Sayre offers small-town charm and competitive prices on Route 66
Overlooking a stretch of the former U.S. Route 66, the small city of Sayre has the energy of a tourist destination and the charm of a historic, rural town. Visitors are drawn to the museums, campsites, and mom-and-pop restaurants dotted along the old Mother Road, now U.S. Bicycle Route 66. But the Beckham County seat, a community of about 5,600 full-timers, stays grounded with annual events like the Dust Bowl Days Farm & Ranch Festival. “We’re blown away by the number of visitors we get, people who love to stay at our RV park,” says Stacey Carnes-Stricker, a Realtor with United Country OK Sunset Realty & Auctions who operates an RV campground in Sayre. “It’s a smaller community, but there’s always something going on, and the housing is very affordable.”
Sayre’s single-family homes sell for below the national median
Elms, oaks and hickory trees tower over Craftsman, cottage and ranch-style homes with broad front lawns and spacious backyards. Many have chain-link fences and red clay driveways rather than paved ones. New Traditionals, farmhouses and ranches with acres of cattle grazing and winter wheat fields are common on the outskirts of town. Prices start under $100,000 and rise to about $370,000. Sayre’s median, around $120,000, is well below the national median of $422,500 reported by the National Association of Realtors.
Sand Creek and other creeks in the area are prone to flooding. Beckham County is vulnerable to tornadoes. Summers are hot and humid, with average high temperatures above 90 degrees. Winters are chilly, with lows in the 20s.
Sayre High offers dual credit classes at Western Tech Center and SWOSU
The Sayre Public Schools district, which gets a B from Niche, serves just under 700 students across three schools with a 15-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Out-of-district transfers are allowed by application. Sayre Elementary receives a B-minus grade, Sayre Middle scores a C-plus and Sayre High gets a B. High schoolers may take dual credit classes at the Western Technology Center and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, both of which have satellite campuses in Sayre.
Outdoor recreation galore at Sayre City Park
Sayre City Park, on the south side of town, is home to the nine-hole Sayre National Golf Course. The adjacent clubhouse, which has a rentable banquet room, a full bar and a fairway-front patio, opened in 2022. The sprawling park is also home to the Sayre Municipal Swimming Pool, a mini golf course and athletic facilities, including basketball goals and lighted tennis and sand volleyball courts. Local youth baseball and softball teams play at the park’s lighted ballfields. There are also playgrounds, fishing ponds and picnic areas, as well as a walking trail and RV campsites. The Sayre Rodeo Arena, also part of City Park, hosts rodeos and livestock shows.
Sayre’s annual Dust Bowl Days Farm & Ranch Festival and other events
The annual Dust Bowl Days Farm & Ranch Festival is held on the third weekend in July at Sayre City Park, and includes food vendors, a parade, fireworks and bounce houses. The Wild Plum Jam Music Festival is part of the weekend-long celebration. “We get some big-name bands as headliners, and local bands open for them. It’s mostly red dirt music,” Carnes-Stricker says. “And it’s crazy how affordable it all is. The tickets are cheap, and there’s free parking. You bring your lawn chair and enjoy the food trucks, and there are kids passing out free water bottles everywhere.” Sayre City Park also hosts the annual Sayre Alumni Celebration on Easter weekend, with a golf tournament, a parade and kids' activities. Downtown hosts seasonal events as well, from Halloween on Main Street trick-or-treating to Hometown Christmas on Main, with a tree-lighting ceremony and sidewalk sales.
Shopping, dining and more in downtown Sayre and on Route 66
Shops, restaurants, banks and municipal offices line Main Street. The Beckham County Courthouse, the tallest building in Sayre, is on the National Register of Historic Places and appeared in the 1940 film, “The Grapes of Wrath.” Other downtown attractions include Gallery at 112, a fine art gallery, and UrbanHouse, a sleek event venue. The Shortgrass Country Museum, in the historic Rock Island Railroad Depot building, is just off Route 66, close to the Sayre Public Library and the RS & K Railroad Museum. For groceries, there’s Puckett’s Food Store. Route 66 dining options range from chains like Sonic and Simple Simon’s Pizza to popular local spots like First Response Coffeehouse & Café, a coffee shop and barbecue restaurant. Carnes-Stricker recommends Branbar Diner. “It has a little bit of everything, and they serve breakfast all day.”
Interstate 40 connects Sayre to Amarillo, OKC and Elk City
Interstate 40 connects west to Amarillo, Texas, and east to Oklahoma City. Airports in the two cities, Rick Husband Amarillo International and Will Rogers International, are about 130 miles away. U.S. Route 283 runs north toward Arkansas and south toward Texas. Sayre Memorial Hospital, once a top local employer, closed in 2019. Now, the closest hospital is Elk City’s Great Plains Regional Medical Center, more than 15 miles away. The Red River Public Transportation Service operates demand-response transit in Beckham County.
