https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/lifestyle/vacation-ideas/things-to-do-in-oklahoma-city/

Nice to see spome positive press! Pretty good write up in the Washington Post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/lifestyle/vacation-ideas/things-to-do-in-oklahoma-city/

Nice to see spome positive press! Pretty good write up in the Washington Post.

This is awesome publicity -- but what's up with them putting the dot for Oklahoma City in, like, Weatherford? lol.

I just wish the sidewalks and streets didn't look so bare and devoid of life in the photos.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/lifestyle/vacation-ideas/things-to-do-in-oklahoma-city/

Nice to see some positive press! Pretty good write up in the Washington Post.

Hmm.. positive write up in the WPost. Maybe Bezos is trying to send a secret message that HQ2 is going to be in OKC?! Probably not, seeing as we didn't even make an offer.

Or... did we?

...
...

I was surprised to see that Oklahoma City Tulsa Oklahoma was on the list while reading CNBC today:

https://i.imgur.com/UDq3WkN.png

Rage Faces added for emphasis (my own).

Oklahoma City-Tulsa; why not?

More than 100 cities have expressed interest in making a run for Amazon's HQ2, based on previous reports.

CNBC Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/18/amazon-h2q-whos-in-the-running.html?recirc=taboolainternal

Every City in Texas Wants Amazon’s New Headquarters. They Should Think Twice: https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/texas-cities-amazon-headquarters-hq2/


Amazon’s workplace environment issues have been well documented, as has the negative impacts a massive headquarters can have outside of the workplace. Look no further than Seattle, home to Amazon’s main headquarters. Should any Texas city land HQ2, it should also expect skyrocketing housing prices and an increase in traffic congestion from the sudden influx of highly-paid workers. Some in Seattle have long blamed Amazon for gentrifying many of the city’s most unique neighborhoods beyond recognition.

Housing prices in Seattle are rising faster than anywhere else in the nation. According to Business Insider, from 2005 to 2015, Seattle’s median rent jumped from $1,008 to $1,286, an increase nearly three times the national median, while the city’s median home price skyrocketed 17 percent in the last year, reaching $730,000. The city is also plagued by construction, as Amazon has snatched up more new office space than every other company in the city combined, “helping Seattle become the crane capital of America and a near-constant construction site,” writes the Seattle Times. Texas cities like Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio are already growing rapidly, and gentrifying to various degrees. An urban HQ2 campus could expedite that process and drive out longtime residents who can no longer afford to live there.

Oklahoma City's Crossroad Mall sounds like a starter.

Hey Amazon, you really should consider the former Crossroads Mall site. Knocking part of it down and rebuilding might make more sense than trying to adapt it, but think about it. You have a school right there on site, soon to be two. You have immediate (and I mean IMMEDIATE) access to I-35 and I-240 (that's where the name comes from), and using either of those you can very quickly get to I-40 or I-44. There are apartments in the area like crazy, almost surrounded by affordable housing, as well as some hotels right on site. So if you're entertaining representatives from other companies, they can be housed right there, and speaking of entertaining, just to the north is OKC's version of a red light district.

Let's address the elephant in the room, Oklahomans are generally not up to snuff in the education department. Fine, we admit that. But due to the cheap housing, you can get educated people moving here, and that's a win for both of us. You don't have to pay relocation fees, we get some people who understand the value of education. And I know you had your heart set on an international airport, we're still working on that. But there's at least one direct flight from Seattle to OKC, and a handful of connecting flights.

But maybe you've already thought of all this. Maybe the reason Plaza Mayor suddenly sent notices to everyone saying "Get out, you have one month, we don't care what your lease says" is because the deal is already done. Welcome to OKC, Amazon! We're glad to have you! Have an onion burger, and have the calf fries at Cattlemen's. It's sort of a rite of passage. Let's just say you literally need huevos to eat them.

It's also in the ghetto nearby a dump. Pass whatever you guys are smoking.

Producers CO-OP amazon tower is our best bet

OKC is putting in a very serious, very strong bid for Amazon to come here. I truly believe that our bid will not be overlooked, and that we could at least make the top 10 locations. We have proven in the past that when we need to make something happen, and happen quickly, anything is possible. While its not ideal in terms of education, labor pool, airport, transit, etc, many of these pieces could change in a deal with Amazon that infused billions into the economy and helps to bring in other fortune 500 companies. While Amazon is not going to be in skyscraper area, it could be in the innovation district (south side) or maybe? even in WestPark taking over that whole zone. Then other companies that want to relocate here would simply start building up around the Gardens area and into West downtown OKC.

