EL RENO

city, seat of Canadian county, central Oklahoma, U.S., on the North Canadian River, immediately west of Oklahoma City. Settled in 1889 when the Rock Island Railroad arrived, the town was named for old Fort Reno (1874; now a livestock experiment station). The opening (1901) of the Kiowa-Apache-Comanche Indian reservation to settlement stimulated development. El Reno is an agricultural processing and shipping centre with diversified industry, including railroad shops and the manufacture of trailers, metal products, and fertilizers. Redlands Community College was opened in 1938. A federal correctional centre, a state game farm, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency and School are nearby. The Canadian County Historical Society maintains a museum of Indian and pioneer artifacts in the city. Inc. 1893. Pop. (1990) 15,414; (1994 est.) 15,799.