Manchester, OK

Manchester is a city located in Oklahoma County, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,898. It is the county seat of Oklahoma County and home to the University of Central Oklahoma.

The city was founded in 1892 by George W. Dealey and named for Manchester, England. The first post office opened in 1893. The city grew rapidly as a result of its location on the Santa Fe Railroad line and became an important commercial center for eastern Oklahoma. In 1907, a fire destroyed much of downtown Manchester, but it was quickly rebuilt with new brick buildings.

In 1921, oil was discovered near Manchester and within a few years the city had become one of the most important oil towns in America. By 1930, there were more than 20 oil refineries operating in and around Manchester. However, the Great Depression soon caused a decline in oil production and many of the refineries closed down. Today only two remain: Marathon Oil Corporation's refinery at south central Manchester (now owned by Phillips 66) and Valero Energy Corporation's refinery east of town at Shawnee (now owned by Chevron).

Despite these challenges, Manchester has continued to grow over the past century-and-a-half as a result of its strong economy diversified across several sectors including education/research (the University of Central Oklahoma), health care ( Oklahoma Baptist Medical Center), retail (including JCPenney stores), manufacturing (including Lear Siegler Inc.), technology companies (such as Intel Corp.), banking/finance (including First National Bank), insurance companies (such as American Family Insurance Company) and restaurants/nightlife venues such as Club Dada or The Abbey Lounge & Grill.. In recent years there has been significant investment in downtown revitalization projects that have helped bring back life to many historic buildings while also creating new jobs and businesses.. These projects include: construction on UCO's new $60 million Student Union; renovation work on City Hall; redevelopment efforts around Broadway Square; development along NE 23rd Street near I-35; construction on an entertainment district just north of downtown called District One; redevelopment work on Main Street near US Highway 75; expansion work at OCU's Health Sciences Campus which includes construction on an $82 million medical school building that will be oneofthelargestinAmerica.;and numerous other smaller projects throughout town..