Okeene, Oklahoma ||| Population 1,090 ||| small town, USA

[@janfeuerborn2707]

Givin’ ya grief: county seat is Wah-TONG-ah (Watonga)…. sounded like you added some letters😂❤️

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks! I feel like I heard someone pronouce it like I did - must have been in a dream haha. :)

[@onrycodger]

Cool😎vid! I'm still watching your looong one, 3 hours. I couldn't watch it all at once but I hope KZbin gives you credit for time watched. I'll be watching more of it today. Merry Christmas!🎄

[@stevehilliard1495]

It looked like it had a lot to offer. The dog seemed to recognize you , he barked “hey coach “ lol🤣. I appreciate the church attendance, a good indicator for the town

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It was a really welcoming town! Thanks!

[@jakecauthorn4731]

Hey we are from there thanks for stopping by and appreciating our town!

[@panhandlingray]

Certified drone operator. Thanks some great shots and cool churches. Thanks In the early 80's that part of Oklahoma and Texas was in a big oil and gas boom. Lots of jobs and lots of fun while it lasted

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I’m glad you liked the shots! Thanks!

[@deborahross9974]

John, this was one great looking small town. The murals were beautiful. I love the one with the bird. As usual I enjoy your drone shots. Happy trails to you and God bless.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! Very impressed with the murals all around town!

[@deborahross9974]

@TravelwithaWiseguy You're welcome. Have a great weekend. Happy trails to you and God bless

[@JenniferAlexander-yd6kj]

WOW! Okeene is a really neat town. They have about anything a person could want, but thankfully, no crazy traffic and noise. The field and track is great and their park is a woweee park. I can tell they are patriotic and very American minded. Soooo cool. Glad you went there.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks! It was a fun day exploring Okeene!

[@janfeuerborn2707]

My next door neighbor and dear friend grew up in Okeene!! I’ll tell her to watch!!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks!

[@CoteCrew6]

This is my hometown - great little town to grow up in! Thanks for the great review and footage!

[@sandiewilliams238]

In Oklahoma, when a small town has more churches than bars, its usually a good place to live. By the way, your pronunciation of Anadarko was correct. There is a town in Caddo County Oklahoma called Anadarko. The name Anadarko comes from the Caddo word Na-da-ko, which means "bumblebee place". The name refers to the Nadaco, a Caddoan tribe that was indigenous to Texas and is now part of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma. My bill for the research will be in the mail. Thank you for using my services! 😉

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Awesome info - much appreciated. Whatever the bill was it’s worth it 😊 Glad I pronouced Anadarko correctly since I got Watonga wrong :)

[@tomzz45]

I think it's for 3 kids to grab, run around, pick up their feet and spin...i love all your videos! If ever in South East Kansas try to check out Oswego, KS. They have a really awesome park and town... thanks!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you very much and I’ll keep Oswego in mind!

[@rkmatt8761]

I truly enjoy your small town back roads videos. I always wonder how life was back in their busy years how many kids would make the entire small town their playground. Stay safe stay healthy

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you! I think the same things!

[@troyjenkins2332]

My Grandma was born in Okeene but moved to Durham KS while still young. I’ve never been there so it was nice to see what it looked like. A large part of the population in that area are descendants of Volga Germans from Russia, who immigrated from Germany to Russia at the invite of Catherine the Great and remained ethnic Germans throughout their time in Russia, keeping the language and traditions from their homeland.

[@ronfullerton3162]

There are so many nice small towns here in the middle part of the country, that I just say a good one is just one of the best. I am just happy that we have them! And it was great to see this one, and it seems to be right up there. Thank for taking us along.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks!

[@ronfullerton3162]

@TravelwithaWiseguy 👍

[@ronetuley]

Okeene annual Rattlesnake Hunt always brings the town to life in April with hundreds of people attending. It's a 5 day advent. Beautiful little town and great people.

[@Erinlogan-t4j]

I absolutely love that mural. Plus seeing some of those people heading inside that quaint and beautiful church. What a great video ❤❤

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I agree! It really brings the town to life!

[@goodfox9250]

I would absolutely love to visit this town to get the feel of Oklahoma.

[@RonaldDailey-z8b]

Very nice indeed. Merry Christmas.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks and Merry Christmas to you too!

[@kd5inm]

Good video Mr. Wise!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thank you kindly!

[@terriquotskuyva4594]

Lot of churches for a small town.i love you always show the high school football field.. but all around looks like an awesome community!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yes it is a very strong community!

[@louiseschultz543]

If you would have hung around main street long enough you would have seen a man & a woman (I think they are both in their 70s) cleaning the street by hand. They're out there most Saturday or Sunday. Also that first death go round you saw is the very first thing my grands run to when they visit. Kids love it. That building on the north east corner at the stop light has been totally redone inside. It's called "The Corner". They have a shop that sells all made in Oklahoma items, mostly made by locals. Books written by locals etc. In the "garage" part they've added a bar & seating with tables for meetings. We just had our family Christmas there & the ones from out of town loved it. If you need more room for meetings they have a larger room for that & an enclosed back part that they use for our Germanfest in September.

