Farewell Oklahoma City! I'll Miss Living Here!
Even though I won't be moving until after Christmas, I'd like to post this because I won't be on much after Thanksgiving while we begin the packing, job hunting, and moving process (although I plan to take care of the move in one trip).
We are moving to Houston to be closer to my wife's family, and that's a blessing because they are wonderful folks. I say this because we are not moving to Houston for better jobs, or to 'get out of Oklahoma', or because the grass looked greener in Texas. There are vast differences between Texas and Oklahoma, but that's another thread.
I will be back often to visit my family, and I still have a lot planned for our great city. I'm also looking forward to returning as a tourist. Imagine that. As far as what I have planned, I won't go into detail. I'll just leave it with a keyword: action.
I was born and raised in Edmond. I went to high school at Edmond Memorial, started college at UCO, and I am earning a degree in Computer Science at OCCC. Even though Oklahoma continues to rank 45th in a lot of educational categories, regardless of my IQ, Oklahoma is where I got educated. And the teachers here have given me the tools I need to succeed in life. Oklahoma give me my first job... well... all of my jobs. And I do fine right now as an evening supervisor.
All arguments, debates, and head-scratching conversations aside, Oklahoma HAS changed. In many ways. Compare it to 1999. It was then we were still required to get our vehicles inspected. Income taxes were higher. The lottery was illegal. There was no strong interest to legalize tattoo studios (don't call them parlors anymore, times have changed). There was no such thing as Oklahoma wine country. There were no local breweries to brew strong beer. No distillers either (Old Russia is distilled in OKC).
MAPS was still in the works. Tulsa was struggling to pass such a package. We were a union state. Now, whether Right to Work has made a positive impact on Oklahoma remains to be seen. It will take at least a decade, but at least the change was made. Car tags were excessively high. No flat rates. The sports arena had just begun construction, so the sports scene and concert scene was stifled. Oklahoma City schools were falling apart. And, even though casinos in Oklahoma aren't exactly Class III facilities, they are a step closer. Call is Class 2.5 gaming. Better than electronic bingo.
And look at us today. The job isn't finished. It never will be. But we grabbed national attention in positive ways never seen in Oklahoma. The NBA Hornets were well received. MAPS turned downtown into a place people want to go, where people want to live. So much emphasis has been placed on attracting better jobs. The result? Oklahoma City is wealthier than it was in the 1990's, as its metro per capita income is quickly catching up with the national average year by year. Our schools are seeing investments and improvements never before seen, and our library system definitely beats where I'm going. Dell set up shop here. Call it what you will, but Dell having a support and sales center here has caught the attention of the national tech industry. I should know. When Bill Gates and Steve Jobs reads articles about Dell entering our city, they make note of that. Even people I talked to in California were interested in Oklahoma City's efforts in tech industry.
Some of my friends ask me, what do I predict for Oklahoma City? For one, rapid growth is inevitable. Once you look around Oklahoma City, you can feel something big is about to happen, be it next year or four years from now. It will happen. The NBA coming here is a revelation to that.
Will another skyscraper be built downtown. Yes. It will eventually happen, and it is inevitable. Downtown's residential growth and office space reorganization will make that happen.
Will Oklahoma's roads ever get better? We're slowly headed in the right direction as far as roads. But something will happen to force the legislature to focus on building one of the best highway systems in the country. Will turnpikes disappear? No.
Will public rail transit get big in Oklahoma? Not for a while. But that it something we should press.
Will wine ever be sold in grocery stores in Oklahoma? Believe me, if our lawmakers are wanting to place grocery store beer under ABLE, grocery stores selling wine and beer will be a result of that and an initiative petition circulated by we, the people.
Is Oklahoma City a big-league city, even though the Hornets will head back to New Orleans? Well, one thing is for sure. We've left one hell of a first impression for the NBA. No one is laughing at us anymore, and there are a lot of people with raised eyebrows.
Let's face it. Oklahoma will always be the land of contrasts, controversy and debate. It's bred some serious intellectuals here. You don't see this stuff in Texas. And Oklahoma City is the type of city I love. Not because it's my home, but because it always manages to surprise someone. And that is Oklahoma in general. We turn 100 in 2007, and the nation will be watching. There hasn't been a state centennial since 1996, and Oklahoma's will be the last of four centennials in the 20th Century.
I told several people I wrote a vacation book for Oklahoma City. I did, but i had to put it aside to focus on school, and once I graduate, I will see it on the bookstore shelves. I worked on it for three years, slowly putting it together, carefully, piece by piece. I won't let it be for nothing.
It will be strange posting to this forum from Texas, but I'll get used to it. I've met great people on this board and I'm sure if we stayed I'd have made a lot of good friends.
I hope to return home someday.
Bookmarks