Welcome to Poteau ...
The city of Poteau is located in Le Flore County<1> (at the time of its founding, Poteau was located in Indian Territory) and is the County Seat for Le Flore County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Poteau, you might consider that their post office opened in 1887.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Poteau has a population of 8,863 people<2> (see below for details).
Poteau is 520 feet [158 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Poteau lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for Poteau: (918) & (539)<4>
The ZIP code for Poteau: 74953<5>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Poteau had an population of 8,863 people. This is an increase of 4.03% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 11.64% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Poteau had a population of 8,520 people (which is 16.91% of the total population of Le Flore County). This makes Poteau the county's most populous community.
The population of Poteau represents 0.23% of the total population of Oklahoma (which has 3,751,351 people), making it the state's 49th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 8,520 people, the population of Poteau increased 7.32% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 7,939 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Poteau.
Communities near Poteau ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Poteau.
- Pocola
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pocola have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocola
- Pocola is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 4,153 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pocola <7>
- Heavener
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heavener
- Heavener is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,299 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heavener <7>
- Spiro
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spiro have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spiro
- Spiro is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,154 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spiro <7>
- Panama
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panama have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panama
- Panama is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,358 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Panama <7>
- Wister
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wister
- Wister is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,064 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wister <7>
- Hackett
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hackett have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hackett
- Hackett is located in Sebastian County (AR)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 837 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hackett <7>
- Howe
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howe
- Howe is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 788 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Howe <7>
- Rock Island
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Island have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
- Rock Island is located in Le Flore County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 648 people
- Hartford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hartford have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Hartford is located in Sebastian County (AR)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 623 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <7>
- Bonanza
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Poteau. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Poteau.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Poteau. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Poteau.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Poteau. Our list includes 7 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Poteau.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Poteau ...
Looking for more information about Poteau? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Poteau, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Poteau.
Adding Poteau to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Poteau in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Poteau was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<8>
From that list, the Poteau post office opened in 1887.
We also found Poteau on a map titled Rand McNally Map of Oklahoma (1911).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Poteau.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Poteau. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Oklahoma: https://www.ok.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Oklahoma's counties, including Le Flore, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Poteau. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Poteau - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (539) is an overlay for area code (918). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Poteau). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Poteau or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |