1. In 1989, the Weird Al Yankovic cult classic movie was filmed entirely in Tulsa and the surrounding areas. The film stars a few local celebrities and it’s common to run into them on the streets of Tulsa.
Source: YouTube MOVIECLIPS Classic Trailers
2. Bob Wills and his group, The Texas Playboys began performing at Cain’s Ballroom in 1935. The group is largely credited for the creation of Western swing music. Cain’s ballroom is still operational today.
3. According to an old law on the books, it is illegal to bring an elephant into the downtown Tulsa area. So, you might want to rethink your vacation plans this year.
4. Many places claim to be the birthplace of Route 66, but Tulsa wins it. Tulsa businessman Cyrus Avery campaigned in 1927 to create a road linking Chicago to California by establishing the U.S. Highway 66 Association in Tulsa.
5. Ever wonder what it’s like at the center of the universe? Come to Tulsa to find out. The Center Of The Universe in Tulsa makes up a total of about eight feet in diameter of brick.
When you stand in the circle and make a noise, that noise will echo back to you many times louder than the original sound. But those standing outside the circle can’t hear a thing that goes on inside.
6. Because of a state law banning tattoos, it’s been illegal to get a tattoo in Tulsa since 1963. But many tattooists in Tulsa openly practice, some advertising their services as “tattoo removal.”
7. Tulsa is known for having the second shortest commute in the entire country. Score!
8. Garth Brooks might have friends in low places, but not in Tulsa, where he was born in 1962.
9. The BOK Tower is the 2nd tallest building in all of Oklahoma—and the surrounding states of Missouri, New Mexico, Arkansas and Kansas.
10. Tulsa is home to the Tulsa Spotlight Theater which, among other productions, hosts the longest-running-play in America, The Drunkard, every Saturday night.
11. The 1983 cult classic film, "The Outsiders," based on the young adult novel that was set in Tulsa, was actually shot on-site in Tulsa.
12. There’s a mischievous (but friendly) ghost roaming the halls of the McFarlin Library at the University of Tulsa. Hold on to your term papers and books, they might just disappear!
13. Known for its zigzag and streamlined features, the city of Tulsa has one of the nation's largest concentrations of Art Deco architecture.
14. In the early 1900s, the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa flourished with African American businessmen and millionaires who were involved in the oil boom. It became known as the “Black Wall Street.”
15. Tulsa’s annual Linde Oktoberfest celebration was named one of the top in the entire world by USA Today and listed as one of the top German food festivals in the country by Bon Appetit magazine.
16. You’re technically not allowed to open a soda bottle without the supervision of a licensed engineer in Tulsa – a law which is obviously unenforced.
17. The Tulsa State Fair attracts over one million people during its 10 whole days of fun annually.
18. In the 1950s, Tulsa was named America’s Most Beautiful City by Time magazine. Since then, it has been crowned among the most beautiful large cities by Partners For Livable Communities, Forbes magazine, and Relocate America.
19. Ever wonder where Tulsa got its name? Tulsa was originally part of Indian Territory settled by the Lochapoka and Creek tribes in the 1800s. They named their settlement "Tallasi," which means "old town,” and later turned into "Tulsa.”
20. The Kings of the Mountain documentary covers the history of the rivalry between Tulsa high school teams, the Jenks and the Union. The rivalry is so intense, the teams were even listed as one of the NFL Network’s Greatest Football Rivalries.
Source: Youtube user Darren Ingram
21. Tulsa falls almost direct center of Tornado Alley.
22. The Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art features remnants of the Holocaust and Judaism artifacts and is the largest preserved collection of Judaica in the Southwest U.S.
23. The city’s popular Mayfest arts and crafts festival held downtown every year drew in a record 365,000 people during its four-day run in 2012.
24. The University of Tulsa’s men’s basketball program has reached the notable Sweet Sixteen three times, appeared in the Elite Eight in 2000, won the NIT championship in 1981 and 2001 and won the inaugural College Basketball Invitational in 2008.
25. Pop lovers, rejoice! The popular 90s boy band Hanson hail from the great city of Tulsa. Mmm-bop and all that.
26. Tulsa made a splash at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival when Sterlin Harjo featured his critically acclaimed film Four Sheets To The Wind in 2007. The film, which takes place in Tulsa, opens with the line, “Every now and then, good things happen in Oklahoma.”
27. The Tulsa Raceway Park is nationally known for being one of the best raceways in the country for drag racing because of the high quality of the track’s surface.
28. Southern Hills Country Club is not only one of the nation’s highest rated golf courses, it is also one of only two courses that have hosted seven men’s major championship games.
29. Flying cars and time machines? Maybe someday. FDi Magazine ranked Tulsa number eight on its list of the top U.S. cities of the future in 2009.
30. The YIELD sign was first invented in 1950 by Clinton Riggs, a retired
Tulsa police captain. Tulsa was the first city to use the signs to help control traffic.
31. The first transistorized sportfishing sonar device was invented by the late 1950’s by Carl Lowrance and his sons in Tulsa. Today, the local Lowrance Electronics Co. specializes in marine electronics and Global Positioning System devices.
What's your favorite fun fact about Tulsa? Let us know in the comments below!
