This is small town in SE Oklahoma that is seeing rapid growth in tourism with road upgrades soon to come from ODOT and a new 165 million dollar resort from the Choctaw Nation:

https://journalrecord.com/files/2022/06/x-choctaw-landing.png


plans for a $165 million entertainment and resort development near Broken Bow Lake and Beavers Bend State Park in southeastern Oklahoma.

Groundbreaking for Choctaw Landing in Hochatown has been scheduled for June 14, and the resort is anticipated to open in late 2023, the tribe said in a release.

The region is already a popular vacation destination, and officials believe the development will attract increasing numbers of weekend and other visitors from across a wide region.

The four-story, 200,000-square-foot development has been designed to include 100 hotel rooms, several restaurants and bars, a pool, an outdoor entertainment venue with amphitheater, a beer garden, and a family-friendly game zone. Gaming for adults will include table games and 600 slot machines.

“We are excited to get started on bringing to life what promises to be an amazing entertainment destination for Oklahomans and our friends and neighbors in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana,” Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Senior Executive Officer Janie Dillard said. “In addition to the gaming, hotel and entertainment amenities, we plan to offer our guests an opportunity to learn more about our history, our culture and what it means to be Choctaw.”

Choctaw Landing also should help to introduce larger numbers of people to the natural beauty and rich history of the surrounding area, the tribe said. Hochatown is the site of a historic Choctaw Village, and many Choctaw citizens make their homes in the area. In addition to a mercantile designed to reflect the tribe’s history and heritage, the development will showcase art created by Choctaw citizens.

The 12,000 square-foot mercantile will include a grocery store with three dining options and a fuel station.

The release noted that the tribe is working with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation on plans to accommodate increased traffic in the area.

Construction is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs and an economic impact of more than $211 million.

JCJ Architecture and Manhattan Construction are lead partners in the project. The companies have previously been involved with other tribal projects, including the Choctaw Cultural Center and Choctaw Wellness Center. JCJ Architecture has worked most recently on the Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant expansion.

The Choctaw Nation is the third-largest American Indian Nation in the United States, with more than 200,000 citizens. The boundaries of the tribe’s historic reservation take in 10,923 square miles in southeastern Oklahoma.

- https://journalrecord.com/2022/06/06/tribe-to-break-ground-on-165m-choctaw-landing-resort/

It's not officially a town, They have been trying to incorporate but ran into obstacles in the past.

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/business/2022/03/07/bigfoot-hochatown-oklahoma-brokenbow-resort-incorporation-progress/9378769002/

Good to know. There’s also a distillery there I really want to try once I’ve been sober for a little bit longer. I’ve heard good things about it.

Good to know. There’s also a distillery there I really want to try once I’ve been sober for a little bit longer. I’ve heard good things about it.

Have a bottle from there in my rotation right now.... I tried a flight of all their whiskeys. It's not the best I've ever had but it was still a pretty good whisky.

I tried a flight of all their whiskeys and only didn't care for one of them.

Good to know. There’s also a distillery there I really want to try once I’ve been sober for a little bit longer. I’ve heard good things about it.

I hope you are successful in sobering up! It is definitely not easy but is worth it in the long run.

I was in Hochatown a few weeks ago for an afternoon. The traffic is crazy busy right now. I couldn't believe how much more development there is than the last time I went there 15 years ago.

Pretty bad ass development. My only concern is that such a massive development will take away from the wilderness aspect of the area. Broken Bow/Hotchatown/Beavers Bend is easily one of, if not the, best and coolest wilderness areas in the state so I’d hate to see that become too commercialized. That said, everything the Choctaw tribe has done so far has been top notch so I’m sure they’ll find the right balance.

Pretty bad ass development. My only concern is that such a massive development will take away from the wilderness aspect of the area. Broken Bow/Hotchatown/Beavers Bend is easily one of, if not the, best and coolest wilderness areas in the state so I’d hate to see that become too commercialized. That said, everything the Choctaw tribe has done so far has been top notch so I’m sure they’ll find the right balance.

What development is the Choctaw tribe doing in Hochatown? I was down there about 6 months ago and it was busy for sure.

