About Ardmore, Oklahoma

Located in south-central Oklahoma, Ardmore sits along Interstate 35 roughly midway between Oklahoma City and Dallas-Fort Worth. The county seat of Carter County, Ardmore is home to nearly 25,000 people and serves as an important hub for commerce, employment, education, healthcare, and services across southern Oklahoma. 

Ardmore’s economy has grown well beyond its early roots in agriculture, railroads, and energy. Today, the community has strengths in manufacturing, healthcare, distribution and logistics, and professional services, supported by its location between two major metropolitan areas and strong transportation connections. 

One of its most distinctive economic assets is the Ardmore Industrial Airpark, a former Army Air Force base that today supports aviation, manufacturing, logistics, and industrial development. With more than 1,000 acres available for development, two runways — including a 9,000-foot runway — and rail connectivity, the Airpark gives Ardmore the infrastructure to grow and attract companies in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, distribution, and related industries.

Ardmore is also home to the Noble Research Institute, founded in the community in 1945 and now a national leader in research and education focused on farm and ranch management, soil health, and regenerative agriculture. Murray State College’s Ardmore campus offers a range of degree programs and academic resources, and SouthernTech provides hands-on career and technical education, customized industry training, and workforce development programs aligned with the needs of local employers. Together, these institutions give Ardmore important capacity to connect education, research, workforce development, and industry as its economy continues to evolve.

Local leaders are building on these assets.  Their priorities include diversifying the economy, strengthening workforce pathways, reinvesting in downtown, and expanding support for entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses, including plans for an innovation center.  These efforts reflect a community looking to build on its existing assets while creating new pathways for people to start, grow, and build businesses in Ardmore.

Community Partner

Ardmore Development Authority

The Ardmore Development Authority (ADA) leads economic development efforts focused on business growth, investment, and long-term economic vitality in Ardmore. Working alongside local and regional partners, ADA supports business attraction and expansion, site selection, workforce connections, and the development of the infrastructure and assets companies need to grow.

ADA also plays a central role in shaping Ardmore’s broader economic strategy. Its Economic Vision Plan focuses on strengthening the community’s competitiveness, attracting new investment, developing available sites and properties, and creating new opportunities for residents and businesses. That work includes stewarding major economic assets such as the Ardmore Industrial Airpark.

ADA’s work extends beyond business recruitment. Through initiatives supporting downtown revitalization, small business development, and private investment, the organization is helping connect Ardmore’s established economic strengths with new opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation.

What Being a Member of the Network Means to Ardmore

For Ardmore, joining the Rural Innovation Network comes at a moment when the community is actively thinking about how entrepreneurship and innovation can play a larger role in its economic future. As local leaders build new capacity to support entrepreneurs, Network membership connects Ardmore with rural communities across the country that are pursuing many of the same goals — creating stronger pathways for founders, developing local talent, diversifying their economies, and building ecosystems where new ideas can take root.

Being part of the Network gives Ardmore an opportunity to learn alongside those communities while bringing its own strengths and experiences to the conversation. With deep roots in industry and agriculture, significant regional assets, and a growing focus on early-stage startup support, Ardmore has an opportunity to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem that reflects the character and ambitions of southern Oklahoma.