15 Red River Oklahoma Towns Slowly Dying While Lake Texoma Booms

Lake Texoma is booming, and Oklahoma’s biggest cities continue to grow—but along the Oklahoma side of the Red River, many small towns are telling a very different story. In this video, we visit 15 communities whose population peaks often came a century ago. From rerouted railroads and failed oil booms to bank closures, lost county-seat battles, disappearing schools, and highways that shifted traffic elsewhere, these towns did not decline overnight. Follow their stories county by county and census by census, and see how southern Oklahoma’s growth left some Red River communities behind. #Oklahoma #LakeTexoma #RedRiver #OklahomaHistory #SmallTowns #PopulationDecline