Broken Arrow's biggest stories in 2023

It was another big year in the news for Broken Arrow, as the city continued to celebrates its successes and deal with sprawl and growth challenges. The city’s estimated population crossed 120,000 for the first time, according to Census Bureau estimates, making Broken Arrow the 4th largest city in the state.

To put this in perspective, in 1980 the city’s population stood at 34,322. In 1990 it was 52,462, in 2000 it was 74,859, and in 2010 Broken Arrow had 98,850 residents.

Economically, 2023 was a resounding success by most measures. Long-awaited retail development started flowing into the Aspen Avenue corridor near the Creek Turnpike and a beautification project for New Orleans Square was completed, with occupancy rates for retail well over 90%.

This fall, an entertainment company proposed a $71.5 million amphitheater project near Northeastern State University’s Broken Arrow campus. This news came after developers backed out of a proposal to re-open Bell’s Amusement Park in the city. The development could contribute as much as $211 million in revenue to Broken Arrow annually.

Broken Arrow also had some struggles this year with crime, especially on the north side where there has been some spillover effect from Tulsa. Relatively speaking, however, the city’s overall violent crime rate is far lower than Tulsa’s.

It was also a big year for education news at Broken Arrow and Union Public Schools, especially with a bond package for BAPS that easily passed and a Union math teacher’s inspiring run to a national teacher award.

So here is a list of the biggest stories in Broken Arrow for 2023, selected from most-clicked, social media engagement and other factors.