Oklahoma City, In the Press

[checkthat]

New York Times. Any publicity is good publicity. Right??

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/201...e.html?mcubz=3

[traxx]

Nice little OKC feature in Food and Wine Magazine. Seems like we're starting to build some street credibility:

http://www.foodandwine.com/travel/we...eing-right-now

The title of the article made me chuckle.

"We Can't Believe How Cool Oklahoma City is Being Right Now"

It sounds like something a teen says when they don't get in trouble for coming in drunk at 3am, "I can't believe how cool mom is being right now."

[OUman]

Pretty cool, not just any city makes Food and Wine's pages.

[bchris02]

The title of the article made me chuckle.

"We Can't Believe How Cool Oklahoma City is Being Right Now"

It sounds like something a teen says when they don't get in trouble for coming in drunk at 3am, "I can't believe how cool mom is being right now."

Oklahoma City's stereotypes are somewhat of a yin and yang thing in my opinion. On one hand, when many people hear "Oklahoma City" they ponder up a mental image reminiscent of how things actually were here in the 1980s. On the other hand, when people actually visit with an open mind they are blown away by what they find because its quite a bit different than what they were expecting, resulting in positive articles such as this one.

[traxx]

Oklahoma City's stereotypes are somewhat of a yin and yang thing in my opinion. On one hand, when many people hear "Oklahoma City" they ponder up a mental image reminiscent of how things actually were here in the 1980s. On the other hand, when people actually visit with an open mind they are blown away by what they find because its quite a bit different than what they were expecting, resulting in positive articles such as this one.

I don't think many actually know how things were here in the '80s. Most either have no clue and therefore no real preconceived notion of OKC or they're way off. In high school, given this was 30 years ago, a national education summit of some kind (can't remember if it was national honor society or what) was held here. I knew one of the student organizers and she said that they got calls from concerned parents of visiting students from the east coast asking if we still had problems with Indian attacks, if there was in-door plumbing, if their students would be staying in teepees etc.

[brianinok]

I was at a banking conference in San Diego about 10 years ago and started talking to a lady from San Francisco. When she learned I was from Oklahoma City, she was truly at a loss for words. She finally asked how far I had to drive to an airport. Then "was Dallas the closest airport to Oklahoma?" This was at the time ExpressJet was flying nonstop from OKC to San Diego, and I told her you could fly nonstop from OKC to San Diego. She was just floored there were airports in the state of Oklahoma. I decided I'd go talk to someone who had a clue.

[Snowman]

I was at a banking conference in San Diego about 10 years ago and started talking to a lady from San Francisco. When she learned I was from Oklahoma City, she was truly at a loss for words. She finally asked how far I had to drive to an airport. Then "was Dallas the closest airport to Oklahoma?" This was at the time ExpressJet was flying nonstop from OKC to San Diego, and I told her you could fly nonstop from OKC to San Diego. She was just floored there were airports in the state of Oklahoma. I decided I'd go talk to someone who had a clue.

I remember talking to someone in Hawaii that seemed to imagine that the level of technology here was still around 1900 and have heard others have similar encounters, I kind of wonder if somes only impression comes from seeing the play Oklahoma! and something about that can just get stuck in people's mind as what it is like here even though it was always a period fiction.

[bchris02]

I don't think many actually know how things were here in the '80s. Most either have no clue and therefore no real preconceived notion of OKC or they're way off. In high school, given this was 30 years ago, a national education summit of some kind (can't remember if it was national honor society or what) was held here. I knew one of the student organizers and she said that they got calls from concerned parents of visiting students from the east coast asking if we still had problems with Indian attacks, if there was in-door plumbing, if their students would be staying in teepees etc.

I got the same kind of thing from people when I lived in Charlotte and this was 2012. Somebody asked me if there was even Internet or computers in Oklahoma City. I understand people have a certain perception of flyover country, especially outside of the major cities like Dallas, KC, Omaha, etc, but some people on the coasts act like its still the 19th century here. I always assumed that OKC was known more for being a stopover destination for cross-country travelers on I-40. As far as the 1980s, I think the "boring" and "run down" stereotypes that a lot of people who haven't been here (or haven't recently) still believe about OKC originate from that time period.

[FighttheGoodFight]

I remember talking to someone in Hawaii that seemed to imagine that the level of technology here was still around 1900 and have heard others have similar encounters, I kind of wonder if somes only impression comes from seeing the play Oklahoma! and something about that can just get stuck in people's mind as what it is like here even though it was always a period fiction.

I went to Hawaii and people wondering how I had no accent. They thought people had accents like the rural South here. I told them I grew up in a decent sized city and bucked the accent of my parents (they had a minor Texas one). Of course this was pre-Thunder era. Now everywhere I go people know the Thunder. Gives us a better rep.

[OUman]

Deleted previous comment.

[hoya]

I don't think many actually know how things were here in the '80s. Most either have no clue and therefore no real preconceived notion of OKC or they're way off. In high school, given this was 30 years ago, a national education summit of some kind (can't remember if it was national honor society or what) was held here. I knew one of the student organizers and she said that they got calls from concerned parents of visiting students from the east coast asking if we still had problems with Indian attacks, if there was in-door plumbing, if their students would be staying in teepees etc.

My favorite part of landing at Will Rogers is when the Indians shoot their arrows at the plane. Good times.

[king183]

I don't think many actually know how things were here in the '80s. Most either have no clue and therefore no real preconceived notion of OKC or they're way off. In high school, given this was 30 years ago, a national education summit of some kind (can't remember if it was national honor society or what) was held here. I knew one of the student organizers and she said that they got calls from concerned parents of visiting students from the east coast asking if we still had problems with Indian attacks, if there was in-door plumbing, if their students would be staying in teepees etc.

I've always said comments like those referenced above say a lot more about the people asking them than it does the State of Oklahoma. You have to be a complete f'ing dolt to think some of this stuff. It shows how insular and excruciatingly dumb some people are who consider themselves enlightened.

[bchris02]

I've always said comments like those referenced above say a lot more about the people asking them than it does the State of Oklahoma. You have to be a complete f'ing dolt to think some of this stuff. It shows how insular and excruciatingly dumb some people are who consider themselves enlightened.

This is very true. However, I think we all think this way about places we are unfamiliar with to some extent. How many Americans for instance assume that everyone in Africa or the more primitive regions of Asia still live in huts, have no electricity, and live a hunter/gatherer lifestyle? How many people think that Eskmos in Alaska still live in igloos? There are some indigenous tribes that still live that way but a vast majority of the second and even third world is still more advanced than people typically give it credit for.

[traxx]

My favorite part of landing at Will Rogers is when the Indians shoot their arrows at the plane. Good times.

I wish we still had the like button because this really amused me.

[Teo9969]

I wish we still had the like button because this really amused me.

I loled

[Ross MacLochness]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...oklahoma-city/

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

[LocoAko]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...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.

[traxx]

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

[pw405]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...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:



Rage Faces added for emphasis (my own).

[Laramie]

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/amaz...aboolainternal

Every City in Texas Wants Amazon’s New Headquarters. They Should Think Twice: https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-dai...dquarters-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.

[stile99]

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.

[gopokes88]

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

Producers CO-OP amazon tower is our best bet

[Pryor Tiger]

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.

[TheTravellers]

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.

[bchris02]

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.