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The Crossroads of America
Greater Oklahoma City is in the geographic center of North America equidistant from the east and west coasts and major trade partners of Canada and Mexico. The ten county region is at the crossroads of the U.S., sitting at the heart of three major national highways on the NAFTA corridor.
There's a reason Greater Oklahoma City is such a great place for business: Location. The ten county region is positioned within a day's drive of the rapidly-growing south-central region (OK, TX, AR, LA) projected to grow more than 44% during the next 25 years.
Explore the counties and cities of Greater Oklahoma City including major employers and higher education. The ten county region boasts an average commute time of 20 minutes and a skilled workforce over half a million strong.
Data Center
Best Cities for Jobs
Oklahoma City ranked 19th in Forbes.com's Best Cities for Jobs list. Forbes used five equally weighted data points to rank cities: the state's unemployment rate, job growth, income growth, median household income and cost of living.
(January 10, 2008)
Pottawattomie County
Quality of Living
From its earliest beginnings Pottawatomie County has always been considered a strong manufacturing center. Shawnee, the county seat, boasts an international manufacturing base and has continually expanded to meet the needs of those existing manufacturers as well as encouraging new capital investments.
Location
Pottawatomie County is located just south of Oklahoma County and within the Oklahoma City MSA (1.25 million). The current population is 69,000. Located just 28 miles east of Oklahoma City on I-40, Shawnee is a geographically central location, which is accessible by interstate, and by rail, that offers competitively priced and suitable land for development.
Business Advantages
Among this region’s four centers of higher education is a certified Aerospace/Aviation Training Center, one of only four of its kind in the state. Our aviation training facility benefits not only the immediate aerospace needs, but also Tinker AFB, which is located less than twenty minutes to the west. With educational enrollment rates continuing to rise, Shawnee’s diversified and abundant workforce is an additional business attraction attribute.
Pottawatomie County features several outstanding facilities, ranging from the highly acclaimed Unity Regional Medical Center, recently named the primary stroke center for the area, to one of our many diversified manufacturers such as the Shawnee Milling Company, who after over 100 years of food manufacturing, is considered an industry leader. Our regional retail presence garners us the distinction of a trade pull factor of 1.76 %.
The county has two top-ranked institutions of higher education, Oklahoma Baptist University and St. Gregory’s University.
Major communities include: Shawnee, McLoud and Tecumseh. A small portion of Oklahoma City extends into the county.
Unique History
Pottawatomie County has a unique history. It was settled by Seminole, Creek, Citizen Band Pottawatomie, Absentee Shawnee, Kickapoo, and Sac and Fox Indian tribes. It was opened to settlement in the Land Run of September 22, 1891.The county name was changed by vote in 1892 to honor the Pottawatomie Indians and means "people of the place of fire." The county has a strong heritage of agriculture, energy and railroad industries.
Pottawatomie County is a member of the Greater Oklahoma City Partnership. For current comparative information about this county, please click on the menu items in the tool bar on the left.