Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Downtown Guymon 2015

Here is a photo of downtown Guymon, OK just as I was getting ready to head back home to Arkansas on a quiet Sunday morning in late July 2015. Though not obvious in this photo, there was a fair amount of renovation going on downtown that year. Although many communities in the Oklahoma panhandle region have experienced significant population losses in recent years, Guymon has remained stable and even grown a bit. Its largest employer is Seaboard Farms, which helps, as does having Oklahoma Panhandle State University just a few miles down US-54. Quite a few new businesses had sprung up since I had moved away in 2010. Hospitality industry seems to fare pretty well, which makes sense since two major highways (US 54 and US 64/US 412/OK State Highway 3) intersect near the northern portion of the city.

I am planning another trip out that way either in 2019 during the summer or 2020. The route I take brings me through Watonga, Seiling, and Woodward just to the east and south of the panhandle region, and I am always curious to see how these communities are faring. Watonga took quite a hit last decade and never recovered. I may take some photos documenting some of its abandoned structures. I am also hoping to see a still-healthy Guymon and Goodwell.

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