OKC is putting in a very serious, very strong bid for Amazon to come here....

There would be nothing strong about our bid for Amazon compared to what some other cities have/would offer. The culture of Amazon and the environs of Seattle are pretty much the opposite of what OKC's is (we lived in the Seattle area for almost 2 years, so I kinda know what I'm talking about), we don't have the talent pool, I doubt folks would want to move here in droves, our education system is in the toilet, we don't have mass transportation, we don't have great bike paths, on and on and on and on. Nice that they're going for it, but I really don't see Amazon even halfway considering OKC for their new HQ.

There would be nothing strong about our bid for Amazon compared to what some other cities have/would offer. The culture of Amazon and the environs of Seattle are pretty much the opposite of what OKC's is (we lived in the Seattle area for almost 2 years, so I kinda know what I'm talking about), we don't have the talent pool, I doubt folks would want to move here in droves, our education system is in the toilet, we don't have mass transportation, we don't have great bike paths, on and on and on and on. Nice that they're going for it, but I really don't see Amazon even halfway considering OKC for their new HQ.

I agree with this. The politics and culture, both at the local and the state level, make this a pipe dream. In fact I would be surprised if it ends up anywhere in the South other than maybe Austin or possibly Raleigh. With that said, it's good to see OKC putting its hat in the ring. Being more proactive in trying to recruit things like this might bring unexpected benefits down the road.

It's going to be Austin. Which actually if they were doing a serious search, wouldn't make it past the first round, depending where you are in Austin the friggin' airport is an hour away if you take I-35. You can take the toll road to the east and get there in a little over half an hour, but that's 6-9 bucks, I don't recall off the top of my head. Not even kidding, check out Google Maps at various times of the day. For example, right now say Amazon went where Dell is. 27.4 miles on I-35, 58 minutes. If they are serious about needing access to an airport, Austin is out.

You are all correct, we likely will not be the pick for reasons said - education, infrastructure, airport, etc. However, I just meant they put their all into this bid and at the very least should be good PR and emphasize the importance of continuing our progress in all the areas that we are still behind on. We are seeing some success stories though, NTT Data is taking 120,000 square feet out on Reno Ave. by Sara Road after a multistate site search. This is one of the top 10 IT/HR companies in the world choosing OKC for a large regional facility with purpose of growth. Obviously the close proximity to Dell was helpful here, but they also cited many other things including cost of living, central location, workforce, and quality of living. Something OKC and the Chamber are doing is working, we just need to keep the momentum going.

You are all correct, we likely will not be the pick for reasons said - education, infrastructure, airport, etc. However, I just meant they put their all into this bid and at the very least should be good PR and emphasize the importance of continuing our progress in all the areas that we are still behind on. We are seeing some success stories though, NTT Data is taking 120,000 square feet out on Reno Ave. by Sara Road after a multistate site search. This is one of the top 10 IT/HR companies in the world choosing OKC for a large regional facility with purpose of growth. Obviously the close proximity to Dell was helpful here, but they also cited many other things including cost of living, central location, workforce, and quality of living. Something OKC and the Chamber are doing is working, we just need to keep the momentum going.

I agree with this. OKC can and should be competing for things like this, even if it's such a longshot that it might as well be impossible. While Amazon may be out of OKC's league, smaller companies are fleeing the west coast all the time and may take note of OKC's enthusiasm and business friendly attitude.

I agree with this. The politics and culture, both at the local and the state level, make this a pipe dream. In fact I would be surprised if it ends up anywhere in the South other than maybe Austin or possibly Raleigh. With that said, it's good to see OKC putting its hat in the ring. Being more proactive in trying to recruit things like this might bring unexpected benefits down the road.

Not Atlanta? I feel like they must be a moderately strong contender...

I truly don't understand the number of folks (not here, but Twitter and elsewhere) that consider us a serious contender for the HQ. Maybe I'm being a downer, but their wish list included 1) a population of more than one million, 2) an international airport, 3) public transit, 4) quality higher education, 5) an educated workface and 6) a pro-business climate. The only one we could even lay half a claim to is the last one. I guess we'll never know if we don't try, but meh...

Let not forget that there are other companies who may want to look at the cities that Amazon passed up.

Not Atlanta? I feel like they must be a moderately strong contender...

