Woods

Formed January 1, 1893 (20^th county)

Woods County (8,622), Alva (5,020)

The brick and concrete Modern courthouse of Woods County is located on Flynn and College.  United States Highway 64 is six blocks south of the location.  It was built in 1956 using the designs of Joe E. Mason and Edgar B. Wilson.  Previously a 1904 facility served the county since its founding on January 1, 1893 thus Alva has always been the county seat.  The county was formed as the 20^th county by giving part of its land to Major and Alfalfa counties and getting some land from Woodward County.  The county was originally designated County M.  Woods County is named for the Kansas populist, Sam Wood.  Railroad attorney, Alva Adams, provided his name to the county seat. 

Woods County government consists of a treasurer, a sheriff, an assessor, and a clerk (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Fourteen District Court Judges serve Woods, Alfalfa, Blaine, Dewey, Garfield, Grant, Kingfisher, and Major counties and a court clerk serves Woods County (judicial.)  The county is situated in northwest Oklahoma, northwest of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and southwest of Wichita, Kansas.  Its western and southern borders are the Cimarron River.  The county center is 10.7 miles Southwest of Alva nearer Avard.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Kansas and Alfalfa, Major, Woodward, and Harper counties. 

The area of the county is 1287 square miles.  It is 9 out of 77 in the state.  It ranks 61 out of 77 in population in the state.  It has a density of 6.7 persons per square mile making it 68 out of 77 in the state.  Woods County has 69.8% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 64 crosses from Alfalfa County to Harper County, east to west.  United States Highway 281 goes north to south from Kansas to Major County.  The county is shaped like a fan facing toward the southwest.  Alva is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Alva is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 58.2% of the county population.