Pocola is a rural, yet growing town west of Fort Smith
The rural town of Pocola perches just west of the Oklahoma-Arkansas border, within quick commuting distance of Fort Smith. Its name, a Choctaw word meaning “ten,” references Pocola’s proximity to the bigger city. “We’re basically a bedroom community of Fort Smith,” says City Clerk/Treasurer John Limbocker, a Pocola local. Hobby farms and working ranches ramble over the hilly, largely undeveloped terrain. But the town is growing, its housing market closely tied to Fort Smith’s job market. “Pocola is the largest small town in Oklahoma. We’ve got something like 30 square miles of land. It’s big, and we’ve been building houses steadily,” Limbocker says.
Housing development on the rise
Cottages and ranch-style homes here sit on spacious lots, with broad front lawns and long, often gravel driveways. Homesteads and ranches with several acres of cattle grazing fields are common on the outskirts, and pockets of New Traditional homes are popping up here and there. “Choctaw Nation is fixing to build over 150 houses soon,” Limbocker says, referring to the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma’s plans to expand a homeownership program in Pocola.
Dozens of new builds in Hangar Homes, a fly-in residential community attached to Patriot Airpark, are currently under construction. “Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Fort Smith has also just been awarded a contract to train military pilots. It’s bringing about 2,000 jobs to Fort Smith, so there’s a push to build housing here to soak up some of that,” Limbocker says. Prices start under $100,000 and rise to about $575,000. The median hovers close to $300,000.
The Poteau River is prone to flooding, and Le Flore County is vulnerable to tornadoes. Summers here are hot, while winters are chilly with minimal snowfall.
B-minus-rated Pocola Public Schools
Pocola Public Schools serves about 750 students across three schools: Pocola Elementary, Pocola Junior High and Pocola High. The district earns a B-minus from Niche and allows controlled interdistrict open enrollment. Pocola Elementary earns a B from Niche, Pocola Junior High gets a B-minus and Pocola High scores a C-plus. The high school offers dual enrollment classes at Carl Albert State College. CASC’s Poteau campus is about 20 miles away.
Picnics at Pocola’s town park, other outdoor recreation nearby
J.L. Swink Municipal Park has a playground and picnic areas. “It’s a pretty nice, well-used town park. Just about every school passing through Pocola on a field trip stops at our park for a picnic,” Limbocker says. Behind the police station, there’s also a pickleball court. And the town is planning to renovate a building nearby into a community center. “It’s an established building, right between the police department and the fire department. We’re working with Choctaw Nation to refurbish it,” Limbocker says. Public boat access and fishing areas are spaced along the banks of the Arkansas River to the north. New Spiro Lake is also fishing and boating-friendly, and has a wooded hiking trail to Spiro Falls.
The airstrip at Patriot Airpark hosts events like the National STOL Series Championship, a flight competition. The Tri-State Speedway, a high-banked, 3/8-mile dirt racetrack, and the Choctaw Casino & Resort-Pocola are also popular entertainment destinations. The speedway hosts weekly modified and stock car races, as well as sprint car shows. Choctaw Casino holds concerts and foodie events, like chef-led meal experiences.
Limited shopping/dining in Pocola
Small businesses and restaurants are clustered around the corner of Pryor Avenue and State Road 112, known locally as Pocola Boulevard. There’s Ollie’s Lumber Company, next to a strip mall with Sue’s Custom T’s & More Boutique, Simple Simon’s Pizza and Frozen Oasis, a casual bar and restaurant known for live music and wine and paint parties. Tonita’s is a popular Mexican grill nearby. Limbocker recommends The Barn, a casual catfish buffet in the neighboring town of Cameron. “It’s just over the hill from us. Here in Pocola, we don’t have a whole lot of restaurants, but they do in Fort Smith,” he says. The bigger city also has grocery stores, like Harps, Aldi and Walmart Neighborhood Market.
State Road 112, U.S. Route 271 connect around LeFlore County
State Road 112 connects southwest toward Poteau, almost 20 miles away. U.S. Route 271 runs west to Spiro and east across the Arkansas border, where it turns into Interstate 540. Fort Smith Regional Airport, which has daily flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, is within about 15 miles of most homes. Medical facilities in Poteau and Fort Smith, including Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center and Mercy Hospital, are within 25 miles of most homes.
