Altus Area Information
Click on the OK State map to see a City of Altus Map
with Altus AFB to the east
and Western OK State College to the northwest
The Location
Altus is located in the heart of Oklahoma's Great Plains Country and is the county
seat of Jackson County. Otherwise we're in the southwest corner of the State of Oklahoma. The
community lies 139 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, the state capital. Access is provided
north to south by U.S. Highway 283 and Oklahoma State Highway 44 and east to west by U.S.
Highway 62.
Our "Crossing the Red" Statue
in front of the County Courthouse.
The Population
Altus has grown from less than 10,000 in 1950 to more than 22,000 residents today.
This includes the military personnel and their family members living on and off
Altus Air Force Base.
The Education
Western Oklahoma State College
2801 N. Main St, Altus, OK 73521
(580) 477-2000
Located on the north edge of Altus, Western Oklahoma State College is a two-year,
comprehensive junior college accredited by the North Central Association. The college has
an enrollment of approximately 2,000 students.
Southwest Area Vo-tech Center
711 W. Tamarack Rd, Altus, OK 73521
(580) 477-2250
The center, located adjacent to Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, provides
high-quality vocational training to area high school students, adults, local business and
industry.
Altus Board of Education Web site
Altus High School
Hightower Park, Altus OK 73521
(580) 481-2167
Home of the Altus Bulldogs and That Altus Band.
Altus Junior High, Altus Middle School, and six Elementary Schools
All can be reached thru the Board of Education,
219 N. Lee, Altus, OK 73521
(580) 481-2100
The Climate
The average rainfall approaches 24 inches and the humidity remains
relatively low. The average annual temperature is 63.2 degrees, some December highs are in
the 70's though. Fairly steady winds blow through the region, with occasionally extremely
gusty days. Currently the local regional weather is available from many different 'net
weather centers, but Check out The Weather Channel's Altus info.
See Altus's Weather (Weather Channel)
Some Culture
The Crossing the Red statue depicts a cattle drover
herding cattle across the Red River which flows just 30 miles south of Altus along the
Oklahoma / Texas border. This area was along the Great Western trail, where millions of
head of cattle were driven from Texas to the Kansas Stockyards and further north. Some of
these cattlemen were the settlers of the area. The Crossing the Red Statue was erected in
front of the County Courthouse to commemorate those early pioneers, cattlemen, and
settlers. Back to the Statue!
Museum of the Western Prairie,
located at 1100 N. Hightower St.
in Altus has many displays of authentic memorabilia from the early settlement days of Altus and the
surrounding area. There are both inside and outside displays to fascinate all visitors.
Nearby Attractions
Quartz Mountain Nature Park,
just 17 miles north of Altus on US Highway 283/State Highway 44!
Beautiful scenery with many attractions! Attractions include Boating, Cabin Rental
Camping, RV Camping, Tent Camping, Fishing, Golfing, Hiking, Mountain Climbing,
Rappelling, Sailing, Swimming, Wind-Surfing and more!
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