Allen is a town in south-central Oklahoma that lies in both Pontotoc and Hughes counties, along State Highway 1 about 19 miles northeast of Ada, the Pontotoc County seat. The 2020 census counted 805 residents in a compact area of less than a square mile. The town's history is shaped by oil. Allen became a boomtown in 1913 when a well was drilled west of the community, lifting its population from 645 in 1910 to nearly 1,400 by 1930. The boom subsided over the following decades, and the town settled into a steady small-town scale, with petroleum and agriculture remaining central to the local economy. The surrounding region is part of the old Chickasaw Nation, and Pontotoc County was created at statehood from that tribal land. Allen sits in gently rolling country of pasture, cropland, and mature hardwood timber, typical of south-central Oklahoma's Cross Timbers landscape. The town is primarily residential and agricultural, with the local school district as a focal point of community life. Allen Public Schools operates a PK-12 program serving the town and portions of Pontotoc, Hughes, and Coal counties, keeping families in a single school system from early childhood through high school. Daily life in Allen is quiet and neighborly, centered on the school, local churches, and the rhythms of the surrounding farms and ranches. Ada, home to East Central University and the region's main services, anchors shopping, healthcare, and employment about 19 miles away, while Holdenville serves the Hughes County side to the northeast. For recreation, residents reach Holdenville City Lake and McGee Creek State Park for fishing, boating, and camping, and the surrounding hills and timber offer hunting and rural outdoor pursuits. Allen suits those seeking an authentic small Oklahoma town with deep local history, open land nearby, and convenient access to the area's larger communities.