I truly don't understand the number of folks (not here, but Twitter and elsewhere) that consider us a serious contender for the HQ. Maybe I'm being a downer, but their wish list included 1) a population of more than one million, 2) an international airport, 3) public transit, 4) quality higher education, 5) an educated workface and 6) a pro-business climate. The only one we could even lay half a claim to is the last one. I guess we'll never know if we don't try, but meh...

Eh....Laramie is right. Honestly OKC doesn't have a shot at the Amazon HQ, but trying to compete for it is a good thing because it may lead to a more realistic HQ relocation here down the road.

As for Atlanta, I can see that. Dallas and Houston as well. Charlotte might be a contender but I think they would go for Raleigh over Charlotte.

Not Atlanta? I feel like they must be a moderately strong contender...

I truly don't understand the number of folks (not here, but Twitter and elsewhere) that consider us a serious contender for the HQ. Maybe I'm being a downer, but their wish list included 1) a population of more than one million, 2) an international airport, 3) public transit, 4) quality higher education, 5) an educated workface and 6) a pro-business climate. The only one we could even lay half a claim to is the last one. I guess we'll never know if we don't try, but meh...

I haven't seen a single, solitary person say OKC is a serious contender. All they have said is that OKC should try. No one on this board thinks it is realistic.

Let not forget that there are other companies who may want to look at the cities that Amazon passed up.

And will pass up those cities for the same reason Amazon passed them up. I understand the "pie in the sky, let's get it done!" attitude...but that's not going to bring anyone here. Like I said previously, apply that attitude to fixing the problems that are preventing Amazon and other companies from coming here. Make OKC so damn good, they would be idiots to pass us up.

Love the optimism, but make no mistake. OKC won't get this, and the reason will NOT be because "you were great, but we could only pick one city". So focus the optimism and energy on making the next answer "We picked OKC because it was simply too great. To not go there made no sense at all!".

Without getting into positions on the current legislators, I can't imagine any company wanting to come to Oklahoma with the state of our legislature and gridlock.

It's going to be Austin. Which actually if they were doing a serious search, wouldn't make it past the first round, depending where you are in Austin the friggin' airport is an hour away if you take I-35. You can take the toll road to the east and get there in a little over half an hour, but that's 6-9 bucks, I don't recall off the top of my head. Not even kidding, check out Google Maps at various times of the day. For example, right now say Amazon went where Dell is. 27.4 miles on I-35, 58 minutes. If they are serious about needing access to an airport, Austin is out.

My guess is still they did the search for PR and to make Texas give them a better deal. Not a bad deal at all. Austin (or area around there) makes the most sense.

I think it's Austin, Denver, or Atlanta. Just hate the idea of paying a company billions of dollars to do something it was already planning to do. And we wonder why so many state and local governments around this country have questionable balance sheets.

Without getting into positions on the current legislators, I can't imagine any company wanting to come to Oklahoma with the state of our legislature and gridlock.

I agree. This is the biggest thing holding the state and the city back right now. Unfortunately there is little that can be done about it. The only thing that might change it is if apathetic millennials (a big problem in this state) actually get out and vote but even then, I am not sure there is much hope. The legislature is the way it is because of the priorities of the electorate.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-amazon-50000-workers-seattle-20171020-story.html

A timely and interesting story on how Amazon changed Seattle, as well as things that Amazon views as important to their culture and way of doing things. The hostile attitude of Texas state government to their progressive ideals might rule out Austin. Yeah I know Austin is an island of sorts, but the state government has a history of overruling the independence of municipalities there as well.

I didn't realize OKC actually made a bid. Like many others, I highly doubt our super conservative government would fly with them. We don't have enough tech workers here. Maybe Chesapeake could sell them the "old" campus (west of Classen), CHK could fit in the east campus now I bet. Maybe they just want to watch their old basketball team again.

I didn't realize OKC actually made a bid. Like many others, I highly doubt our super conservative government would fly with them. We don't have enough tech workers here. Maybe Chesapeake could sell them the "old" campus (west of Classen), CHK could fit in the east campus now I bet. Maybe they just want to watch their old basketball team again.

Amazon received something around 250 APPLICATION. Several were not from US cities but from Canaduan cities where.they can approve a foreign worker visa in 48 hours and have national healthcare They may choose outside the US for HQ2.

Amazon received something around 250 APPLICATION. Several were not from US cities but from Canaduan cities where.they can approve a foreign worker visa in 48 hours and have national healthcare They may choose outside the US for HQ2.