[@louiseschultz543]

I forgot to mention that I loved this video. Thank you for it.

[@peterselten500]

Hi john cool old gas station the old buildings are more interesting than the new junk id say its s cool town . Cheers mate🇦🇺

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks, glad you liked the old gas station!

[@roberteshaw9520]

Hey Coach. Good size small town.I like the stick pass zones on the track.... in my day, I don't think so,just a lime mark..... Elevators look like a boss. I like the curved wall building. Good wall art. Place looks sparkling clean out there.......Spin ride has good build quality. The spin potential is up there.S. F. snake finder gravel bed is nice. A S. T. sunny touch warning is good to keep in mind. For a small table unit, Our O.S. comes up with a solid 8.8 rating. The small P. A. parent aided, unit cannot be given a rating at this time, our hands are tied @ this point in time......C. S. cup snapper, coffee cup feature, in a 1 to 4 rating, does get a 4 for safety considerations.....Everything is everything.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yes the zones are a great way to spruce up the look of a track these days! Wonderfully accurate and entering DGR rating this week!

[@thoward4051]

That was a beautiful winter day in NW Oklahoma. It’s a shame they’re not all like that. Thanks Coach!

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Thanks! You’re welcome!

[@robertplumer9487]

I drove through there this morning it looks a lot bigger than 1100 people town. The town I live in has 110 people ish. Talala Oklahoma at the of statehood it was larger than Tulsa.

[@justnerdystuff]

It's a good thing you explained how it got its name because I would have thought it was named after an Irish chap.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

😂😂

[@juliogonzales5441]

THANKS COACH 😊

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Welcome!

[@tinman7130]

Down town, interesting juxtaposition auto parts store next to the funeral parlor. Only in a small town. The park animals are intriguing, a tremendous jungle gym. someone was creative.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

They did a lot of great work there!

[@williammatzek4660]

Disk golf goal!

[@shelleycrisp6960]

Lonnie Boeckman was my second cousin. My Mom was born and raised here. 😊

[@kathyscoppettuolo4203]

Sweet town!

[@glenngore6609]

Come back to Okeene the first weekend in May and you will see the huge Okeene Rattlesnake Hunt, which is Okeene’s great claim to fame. Carnival, snake pit, food, games, all sorts of fun. If you like that sort of thing. Not me! LOL

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

I'll have to look into that 😊

[@rebelliousrebel420]

One of these days we're going to meet up! We've been to all the same places but at different times 😂.. I'm from SW Kansas small town but live in Enid OK now..

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

It's a small world out there!

[@AtriumPrime]

What are some of the qualities of the perfect small town? Offhand I'd say: -Basic Amenities: Grocery, Hardware, Medical, etc -Ways to experience Community: Clubs, Churches, Fraternal, Events,Parks, etc -Opportunities for the Future: Programs, opportunities, schools. environments, employment, etc., to encourage people to invest their lives into the community. -High Quality of Life: Low crime, sense of community, healthier-higher lifespan, etc. -A Community with a Unique Pride in its Appearance: A community that takes pride in its appearance and finds ways to standout from its neighbors. I hate to say it, but many of these communities appear to be dried, empty, scraps of what they once were. In short, these are communities where one could live a fullfilled life today and tomorrow, not just 60-80 years in the past.

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Great post!

[@AtriumPrime]

@@TravelwithaWiseguy Thanks!

[@AtriumPrime]

@@TravelwithaWiseguy Apologies, I know you hearted this message originally. Unfortunately I forgot that when a poster edits their post, it takes off any content creator's heart-like (obviously to protect the creator from liking any future changes)

[@darrellsaunders4267]

Didn't they used to have an annual rattlesnake hunt?

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Yes I believe that’s correct. They had a couple murals with snakes on them too.

[@Bubbles_Luv_BL]

Still do

[@HistoricallyMarked]

Looks like a somewhat non-traditional small town, in a good way. Their mascot is even a whippet, because when a problem comes along....

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Haha yes! Love the mascot name 😊

[@thomasatterberry3516]

Please do Weleetka, ok

[@UMtiger311]

oh god the memories of being burned by death-go-rounds.. these were the type I grew up with

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

😊

[@impalaman9707]

Most German towns are pretty quiet. Well, Blaine and Kingfisher counties, in general, don't make a whole lot of noise compared to the rest of Oklahoma. Just quiet, hard working German folks who keep to themselves and obey the law. The kind of people who made America

[@davidhudson5452]

Merry go round was big and only kinda dangerous

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

😊

[@karrie7102]

I would argue against any of our small towns here in Oklahoma being "great" or "the best" most lack basic amenities, and O'Keene is no different. Not only is there nothing for the kids to do, but just simply shopping for groceries, getting parts for your car, or going out for pizza can't be accomplished within the town's limits. Not to mention how our agriculture has suffered with climate change, no need to mention it as most around here don't believe in science. We have cool buildings but the life has long left this sad little state.

[@robertodebeers2551]

Don't lift the manhole covers.