Frederick, Oklahoma

Punching Above its Weight

Where Resilience and Determination Invite Progress

Frederick, Oklahoma might be a small community, but it punches above its weight when it comes to growth and opportunity. With strong roots and bold plans, the city is shaping a future built on innovation and connection, working to create an atmosphere where families, businesses, and visitors can thrive. 

Mayor Kevin Ouellette shares, “I’m not originally from Frederick, but I wanted a place for my kids to grow up. And Frederick was one of those places. It has everything you need, a great school system, and a safe community. You know your neighbors, and everybody is passionate about the community.” 

The Shifts of Time

City Manager, Kyle Davis has seen the city go through decades of change, as the population decreased, from 7,500 in the 1970s, to the 5,000s in the 1980s, to 3,600 residents today. “We’re mostly agriculturally based in our part of the country, and as farm machinery grew and got bigger and bigger, a lack of labor was needed to farm sections of land,” Davis reports. “Of course, as the population declines, you don’t need the buildings or the stores like you did before.”

But Frederick is a community on the rise again. “On the bright side, we are in a unique opportunity that probably hasn’t come along in 40 years,” Davis says, referring to a new hospital currently under development in the city. “It’s going to be the first hospital built anywhere in the United States in the last 50 years that has recently closed and then reopened with a population less than 10,000 people. It was all paid for by grants from the federal government, and the state, to make this $25 million hospital happen.”

 Building for Growth

Frederick is also experiencing a new wave of housing activity. “We’ve had a lot of people move from out of state into our community because they love the down home feeling, they love the security, they love the cost of living in Frederick, which is minimal,” Davis explains. Three developers are working with the city to bring in about 15 new houses within the next year, a scale of development not seen in decades. 

At the same time, local investors have purchased two apartment complexes in need of major upgrades and revitalization. Along with these efforts, the city is working to rebrand itself, rethinking its appeal to new residents. “Until things started to happen, there really wasn’t a need for somebody to invest in housing, but now there is,” asserts Davis. 

Industry, Infrastructure and Opportunity

For a city of its size, Frederick has a strong industrial base, with major expansion underway at its industrial park. A recent $2 million grant is going towards infrastructure upgrades to prepare for future growth. “We have a regional airport out there. That’s where our manufacturing facilities are,” expands Davis. “We have an excess of 300 acres available, and we are in the middle of doing a rehab on the electrical service. We have two big substations, one in town and one at the airport, and we’re fixing to do a major upgrade on that through this grant money. That way we can set ourselves up for an opportunity to bring in some kind of business.” 

The city’s largest employer, Henniges Automotive, is in the midst of a $25 million expansion. With a 40 year legacy in Frederick, the company employs 300 people and plans to add another 50. Ouellette emphasizes the significance of their commitment, noting that many generations of Frederick workers have been employed by Henniges. “They are investing in this facility because their main deal is the employees. The employees here are very proud of their product and what they do. So the labor force that we have here is one that they can count on.”

Another local success story is Granna’s, which employs 35 people and continues to grow. “A hometown boy bought the company and moved part of it here. They prepare dinners for nursing homes, schools, jails, even airlines. They’re frozen and shipped all over the United States,” Davis relays.

Frederick’s utility ownership is an added bonus. The city is part of a group of municipalities that own their own power production facilities. That allows Frederick to sell power at retail, funding full time fire and police services and infrastructure improvements. “We are part of a group of 43 cities that own our own power companies, we own wind power, we own water turbines, electric or gas fired turbines and coal fired turbines,” details Davis. “With those deals we are able to come out of this and start thriving again.”

Infrastructure and Progress

Frederick is also investing heavily in infrastructure. The city is updating its water treatment facility with a new SCADA system, valves, and other upgrades, along with a $1 million project to refurbish the water tower. Grant money is also replacing aging water lines. 

Along with these enhancements an existing 800,000 gallon city pool is being updated to current standards and new waste management solutions are underway. “Like many small towns, the DEQ and EPA closed down our landfill. So we had to go outsource land waste management,” Davis elaborates. “They brought in these 120,000 pound trucks on our streets that were built in the 40s and 50s, and they destroyed our streets.” He says a new $3 million transfer station will be built outside of town, allowing for smaller trucks in city limits, making it possible to repair and maintain the roads. In total, Davis says he has secured about $8 million in grants over the past three years, along with another $40 million in related investments. “We have about a $60 million influx going right now in Frederick,” he remarks.

At the same time, Frederick is turning attention to its downtown corridor. The city and the Chamber of Commerce are partnering on landscape and revitalization projects, making Main Street more inviting for residents and visitors. Ouellette underscores, “We have a drive in Frederick that’s not been done in 30 years.”

Frederick Regional Airport

Another of Frederick’s assets is its regional airport, with a 6,500 foot runway built during World War II. The airport is home to the Airborne Demonstration Team, which trains on original C-47 aircraft to reenact World War II jumps. Twice a year, participants from around the world come to learn and to honor this interesting history. 

Additionally, the airport has ties to global defense. “The majority of the NATO pilots that fly Europe right now were trained at Shepherd Air Force Base. They use Frederick as the auxiliary airfield to train their pilots,” says Ouellette. “They also help to maintain our runway. We’ve got one of the probably most well kept runways of that size here in the state of Oklahoma, and that’s all thanks to the Air Force and the relationship we have with them.”

The airport also offers potential for the local economy, and the city recently built a new $800,000 hangar utilizing grant funding and is looking for an ideal tenant. Ouellette recounts, “A four or five man shop, that’s what we built it for. We’re hoping to find a tenant to bring in a couple more families to the city. Our goal is to bring in about 250 to 350 people a year over the next five years.”

History and Tourism

 Frederick’s unique heritage adds to its appeal, with anecdotes like that of the Abernathy boys, ages five and eight, who rode horses to New York City for Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration. Roosevelt himself gave a speech in Frederick in 1905, pledging that Oklahoma would become a state. “We have what’s called Pioneer Townsite. It has a lot of our old churches, and old barns that we brought in from all over the place,” Davis shares. 

Other local attractions include the Ramona Theatre, a beautifully restored classic venue dating back to 1920. For those looking for an outdoor experience, Frederick is also home to Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area. “Monarch butterflies migrate through there, and Whooping Cranes that are almost extinct,” says Davis. “We have people coming from all over to see that.” 

Sports are another point of pride. The town’s Bomber Bowl stadium is famous across Oklahoma, and home to a longstanding football tradition of excellence. In 1956, Frederick High School became the first integrated team in the nation to win a state championship. “That football team is the only high school football team in the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame,” touts Ouellette. “It is known as ‘the team of legend.’”

Looking Ahead

The city of  Frederick is positioning itself for a sustainable future. With strong schools, low costs, local pride, and major projects underway, the town is ready to welcome growth, while enhancing quality of life for new and existing residents. Mayor Ouellette concludes, “I’m extremely proud of the community as a whole. It’s been a team effort.”

At a Glance

Name: Frederick Oklahoma

What: A thriving city with big things on the horizon

Where: Tillman County, Oklahoma

Website: www.frederickok.org