The promise of Northwest Oklahoma

Being mayor of Enid has provided valuable insight into the challenges and opportunities facing not just our city, but communities across all of Northwest Oklahoma.

The issues may vary from town to town, but many of the needs are shared: workforce development, infrastructure, housing, economic opportunity and long-term planning. That perspective has made one thing very clear to me, our future will be strongest when we recognize how connected we truly are.

Each month, for the next 12 months, I intend to write a short op-ed why I feel we, Northwest Oklahoma, may be entering a remarkable time and opportunity for growth and prosperity we have not seen for many years. I plan to stay completely non-political and only offer my opinion on how when we work together, celebrate other communities accomplishments, and identify each of our strengths, it becomes much easier for all of us to knock down the door of opportunity.

Northwest Oklahoma’s future is bright because our region is not dependent on just one industry, one employer or one idea. That matters. Communities that build their future around a single economic driver can be left vulnerable when markets shift, technology changes or outside forces create uncertainty. Northwest Oklahoma is different. We have a broader foundation, and that gives us great strength. Energy diversification remains a major part of our economy and will continue to be. Agriculture has long been the backbone of this region and still plays a vital role in feeding our state, our nation and the world.

Aerospace continues to create opportunity through both Vance Air Force Base and Enid Woodring Regional Airport, along with the many people, businesses and support industries connected to them.

Manufacturing, transportation and small business growth all add to that foundation. When you put those strengths together, you see a region with real staying power and meaningful longterm potential. Enid has an important role to play, but so do the surrounding communities that make Northwest Oklahoma what it is. We should not think in terms of competition alone. We should think in terms of partnership, regional strength and shared success. The more we work together across industries and across city limits, the better positioned we will be to grow.

In a speech I recently presented, I referenced a moment from 1911 when Enid made a conscious decision to invest in itself and pursue a future broader than agriculture alone. That effort reflected something important about the mindset of this region. People here understood that honoring the industries that built a community did not mean refusing to grow beyond them. They understood that diversification was not abandonment. It was stewardship. It was a recognition that if a community wanted to remain strong for the next generation, it had to think ahead.

That lesson still matters. When communities work toward something together, the results tend to reach far beyond the original investment. New jobs bring new families. New families support schools, housing, health care, retail and local service businesses. Infrastructure improvements help not just one project, but the next five that follow it. A stronger regional economy creates confidence, and confidence has a way of multiplying itself.

That does require us to think differently. It means seeing ourselves not as isolated towns competing for scraps, but as a connected region with shared interests and complementary strengths. Some communities may be best positioned for industrial growth. Others may be better suited for agricultural innovation, logistics, workforce training or housing expansion. The opportunity is not to make every town the same. The opportunity is to understand how each one contributes to a stronger whole.

The future of Northwest Oklahoma is not limited to one industry because the potential of Northwest Oklahoma is not limited to one idea. Our region is stronger than that, broader than that and more capable than that. If we are willing to think regionally, invest wisely and move forward together, then the future here will not simply be something we hope for, it will be something we build together.

Mason is mayor of Enid.

Columnist

David Mason