Never mind that Altus, population an estimated 18,000, is somewhat isolated in Oklahoma’s southwest corner. And never mind that the city is surrounded by some of the most unusual, albeit hauntingly beautiful, landscape this state can offer. Local leaders attest, with ample evidence, that the quality of life in Altus, the county seat of Jackson County, is better than good – not only for its residents, but for tourists attracted to the Jackson County seat by a smorgasbord of activities throughout the year.
Most events are sponsored by the Altus Chamber of Commerce, Altus Main Street or the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Western Oklahoma State College offers its own slate of attractions, and the Museum of the Western Prairie traces the area’s history. Nearby, the State of Oklahoma’s Quartz Mountain State Park beckons with outdoor recreation and scenery.
Altus Parks and Recreation director Michael Shive says his department’s charge is to enhance life’s richness for residents, while increasing tourism.
“We’re tasked with bringing a better quality of life” to Altus, he says. With an array of offerings nearly every weekend, “people can stay here and enjoy quality events and not have to travel.”
Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jenny Groves put it another way.
People, she says, “usually move here kicking and screaming because they think there’s nothing to do here – but they leave kicking and screaming because there’s something to do all the time.”
Altus is the home of Altus Air Force Base, one of four major military installations in Oklahoma. Established in 1943 as Altus Army Airfield, with a mission of training young pilots, the base has become the United States Air Force’s premier air mobility training location, home to the Air Force’s 97th Air Mobility Wing. According to its website, more than 2,000 U.S. and foreign students are trained at Altus AFB annually.
Major events scheduled in town this fall, Groves says, include the Altus Balloon Festival Nov. 9-10 at the city’s Hangar 36 at the Quartz Mountain Regional Airport, and the Chamber’s annual Christmas Parade, set for Dec. 14. Groves mentions that the parade will include between 60 and 75 floats, with participants joining the parade from all over southwest Oklahoma.
A major event scheduled for April 12-13 of next year is the Altus Air Power Stampede.
“That’s one that everyone looks forward to,” Groves says. “People will line the streets to watch it.”
The giant air show is held every three or four years and draws thousands to the Altus AFB.
Shive says the city recently completed renovation of its aquatic center, and that the downtown Altus Reservoir with its fishing pier and swim beach draws visitors each year. Lynna Wilmes, executive director of Altus Main Street, says the city’s downtown was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018 as part of an effort to refurbish the historic Orient Hotel for senior residents.
“Most of our downtown is over one-hundred years old,” she says.
A few miles north of the city, Quartz Mountain State Park cradles the shores of Lake Altus-Lugert, and offers an array of outdoor activities. Since the 1970s, the park has been home to the Oklahoma Arts Institute’s summer and fall arts programming with a stone amphitheater built for outdoor performances.
