ABOUT BURNS FLAT

Population
Data from the 2000 population census place the Burns Flat population at 1,782. Approximately, 15.48% of the population of Washita County resides in Burns Flat.

Area	1970	1980	1990	2000
City	988	2,431	1,027	1,782
County	12,141	13,798	11,441	11,508
30 Mile Radius	N/A	N/A	58,200	55,300

Percent Distributions of the Population by Race -2000  
In Burns Flat, 88.6% of the population is White, 1.4% is Black, 3.9% is Native American, and the remaining 6.2% is comprised of all other races.

Labor Force
The Washita County labor force was 4,759 in 2000. Participation rate in the county labor force constitutes 70.05% of males and 46.47% of females. (*See footnote on the last page for more info on labor.)

City Labor Force Factor	Male	Female	Total
Civilian Labor Force (1990)	207	221	491
Employed (1990)	245	215	460
Unemployed persons within 30 miles (2000)	400	320	720

Climate
The average January temperature in Burns Flat is 35 degrees Fahrenheit with a July temperature average of 78 degrees. The area receives an average of 24 inches of rain annually and 10 inches of snow. The average number of flying days is 346.

General Government
Burns Flat has a Board of Trustees type of government. There is a comprehensive city plan and zoning. The city provides water and garbage service.

Public Safety
Burns Flat has 19 full-time fire personnel and 2 reserve officers.  The city's fire insurance has a 5 classification while the adjacent area has a 9 classification.  The city has 3 full-time Police officers, and 2 auxiliary.

Utility Providers
Utility services are provided primarily by the following carriers:
Electric - AEP PSO
Natural Gas - CenterPoint Energy
Telephone - Windstream

Water System

Storage Capacity		Daily Consumption	Pressure In Mains	Source	Capacity
Ground: 1,900,000 GPD	Max:	700,000 GPD	60 PSI	20 Wells	1,500,000 GPD
Elevated: 1,00,000 GPD	Min:	150,000 GPD	55 PSI

Sanitation and Sewage Treatment
Burns Flat has a trickling filter system of treatment. The city's sewage treatment system is currently operating at approximately 20% of capacity.
Sewer Treatment Capacity and Load

Measurement	Capacity	Present Load
Gallons per Day	660,000	130,000
Population Equivalent	5,000	1,500

Express and Motor Freight
At least 10 motor freight companies serve Burns Flat on an as-needed basis. United Parcel Service and two express carriers operate terminals in the city.

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

City	Miles to		City	Miles to
Atlanta	978		Memphis	567
Chicago	880		New Orleans	747
Dallas	258		New York	1,550
Denver	562		Oklahoma City	104
Detroit	1,108		San Francisco	1,549
Houston	494		St. Louis	595
Kansas City	425		Seattle	1,842
Los Angeles	1,219		Tulsa	214

Air Transportation
The nearest commercial airport is 71 miles from Burns Flat at Lawton, Oklahoma. This airport is a full service field with a total runway length of 8,599 feet. American Eagle Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines provide shuttle service to other major airports.

Water Transportation
The nearest water transportation is the Port of Catoosa. It is 220 miles from Burns Flat 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
Burns Flat is located 7 miles south of interstate highway I-40, or 3 miles north of the intersection of SH 44 and SH 152. 

Rail Availability
There is no rail service.

Accommodations
The largest banquet room in Burns Flat seats 500.

Housing
Burns Flat has 989 dwellings; 70.0% are owner-occupied.

Places of Worship
Burns Flat has 5 Protestant churches.

Media
Reception on 40 television channels is available. Cable television service is also available.

Tax Structure
Burns Flat's property tax rate is $68.00 per $1,000 assessed value for the year 2000-2001. The fractional assessment percentage for real property is 11.00% and for personal property; 15.00%. The property tax is distributed as follows:

City	County	School	Other	Total
$0.00	$16.00	$76.24	$10.00	$68.00

Bond Indebtedness

School	City	County
$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Sales Taxes
The city has a sales tax rate of 4.00%. In addition, the state levies a 4.5% tax rate on sales. Washita County levies a 0.625% sales tax.

Commercial Services
From the city the nearest machine shop, electric and motor repair services are 15 miles away.

Educational Resources
Burns Flat has 2 primary and secondary schools with approximately 700 students and 60 teachers.

Type	Grades	Facilities	Enrollment	Teachers
Public	K-8	1	490	29
Public	9-12	1	181	29
Total		2	671	58

Located within 40 miles of Burns Flat is Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Weatherford with a branch campus at Sayre. The Western Technology Center is at Burns Flat.

There is a mobile public library in Burns Flat.

Telecommunications
Telecommunication information on Burns Flat is not available.

Medical Facilities and Medical Practitioners
Practicing in the Burns Flat area is one medical doctor. The nearest hospital to Burns Flat is 14 miles.

Financial Institutions
Burns Flat has 2 banks. One with assets totaling $7,407,000.

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 Burns Flat have access to a number of recreational facilities.

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

Other Attractions
Burns Flat has additional facilities for hunting and flying.

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

Sector	# of Establishments	# Employed
Forestry, Fishing, Hunting & Ag Support	2	0-20
Mining	6	13
Utilities	4	20-99
Construction	23	145
Manufacturing	8	220
Wholesale Trade	14	105
Retail Trade	52	306
Transportation & Warehousing	10	15
Information	8	51
Finance & Insurance	14	94
Real Estate & Rental & Leasing	11	20-99
Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services	13	53
Management of Companies & Enterprises	1	0-20
Admin., Support, Waste Mgt., Remediation Services	5	14
Educational Services	2	20-99
Health Care and Social Assistance	17	340
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
Accommodation & Food Services	12	63
Other Services (except public admin.)	41	117
Auxiliaries
Total	243	1,645
Source: Oklahoma County Business Patterns 1999

Major Employers

Major Employers	Product/Service	Number Employed	Union Name
Burns Flat Public Schools	Education Services	70
Western Technology Center	Vocational Education Services	65
Halliburton Services	Non-Manufacturing Employer	96

Local Development Organization

Chamber of Commerce 
Brian Mooney
P.O. Box 68
Burns Flat, OK 73624-0068
Phone: 580-562-3356

Prepared by Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Information Management. Community infrastructure verified May, 1997. Revised May, 2000. Updated 12/07/01 Information Management

* 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.