New Cordell, Oklahoma
New Cordell is a city of 2,740 people in Washita County, Oklahoma, founded in April 20, 1892.
Why visit New Cordell
Townapedia lists 4 museums and landmarks, 2 parks and trails and 1 attraction in and around town.
Highlights include Washita Theatre, Cordell Carnegie Public Library and New Cordell Courthouse Square Historic District.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 95°F; January lows average 27°F.
Weather in New Cordell
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About New Cordell
New Cordell is a city in and the county seat of Washita County, Oklahoma, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 183. The population was 2,775 at the time of the 2020 Census. The community was previously established a few miles from the current site, but was moved about 1900.
From the Wikipedia article New Cordell, Oklahoma (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Museums and landmarks4
Cordell Carnegie Public Library
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.4 mi
Carnegie library in New Cordell, Oklahoma
New Cordell Courthouse Square Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
New Cordell, OK, listed on the NRHP in Oklahoma
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Washita County Courthouse
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.5 mi
Parks, trails and playgrounds2
Churches and places of worship5
History
Cordell began when H. D. Young opened a general store about 1.5 miles east of the present town, shortly after the Cheyenne and Arapaho lands were opened for non-Indian settlement in 1892. A post office named Cordell was established in the same year in Young's store. In 1897, A. J. Johnson and J. C. Harrell convinced Young to move his store to the present site, where water was more plentiful and of better quality than in Old Cordell. The new location became known as New Cordell. In 1900, Washita County residents voted to move the county seat from the town of Cloud Chief to New Cordell. The move was challenged in the court as illegal, because only the territorial legislature could authorize such an action. In 1904, the Oklahoma Territorial Supreme Court ruled that the county seat must return to Cloud Chief. A Cordell attorney, Sam Massengale, traveled to Washington, where he lobbied for a bill to make Cordell the official county seat. The bill passed the U. S. Congress in 1906.
From the History section of New Cordell, Oklahoma on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Schools, colleges and libraries7
Healthcare1
Map of New Cordell
20 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°F | 27°F | 1.1 in | 1.6 in |
| Feb | 55°F | 30°F | 1.4 in | 1.6 in |
| Mar | 64°F | 39°F | 2.0 in | 0.9 in |
| Apr | 71°F | 47°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 81°F | 57°F | 4.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 90°F | 67°F | 4.3 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 95°F | 71°F | 2.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 95°F | 70°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 85°F | 62°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 74°F | 49°F | 2.7 in | 0.1 in |
| Nov | 61°F | 38°F | 1.6 in | 0.3 in |
| Dec | 51°F | 28°F | 1.2 in | 1.9 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Bessie 4Wnw Mesonet (8 mi away), rain and snow from Cordell, NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Washita County has had 31 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2025-03-18: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2024-04-30: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding (Tornado)
- 2021-02-24: Severe Winter Storms (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2021-02-17: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-12-21: Severe Winter Storm (Severe Ice Storm)
- 2020-04-05: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark (CSM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 13 miles away.
- Dill City 9 mi west, about 14 min by car
- Burns Flat 11 mi west, about 19 min by car
- Corn 13 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
- Sentinel 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Clinton 15 mi north, about 23 min by car
- Weatherford 24 mi northeast, about 38 min by car
- Elk City 26 mi west, about 42 min by car
- Hydro 29 mi northeast, about 46 min by car
- Mangum 41 mi southwest, about 1 h by car
- Altus 48 mi southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Cordell, Okla, Scott Nazelrod, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cordell Carnegie Public Library (22423712423), Jeffrey Beall from Colorado, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Washita County Courthouse, Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0
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