Editing Oklahoma panhandle (section)

{{Short description|Strip in north-western Oklahoma, U.S.}}
{{redirect|Neutral Strip|the area in Louisiana known as the Sabine Free State or Neutral Strip|Neutral Ground (Louisiana)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox former subdivision
| native_name            = 
| conventional_long_name = Oklahoma panhandle
| common_name            = "Cimarron Strip" or "No-man's Land"
| nation                 = the United States
| subdivision            = [[Territories of the United States#Formerly unorganized territories|Incorporated and unorganized territory]]
| coordinates            = {{Wikidatacoord|Q1414375|region:US-OK|display=inline,title}}
| event_start            = Texas surrenders claim; Panhandle becomes "unattached" territory
| date_start             = 
| year_start             = 1850
| event_end              = Attached to [[Oklahoma Territory]]
| date_end               = 
| year_end               = 1890
| event1                 = First petition for territorial status sent to Congress
| date_event1            = February 1887
| event2                 = Second petition for territorial status sent to Congress
| date_event2            = December 1887
| event_pre              = [[Republic of Texas]] founded; includes Panhandle area
| date_pre               = March 2, 1836|
| p1                     = Texas
| flag_p1                = Flag of Texas.svg
| s1                     = Oklahoma
| flag_s1                = Flag of Oklahoma (1911–1925).svg
| image_map              = Map of Oklahoma highlighting Panhandle.svg
| image_map_caption      = The three counties of the Oklahoma Panhandle|
| capital                = 
| government_type        = Provisional, unelected, unrecognized<ref>Richter, Sara and Tom Lewis. [http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CI005 "Cimarron Territory,"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402172154/http://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=CI005 |date=April 2, 2015 }} ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'', Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed July 1, 2015.</ref>
| title_leader           = 
| leader1                = Owen G. Chase
| year_leader1           = 1886–1887
| title_leader2          = 
| leader2                = 
| year_leader2           = 
| title_deputy           = 
| deputy1                = 
| year_deputy1           = 
| demonym                = 
| today                  = 
}}

The '''Oklahoma panhandle''' (formerly called '''No Man's Land''', the '''Public Land Strip''', the '''Neutral Strip''', or ''' Cimarron Territory''') is a [[Salient (geography)|salient]] in the extreme northwestern region of the U.S. state of [[Oklahoma]]. Its constituent counties are, from west to east, [[Cimarron County, Oklahoma|Cimarron County]], [[Texas County, Oklahoma|Texas County]] and [[Beaver County, Oklahoma|Beaver County]]. As with other salients in the United States, its name comes from the similarity of its shape to the handle of a pan. Its largest city is [[Guymon, Oklahoma|Guymon]] in Texas County. [[Black Mesa State Park]], located in Cimarron County, is the highest point in the state. Other points of interest include [[Beaver Dunes Park]], [[Optima Lake]], and the [[Optima National Wildlife Refuge]]. [[Oklahoma Panhandle State University]] is ten miles away from Guymon.

[[Paleo-Indian]] people settled in the region around 8450 BCE. Native American horticulturists inhabited the region before the European colonists arrived in the 16th century. The area became part of [[New Spain]] with the [[Adams–Onís Treaty]] of 1819, which set the western boundary of the [[Louisiana Purchase]] at the 100th meridian. The outcome of the [[Mexican War of Independence]] made the panhandle a part of Mexico in 1821. The area was part of the [[Texas Republic]] from its formation in 1836 until Texas became part of the United States in 1846, which left the area federal property. The area was incorporated into [[Oklahoma Territory]] and later split into three counties when Oklahoma obtained statehood in 1907.

As of the [[2020 United States census]], the region has a population of 28,729, and Texas County is the only county in Oklahoma to have a plurality of Hispanic residents, which make up 48.1 percent of the county's population.<ref name="Texas County">{{cite web |title=Texas County, Oklahoma |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/texascountyoklahoma |website=Census.gov |publisher=U.S. Bureau of the Census |access-date=April 15, 2023 }}</ref> Its economy is primarily agricultural, and its political elections sway in favor of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]].