That would be an interesting development. Toronto checks a lot of boxes for Amazon.

I was there last year for the first time, really amazing city. Reminded me of Chicago but with the vibrancy and diversity of NYC.

http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/featured/which-cities-have-changed-the-most621600948/

Not sure if that has been posted. OKC comes in at #11 on this list for the most change in the last 10 years. Impressive.

http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/featured/which-cities-have-changed-the-most621600948/

Not sure if that has been posted. OKC comes in at #11 on this list for the most change in the last 10 years. Impressive.

That is a impressive statistic

http://www.magnifymoney.com/blog/featured/which-cities-have-changed-the-most621600948/

Not sure if that has been posted. OKC comes in at #11 on this list for the most change in the last 10 years. Impressive.

Refreshing to see an article like this where the authors clearly explain their methods.

Here is a link to the article I told you all about last month when I was looking for potential interviewees. As it turns out Pete himself is quoted in the article...which was a surprise to me until I just read it moments ago! The genesis of this piece was a conversation I had with the author (a college acquaintance) in Boston last summer. I encouraged her to come out and see what's happening here as she is the new Heartland Correspondent for the Monitor. I think, while it doesn't contain much we all don't already know, it is fair, and it is great that a global audience will get our city's story in a very current context https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2018/0213/Urban-renewal-with-a-conservative-flair

nice read but it got the population wrong; OKC has a metro population nearly one and a half million, not more than half million people as stated in the article. Not sure why the media always seems to get the population wrong (usually significantly understating it) ...

this metropolitan area of more than half a million people.

nice read but it got the population wrong; OKC has a metro population nearly one and a half million, not more than half million people as stated in the article. Not sure why the media always seems to get the population wrong (usually significantly understating it) ...

It's really easy to explain why they get it wrong. Go to wikipedia, look at the article on Oklahoma City, specifically the part where it shows the population, which is indeed just over half a million. The problem is they throw the word metro in there without accounting for the additional population, and the OKC metro is insanely spread out, and some people who live in it don't know where it ends. Some people consider Guthrie part of the metro area, others do not. Is El Reno part of it? Noble? If El Reno is, then Union City, Minco, Tuttle, and Newcastle must be as well. And if Norman is, then why not Noble? Granted, some of these would only increase the population count slightly, but the point is there's no reporter who is going to add up the population of Mustang, Yukon, Midwest City, Del City, Bethany, Warr Acres, The Village, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Moore, Norman and so on.

The really asinine part is THEY DO NOT HAVE TO. The wiki page lists the metro population right in the same box it lists the city proper population. They just got what they thought was the number and stopped.

^^^^^^
Yeah, that stood out when I read it yesterday. Surely referring to the population of the City of OKC proper, which is probably itself over 600K at this point (579.9K at 2010 census). It’s aggravatiing. There are a few other easily fact-checked errors in that article. Not even upset at the writer for it; everyone makes mistakes. The thing that troubles me about it is how much fact checking has gone by the wayside, even for large, respected publications. The Internet has created a journalistic culture whereby “first” is more important than “correct.”

It's really easy to explain why they get it wrong. Go to wikipedia, look at the article on Oklahoma City, specifically the part where it shows the population, which is indeed just over half a million. The problem is they throw the word metro in there without accounting for the additional population, and the OKC metro is insanely spread out, and some people who live in it don't know where it ends. Some people consider Guthrie part of the metro area, others do not. Is El Reno part of it? Noble? If El Reno is, then Union City, Minco, Tuttle, and Newcastle must be as well. And if Norman is, then why not Noble? Granted, some of these would only increase the population count slightly, but the point is there's no reporter who is going to add up the population of Mustang, Yukon, Midwest City, Del City, Bethany, Warr Acres, The Village, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Moore, Norman and so on.

The really asinine part is THEY DO NOT HAVE TO. The wiki page lists the metro population right in the same box it lists the city proper population. They just got what they thought was the number and stopped.

They are part of the metro.

Yes, I already wrote her and pointed that error out...it stood way out to me, too.

They are part of the metro.

Technically so is Rush Springs (at the southern end of Grady County) but few living there would consider themselves "part of the OKC metro".

There were a few errors in the story and I just traded messages with the author and then sent her some information and there will be corrections.

