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Blackwell...A
great
place to
be!
 Blackwell
is located
in north
central
Oklahoma
at the intersection of I-35, State Highway 11, and U.S. 177.
(16 KB) Blackwell is
only 60
miles
south of
Wichita,
110 miles
northwest
of Tulsa,
and 104
miles due
north of
Oklahoma
City. The
city is
strategically
located in
the
midwestern
United
States,
providing
easy
access to
other
cities,
such as:
-
Dallas
-
318
miles
-
St.
Louis
-
454
miles
-
Denver
-
565
miles
-
Kansas
City
-
239
miles
-
Houston
-
560
miles
Population
Data
from the
1990
population
census
place the
Blackwell population
at 7,538. More than
15.69% of
the
population
of Kay
County
resides in
Blackwell.
Transportation
HIGHWAYS:
Interstate
35, U.S.
Highway
177 and
State
Highway 11
intersect at Blackwell.
(16 KB)
MOTOR
FREIGHT:
More than
10 motor
freight
companies
serve
Blackwell
on an
as-needed
basis.
United
Parcel
Service is
also
available.
RAIL:
Rail
service is
provided
by the
Blackwell
&
Northern
Railway
(BNR).
Daily
switching
service is
available
to
industrial
customers.
AIR:
Blackwell's
nearest
non-commercial
airport is
the
Blackwell-Tonkawa
Municipal
Airport,
located
five miles
southwest
of the
City. The
airport
has a
3,500 foot
lighted
runway and
is staffed
24 hours a
day.
A
commercial
airport is
located
near Ponca
City (15
miles).
This
airport is
a full
service
field with
total
runway
length of
6,201
feet. Mesa
Airlines provides
commuter
service,
as well as
daily
flights to
and from
Dallas-Fort
Worth
Airport.
Wichita
Mid-Continent
Airport
(60 miles)
offers
commercial
flights by
American,
Continental,
Delta,
United,
TWA, US
Air,
American
West, and
Northwest
Airlines.
WATER
TRANSPORTATION:
The
nearest
water
transportation
is the
Port of
Catoosa,
127 miles
from
Blackwell
and with a
channel
depth of 9
feet. The
Port is
connected
via the
Arkansas
River to
the
Mississippi
River and
the Gulf
of Mexico.
Tax
Structure
The
measure
for
corporate
income
taxes is
the net
income
derived
from
Oklahoma
property
and
business
applicable
to
business
corporations.
The rate
is 6%. A
credit of
1% on
corporate
income tax
is allowed
for
investment
in
qualified
depreciable
property
placed in
service
before
2003 for
over
$50,000 of
investment,
or a
credit of
$500 is
allowed
for each
new
full-time
employee,
whichever
is
greater.
A
five-year
ad valorem
tax
exemption
exists for
new,
expanded,
or
acquired
(unoccupied
for one
year prior
to
acquisition)
manufacturing
facilities.
Real
estate,
machinery,
and
equipment
used
directly
in the
manufacturing
process
are
eligible.
Blackwell's
property
tax rate
is $97.85
per $1,000
assessed
value for
the year
1998-99.
The
fractional
assessment
percentage
for real
property
is 11%,
and the
percentage
for
personal
property
is 14%.
The
city's
sales tax
rate is
4.0%,
while the
state's
rate is
4.5%.
There is
no county
sales tax.
Major
Industrial
Employers
Click
the linked
text for
a list of Blackwell's major employers:
Climate
Weather
in
Blackwell
is
generally
temperate
with mild
winters.
The
average
January
temperature
is 42
degrees
Fahrenheit,
while it
averages
82 degrees
in
July.The
area
receives
an average
of 30
inches of
rainfall
per year
and 11
inches of
snow. The
average
number of
flying
days is
343.
City
Administration
Blackwell
has a
Commission-Manager
type of
government.
Three city
commissioners
oversee
the
activities
of the
City
Manager,
who
supervises
the city's
20-person
fire
department
and
15-member
police
department.
The city's
fire
insurance
has a 5
classification,
while the
adjacent
area has a
9
classification.
A
comprehensive
city plan
is in
place and
is
administered
by a
full-time
engineering
and code
enforcement
department.
The
city and
county
have no
bond
indebtedness.
The local
school
district
has a
current
bond
indebtedness
of
$2,400,000.
Utilities
Electric
service is
provided
by the
City of
Blackwell,
which
purchases
power from
the
Oklahoma
Municipal
Power
Authority
and
distributes
it
locally.
Natural
gas is
provided
by
CenterPoint
Energy
Arkla
throughout
the city
with a
minimum
one inch
service in
residential
areas and
a major
transmission
pipeline
bordering
the
industrial
area.
Water and
sewer
service
are
provided
by the
City of
Blackwell.
Davis
Sanitation
provides
solid
waste
disposal,
and
Southwestern
Bell
Telephone
Company
provides
telephone
service.
Educational
Facilities
Blackwell
is proud
of its
public
school
system.
Students
continue
to score
among the
highest
percentiles
in
national
tests.
With over
1,700
students,
the
Blackwell
Public
School
system is
composed
of 3
elementary
schools, 1
middle
school,
and 1 high
school.
Total
faculty
exceeds
115. Northern
Oklahoma
College,
offering a
number of
associate
degrees,
is located
nine miles
south of
Blackwell
in
Tonkawa. Oklahoma
State
University
is
an hour's
drive
south,
while Northwestern
Oklahoma
State
University
in Alva is
only 75
miles
west.
Industrial
training
for
secondary
and
post-secondary
students
is
available
at Pioneer
Area
Vo-Tech
School, 15
miles from
Blackwell.
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