Mead is a small town in Bryan County, Oklahoma, in the southeastern corner of the state near the Texas border. It lies within the Durant micropolitan area, a short distance west of the county seat of Durant and within easy reach of Lake Texoma, the large reservoir on the Red River that defines recreation across the region. The town's history reflects the broader arc of rural Oklahoma settlement. Mead was established in the early twentieth century and named for C.W. Mead, an early figure in the community's development. Like many small agricultural towns, Mead declined through the middle decades of the century as its population shrank to roughly 80 residents by 1970. Its fortunes turned with the rise of Lake Texoma tourism and the steady growth of nearby Durant, which together helped stabilize and modestly rebuild the community in the decades that followed. The 2020 census counted 227 residents. Today Mead is a quiet, rural community whose appeal rests on location rather than size. Residents benefit from the fishing, boating, and camping of Lake Texoma, the services and employment of Durant, and the open countryside of Bryan County. The town is part of Chickasaw Country, the cultural and tourism region of south-central Oklahoma, which brings a steady flow of travelers through the area. Public school students attend Bryan County schools in the surrounding communities, with Durant providing the closest concentration of educational, retail, and medical services. Mead offers a low-cost, unhurried small-town life with unusually convenient access to one of the region's major recreational lakes.