Oklahoma

With about 3.7 million people, Oklahoma is the 28th most populous state. Although classified as part of the south by the U.S. Census Bureau, it shares little in common with the south historically, having experienced most of its non-Indian settlement after the Civil War and lacking a historical plantation economy. A significant percentage of the state's white settlers did come from the south, either as homesteaders after the 1862 Homestead Act or later during the various land runs of the late 19th century; but in many ways, Oklahoma shares more characteristics with the southwest and midwest, with its agricultural sector geared more toward ranching and wide-open spaces than plantations. For a long time after the discovery of Oklahoma oil pools, Tulsa was known as the Oil Capital of the World, aligning Oklahoma more with neighboring Texas than with the upland south. As with other oil communities around the world, because of the nature of the work involved and the remoteness from other civilizations, Tulsa oil workers developed strong social networks.