Attractions

Quartz Mountain Resort	Stockcar Racing	Wichita Wildlife Refuge

Altus is home to Altus Air Force Base.  Altus is one of Oklahoma's fastest-growing, most prosperous and progressive cities.  But at the same time, it is a southwestern city of unique charm and grace, a city of trees, parks and playgrounds.  Altus offers a good family life and some of the finest game lands in the country.

County fairs, rodeos and roundups are all part of the Altusan's life.  Altus offers something for everybody, including theaters, roller skating, bowling, miniature golf, swimming, boating, golfing, baseball, basketball, football, hiking, camping, exploring, rock climbing, back packing and auto racing.

Population
Altus has grown from less than 10,000 in 1950 to more than 22,000 residents today.

 
Percent Distributions of the Population by Race - 2000
In Altus, 72.62% of the population is White, 10.41% is Black or African American, 1.48% is Native American, and the remaining 15.49% is comprised of all other races.

Labor Force
The Jackson County labor force annual average was 12,816 in 2000. Participation rate in the county labor force constitutes 76.18% of males and 52.45% of females. (*See footnote on the last page for more info on labor.)

Climate
The average rainfall approaches 24 inches and the humidity remains relatively low.  The average annual temperature is 63.2 degrees.

General Government
Altus has a Statutory Aldermanic type of government. There is a comprehensive city plan and zoning. The city provides garbage service.

Public Safety
Altus has 32 full-time fire personnel and 48 full-time police officers. The city's fire insurance has a 4 classification while the adjacent area has a 5 classification.

Utility Providers
Utility services are provided primarily by the following carriers:
Electric - Municipal (Okla. Municipal. Power Authority)
Natural Gas - CenterPoint Energy
Telephone - Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.

Water System

Storage Capacity		Daily Consumption	Pressure In Mains	Source	Capacity
Ground: 4,000,000 GPD	Max:	11,000,000 GPD	75 PSI	Steed Lake	16,000,000 GPD
Elevated: 11,500,000 GPD	Min:	3,500,000 GPD	60 PSI	Lake Altus, wells

Sanitation and Sewage Treatment
Altus has an extended air, sewer lagoons system of treatment. The city's sewage treatment system is currently operating at approximately 66% of capacity.

Sewer Treatment Capacity and Load

Express and Motor Freight
There is one motor freight company with a terminal in Altus, and two express carriers. Approximately 10 additional companies serve the city on an as-needed basis. United Parcel Service operates a terminal in Altus, and Federal Express is also available.

Location
Altus is located in the heart of Oklahoma's Great Plains Country and is the county seat of Jackson County.  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.

Air Transportation
Altus has a well maintained municipal airport with a runway length of 5,500 feet with lights. Maintenance and fuel are available as well as charter and freight service. The nearest commercial airport is 52 miles to the east at Lawton. It is a full-service field served by two major commercial airlines.

Water Transportation
The nearest water transportation is the Port of Catoosa. It is 250 miles from Altus 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
Altus is located at the intersection of US 283 and US 62. The nearest interstate highways are both approximately 50 miles from the city: I-40 to the north, and I-44 to the east.

Rail and Bus Availability
Altus has one bus carrier. Rail service is available from Burlington Northern Railroad, which operates at least one local train daily.

Motel and Convention Facilities
Altus has some 600 motel rooms available for the traveler and special groups coming to the area.  Banquet and convention facilities are also available for conferences, meetings, family reunions and community events.  Altus boasts two of the largest and most complete community centers.  The Altus Community Center is located next to the city reservoir.  The center features two meeting room areas which are air conditioned and heated, equipped with electrical outlets, large overhead doors for easy access of large equipment, and two full kitchens.  Contact Parks and Recreation Department at (580) 482-2265 for more information.  The new Jackson County Expo Center located on Todd Lane is a multipurpose facility with 40,0000 square feet of exhibit space.  Approximately 10,000 square feet houses the meeting rooms, kitchen, offices and restrooms.  The balance of the facility is suitable for livestock shows, exhibitions and equestrian events.  Call (580) 482-4220 for reservations.

Housing
Housing in Altus is readily available.  There are several apartment complexes with furnished or unfurnished units, laundromats, clubhouses and pools.  Prices range from $205 to $515 (plus electricity).  All offer special benefits with leases; however, there are some units available for short term rental.  Mobile home parks provide furnished two and three bedroom rentals.  House rental range from $250 to $500 for a two-bedroom house and upwards to $850 for three bedrooms.  There are also a few more expensive larger homes for rent.  Utilities run $100 per month for the average-size rental.  Deposits are usually about $125 for a house and slightly more for a mobile home.  Telephone and TV cable deposits vary.  Houses for sale range from $30,000 to more than $100,000.

Places of Worship
Altus has 25 Protestant churches and 1 Catholic church.

Media
Altus has 1 daily newspaper. There are 7 local radio stations and cable television is available to all residents within Altus.

Tax Structure
Altus's property tax rate is $73.00 per $1,000 assessed value for the year 2000. The fractional assessment percentage for real property is 12.00% and for personal property; 10.00%. The property tax is distributed as follows:

  Bond Indebtedness

  Sales Taxes
The city has a sales tax rate of 3.0%. In addition, the state levies a 4.5% tax rate on sales. Jackson County levies no sales tax.

Commercial Services
Within the city there is at least one machine shop and electric and motor repair service. From the city the nearest tool and die services are 55 miles.

Educational Resources
Altus has 10 primary and secondary schools with over 4,700 students and 305 teachers.

Altus is home to Western Oklahoma State College and Southwest Technology Center. Cameron University is within commuting distance.
There is a public library in Altus with nearly 59,000 volumes on hand.

Telecommunications
Altus is one of 39 cities that will benefit from Southwestern Bell's DSL (digital subscriber line) expansion. Fiber optics is available with two points of presence. There is one central office with digital switching capability. Southwestern Bell is the dial tone provider.

Medical Facilities and Medical Practitioners
Altus is home to Jackson County Memorial Hospital.  JCMH is licensed for 151 Beds, there are 7 clinics in town, 3 nursing homes and 2 assisted living facilities.  There are 33 Medical Doctors, 5 Osteopathic Physicians, 3 chiropractors, 10 dentists and 4 optometrists.

Financial Institutions
Altus has 6 banks with assets totaling more than $1,317,482,000.

Industrial Financing
The Oklahoma Finance Authority (OFA) provides 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. Local financial institutions provide industrial loans individually or jointly. As of May, 2000, Jackson county has $935,000 available for Bond usage.

The city of Altus has passed a 1 cent sales tax for economic development. Approximately $7 million is available to loan, finance or construct plant facilities.

Recreational Facilities
The citizens of Altus have access to a number of recreational facilities. The nearest public access lake or river is 15 miles from Altus, with sailing, swimming, fishing, boating, and skiing.

Major Employers

Other Community Information
Altus is a member of the Oklahoma Main Street Program and is a Project 2000 - Downtown Beautification program participant.
Altus has one certified industrial park, Altus Municipal Industrial Park, with 60 total acres.

Local Development Organization

Altus/Southwest Area Economic Development
T.L. Gramling, Mayor of Altus
Mailing address:
300 E. Commerce
Physical location:
220 E. Commerce
Altus, Oklahoma 73521
Phone: 580-481-2287
Fax: 580-481-2203
e-mail: mayor@cityofaltus.org
Website & URL Address: http://www.lts.aetc.af.mil/area.html

Prepared: August, 1998, Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Research Division - 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.

Jackson County Officials

P.O. Box 515, Altus, Oklahoma  73522
580-482-4070

© 2007, Altus Chamber of Commerce