Grady

Formed November 16, 1907 (41^st county)

Grady County (54,800), Chickasha (16,056)

The governmental features of the 1934 Art Deco courthouse dominate the corner of 4^th and Choctaw streets.  Choctaw is United States Highway 62 and 4^th is United States Highway 81 passing through the city.  Layton, Hicks, and Forsyth designed this masonry and concrete building.  The structure has been enlarged.  It is the only permanent courthouse in Grady County since its November 16, 1907 founding therefore Chickasha has been the only county seat.  It is the 41^st county.  Grady County was named for Henry J. Grady, editor of the Atlanta Constitution.  Chickasha was named for the Chickasaw Native Americans. 

The area of the county is 1101 square miles.  It is 14 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 13 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 49.8 persons per square mile making it 25 out of 77 in the state.  Grady County has 56.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 44 crosses from the northeast, McClain County, to the southwest, Caddo County.  United States Highway 62 enters from McClain County on the east and exits into Caddo County on the west.  United States Highway 81 crosses north to south from Canadian County into Stephens County.  United States Highway 277 is joined with United States Highway 62 from McClain County, splits at Chickasha, and parallels Interstate Highway 44 into Caddo County. 

Grady County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Grady and Caddo counties and a court clerk serves Grady County (judicial.)  The Canadian River forms the majority of the county’s northern border and the Washita River crosses the middle of the county from west to east.  The county center is 4 miles East of Chickasha.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Canadian, Cleveland, McClain, Garvin, Stephens, Comanche, and Caddo counties.  The county is a tall rectangle shape.  Chickasha is slightly west of the county center.  Chickasha is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 29.3% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced CHIK-A-SHAE.  This county is in the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Blanchard