Hochatown is on Choctaw Nation land and has been an established community since the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. But the 240-person Oklahoma town shares a ZIP code with Broken Bow, a larger city 10 miles south, and that’s become more than a minor inconvenience.
Dian Jordan, a Hochatown board of trustees member, said the conflation causes everything from ambulances getting sent to the wrong address to tourism dollars getting misdirected.
“You want your own culture and identity,” Jordan said. “Because our culture is obviously very, very different than Broken Bow’s.”
Two pieces of legislation addressing dozens of communities passed the House in July — one unanimously, the other with majority-Republican support. But they’ve stalled in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The holdup? USPS Postmaster General David Steiner estimates the legislation would cost at least $800 million upfront, including $500 million for a new 12-digit ZIP code system.
For Hochatown, it’s about more than mail. ZIP codes affect insurance rates, emergency response, taxation and data collection on economic growth. The standoff reflects broader questions about community identity and whether the Postal Service’s mail-delivery mission should accommodate the many other functions ZIP codes now serve in American life.
Adora Brown has all the details in her story.
More worth reading:
Dual Citizenship Applications Increase
Many Mexican nationals in Oklahoma and across the country are applying for dual citizenship for their U.S.-born children as the Trump administration continues its deportation campaign, igniting fears of family separation. [Tulsa Flyer]
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Launches Foreign Trade Zone
About an hour’s drive outside Oklahoma City is one of the first active foreign trade zones in Indian Country — an economic tool for tribes and companies seeking stability amid fluctuating tariffs. Meet Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Iron Horse Industrial Park. [KOSU]
Derringer Used in Robbery
The single-shot, percussion-style pistols known as derringers have almost certainly not been used in violent crimes since the 19th century in the U.S., but police allege that a robber clad in pajama pants brandished one at a Tulsa liquor store. [The Guardian]
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Cimarron County is the only county in the United States that borders at least five counties from five different states.
Ciao for now,
Ted Streuli
Executive Director, Oklahoma Watch
tstreuli@oklahomawatch.org
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