Back in 2020 before Covid hit, I remember talking with people about the population of Chickasha. They were concerned that our town had not seen any measurable growth in decades. We had always been around 15-16 thousand in population. I responded that at least we weren’t declining like many rural towns in Oklahoma. As you may remember, the census was done in 2020 and when they were done they reported that our population was 16,059. This number reflects people living in the Chickasha city limits and we all know there are a lot of people that live within a few miles of town that don’t show up in these numbers. One of the things the EDC has done the past few years is track out Trade Area. We define that as people that come to Chickasha at least once a month for 12 consecutive months. We use Placer data to determine this. In 2022 our Trade Area exceeded 89,000 people, but the latest data now shows that we are over 120,000 people coming to Chickasha monthly. This increase reflects how the area between us and OKC has grown, but also reflects the advertising campaign we have in the area reminding people to shop Chickasha. New estimates from the U.S. Census American Community Survey shows that as of July 1, 2024, Chickasha’s population has reached 17,014. This is an increase of almost 1,000 from the 2020 base estimate of 16,059. We finally exceeded that 17,000 number…but only for a short time. We have more housing developments underway and there will be more announced soon. Chickasha is growing! There was a time when there were NO new housing developments happening in Chickasha, but that has changed. Why is Chickasha growing? There are a lot of reasons, but the main one is because everyone is working together to make things better and to attract new business and welcome new neighbors. We hit a milestone of now being over 17,000 in population, that my friends is definitely #TheGoodStuff!

In the coming months, we will be contacting businesses from outside of Oklahoma and recruiting them to expand or relocate to Chickasha Oklahoma. My question to you is “Why”? If you were in Southern California for example, what would make you want to move your business here? How would you describe our Community to someone that’s never been here? So what is a unique value statement? It a short statement that answers the question: “What makes Chickasha different from other places?” If someone from another state likes the idea of moving to this part of the country, why should they consider our town over hundreds of other towns of similar size? I have used the marketing slogan “Eat, Shop & Play in Chickasha.” It’s kind of catchy and it rhymes and all, but does it really set us apart from other places? So how would you describe your town to someone from out of state? What makes Chickasha unique? What do you think someone from a larger metro out of state would notice about our Community. What would stand out? I’m really interested to hear your thoughts. I have some ideas but can’t wait to hear what you all think… We have been recognized as an “All American City,” we have been known as the Horse Trailer Capitol of the World. Recently we had tons of news stories about being home to the World’s largest leg lamp. But we need an “elevator speech.” Something short that describes our town and why someone would move their business and family here. I have some ideas, but I really want to hear yours. Please leave your thoughts in the comments when you read this online or on social media. What do you have to say about Chickasha Oklahoma, one thing I know for sure is that it is the home of #TheGoodStuff.