History of El Reno, Oklahoma
El Reno is a city in Canadian County, Oklahoma|Canadian County, Oklahoma in the central part of the state. El Reno, part of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|Oklahoma City Metropolitan Statistical Area, is 25 miles west of downtown Oklahoma City. As of 2005, the city is estimated to have a total population of 16,097. It is the county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma|Canadian County{{GR|6}}.
El Reno is located at the interchange of Interstate 40|I-40 and U.S. Route 81; Redlands Community College is located in El Reno as is Canadian Valley Technology Center, which opened in 1970 and is directly on famed Route 66 (about three miles east of the city). El Reno is also home to a Federal Prison.
Image:El Reno 1891.png|thumb|250px|Panoramic map of El Reno, 1891.
Historic Fort Reno (Oklahoma)|Fort Reno was built in 1874. Today, the grounds of the old fort are home to a research laboratory for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The laboratory studies environmentally sustainable forage and livestock production, contributing to preservation of the great plains of North America.
El Reno is a Main Street community. The Oklahoma Main Street Program is a downtown revitalization program and the El Reno Program won the Great American Main Street Award in 2006.
The town is noted for its annual Fried Onion Burger Day Festival, which is always the 1st Saturday in May. Burger Day is where you can witness the cooking of the world’s largest fried onion hamburger , weighing over 850 pounds. In 2008, El Reno will celebrate the 20th Annual Fried Onion Burger Day.
On April 24, 2006, a rare anti-cyclonic tornado which made national news hit El Reno's municipal airport, causing damage to the hangars and small airplanes.
On the night of May 9, 2007, a tornado ripped through the south and east sides of the city. There was at least 1 injury when the tornado knocked over a semi on I-40.
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