Nichols Hills governs itself as a separate municipality rather than an Oklahoma City district. Developer G.A. Nichols laid it out on 1,280 acres, and it became a municipality in 1929. Oklahoma City wraps around it on the south, east and west, and The Village sits along its northern edge.
Kansas City landscape architects Hare and Hare shaped the streets to follow the natural terrain, and many of the winding lanes carry the names of English towns. The 2020 census counted 3,870 residents in roughly two square miles, served by ZIP codes 73116 and 73120.
The original plan also called for thousands of trees and shrubs, and that canopy still defines the city. For a roof, it means leaves packed into valleys and gutters, shade that slows drying after rain and limbs that can come down in high wind.
Hail reaches these streets too. During the storm of September 24, 2024, the National Weather Service office in Norman logged 1.5-inch hail about a mile and a half east of Nichols Hills and 1.75-inch stones northeast of the city.
Nichols Hills has kept restrictive land-use and zoning rules since incorporation, and its building office issues roofing permits and registers contractors. We confirm the current requirements with city staff before any shingle comes off.