El Reno

El Reno is a city of 20,000 people (2019) in the Frontier Country region of Central Oklahoma. El Reno is one of few cities in Oklahoma to have a streetcar in operation in the downtown area.

The city was begun shortly after the 1889 land rush. The city was named for the nearby Fort Reno.

The city is also known for its Fried Onion Burger Festival, a tribute to a popular hamburger version where onions were supplemented into the patty to make the sandwich go further back in the Great Depression.

2013 El Reno tornado Samaras Car

It lies about 25 miles (40 km) west of downtown Oklahoma City.

• Heritage Express Trolley. Runs from Heritage park through downtown Wednesday though Sunday.

• Canadian County Historical Museum, 300 S Grand Ave, ☏ +1 405 262-5121. W-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1-5PM. Free. 
• 🌍 Fort Reno, 7107 W Cheyenne St, ☏ +1 405 262-3987, fax: +1 405 262-0133, info@fortreno.org. M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 10AM-4PM. 

• Fried Onion Burger Day (downtown), ☏ +1 405 262-8888. Annual weekend festival that features the World's Largest Fried Onion Hamburger, called The Big Burger. Music, games, classic cars, and plenty of fried-onion burgers. In early May each year. (updated Sep 2018)

• 🌍 Johnnie's Hamburgers and Coneys, 301 South Rock Island (on Route 66), ☏ +1 405 262-4721. M–Sa 7AM–9PM, Su 11AM-8PM. One of three hamburger joints in town where you can buy El Reno's famed fried-onion burgers. $6–12. (updated Sep 2018)
• Montana Mike's Steakhouse, 1609 Southwest 27th, ☏ +1 405 422-1100. Su-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM. 
• Sid's Diner, 300 South Choctaw, ☏ +1 405 262-7757. 
• Hugh's Kitchen, 1317 S. Choctaw. M-F 11AM-9PM, Su 10AM-2PM. $7-15. 

• Vices Bar And Venue, 1701 E Hwy 66, ☏ +1 405-295-6426, vicesbarandvenue@gmail.com. 10AM-2PM. (updated Oct 2021)

El Reno was the site of the infamous 2013 "El Reno" tornado that had a width of 2.6 miles and killed 8 people, including three storm chasers caught up in the subvortex while in their car. All visitors to the six-state region called Tornado Alley should be familiar with tornado safety – including not chasing tornadoes in cars.