Cleveland county is located in central Oklahoma with Norman serving as the county seat. The county also houses University of Oklahoma. The county population on July 1, 1999, was 203,449, an increase of 29,196 over the 1990 census.
Lake Thunderbird, Lake Thunderbird State Park and Lake Stanley Draper provide the county with outdoor recreation while the Canadian River forms the county's southern boundary.
About 20 sites in the county have been declared "Historic" including Casa Blanca in Norman, the Mardock Mission near Stella and the President's House and the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House on the University of Oklahoma campus.