Bixby (population 20,884) is a city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is a suburb of Tulsa and is located within both Wagoner and Tulsa counties. The population has grown by 7,500 residents in the last decade and is one of the fastest growing communities within the state of Oklahoma. Despite its growth Bixby is still referred to as "The Garden Spot of Oklahoma", the place to come for buying fresh produce.
The region was initially settled in the latter part of the 1800s by Alexander Posey, the son of Muscogee (Creek) and Scottish parents. Posey, who became a nationally known political satirist, founded a community called "Posey on Posey Creek." The community had a general store, two saloons and a blacksmith, and by 1895 it had a post office. The city of Bixby was named after Tams Bixby, a chairman of the Dawes Commission.
In 1913 the discovery of oil fields nearby caused growth in the city of Bixby, though the town remained a farming community well into the 20th Century. Alfalfa, cotton and wheat were the main agricultural products until the 1930s, when production of vegetables became more vital. Known as a regional shipping center for agricultural produce by railroad, the city was called "The Garden Spot of Oklahoma." The railroad shipped cantaloupes, potatoes, turnips, squash, radishes, spinach and sweet corn from Bixby all over the nation. More recently, these farms have been transformed to producing sod, mainly Bermuda grass. Although just a fraction of inhabitants are still employed within agriculture, the township still carries on its traditions with the yearly "Green Corn Festival" held each and every summertime.
A lot of public events happen within Washington Irving Park and Arboretum. The park, named for the well-known American author who visited the township during 1832, contains a bronze statue of Irving and an amphitheatre stage which was made to resemble the front of Irving's house in Tarrytown, New York. The park entrance gates are replicas of the gates at Irving's estate. Drama students of Bixby present a dramatization of Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in the park each autumn. The park also hosts the famous "Deutschesfest" and the "Bixby BBQ & Music Festival".