MOOREFounded during the Land Run of 1889,
Moore was originally known as "Verbeck." This was the name the railroad designated for it. This changed due to one man, Al Moore, a railroad worker, who had difficulty getting his mail. Local historians claim Moore lived in a boxcar at the railroad camp and, tired of not getting his mail, he painted his last name, "Moore," on a board
and attached it to his boxcar home. Once a postmaster was appointed, he called the
settlement Moore. In 1893, when the town was incorporated, the name Moore as legalized.
This little town did not become a city until 1962, despite its close proximity both to the capital of Oklahoma,
Oklahoma City, and the University of Oklahoma in
Norman. In the 1970s and 1980s it was home to the largest high school in the state, Moore High School. Even after the high school was divided into three different high schools, Moore High, Southmoore and Westmoore, they were still list as three of the largest schools in the state.
Despite being hit by the most violent tornado in recorded history on May 3, 1999, Moore has bounced back. Several hundred of more than 1,000 homes destroyed by this twister have been rebuilt. The city has almost completely recovered from the disaster that left well over 3,000 residents displaced.