Norman, Oklahoma

Norman, Oklahoma
City
Main Street
Flag Seal
Motto:  "Building an Inclusive Community"
Location of Norman in Cleveland County and Oklahoma
Norman Location in Oklahoma Show map of Oklahoma Norman Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 35°13′15″N 97°26′37″W / 35.22083°N 97.44361°W / 35.22083; -97.44361
Country	United States
State	Oklahoma
County	Cleveland
Named for	Abner Ernest Norman
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Mayor	Larry Heikkila[1]
• City manager	Darrel Pyle
Area [2]
• City	189.19 sq mi (490.00 km2)
• Land	178.65 sq mi (462.69 km2)
• Water	10.54 sq mi (27.31 km2)
Elevation [3]	1,125 ft (343 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	128,026
• Rank	U.S.: 216th
• Density	716.64/sq mi (276.70/km2)
• Urban	120,191 (U.S.: 279th)
• Metro	1,425,695 (U.S.: 42nd)
Demonym	Normanite
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central (CST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP codes	73019, 73026, 73069, 73070, 73071, 73072
Area code(s)	405/572
FIPS code	40-52500[4]
GNIS feature ID	2411267[3]
Website	www.normanok.gov

Norman (/ˈnɔːrmən/) is the 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 census.^[5] It is the most populous city and the county seat of Cleveland County and the second-most populous city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area after the state capital, Oklahoma City, 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Norman.

The city was settled during the Land Run of 1889, which opened the former Unassigned Lands of Indian Territory to American pioneer settlement. It was named in honor of Abner Norman, the area's initial land surveyor, and was formally incorporated on May 13, 1891. Norman has prominent higher education and related research industries, as it is home to the University of Oklahoma, the largest university in the state, with nearly 32,000 students. The university is well known for its sporting events by teams under the banner of the nickname "Sooners", with over 85,000 people routinely attending football games. The university is home to several museums, including the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, which contains the largest collection of French Impressionist art ever given to an American university, as well as the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History.

Norman's National Weather Center (NWC) houses a unique collection of university, state, federal, and private-sector organizations that work together to improve the understanding of events related to the Earth's atmosphere. Norman lies within Tornado Alley, a geographic region colloquially known for frequent and intense tornadic activity. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC), a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that delivers forecasts for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and other high-impact hazardous weather in the contiguous United States, is located at the NWC. Additionally, research is conducted at the co-located National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), which operates various experimental weather radars and develops innovative tools, applications, and techniques aimed at improving forecasts and warnings of severe weather.