City of Norman:                                                                          By Emad Alabbad

Norman is situated approximately 20 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City, the state capital. As of 2006, the city was estimated to have 102,827 full-time residents. Norman is the business and employment center of Cleveland County. Also, Norman is a global center of the sciences of meteorology and geology and related research fields (Wikipedia 2008).

 

Occupying a total area of 189.51 sq miles (490.8 km²), Norman is the third largest city in Oklahoma. Over 6% of Norman’s area is water bodies. The racial makeup of the city is 82.36% White, 4.26% African American, 4.45% Native American, 3.49% Asian, and the rest is a mixture of other races (Wikipedia 2008).

As a part of the Bible Belt, the general religious theme of the people of Norman is conservative protestant.

As most parts of Oklahoma, Norman has an unpredictable weather where sunshine, winds, and rain may come together in one day. Each of the four seasons, however, is distinctly present in the year. Norman has hot summers when the temperature degrees may reach up to 115 F with considerable chances of precipitation. In winter, however, temperature degrees may drop as low as 5 F. It’s common to have snow and wintery rain during winter. Nonetheless, the occurrence of tornadoes in the Norman area, and the area around Oklahoma City in general, is not uncommon.

The closest commercial airport to Norman is the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. It is about 20 miles away from Norman. The airport connects OKC to most of the states, whether directly or indirectly.

As of Fall 2007, the population of Saudis living in Norman is estimated around 50 people. The number of Saudi people living in Norman and around Oklahoma City has grown rapidly since Fall of 2005.

 

The University of Oklahoma:

The University of Oklahoma, abbreviated OU, is one of the top schools not only in the state, but in the country as well. OU is a coeducational public research university that was founded in 1890. As of 2006, the number of students enrolled was around 30,000 students. The school offers 152 baccalaureate programs, 160 master’s programs, 75 doctorate programs, and 20 majors at the first professional level. David L. Boren, a former US senator and Oklahoma Governor, has been serving as President of the University of Oklahoma since 1994 (Wikipedia 2008).

OU is known the number one school in the country in the field of metrology and one of the top 5 in petroleum engineering and geosciences.

OU has three campuses: Norman main campus, Health Sciences Center’s main campus in Oklahoma City, and Health Sciences Center’s Secondary campus in Tulsa. OU Norman campus has many green areas and nice spots where many students like to hang out.