Cushing is a city in Payne County, in north-central Oklahoma, positioned between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Its population was 8,327 at the 2020 census, and it sits a short drive from Stillwater, the county seat and home of Oklahoma State University. The city was established after the Land Run of 1891 and named for Marshall Cushing, private secretary to a U.S. Postmaster General. Cushing is best known worldwide as the "Pipeline Crossroads of the World." The city is home to one of the largest crude oil storage and trading hubs in the United States, a vast complex of storage tanks and pipeline connections that has made Cushing a benchmark pricing point for crude oil. The West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude price, a global reference for oil markets, is set at Cushing, giving this small Oklahoma city an outsized role in the world's energy economy. Despite its global economic significance, Cushing retains the character of a small working city. The oil industry anchors local employment, but daily life is grounded in the community's schools, parks, churches, and small businesses. Public education is provided by Cushing Public Schools, a local district serving the city and the surrounding rural area. Cushing's housing stock reflects its role as a working small city tied to the energy industry, with a mix of older in-town homes, mid-century neighborhoods, newer construction on the edges, and rural acreage in the surrounding countryside. This practical, family-oriented housing landscape supports a stable, community-rooted population, and the city's parks, churches, and local businesses give daily life a familiar small-city texture even as the storage terminals and pipeline infrastructure on its outskirts underscore its global significance. Nearby Stillwater adds university-town amenities, cultural events, and the resources of Oklahoma State University, while Oklahoma City and Tulsa lie within regional driving distance. For residents, Cushing offers a distinctive combination: the quiet, practical rhythms of a small Oklahoma city paired with a place at the center of the nation's energy infrastructure.