Roland, Oklahoma

This area was a dispersed rural community in the Cherokee Nation during the 19th century, until 1888, when the Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railway (KAVR) built a railroad line through it. Meanwhile, the formerly-dispersed residents coalesced into a small town called either Garrison or Garrison Creek. A post office was established in the town in 1902, and the town renamed itself as Roland in 1904. The 1910 census recorded 228 residents. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (0.75%)is water. Roland is east of Muldrow and west of Fort Smith. ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Roland had a population of 3,316. The median age was 34.4 years. 27.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88.2 males age 18 and over. There were 1,292 households in Roland, of which 36.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.8% were married-couple households, 20.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,402 housing units, of which 7.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%. 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 2,842 people, 1,055 households, and 815 families in the town. The population density was . There were 1,055 households, out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 17.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.09. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.5% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,015, and the median income for a family was $32,863. Males had a median income of $26,294 versus $19,779 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,410. About 16.9% of families and 20.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over. ==Notable person==

Joshua Wheeler (1975-2015); American soldier killed in Iraq in 2015, born in Roland. ==See also==