Down & Out to be Featured in Southern Living

The roller coaster ride of some small towns makes some guys shy, while others like Elk City, OK pick up the pieces and find new ways to remake their communities. Elk City is a town that is located in western Oklahoma, right along I 40. Marilyn Williams, Head of City License and Permits for Elk City told me, “We are a small city that went from a small farm town, to a town busting at the seams when the oil boom of the late 1970’s hit, to a depressed economy when the boom went bust in the mid 80’s. It took several long years of hard focused work to get Elk City to where it is today. We have been fortunate to have city leaders that have always planned and set goals that focused on what would be best for Elk City."

The city has recently developed an industrial park with access to the interstate and railroad. With Oklahoma’s new Right to Work Law, I think that towns like Elk City are poised for excellent job creation possibilities.

One rather unique “quality of life” feature of Elk City is their preponderance of museums. They opened their first one in 1967 and have grown their museum complex into a tourist attraction right next to their major park. The town features an Old Town Museum; Old Town, Farm & Ranch Museum, National Route 66 Museum, and National Route 66 Transportation Museum. Southern Living Magazine featured the Route 66 Museum in their April, 2005 issue.