(July 16, 2015) On this date in 1935, drivers in Oklahoma City were confronted with America's first parking meter, collecting rent for a space on the corner of First Street and Robinson Avenue.

While local drivers could avoid that single space, they couldn't escape for long. That meter was just the first of many to sprout up in Oklahoma City and across the nation, as millions of ticketed motorists will attest.

While municipalities sought to rotate street parking spots among more drivers, raising revenue was always a consideration. At the same time, pay parking lots and garages began to open for business.

Today there are nearly 12,000 such commercial parking facilities in the U.S., which take in well over $7 billion a year in parking fees.



Source: U.S. Census Bureau