Nowata, OK

Nowata is a city and county seat in northeastern Oklahoma, 51 miles north of Tulsa and 21 miles south of Kansas. The 2020 census counted 3,517 residents. The town sits in the former Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory, and the city is within the Cherokee Nation Reservation today. The first community here was called Metz, after postmaster Fred Metzner; the name changed before the railroad arrived in 1889. The Verdigris River runs along the east side, giving the county-seat grid a clear edge.

Nowata's local importance comes from being the place where county business, health care, and the river corridor meet. At the beginning of the 21st century, the town had 130 businesses and the Jane Phillips Nowata Health Center had 40 beds. Nowata also holds Oklahoma's record low temperature, a detail locals can pull out whenever winter gets serious. The mix is specific: Cherokee Nation history, county-seat duties, a river on the edge, and a cold-weather record in a town built around the railroad.