Population
Data from the 2000 population census place the Ada population at 15,691. 45% of the population of Pontotoc County reside in Ada.

Labor Force
The Pontotoc County labor force was 17,443 in 2000. Participation rate in the county labor force constitutes 69.76% of males and 48.95% of females.

Climate

General Government
Ada has a City Council-City Manager type of government.  There is a comprehensive city plan and zoning.  The city provides garbage service.

Public Safety
Ada has 32 full-time fire personnel and 32 full-time police officers. The city's fire insurance classification is five,  while the adjacent area has a classification of nine.

Utility Providers
Utility services are provided primarily by the following:

Water System

Sanitation and Sewage Treatment
Ada has a trickling filter-digester type of sewage treatment. The city's sewage treatment system is currently operating at approximately 58% of capacity.

Sewer Treatment Capacity and Load

Express and Motor Freight
Four motor freight companies operate terminals in Ada, including one express carrier. Several other companies serve the city on an as-needed basis.

Distance to Major Cities
The distance from Ada to the following cities is:

Air Transportation
The nearest commercial airport, Will Rogers World Airport, is in southwest Oklahoma City, approximately 84 miles away. This airport is a full service field with 4 runways, the longest having a length of 9,500 feet. There are at least 7 major commercial airlines operating out of Will Rogers. There are also 17 air freight companies in operation.

The Ada Municipal Airport is a transport category airport located two miles from downtown Ada. It serves all of Pontotoc County and the surrounding area. The airport serves the flying public with two runways: the main runway is 6,200 feet by 100 feet (17/35) and the secondary runway is 3,100 feet by 60 feet (12/30):

• AWOS-3 for FAR Part 135 and 121 operators

• Terminal VOR

• Four instrument approaches

• REILS/VASI on Runway 17

• REILS/PAPI-4 on Runway 35

• Jet A and 100LL fuel available

• Routinely serve corporate turboprop and jet aircraft

Water Transportation
The nearest water transportation is the Kerr-McClellan Navigation System. It is 100 miles from Ada and has a channel depth of 9 feet. It is connected via the Arkansas River to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

Road System
Ada is located at the intersection of US 377, State Highway 1, State Highway 3, and State Highway 19. The nearest interstate highways are  Interstate-35, approximately 38 miles to the west, and Interstate-40,  approximately 39 miles to the north.

Rail Availability
Rail service is provided by Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad, which operates at least three local trains daily.

Accommodations
The city has seven motels with 365 rooms. The largest banquet room in Ada seats 1,200 persons.

Housing
Ada has 8,200 dwellings, of which 56.2% are owner-occupied.

Places of Worship
Ada is home to 50 Protestant churches and 1 Catholic church.

Media
Ada has one daily newspaper. There are four local radio stations, one television station. Cable television is available.

Tax Structure
Ada's property tax rate is $75.56 per $1,000 assessed value for the year 1998-99. The fractional assessment percentage for real property and personal property is 12.00% each.   The property tax is distributed as follows:

Bond Indebtedness

Sales Taxes
The city has a sales tax rate of 4%. In addition, the state levies a 4.5% tax rate on sales. Pontotoc County levies no sales tax.

Commercial Services
There are ample commercial services within the city, including machine shops, tool and die services and electric and motor service repair shops.

Educational Resources
Ada has 6 primary and secondary schools with approximately 2,691 students and 162 teachers.

Located at Ada is East Central University—a 4-year institution. Seminole State College, in Seminole, and Murray State College in Tishomingo are both located within 40 miles. The University of Oklahoma in Norman is 65 miles away, while Oklahoma State University in Stillwater is a little over 100 miles distant. Pontotoc Technology Center (formerly Pontotoc Area Vo-Tech) is located in Ada while the Mid-America Area Vo-Tech at Wayne is 38 miles away and the Sulphur Skill Center is only 30 miles. The Gordon Cooper Vo-Tech School is located in Shawnee—55 miles away.

There are two public libraries in Ada with more than 1,000,000 volumes. These are the East Central University Library and the Hugh Warren Memorial Library (City of Ada).

Telecommunications
Ada is one of 39 cities that benefited form Southwestern Bell's DSL (digital subscriber line) expansion.  Fiber optic, DS3 and T1 lines are also available.  East Central University has the ONENET telecommunication system.

Medical Facilities and Medical Practitioners
Ada is home to 3 hospitals with approximately 293 beds. There are 4 nursing homes with more than 375 beds. There are 44 medical doctors, in addition to 2 osteopaths, 1 podiatrist, 3 chiropractors, 13 dentists, and 6 optometrists. There are also two assisted living centers.

Financial Institutions
The Ada area has 7 banks with assets totaling more than $306 million and one credit union with assets totaling more that $6 million.

Industrial Financing
The Oklahoma Finance Authorities (OFA) provide low interest financing through the issuance of general obligation bonds. The loans are established at 300 basis points over cost. In a first mortgage position the loan can be up to $1.25 million. Many Oklahoma counties have voted approval of General Obligation Limited-Tax Bonds for economic development. The amount of bonds the counties can issue is limited to no more than could be retired by a special tax levy of 5 mills. The proceeds of the bonds are generally used to acquire or build a facility associated with the development project. Lease income from the facility is used to amortize the bonds.

Recreational Facilities
The citizens of Ada have access to a number of recreational facilities.

Other Attractions
Ada has a six-screen movie theater. Fishing and hunting opportunities are plentiful. Also located in Ada is the Byrds Mill Spring and the Robert S. Kerr Birthplace. There is an annual AdaFest. The McSwain Theatre offers professional live entertainment along the "Branson" lines and the community theatre, Act II, is very good. There are sporting events of all types related to college and high school athletics.

Business
The employment and establishment data reported in the following table is for Pontotoc County.

Source: Oklahoma County Business Patterns 1999

Major Employers

Other Community Information
Ada is an Oklahoma Main Street city and a Certified City.

Local Development Organization
Ada Area Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 248
Ada, OK 74820
Tel:  580-332-2506
Fax: 580-332-3265