Oklahoma City was settled on April 22, 1889, when the area known as the “Unassigned Lands” was opened for settlement in an event known as “The Land Run.” William Couch was elected as the city’s first mayor on April 26 of that year. The city grew rapidly, doubling in population between 1890 and 1900. Early leaders in the city’s development included Anton H. Classen, John Wilford Shartel, Henry Overholser, Oscar Ameringer, Jack C. Walton, Angelo C. Scott, and James W. Maney.
By the time Oklahoma was admitted to the Union in 1907, Oklahoma City had surpassed Guthrie, the territorial capital, as the new state’s population center and commercial hub. Soon after, the capital was moved from Guthrie to Oklahoma City. Before World War II, Oklahoma City developed significant stockyards, attracting jobs and revenue formerly in Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska. The discovery of oil within the city limits in 1928, including under the State Capitol, established Oklahoma City as a major center of oil production.
Post-war growth accompanied the construction of the Interstate Highway System, which made Oklahoma City a major interchange as the convergence of I-35, I-40, and I-44. This was aided by federal development of Tinker Air Force Base, following lobbying efforts by the director of the Chamber of Commerce, Stanley Draper. In 1959, the city government launched a “Great Annexation Drive” that expanded the city’s area to 475.55 square miles by 1961, making it the largest U.S. city by land mass at the time. In 1971, Patience Latting was elected Mayor, becoming the city's first female mayor and the first woman to serve as mayor of a U.S. city with over 350,000 residents.
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, destroying the building and killing 168 people, making it the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history. The site of the Murrah Building was later commemorated as the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, which has been visited by over three million people since its opening in 2000. In 2012, Devon Energy completed the construction of the Devon Energy Center, which became the tallest building in Oklahoma City and the state of Oklahoma, reaching 844 feet. Mayor Mick Cornett stated at the building’s opening ceremony, “The visual impact it has on the city is so striking and so identifiable.”
Oklahoma City hosted the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association for the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons following Hurricane Katrina. The city will also host canoe slalom and softball events during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
In 2024, Florence's Restaurant was named one of America's Classics by the James Beard Foundation, the first James Beard award for an Oklahoma entity. The Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA championship in 2025, defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games.
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