Alva combines small-town and city living in Woods County
The small town of Alva blends city living with controlled growth in rural northwestern Oklahoma. This Woods County community is home to wheat and cattle farming, as well as oil and gas production. But according to Realtor Brenda Hood of Schuessler Real Estate, a lifelong local, Alva takes a measured approach to expansion. “When the oil booms hit us, we typically don’t expand too much because we know they’re going to burst,” she says. “We have a vision for growth, but we’re pretty careful.” This area is also home to Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Share Medical Center, but according to Hood, agriculture is still king in these parts.
Single-family homes typically sell for under $350,000
Cottages, Craftsmans and ranch-style homes with broad front lawns are common close to downtown, while brick-clad New Traditionals with attached, single-car garages are common closer to the city’s edge. Though working ranches and farms are found on the outskirts, they’re rarely up for sale. “People moving here think they’ll find a diamond in the rough, a little updated farmhouse for cheap. You’re not. We have wealthy farmers, and they’re not giving those up. But the homes in town are nice. They’re built by people who think, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ so they’re not usually updated,” Hood says. Prices start under $100,000 and typically rise to about $320,000.
Woods County is vulnerable to tornadoes, and the Salt Fork Arkansas River is prone to flooding. Summers here are hot, while winters are chilly. “We do get snow, but it doesn’t stick long. We can get several inches in one day, but it’ll be gone by the next,” Hood says.
Alva Public Schools and Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Alva Public Schools serves a little more than 1,000 students and boasts a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio. The system earns a B-plus from Niche and offers controlled interdistrict open enrollment. Students may attend B-rated Washington Early Childhood Center for preschool through first grade, A-minus-rated Longfellow Elementary for second and third and B-plus-rated Lincoln Elementary for fourth and fifth. Older students may go to Alva Middle, which gets a B-plus, and Alva High, which gets a B. The high school offers concurrent enrollment classes at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. NOSU students can choose from more than 40 undergraduate areas of study and six graduate degree programs. The public university also offers a doctoral degree program in nursing practice.
NOSU sports and outdoor recreation at Alva parks
Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Rangers Field, the home of NOSU football, seats 6,000. Tailgating on the hill behind the south end zone, where the tiered parking spaces offer unobstructed views of the field, is an Alva tradition. The annual Northwestern Oklahoma State University Rodeo is held at the nearby Woods County Fairgrounds, which also hosts seasonal events like Summer Fun Nights, with live music, food trucks and more. The nearby Alva Recreation Complex has softball and baseball fields, along with basketball courts, soccer fields and youth football fields. Hatfield Park features an outdoor pool, a playground and baseball diamonds. The public Alva Golf & Country Club has a nine-hole, Floyd Farley-designed golf course and a swimming pool. Salt Fork Event Center, a multi-million-dollar venue, is currently under construction on the east side of town.
Little Sahara State Park, in the small neighboring city of Waynoka, is within about 30 miles of Alva. “It’s one of the wonders of the area, miles and miles of sand just out in the middle of nowhere. People come from all over the country, you see them coming through Alva with their dune buggies, their ATVs,” Hood says.
Shopping, dining and entertainment in downtown Alva
Alva’s town square has entertainment venues like Rialto Cinema, which shows new release films, and Act 1, a community theater. Graceful Arts Gallery & Studios exhibits pieces by artists from Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, and hosts art classes and summer camps. The gallery also sponsors the city’s monthly First Friday Art Walks. Small businesses, banks, boutiques and bazars are scattered around the town square, too. Alva Beer Company is a popular, locally owned craft brewery and pizza joint, around the corner from The Office Bar, a taproom with pool tables and shuffleboard. For groceries, there’s Moore’s Venture Foods on Flynn Street and a Walmart Supercenter on U.S. Route 64.
U.S. Routes 64 and 281 connect to the airport, hospital and more
U.S. Route 64 runs east toward Freedom and west to Ingersoll; U.S. Route 281 heads south toward Little Sahara State Park and north to the Kansas border. Share Medical Center is off Route 281 on the south side of town, within about 3 miles of most homes. Alva Regional Airport is also off Route 281 at the south end of town, not far from the hospital. “They just expanded the runway so jets can take off and land,” Hood says of the city-owned, general aviation airport.
