Trading-post roots on the Osage cattle trail
The small town of Hominy grew through ranching, oil and deep-rooted Osage Nation culture. Founded in the 1880s as a trading post on the Osage cattle trail, this community of about 3,300 tucked into the hills of Osage County, embraces its heritage. Each June the Hominy American Indian Festival fills Peh-Tse-Moie Park with dance, song and crafts. “It’s a small-town where everyone helps everyone out. Neighbors and local employees are pretty much all on a first name basis,” says Misty Cowan, a local Realtor with Solid Rock Realtors. “Tulsa is less than an hour away when you need a bit more of a busy city atmosphere.” Locals rally around well-regarded schools and stay alert to the occasional water-use advisories that follow creek flooding.
New construction on the north side signals steady growth
Housing spreads along a grid of streets mostly west of State Highway 99, where Colonial-style bungalows mix with classic ranch-style homes. The median sales price sits around $120,500, with older ranch-style houses anchoring the lower end of the market and newer builds on quiet northern cul-de-sacs commanding higher prices of between $200,000 and $250,000. Scattered single-story bungalows provide additional starter options, and vacant tracts leave room for future builds.
Athletics at Hominy High
Local kids can start school at Hominy Elementary, which earns a C from Niche, then continue to the C-rated Hominy Middle School. Hominy High, which received a B-minus, is known for its Hominy Bucks football team, regarded as one of the state's best.
Annual Hominy American Indian Festival celebrates Osage culture
Peh-Tse-Moie Park offers a small playground and serves as the venue for the annual Hominy American Indian Festival, a celebration of Osage culture that fills the grounds with dancing, food and crafts each summer. A few blocks away, the Fred and Addie Drummond Home is an 1890s Victorian residence that run as a state historic site, letting visitors tour period-furnished rooms and picnic under shade trees. The 165-acre Hominy Lake is known for fishing and kayaking. For bigger adventures, Osage Hills State Park lies about 35 miles east and covers some 1,100 wooded acres laced with hiking trails and fishing holes. Skiatook Lake, about 13 miles away, is where clear coves invite boating, swimming and shoreline camping throughout the warmer months.
Nearby casinos and galleries
State Highway 99 and 1st Street serve as Hominy’s shopping and dining backbone. Los Tres Hermanos headlines the food scene with sizzling fajita platters and scratch-made salsa, while the grill inside Osage Casino covers burgers, wings and late-night snacks alongside the slots. A block away, the Cha Tullis Gallery doubles as both an art stop and gift shop, selling Osage-inspired sculptures, prints and jewelry created by its namesake artist. Day-to-day staples come from Family Dollar and Dollar General Market on the west side of town, and larger grocery runs usually mean a 15-minute drive to the Walmart Supercenter in nearby Cleveland.
Flooding and water line upgrades
Hominy lies in a low creek valley, so flooding is a recurring issue. Events in 1986, 1997, and May 2019 sent Hominy Creek over its banks and snapped a 16-inch water main. Quick repairs kept water flowing, but the pipe remains exposed, prompting boil orders and conservation alerts after heavy rain. A FEMA-funded plan to relocate the line and add flood barriers is in the works.
Tulsa less than an hour away
Hominy is about 45 miles from Tulsa via OK-99 and US-60. There’s no fixed-route city bus. Pawhuska Hospital is about 20 miles northwest of Hominy. The Tulsa International Airport handles air travel.
