At the time of European contact, the area around what is now Vian was inhabited and controlled, but not settled, by the Osage, who used it as hunting ground. The name "Vian" is a corruption of viande, the French word for "meat"; French traders called Vian Creek "bayou viande", literally "meat bayou".[5]
Vian was initially settled as a trading post between Big Vian and Little Vian creeks in the Illinois District of the Cherokee Nation. When a post office was established in 1886, the first postmaster, Mahala Thompson, wanted to name the town Round Mountain, which was already in use; the post office was thus named Vian, for the two creeks. After the Kansas and Arkansas Valley Railway (later the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway and eventually the Missouri Pacific Railroad) laid tracks through the town in 1888, it became an important shipping point for cotton, with an estimated 2,500-3,000 bales shipped annually by 1901. When Oklahoma achieved statehood in 1907, Vian became part of the new state as the Cherokee Nation was all but dissolved. Today, the town lies within the jurisdiction of the modern-day Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
Vian's education system dates back to the late 1880s, when a mission school for Cherokee children was established; a white school was established in the 1890s. Vian was also home to the Douglass High School, which served the region's African-American students. The district was integrated in the mid-1950s.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,362 people, 503 households, and 339 families residing in the town.[3] The population density was 1,702.3 inhabitants per square mile (657.3/km2). There were 558 housing units at an average density of 697.4 units per square mile (269.3 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 51.54% White, 6.98% African American, 26.51% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 14.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 503 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 17.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $18,264, and the median income for a family was $24,167. Males had a median income of $26,731 versus $16,806 for females. The per capita income for the town was $10,471. About 28.2% of families and 35.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 42.2% of those under age 18 and 33.5% of those age 65 or over.
