2023
TOWNSHIPS
WHERE WE CALL HOME
IN STEPHENS COUNTY bray-doyle | central high | comanche | duncan | empire | marlow | velma-alma
BRAY-DOYLE
Bray-Doyle , with a population of over 2,000 , sits about 6 miles directly east of Marlow and 18 miles to the northeast of Duncan .
Bray shares the trend of Stephens County with a strong agricultural community for the rural town .
An important institution for the town is the school , home of the Bray-Doyle Donkeys , and their athletic events .
Bray also plays home to its own store and volunteer fire department that also works with Doyle ’ s district .
CENTRAL HIGH
Central High township is a rural community that sits about 16 miles to the northwest of Duncan and has a population over 1,200 .
Many residents are farmers and ranchers , or work in the public school system . Those who work outside the town limits have an average commute of about 30 minutes to their job . The top three most common industries lie within education , health care and agriculture .
Central High also features a strong , spiritual community , with several rural churches in the area .
Most recently , Central High ’ s community established the “ Take a Book , Leave a Book ” Little Free Library in their community . This joins the Central High Lola Johnson Herrera Pavilion and the Broncho Park Walking Track , which were dedicated in 2019 after a two year long process . The community park , which encompasses the same area , has many plans for it , according to Central High Mayor Julie McKinney .
COMANCHE
Comanche , a city located in southern Stephens County , is nicknamed “ The Rodeo Capital of the World .” The city is located 8 miles south of Duncan on U . S . 81 , and has grown from 547 residents in
1900 to a population of over 1,700 .
Chickasaw J . D . Wilson plotted the site for the town in 1892 . Originally , the town was named Tucker for the Tucker Post Office that preceded the creation of the town , but the post office was renamed Comanche as settlers made their way through the area . The first oil well was established in 1918 and within 20 years , 200 wells were producing within an eightmile radius of Comanche .
Agriculture helps provide a foundation for the economy and the city features one of the largest cattle stockyards in southern Oklahoma .
Under the direction of City Manager Chuck Ralls , the city has seen improvement in recent years , including the opening of the Chisholm Trail Trading Post in March 2021 . Located at the old Comanche Motel off Highway 81 , Ralls said the trading post took about a year to complete from conception , and was done with the use of grant funding .