A town of 18,111, settled in 1872. Nearly 32.2% of it is conserved land.
The 3 things McAlester does most differently from other towns.
1880 · 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps -…6 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 18 places on the National Register.
Be the first to start the conversation.
Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in McAlester. Another town gets a different order.
12 miles of trails across 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chadick Park | — | 12 |
| 2. Lee Park | — | 4 |
The public schools McAlester’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 80% of Oklahoma’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the top.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will Rogers Es | K–2 | 535 | A+ |
| Puterbaugh Upper Elementary | 3–4 | 378 | Not graded |
| McAlester Christian Academy Private | PK–K | 30 | |
| Randy Hughes Middle School | 7–8 | 447 | Not graded |
| Parker Intermediate CTR | 5–6 | 437 | A− |
| McAlester HS | 9–12 | 982 | B+ |
45% of McAlester’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Oklahoma City (4%), Krebs (3%) and Muskogee (3%). Half commute less than 4 miles.
McAlester beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16.
| What stands out | McAlester | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 24.7% | 16.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.4% | 10.3% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 12.4% | 9.6% |
The typical McAlester home is worth about $156,000, up 4.9% in a year, 30% below the Oklahoma typical home.
McAlester reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 78% report less.
McAlester has mild winters and hot summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 93°, a January night drops to 29°.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 47% of U.S. communities.
18 places in McAlester on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in McAlester.
City in Oklahoma, United States
McAlester is a city in and the county seat of Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, McAlester had a population of 18,171. The town gets its name from James Jackson "J. J." McAlester, an early settler and businessman who later became lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. McAlester married Rebecca Burney, the daughter of a full-blood Chickasaw family, which made him a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. McAlester is the home of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, the former site of an "inside the walls" prison rodeo that ESPN's SportsCenter once broadcast. The prison's nickname, Big Mac, was derived from its location in the town. McAlester is home to many of the employees of the McAlester A…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with McAlester.
