TULSA

city, Osage and Tulsa counties, seat (1907) of Tulsa county, northeastern Oklahoma, U.S., situated on the Arkansas River. It originated in 1836 as a settlement of Creek Indian immigrants who named it for their former town in Alabama. White settlement began after the arrival in 1882 of the St. LouisSan Francisco Railway; the city was incorporated in 1898. The discovery of oil in nearby Red Fork (1901) and Glenn Pool (1905) launched the mid-continent oil and gas boom, and phenomenal growth followed. More than 800 major oil companies now have plants and offices in the city, which is the site of the International Petroleum Exposition. The main economic activity is based on petroleumexploration, drilling, production, refining, and research. The aviation-aerospace industry also is important to Tulsa's economy, which includes a wide range of manufacturing and wholesale distribution activities. The city serves as the commercial and financial centre of a rich agricultural area and is the national headquarters of the U.S. Jaycees. The municipally owned Spavinaw Water System brings clear water from the Ozark foothills, 70 miles (110 km) away. Surrounded by man-made lakes and reservoirs, Tulsa, with the nearby port of Catoosa on the Verdigris River, is the head of navigation for the Arkansas River Navigation System. It thus has access via the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers to the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico and to barge transportation complementing airlines, railroads, and trucklines. The city's cultural institutions include the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art (1949), the University of Tulsa (1894), and Oral Roberts University (1965). Pop. (1990) city, 367,302; Tulsa MSA, 708,954; (1994 est.) city, 374,851; (1995 est.) Tulsa MSA, 746,500.