Norman, city, seat of Cleveland County, central Oklahoma; incorporated as a city 1891. It is the commercial center of an agricultural, livestock, and oil-producing area. Manufactures include heating and air-conditioning equipment, processed foods, electronics, and health-food supplements. Tinker Air Force Base is nearby. The University of Oklahoma and the U.S. Postal Service National Center for Employee Development are located here. Lake Thunderbird State Park is a nearby recreation center. The community, founded in 1889 during the Oklahoma land rush, is named for its surveyor, Abner E. Norman. Population 68,020 (1980); 80,071 (1990); 95,694 (2000).
