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Tulsa's Annexations
The Sleeping Giant
During the middle of the 20th Century Tulsa focused on land growth during an annexation boom. During the 1920's Tulsa annexed its way from 7 to 20 square miles and although growth was slowed during the Great Depression, the coming decades would see vast growth. during the 1940's Tulsa added another 6.5 square miles. From 1950 to 1965 the town doubled from 24.04 to 49.93 square miles. 1966, however, would see the largest single annexation in city history.
On Friday, March 18, 1966 the City of Tulsa abandoned the slow and progressive model of expansion and annexed 102.5 square miles in retaliation to the suburb of Sand Springs, Oklahoma. On Thursday the 17th it was made aware that Sand Springs had annexed a 110 square mile fence-line on Monday the 14th in secret, which Mayor James Maxwell of Tulsa called "politically immature, unnecessary, unprovoked and unwarranted" and claimed that they "turned their back on the cooperation in planning" and had "ruptured the ‘green belt’ concept which had been a long‐standing gentlemen’s agreement between Tulsa and the surrounding county towns." Sand Springs' mayor, John Hess, responded that the action was taken due to a break down of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission although he had been quoted earlier saying the annex had been planned for months. Coupled with Tulsa's annexation of virtually all land east and south of town, was that agreements previously made between the two cities were reviewed and Tulsa revoked the agreement to supply emergency water supplies to Sand Springs.
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This move would garnered great criticism which came from other suburbs but also fellow city officials. The annexation would also prove to be a huge burden on the city. Previous standards for any area to be annexed were:
This new area did not meet these minimum requirements at all and would take several years to reconcile and would greatly hinder fire and criminal safety through thinly veiled protection that would be seen well into the 1970's. Needed improvements for public safety was the construction of two new fire stations and the additional hiring of police officers and purchasing of equipment (at the time there were only enough squad cars and officers for one per 20 square miles).
By 1973 the Great Annexation's financial effects were beginning to wain and the city decided to annex another 77 square mile tract of land north of town which would extend the city into Osage and Rogers counties. This time the city would instead annex only the boundary for the expansion as a 70 feet wide strip of land that would prohibit other municipalities from taking the land but would also not require Tulsa to upgrade the lands to "full city services"
Since the 1973 annexation there haven't been any notable annexes by Tulsa however, below is the current corporate limits of the Metropolitan Tulsa Area Planning Commission:
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