Love

Formed November 16, 1907 (50^th county)

Love County (10,146), Marietta (2,831)

The tower of the 1910 Beaux Arts courthouse can be seen from Interstate 35.  It is located five blocks east of United States Highway 77 on Main Street (Oklahoma State Highway 32) between 4^th and 5^th streets.  Walter E. Taylor was the designer of this red brick and concrete structure.  This is the only courthouse the county has had since it was created from Pickens County, Chickasaw Nation, on November 16, 1907 as the 50^th county.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Marietta has always been the county seat.  Love County is named for Overton Love, ruminant judge of the Chickasaw Native American tribe.  Marietta was named by its first postmaster, Jerry C. Washington, for his wife, Mary, and his sister, Etta. 

Love County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Seven District Court Judges serve Love, Carter, Johnston, Marshall and Murray counties.  The county is in the extreme south central part of the state on the border with Texas.  The county center is 9.3 miles Northwest of Marietta.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Carter and Marshall counties and Texas and Jefferson County.  The area of the county is 577 square miles.  It is 69 out of 77 in the state. 

The area of the county is 515 square miles.  It is 73 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 57 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 19.7 persons per square mile making it 44 out of 77 in the state.  Love County has 32.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 35 comes from Carter County, north, and goes into Texas, south.  United States Highway 77 parallels Interstate Highway 35 through the county from Carter County to Texas.  The Red River is the southern border with Texas.  The county has three straight borders on the west, north, and east but the Red River wanders back and forth on the south.  Marietta is in the southeast quarter of the county.  Marietta is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 27.9% of the county population.  The county seat is pronounced MAR-E-ET-TA.  This county is in the Ardmore Micropolitan Statistical Area.