What development is the Choctaw tribe doing in Hochatown? I was down there about 6 months ago and it was busy for sure.

A $165 million casino and resort called Choctaw Landing.

https://www.choctawnation.com/news/news-releases/choctaw-nation-announces-official-name-for-new-entertainment-resort-development-coming-to-hochatown-oklahoma/

What development is the Choctaw tribe doing in Hochatown? I was down there about 6 months ago and it was busy for sure.

the one this thread is about

I was in Hochatown a few weeks ago for an afternoon. The traffic is crazy busy right now. I couldn't believe how much more development there is than the last time I went there 15 years ago.

Take a look at Google Map for that area and you'll really get a feel for how much it has changed..... I think the last imagery is from 5 years ago so most of what is there now doesn't even show up as anything but trees.

Take a look at Google Map for that area and you'll really get a feel for how much it has changed..... I think the last imagery is from 5 years ago so most of what is there now doesn't even show up as anything but trees.

Shoot just look at Zillow. Million dollar homes everywhere.

the one this thread is about

Crap totally missed that, and thought this was just about general Hochatown development.

Shoot just look at Zillow. Million dollar homes everywhere.

I forget where I saw the article but it was calling Hochatown the next Branson.

I randomly saw a listing for a 1,000sf cabin for $600,000 and I wonder how and why. Its just a small cabin in the woods, you arent even fronting a lake or anything. And for Tulsa, OKC and even Dallas, thats a 3+ hour drive to there.

Was in Hochatown a couple weekends ago, and the traffic was unbelievable. They need to try and expand that two lane highway... it was a mess!

I forget where I saw the article but it was calling Hochatown the next Branson.

Probably something Richard Mize at the Oklahoman wrote. He puts out something about Hochatown every 2 to 3 weeks. So often I'm beginning to think he is invested in it.

Probably something Richard Mize at the Oklahoman wrote. He puts out something about Hochatown every 2 to 3 weeks. So often I'm beginning to think he is invested in it.

I don't have access to the Oklahoman.

It popped up while I was working down there. So it may have been social media using my location to show me local news.

I randomly saw a listing for a 1,000sf cabin for $600,000 and I wonder how and why. Its just a small cabin in the woods, you arent even fronting a lake or anything. And for Tulsa, OKC and even Dallas, thats a 3+ hour drive to there.

I went to the Casino for the first time a month or two ago and stayed in the new tower. I don't frequent casinos often, but we were in Durant for a wedding shower and this was the best option. It is extremely nice, and as expected it was packed. The pool area wasn't open yet, but it looked like a great option. Pointe Vista broke ground recently, and that will expedite the growth in this area finally after years being on high center.

Broken Bow is a huge draw for DFW residents, and groups from that area have been doing a ton of development in the area. The ~$1mm vacation / AirBNB homes there are just the tipping point for the development that is about to happen there.

There is no question that Winstar, the Choctaw casino in Durant, the Lake Texhoma area and now far southeastern OK are all benefitting from the population boom of the DFW area, particularly all the growth of the areas to the far north of Dallas.

For people that live north of Dallas and Fort Worth, southern OK is easy to access without having to drive through the DFW metroplex and the related traffic snarls and headaches.

It reminds me of all the people from Chicago who head north to Wisconsin for their vacation and lake time. Even in far north Wisconsin, you'll find more people from Illinois than from the Dairy State; and many of them own vacation homes.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/DFWtoOK.jpg

I keep waiting for Ardmore to really begin booming because of it's close proximity to OKC and Dallas. If Durant can, the Ardmore certainly can.

I keep waiting for Ardmore to really begin booming because of it's close proximity to OKC and Dallas. If Durant can, the Ardmore certainly can.

Begin?

When was the last time you were in Ardmore?

Ok I won't really call it a boom because it's been gradual over the last 20 years but Ardmore is not the same city it was when I first bought my farm down there almost 20 years ago.

Downtown Ardmore was dead when I closed on that property and now it's busy day and night 7 days a week. Several new shopping centers have been built and more new construction is announced regulalry.

