Map of Bristow city, Oklahoma

Bristow is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,222 at the 2010 census, down 2.4 percent from the figure of 4,325 recorded in 2000.

Bristow city overview:
Name:	Bristow city
LSAD Code:	25
LSAD Description:	city (suffix)
State:	Oklahoma
County:	Creek County
Elevation:	810 ft (250 m)
Total Area:	3.53 sq mi (9.15 km²)
Land Area:	3.46 sq mi (8.96 km²)
Water Area:	0.08 sq mi (0.20 km²)
Total Population:	4,248
Population Density:	1,228.46/sq mi (474.34/km²)
ZIP code:	74010
Area code:	539/918
FIPS code:	4008900
GNISfeature ID:	1090502
Website:	www.cityofbristowok.org

Online Interactive Map

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Bristow online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Bristow location map. Where is Bristow city?

Bristow location on the U.S. Map. Where is Bristow city. — Bristow location on the U.S. Map.

Bristow location on the Oklahoma map. Where is Bristow city. — Location of Bristow in Oklahoma.

History

Bristow began in 1898, when the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (“SL&SF”) built a track between Sapulpa and Oklahoma City. The town was named for Joseph L. Bristow, a U.S. senator from Kansas. A post office was established April 25, 1898. By the 1900 census, the population was 626.

Bristow was designated as the county seat for Creek County at statehood when its population was 1,134. However, the county held a special election on August 20, 1908, to decide whether the seat would remain in Bristow or move to Sapulpa, which claimed to be more centrally located. Bristow had a larger population and claimed to have better railroad connections. Sapulpa won the election, but Bristow claimed voting irregularities. The election was voided and a new vote was held November 20, 1912. Again, Sapulpa won the election and the title of county seat.

The local economy depended heavily on cotton. Bristow had seven cotton gins and two cottonseed oil mills in the early 20th century. Other farms in the surrounding area produced corn, peanuts, potatoes and fruit. Oil and gas were discovered in the area around 1915. The discovery led to the construction of three refineries and four pipeline companies by 1930. The Oklahoma-Southwestern Railway built a short line from a connection with the SL&SF at Bristow through the oilfields to Slick in 1920, but declining oilfield production and other factors lead to abandonment of that trackage in 1930. The peak census population was 6,619 in 1930.

Bristow Road Map

Bristow city Satellite Map

Geography

Bristow is located in northern Oklahoma, just south of the geographic center of Creek County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.6 square miles (9.3 km), of which 3.6 square miles (9.2 km) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km), or 1.66%, is water. The geographic coordinates of Bristow are 35°49′51″N 96°23′26″W / 35.83083°N 96.39056°W / 35.83083; -96.39056 (35.830720, -96.390675).

Interstate 44, the Turner Turnpike, passes through the northern part of the city, with access from Exit 196. I-44 leads northeast 20 miles (32 km) to Sapulpa and 33 miles (53 km) to downtown Tulsa, and southwest 76 miles (122 km) to Oklahoma City. Oklahoma State Highway 66, formerly U.S. Route 66, passes through the center of Bristow and generally parallels I-44.