Altus, Oklahoma
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Altus census division. It lies in ZIP code area 73521. The Survey maps it on the Altus quadrangle. 18,729 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,398 feet above sea level.
On record in Altus
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 8 records
W. C. Baker Houselisted 2005
Elmer and Lela Garnett Houselisted 2011
Jackson County Courthouselisted 1984
Wichita Falls & Northwestern Railroad Passenger Depotlisted 2008- Altus Junior College Librarylisted 2024
- Downtown Altus Historic Districtlisted 2018
- Frazer Cemeterylisted 2011
- Jackson County Courthouse and Jail (Boundary Increase)listed 2008
Population over time
2 figuresAltus fell from 19,813 to 18,729 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19,813 | |
| 2020 | 18,729 | -1,084 (-5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
3 surveys from 9 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1955 USGS Lawton quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1964 USGS Altus quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Altus quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Altus: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown Shale Pit | Clay | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
60 of 279 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Altus in 279 storm reports between 1993 and 2026: 132 hail, 119 thunderstorm wind, 15 flash flood, 8 lightning. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $750,000,000 | Substantial wind damage was reported in Altus. One hundred and seventy-nine homes sustained some kind of damage, with two destroyed, five with major damage, forty-three with minor damage, and one hundred twenty-nine affected. Seventeen businesses were damaged, with two destroyed, four with major damage, and eight with minor damage. One hundred and seventy power poles and numerous trees were blown down. Sixty percent of the town was without power at one point. Roof damage was reported to several buildings. Part of the roof at Altus Junior High caved in. Several buildings on East Broadway had roofs blown off or collapsed. Highway 62 was closed on the east side of town due to debris.. One injury was reported when a semi-truck was blown over injuring the driver. A train car also was overturned on the southeast side of town. No injuries were reported with it. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $6,400,000 | Numerous large tree limbs were downed around town. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| April 2000 | Hail | Altus | $2,600,000 | Baseball size hail (2.75 inches in diameter) caused an estimated 2 million dollars in damage to homes and businesses and 600 thousand dollars to vehicles. |
| May 1999 | Hail | Altus | $800,000 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Altus | $500,000 | no account filed |
| March 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $50,000 | Altus emergency management reported three structures damaged by the strong winds. One mobile home in Headrick was destroyed. One house in Altus sustained roof damage, and a tin roof was torn off a barn on the southwest side of Altus. Monetary damages were estimated for the entire county. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Altus | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Altus | $30,000 | Two vehicles off the road along Highway 171 and 283 due to flooding. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $25,000 | Trailer house blown into the road blocking the road, and a large tree is blown over on Park Lane. |
| August 1997 | Lightning | Altus | $25,000 | Lightning struck and set fire to a small bar. The fire was quickly contained and damage was limited to an estimated $25,000. |
| May 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $20,000 | Power poles downed across the county, time estimated from radar. |
| May 1996 | Lightning | Altus | $20,000 | no account filed |
| April 2016 | Flash Flood | Altus | $15,000 | Numerous cars became stranded and many roads were closed. A storm chaser passing through Altus made this report. |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Altus | $15,000 | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $12,000 | Tree limbs and power lines were blown down. Monetary damages were estimated. |
| June 1996 | Lightning | Altus | $10,500 | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $10,000 | Several power lines and power poles downed. Damage estimated. |
| October 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $10,000 | Mesonet site at Altus recorded a gust to 58 mph. Power lines were blown down in the city, and there was damage to the Atwoods sign. |
| May 2003 | Lightning | Altus | $10,000 | A house was reported damaged by a lightning strike. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $8,000 | no account filed |
| May 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $7,500 | Power poles were downed. |
| October 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $6,000 | Relayed by Altus emergency manager. Minor damage was reported to one hotel roof. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $5,000 | Front bay doors on the fire station in Altus damaged. |
| December 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $4,500 | Five electric poles were blown over and four hangar doors were blown out at the Municipal Airport. Tree branches were reported down over all of the surrounding area. |
| September 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $4,000 | Power lines were downed by winds. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $2,000 | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $1,000 | Social media video showing multiple tree branches blown down and damage to a small outbuilding. Time is radar estimated. |
| June 1997 | Hail | Altus | $1,000 | Hail slightly larger than golf balls broke the windows out of a pickup truck. |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Altus | $500 | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Lightning | Altus | $200 | no account filed |
| September 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $100 | Two inch diameter tree limbs were downed near the intersection of Highway 283 and Highway 5. |
| March 1999 | Lightning | Altus | $100 | Lightning struck a tree, destroying it. |
| June 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $100 | no account filed |
| September 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | $10 | Eight inch diameter tree limbs were downed. |
| April 2026 | Hail | Altus | - | The report was relayed through mPING. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. Intermittent severe (>50-knot) wind gusts during the listed event time, with the peak gust of 58 knots at 0135 LST. A heat burst was likely responsible for this event. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Altus | - | The report was relayed through mPING. |
| May 2024 | Flash Flood | Altus | - | Multiple broadcast media and social media confirmations of roadway flooding in and around the community of Altus. This included along portions of U.S. Highway 62 west of the community. Event time is approximate. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| May 2024 | Hail | Altus | - | MPing report. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Altus | - | MPing report. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Altus | - | MPing report. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Altus | - | MPing report. |
| August 2023 | Hail | Altus | - | Social media report of dime to nickel size hail in south-central Altus. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Altus | - | Altus (ALTU) Mesonet observation. |
| September 2023 | Hail | Altus | - | MPing report. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Altus | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q446314 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1089598. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.


