Cushing (Meskwaki: Koshineki,[4] Iowa-Oto: Amína P^óp^oye Chína, meaning: "Soft-seat town"[5]) is a city in Payne County, Oklahoma, United States.

A 1912 oil boom led to the city's development as a refining center,[7] with over 50 refineries operating in Cushing over its history.

[8] Today, Cushing is a major trading hub for crude oil and a price settlement point for West Texas Intermediate on the New York Mercantile Exchange[9] and is known as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World."

With the Land Run of 1891, a former government trader for the tribe, William Rea "Billy" Little, built a house, established his claim, and laid out town lots.

The town got a post office on November 10, 1891, and was named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to U.S. Postmaster General John Wanamaker.

[7] Wildcatter Thomas B. Slick started an oil boom on March 17, 1912, when he brought in a gusher east of Cushing.

Eventually, 23 oil companies and five oil-field supply houses located in the town,[7] and more than 50 refineries once operated in the Cushing area.

The maze of pipelines and tanks that had been built led to the NYMEX choosing Cushing as the official delivery point for its light sweet crude futures contract in 1983.

The new refinery announced in May 2023 is expected to create 423 direct jobs and produce a payroll of $39.3 million, resulting in a total economic impact of $18.2 billion over the following decade.

Baseball Hall of Fame member Carl Hubbell made his professional debut with the 1923 Cushing Refiners.

Over time, more and more features have been added, including a Duck Pond, a picnic pavilion, gazebos, various playground areas, skate park, disc golf course, sand volleyball court, and baseball diamond.

[14] Main Street is the locale for the Downtown Cushing Centennial Park, which has a stage and picnic tables with umbrellas.

Due to reductions by the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in the number of inmates put in private prisons because of budgetary issues, owner CoreCivic announced closure of the facility in July 2020.