Tulsa was founded in the 1830s, when a band of Lochapocka Creeks came from Alabama and arrived at the banks of the Arkansas River. According to Tulsa lore, Chief Archee Yahola presided over a ceremonial rekindling of the tribe’s sacred fire to commemorate a new beginning. Historians have identified a mighty oak as the site of that auspicious ritual, and today, the venerable Council Oak tree just south of downtown stands as a silent tribute to Tulsa’s birth. Tallasi, as the town was known to its Creek founders, evolved into Tulsey and Tulsee, and finally Tulsa. All were derivations of the Creek word connoting, appropriately enough, “town.”  

In 1879, Perryman’s Store was home to the first post office, and on January 10, 1898, Tulsa was incorporated as a town. For much of its early history, Tulsa was known as “the Oil Capital of the World.” Major strikes at the dawn of the twentieth century put Tulsa on the map, and America’s seemingly insatiable appetite for oil kept it there. Tulsa’s population grew from 3,000 people prior to the oil strikes to 7,000 in 1907, the year Oklahoma was admitted into the Union. By the roaring twenties, the city boasted a population of 72,000. 

The petroleum industry remains at the heart of Tulsa’s business community, and the oil dynasties continue to exert a powerful influence on the city’s culture. But Tulsans are no longer held hostage to the price of Oklahoma crude. Since the oil bust of the 1980s, aerospace and telecommunications have taken their place in an increasingly diversified economy. 

3.25 million passengers travel through Tulsa International Airport each year; the daily departure capacity is nearly 6,700 passengers. 

Tulsa’s MSA population (estimated 2005): 887,968; according to the Oklahoma Census Data Center, Tulsa is projected to reach 1 million residents by 2012. 

Tulsa MSA average household income (estimated 2005): $57,390
Tulsa MSA average household income (projected 2010): $65,103 

Tulsa’s population is nearly evenly split male-to-female; according to Tulsa’s MSA population breakdown (estimated 2005), Tulsa is 49.03% male, 50.97% female.

As part of Sister Cities International, an organization begun at the direction of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, Tulsa has eight international sister cities, including:
- Beihai, China
- Celle, Germany
- Kaohsiung City, Taiwan
- San Luis Potosi, Mexico
- Tiberias, Israel
- Utsunomiya, Japan
- Zelenograd, Russia
- Amiens, France

The Sabre worldwide reservation center is located in Tulsa. 

According to the Tulsa Metro Chamber, Tulsa has more convenience stores on street corners than any other city per capita in the U.S. 

Downtown Tulsa is generally home base for any convention or meeting. However, for a city of more than 800,000 people, it’s surprisingly easy to get almost anywhere in the metro area in 20 minutes or less.  

If you’re having trouble figuring out which way is which in downtown Tulsa, go back to your old geography lessons. Years ago, city planners laid out the streets that run north-south in a unique way: using Main Street as the dividing line, streets west of Main are named, alphabetically, for cities west of the Mississippi River. East of Main, the streets run alphabetically as well, and are named for cities east of the Mississippi. 

Tulsa is the 46th largest city in the United States and the 93rd largest city in North America. 

Tulsa serves as the gateway to "Green Country," a popular nickname for northeast Oklahoma that stems from the region's green vegetation and relatively high amount of hills and lakes compared to other parts of the state. This part of Oklahoma contains seven of Oklahoma's 11 ecosystems and more than half of its state parks. 

Tulsa is often described as a beautiful place to live, and as a great place to raise a family. We think they’re right—and encourage you to come find out for yourself. Go to www.VisitTulsa.com to help you find your way to Tulsa. Once you get here, you won’t want to leave!