And then this was announced last year... https://www.oklahoman.com/story/opinion/2021/08/04/ardmore-airpark-now-game-changer-oklahoma-global-commerce/5400288001/

My family has gone annually to Broken Bow for 15 years so we've really experienced the growth down there. When we first started going, we'd see Texas plates, but nowhere near the level of now. While all this has brought in extra amenities, a lot of the reason we started going there was because it was low key and not a huge destination. Now, when we go, we feel like it's become of shell of what it used to be. It's way commercialized now, and a lot of that rustic charm has worn off. We dread leaving the cabin and having to drive anywhere now, as most have mentioned traffic is a nightmare. We started going there to avoid the crowd and sadly that is over. We aren't casino people and tend to avoid the developments with them, just not our style at all. Oh well it was a good run, on to a new annual family tradition, wherever that might be.

There is no question that Winstar, the Choctaw casino in Durant, the Lake Texhoma area and now far southeastern OK are all benefitting from the population boom of the DFW area, particularly all the growth of the areas to the far north of Dallas.

For people that live north of Dallas and Fort Worth, southern OK is easy to access without having to drive through the DFW metroplex and the related traffic snarls and headaches.

It reminds me of all the people from Chicago who head north to Wisconsin for their vacation and lake time. Even in far north Wisconsin, you'll find more people from Illinois than from the Dairy State; and many of them own vacation homes.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/DFWtoOK.jpg

North Dallas Tollway is also going to expand north just south of Dennison

Texas Instruments is build a new $30B semiconductor plant outside Sherman/Denison that will pull even more DFW growth northward.

My family has gone annually to Broken Bow for 15 years so we've really experienced the growth down there. When we first started going, we'd see Texas plates, but nowhere near the level of now. While all this has brought in extra amenities, a lot of the reason we started going there was because it was low key and not a huge destination. Now, when we go, we feel like it's become of shell of what it used to be. It's way commercialized now, and a lot of that rustic charm has worn off. We dread leaving the cabin and having to drive anywhere now, as most have mentioned traffic is a nightmare. We started going there to avoid the crowd and sadly that is over. We aren't casino people and tend to avoid the developments with them, just not our style at all. Oh well it was a good run, on to a new annual family tradition, wherever that might be.

yeah that was my concern.

yeah that was my concern.

Yeah cause you are totally right, one of the best wilderness areas in the state. Was very underrated for years, then everybody that went told everyone they know and now it'll never be what it was unfortunately or fortunately depending on who you ask. I would have preferred for it to stay as it was with minimal amenities and rustic. But I'm sure from an economic stand point the development is a net positive for the community.

Yeah cause you are totally right, one of the best wilderness areas in the state. Was very underrated for years, then everybody that went told everyone they know and now it'll never be what it was unfortunately or fortunately depending on who you ask. I would have preferred for it to stay as it was with minimal amenities and rustic. But I'm sure from an economic stand point the development is a net positive for the community.

There was an RFP put out to develop an area similar to Horseshoe Bay outside Austin, on a smaller scale. Due to the Swadley’s fiasco, the RFP was reissued and a winner will be selected soon. All to say, while this area has seen massive growth, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. While it’s sad to lose some of the rustic charm of SE OK, it’ll be a big win for the state. The only other major issue impacting this now is McGirt, as the tribes are claiming the sales tax revenue would be due to them.

It looks like they will be voting on forming a local government on November 8th

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/business/real-estate/2022/08/23/hochatown-oklahoma-election-2022-vote-on-incorporation/65410157007/

From what I understand the local government proposal was approved.

ODOT also released proposals for US-259 improvements through the town.

https://freese.mysocialpinpoint.com/mccurtain-county-jp-3433304/mccurtain-county-jp-3433304-home

A town that became one giant airbnb

https://www.businessinsider.com/hochatown-airbnb-broken-bow-lake-oklahoma-2023-11?international=true&r=US&IR=T

A section of US-259 will be widened to 5 lanes(two each way plus a turn lane) and added sidewalks. It begins next year.

https://oklahoma.gov/odot/programs-and-projects0/public-meetings-and-hearings0/public-meetings-and-hearings/20221027.html