The university is well known for its sporting events by teams under the banner of the nickname "Sooners", with over 85,000 people routinely attending football games.

Norman's National Weather Center (NWC) houses a unique collection of university, state, federal, and private-sector organizations that work together to improve the understanding of events related to the Earth's atmosphere.

The Storm Prediction Center (SPC), a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that delivers forecasts for severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and other high-impact hazardous weather in the contiguous United States, is located at the NWC.

[6] After the Civil War, the Creeks were accused of aiding the Confederacy; as a result they ceded the region back to the United States in 1866.

[6][7] In 1887, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway began service to the area,[6] which was later opened to settlement as part of the Land Run of 1889;[6][8] early settlers decided to keep the name "Norman.

"[6][7] On April 22, 1889, that first Land Run in what would become the state of Oklahoma saw the founding of Norman, with at least 150 residents spending the night in makeshift campsites,[6] and by the next morning a downtown was already being constructed.

African Americans were not allowed to live within the city limits or stay overnight until the early 1960s,[10][11][12][13] nor could they study at the University of Oklahoma.

By 1902 the downtown district contained two banks, two hotels, a flour mill, and other businesses; by 1913 over 3,700 people lived in Norman when the Oklahoma Railway Company decided to extend its interurban streetcar running from Oklahoma City to Moore into Norman, spurring additional population growth.

"[26] President Ronald Reagan, then an executive with General Electric, attended Hall Park's grand opening ceremonies in 1962 where he was named the town's honorary first mayor.

[34][37][23] Consistent winds, averaging near 10 mph (16 km/h) and usually from the south to southeast, help to temper hotter weather during the summer and intensify cold periods during the winter.

[23] The average growing season in Norman is 209 days, but plants that can withstand short periods of colder temperatures may have an additional three to six weeks.

Notably, a high-end EF2 tornado tore through the southeastern side of Norman on the night of February 26, 2023, passing within a mile of the NWC.

On May 10, 2010, numerous tornadoes occurred in Cleveland County, resulting in the loss of multiple homes and businesses within Norman city limits.

[64] Other major employers in the city include Norman Regional Health System, Norman Public Schools, Johnson Controls, Griffin Memorial Hospital, Hitachi, Astellas Pharma Technologies, Albon Engineering, Xyant Technology, MSCI, SITEL, the United States Postal Service National Center for Employee Development, Sysco Corporation, and AT&T.

[65] In 2010, Norman became the 17th city in the United States to adopt a council resolution giving it status as a Fair Trade Town.

[69][70][71] The collection includes works by Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissarro.

[76] The Cleveland County Historical Society maintains a collection of over 5,000 rare books, documents, and other artifacts in its archives located inside the house.

[96] In addition, it has the best winning percentage of any Division I FBS team since the introduction of the AP Poll in 1936[97] and has played in four BCS National Championship Games since 1998.

[104] Other university men's sports include: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, football, Ultimate Frisbee, tennis, track and field, and wrestling.

Due to the lack of a rink in Norman, the team plays at the Blazers Ice Centre in south Oklahoma City.

Women's sports include: basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, football, Ultimate Frisbee, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

[106] Norman's Parks and Recreation Department facilitates 55 neighborhood and community parks, three recreation centers, a golf course and driving range, three disc golf courses, a complete swim complex with waterslides, a wading pool, 32 tennis courts, and three special services centers (that offer cultural arts and senior citizen activities).

"[135] The school is well known for its athletic programs, having won many distinctions and awards including seven NCAA Division I National Football Championships.

[136] The Franklin Road Campus consists of six buildings totaling 323,500 sq ft (30,100 m2) of classroom, meeting, and office space.

[138] Several private schools also serve the area: The Norman Transcript is the most widely circulated Norman-based newspaper in the city.

[153] CART also provides service to the Social Security Administration offices in Moore, as well as to Oklahoma City's EMBARK transit hub downtown.

[153] EMBARK maintains a fleet of buses and trolleys serving the greater Oklahoma City area, with a new light-rail system expected to begin operations in 2018.

Amtrak's Heartland Flyer provides daily round trip service to downtown Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas.

[162][163] In 2010, drinking water in Normal was identified as levels of hexavalent chromium 3 and 6 near the higher end of the acceptable EPA limit.

[167] Its Porter Avenue campus, located north of downtown Norman, is a 337-bed general hospital providing a wide range of services including acute care.