunting & Ag Support
2
0-19
Mining
5
65
Utilities
3
0-19
Construction
9
20-99
Manufacturing
3
250-499
Wholesale Trade
16
114
Retail Trade
45
319
Transportation & Warehousing
7
54
Information
6
24
Finance & Insurance
20
104
Real Estate & Rental & Leasing
6
0-19
Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services
15
0-99
Management of Companies & Enterprises
Admin., Support, Waste Mgt., Remediation Services
3
20-99
Educational Services
1
19
Health Care and Social Assistance
33
817
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
2
0-19
Accommodation & Food Services
19
98
Other Services (except public admin.)
34
99
Unclassified Establishments
4
3
Total
233
2,165
Source: Oklahoma County Business Patterns 2000

Major Employers

Number
Union
Major Employers Product/Service
Employed
Name
Elkview General Hospital Home Health Medical Services
280
CR Industries Oil Seals
265
FLIWU
Hobart Public Schools Education Services
125
Good Samaritan Home & Center Medical Services
82
Kiowa County Government Services
80
Wal-Mart Stores Retail Store
57
City of Hobart Government Services
52
United Super Market Retail Grocery
37
Highland Supply Co. Florist Supplies
37

Other Community Information

Hobart is an Oklahoma Certified City and a Capital Improvements Planning City. Hobart is also a project 2000 - Downtown Beautification program participant. This city has also been selected as one of Oklahoma's 2002 Main Street Communities.

Hobart has the following buildings listed on the National Register for Historic sites:

1) Hobart Public Library--1912
2) "Old City Hall"--1912
3) Kiowa County Court House--1902
4) Kiowa County Historical Museum (Former Rock Island Deport)--1910

Local Development Organization
City of Hobart
Wilt Brown, City Manager / Economic Development Director
P.O. Box 231
Hobart, Oklahoma 73651
Phone: 580-726-3100
Fax: 580-726-4202

* Labor footnote - Labor surveys have been completed in many labor markets throughout Oklahoma. For more information or a copy of the survey for this region, if available, please call our office at 405-815-5262.

Prepared July, 1998, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Research Division. Updated December, 2002 Information Management

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