Blanchard, Oklahoma is a small city located in the northwestern part of McClain County. It was founded in 1891 by the Canadian Valley Construction Company, which planned to build a railroad. However, the company went bankrupt and the Oklahoma Central Railroad took over and completed the line. Blanchard consists of a grid of streets approximately one square mile in size, situated on top of a gentle hill surrounded by agricultural and development areas within a 4-mile radius. The city center is made up of houses (half of them built before 1960), several churches, and the historic Main Street.
The mall has antique stores, restaurants, municipal services, a center for the elderly and a gym. On the outskirts of the city center are schools, businesses and modern housing subdivisions. These subdivisions tend to be low-density (typically, lots of one to 5 acres (20,000 m²)). The average age is 39.8 years (37.2 in Oklahoma).Blanchard has four high schools with an average enrollment (200) of approximately 1,460 students.
The elementary school is recently built and houses preschool through second grade. There is also a middle school for grades three through five and a high school for grades six through eight. Brady Barnes is the superintendent of Blanchard Public Schools. Blanchard is serviced by the Blanchard Public Library, which is part of the Pioneer Library System that encompasses many of the Oklahoma City suburbs. There are currently two parks in Blanchard, as well as a sports stadium and three nearby golf courses.
Political History
The political history of Blanchard dates back to its founding in 1891 when the Democratic Party was established by local farmers who wanted to promote their interests in local government.This party held power until 1912 when the Republican Party was formed by local businessmen who wanted to promote their interests in local government. The Republican Party held power until 1932 when the Socialist Party was formed by local labor unions. Since 1932, there have been several other political parties that have been formed in Blanchard including the Libertarian Party, Green Party, and Constitution Party. Each of these parties has had varying levels of success in local elections but none have been able to gain enough support to hold power for an extended period of time. Today, Blanchard is still primarily dominated by the Democratic and Republican Parties. However, there are still several other political parties that are active in local politics including the Libertarian Party, Green Party, and Constitution Party.