It's really easy to explain why they get it wrong. Go to wikipedia, look at the article on Oklahoma City, specifically the part where it shows the population, which is indeed just over half a million. The problem is they throw the word metro in there without accounting for the additional population, and the OKC metro is insanely spread out, and some people who live in it don't know where it ends. Some people consider Guthrie part of the metro area, others do not. Is El Reno part of it? Noble? If El Reno is, then Union City, Minco, Tuttle, and Newcastle must be as well. And if Norman is, then why not Noble? Granted, some of these would only increase the population count slightly, but the point is there's no reporter who is going to add up the population of Mustang, Yukon, Midwest City, Del City, Bethany, Warr Acres, The Village, Nichols Hills, Edmond, Moore, Norman and so on.

The really asinine part is THEY DO NOT HAVE TO. The wiki page lists the metro population right in the same box it lists the city proper population. They just got what they thought was the number and stopped.

MSAs are not really debateable. They are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. There are also combined statistical areas (CSAs) which in our case would include Shawnee. And you can get loosey-goosey and talk about “region.” But our MSA is really well-defined by the federal government, and when combined with census data gives an exact number (at the time of the last census).

By the way, the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016 estimated the population in the city limits of OKC was approaching 700K.

The article was corrected and now reads:

"metropolitan area of more than a million people"

The CSA is now over 1.4 million.

This was added to the article:


Editor's Note: The wording in the subheading has been updated to make clear that while the MAPS program has been debt-free, Oklahoma City itself is not. In addition, while the city proper has some 600,000 residents, the larger metropolitan area has more than a million; and Dr. Ed Shadid is a surgeon not an anesthesiologist.

Also, the article was changed to properly show "Ron Norick" vs. "Rod Norick".

MSAs are not really debateable. They are defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. There are also combined statistical areas (CSAs) which in our case would include Shawnee. And you can get loosey-goosey and talk about “region.” But our MSA is really well-defined by the federal government, and when combined with census data gives an exact number (at the time of the last census).

By the way, the U.S. Census Bureau in 2016 estimated the population in the city limits of OKC was approaching 700K.

Circling back to the point, not a single word of this would be considered by the average person writing an article (I very deliberately did not say journalist), and the worst part is none of it even has to be considered. The answer to the metro population is listed right on the same page where they got the info on the city population. There's bad research, and then there's no stinking research at all. Once upon a time we had people whose job was to research this sort of thing, and more people whose job was to catch errors and edit them out of articles. The researchers were the first to go, and I've no idea what editors do now but I know what they aren't doing.

Circling back to the point, not a single word of this would be considered by the average person writing an article (I very deliberately did not say journalist), and the worst part is none of it even has to be considered. The answer to the metro population is listed right on the same page where they got the info on the city population. There's bad research, and then there's no stinking research at all. Once upon a time we had people whose job was to research this sort of thing, and more people whose job was to catch errors and edit them out of articles. The researchers were the first to go, and I've no idea what editors do now but I know what they aren't doing.

Copy editors have been laid off at *tons* of places over the last few years, and nobody in the media's hiring new ones. Source - wife is a copy editor.

Major publications - even smaller publications - used to have entire fact-checking departments. And Christian Science Monitor is certainly a major publication, historically. Besides budget another culprit is the immediate nature of the Internet. Accuracy has gone by the wayside in favor of quick online publication.

its just interesting that they typically don't get other cities demographic information wrong but there seems to be a consistency in under-estimating or under-valuing OKC in the media.

WARNING - -mini rant- - ---

Yes, OKC is 'ONE' of the smallest NBA markets but we're NOT -the smallest- as many would otherwise lead one to believe; New Orleans and Memphis is smaller by market and Salt Lake, New Orleans, and Memphis are smaller by metro pop.

Yes, OKC is a city of more than half a million but the city limits are approaching 700K (which should be reported as so, or better yet "more than 650K") and the metro is well beyond one million (not more than a million) to the tune of nearly 1.4 million which should be how that should be reported.

Again, if they can get other cities right (or close) then they CAN do so for OKC, I mean, it's been the largest city in the state since almost statehood, is one of the largest cities in the region (and has been for a very long time), and for the past 12-15 years at least HAS been in the national and international audience for at least 9-months of the year (OKC Thunder/Westbrook/Durant/NBA Hornets, OU Sooners, OKC Bombing, Tornados, etc).

I wish they'd stop acting like OKC didn't exist until just this past month and give it the credit that other cities get with no problem. ...

how slowly is okc growing right now? Anybody think it may be losing population?

