Just curious what people think the city will be like in 20 years. You never know what the world will be like then, but it's nice to think about anyway...

I see OKC becoming more of a national player in the biotech and research industries, and also strengthening its manufacturing sector. I think the city will be attractive to companies because the schools are good (started with MAPS for Kids and transformed OKC public schools) and there are plenty of college graduates (with OU and OSU expanding, as well as OKC's own OCU, UCO, OSU-OKC, and SNU). Most will be located near downtown by the gigantic and well-respected Oklahoma Medical Center or along the banks of the Oklahoma River.

The riverfront area will be home to dense tech and research campuses along with high rise residential towers, a variety of retail, and is very urban and pedestrian-oriented with many trees and landscaped areas along the river. Further south of the river (and I-40) is a large middle class neighborhood where the majority of Hispanics live and is the center of Hispanic culture, cuisine, and entertainment.

Bricktown will continue to be the city's premier entertainment district and the canal will be 2 times as long as it is currently and will connect to the Ford Center and Myriad Botanical Gardens. The area will be completely built up and very dense with the city's best restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and music venues. An NBA team will play at an expanded Ford Center. Plans will be in the works to bury the portion of I-235 adjacent to Bricktown to connect it to the burgeoning residential area near the OMC.

The CBD will add a few new towers, including a signature building for Devon and a new building for Bancfirst, along with new restaurants and cafes for the lunch crowd. New residential towers and townhomes will be built on the westside of downtown near the Arts District. Historic neighborhoods like Heritage Hill will double in value. Deep Deuce will become a popular live music area, with an emphasis on jazz, and less touristy than Bricktown. The entire midtown area will see new life as people move in to be close to downtown, and will take on an arts vibe similar to the Paseo district. The Asian District will continue to grow and will be one of the best in the region with more restaurants and residential. Nichols Hills will develop an upscale shopping center that will rival Tulsa's Utica Square.

Edmond will continue to grow with over 100,000 residents and an active downtown area because of high growth at UCO. Norman will grow to over 170,000 with continued growth at OU, with Campus Corner rivaling Bricktown for nightlife, downtown becoming more popular with increased retail/restaurants, and more students living in townhomes/mid-rise apartments near campus. A commuter rail line will connect Norman with south OKC, downtown, midtown, north OKC, and Edmond. Construction on a line from downtown to the airport would be in the works.

Frontier City would be expanded with several new rides and a park-wide renovation making it one of the better parks in the Six Flags system. It would also be called Six Flags-Frontier City. White Water Bay would also be extensively renovated. The OKC Zoo will expand its aquarium and add several new exhibits making it one of the nicest in the country. The Native American Cultural Center will be a key attraction in OKC, as will a renovated Stockyards City that is connected to Bricktown/downtown by riverboat on the Oklahoma River.

It's fun to dream...