Caddo

Formed August 6, 1901 (24^th county)

Caddo County (26,934), Anadarko (5,742)

The Modern appearance to the tan brick courthouse was created in 1958.  It is located one block north of United States Highways 62/281 on the corner of Southwest 2^nd and West Oklahoma streets.  A band stand sits to the front of this structure on the square.  Noftsger-Lawrence and Associates were the designers of the building.  There was a courthouse built in 1902 in Anadarko, the only county seat, since the county was created on August 6, 1901 as the 24^th county.  The building was enlarged in 1968.  Caddo County is named for the Native American word Kaddi, which means “life” or “chief”.  The Native American tribal name “Nadaka” is the source for the county seat’s name. 

Caddo County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Five District Court Judges serve Caddo and Grady counties and a court clerk serves Caddo County (judicial.)  The county is in the southwest part of the state.  Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is northeast and Lawton, Oklahoma is south of the county.  The county center is 5.7 miles Northwest of Anadarko near Washita.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Blaine, Canadian, Grady, Comanche, Kiowa, Washita, and Custer counties. 

The area of the county is 1278 square miles.  It is 10 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 34 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 21.1 persons per square mile making it 41 out of 77 in the state.  Caddo County has 62.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 40 crosses the very top of the county from Canadian County, east, to Custer County, west.  Interstate Highway 44 cuts the southeast tip of the county from Grady County to Comanche County.  United States Highway 62 enters from Grady County on the east and turns southward to exit into Comanche County.  United States Highway 277 parallels Interstate Highway 44 across the southeast tip of the county from Grady County, east, to Comanche County, south.  United States Highway 281 comes in from Canadian County (northeast), joins United States Highway 62 at Anadarko, and exits into Comanche County (south.)  The Canadian River is part of the northern border.  The county is a rectangle with an added “chimney” on the northwest corner.  Anadarko is south and east of the geographical center of this county.  Anadarko is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 21.3% of the county population.  The county is pronounced KAD-DOE.  The county seat is pronounced AN-A-DAR-KOE.

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