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20180226/blogs03/153121/brookings-institutions-report-card-gives-mixed-grades-akron-and

"The slowest-growing metro areas include several older industrial cities in the Northeast and Midwest like Cleveland and those with specializations in government or defense spending (Hartford, Jackson, and Virginia Beach) or energy (Bakersfield, McAllen, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa)," Brookings says.

how slowly is okc growing right now? Anybody think it may be losing population?

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20180226/blogs03/153121/brookings-institutions-report-card-gives-mixed-grades-akron-and

"The slowest-growing metro areas include several older industrial cities in the Northeast and Midwest like Cleveland and those with specializations in government or defense spending (Hartford, Jackson, and Virginia Beach) or energy (Bakersfield, McAllen, Houston, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa)," Brookings says.

No. OKC is not losing population.

Houston is growing slowly?

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2018/02/27/us-cities-with-high-paying-jobs-and-low-cost-of-living.html?__twitter_impression=true

Oklahoma ranked 7th worst state to live in.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

It looks like healthcare is the one that drops the state down the most. Quality of life it lists us as #17. Of course I always take these ranking with a grain of salt, but on the healthcare, with so much of the state being rural, I can buy it. We have some amazing healthcare professionals in Oklahoma and some are ranked among the best in the world in thier specialties. But they're concentrated in the major metros and the wait time to see them can be rediculous sometimes.

I agree with you with taking these lists with a grain of salt. I thought this was interesting however.

Hey, at least the 'data' wasn't collected from the Facebook of HR reps this time.

In all of these reports the common thread is OKC remains a relatively slow growth City in a Slow to no growth State. Economic improvement is largely non existent due to reliance on O & G. This has been the story of Oklahoma for 40 years and will remain so with the status quo entrenched in the Statehouse and the state of mind of its residents. These statistics are not a surprise to me.

43. Oklahoma
> Pct. of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 24.6%
> Pct. of adults with at least a high school diploma: 87.3%
> 2015 median household income: $48,568 (12th lowest)
> Median earnings for bachelor degree holders: $42,195 (7th lowest)

43. Oklahoma
> Pct. of adults with at least a bachelor’s degree: 24.6%
> Pct. of adults with at least a high school diploma: 87.3%
> 2015 median household income: $48,568 (12th lowest)
> Median earnings for bachelor degree holders: $42,195 (7th lowest)

Pipe down Eeyore, we get it.

It’s a thing on this board long discussions about negative topics, completely ignore anything positive. You’re one of the worst offenders.

Pipe down Eeyore, we get it.

It’s a thing on this board long discussions about negative topics, completely ignore anything positive. You’re one of the worst offenders.Or maybe it's to provide contrast to the ones who seemingly ignore the negatives like they don't exist. You're one of the worst offenders on this and reasons why you take the prize of being the only poster on here in my ignore list.

The state being rural undoubtedly has an effect on income as well as education. You won't find many people in a rural town in southeast Oklahoma with a masters degree earning 6 figures. On the flip side, you can find farmers making that much and they might only have an associates degree. I don't worry about it too much. States that are highly urbanized with high costs of living such as New York, Illinois, and California are of course going to have higher median salaries. I wish they would form a metric that measures income and cost of living and use that in analysis rather than just median salary.

Pipe down Eeyore, we get it.

It’s a thing on this board long discussions about negative topics, completely ignore anything positive. You’re one of the worst offenders.
IMO apathy is one of the reasons Oklahoma remains educationally, economically, and culturally deficient. Citizens accept poor Government even when outcomes cry for change, below average is acceptable to citizens across multiple measures of growth and prosperity. Point out the metrics and one is vilified. In my case give me something to celebrate and I will be the first to do so, but, when the State is fiscally unsound and the largest cities public school system is in shambles, politicians are criminal, and educational achievement is at the bottom, I will remain hopeful for transformational change in Oklahoma but not confident

IMO apathy is one of the reasons Oklahoma remains educationally, economically, and culturally deficient. Citizens accept poor Government even when outcomes cry for change, below average is acceptable to citizens across multiple measures of growth and prosperity. Point out the metrics and one is vilified. In my case give me something to celebrate and I will be the first to do so, but, when the State is fiscally unsound and the largest cities public school system is in shambles, politicians are criminal, and educational achievement is at the bottom, I will remain hopeful for transformational change in Oklahoma but not confident

Well, pissing and moaning on a board that largely agrees with you does no good.