Oklahoma is a state located in the southern Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands regions of the United States, and is part of a region commonly known as the American "Heartland." The Congressional Quarterly and Census report place Oklahoma in the Southern United States. However, because of its location near the geographic center of the United States, Oklahoma is privy to Western, Southwestern, Midwestern, and Southern influences.

The regional influences are readily apparent in the state's largest urban areas, adding to Oklahoma's unique character. Oklahoma City, the state's capital, is more western, southwestern and midwestern in culture compared to Tulsa, the state's second largest city, which has southwestern, midwestern and southern influences. Southern influence and its charm are most notable in southeastern Oklahoma. This part of the state was earlier settled by many Southerners fleeing Union armies during the Post-Civil War era, and is commonly known as Little Dixie.

Oklahoma became the 46th state in the Union in 1907. The state's name comes from the Choctaw words okla meaning people and humma meaning red, literally meaning "red people" and was chosen by Allen Wright, Principal Chief of the Choctaw Nation between 1866 and 1870. It is a state with a colorful history, including its days as a frontier state, it being a destination of recently freed slaves looking for opportunity and equality, and being at the heart of the oil boom in the early 20th Century. Individuals from Oklahoma are known as Oklahomans or "Okies."

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