Best & Worst Things about Oklahoma

[icemncmth]

I grew up in VA right outside of DC.....Oklahoma is not in the South...Mason Dixon line..and down the coast..that is the true south...


I tell friends in DC about Oklahoma..


And it is simple

Pros...

Cost of living is cheap..


Cons...

Cost of entertainment high...


VS Washington DC area...

Pros....

Cost of entertainment low

Cons...

Cost of living high..

When people from other states look at OK...there isn't much of a WOW factor to the state..

Same goes for TX but they hype it up in the press and people believe it...

[jsibelius]

Pro
Slow drivers = fewer accidents
*Slightly* cheaper car insurance
Wind in the summer (it really makes it feel cooler, I promise)
Ogles
David Payne in the morning
Tornado coverage by helicopter
Insane weather in the spring
Cheap living so everyone can afford a Hummer

Con
Slow drivers = more road rage (it really is okay to go at least the speed limit, just don't overdo it, Dallas-style)
Sales tax on food
State income tax
Can't find the savings in my property taxes like I was promised
Wind the rest of the year
Insane weather in the spring

[OKCMallen]

most Oklahoman's use obsolete, backward expressions

*facepalm Seriously?

[progressiveboy]

Oklahoma is geographically a South, South Central State. If we can grow magnolias, drink sweet tea and grow cotton then by god we are the South. Even by our grammar, "Yall" lol that is most distinctive of the Southern States.

[sheri5]

I am appauled by the comments about trailer house comments. If you don't live in a trailer house that why is that offensive to you? A lot of classy people choose to live in a double wide rather that building a huge house with a lot of wasted space in the roof. I guess what I am saying is that I am proud to be the "trailer trash" that is so disgusting to people in Oklahoma!

[PennyQuilts]

Southern plains is how I usually describe Oklahoma. It might not be accurate but south and midwest just doesn't quite do it. I tell people it is on the prairie and no one ever asks where the prairie is so sometimes that works. I don't think Oklahoma is anything like New Mexico.

There is no way I'd live in a mobile home in Oklahoma for obvious reasons. My mother insisted that there was some sort of magnetic field around "trailers" that attracted tornadoes. I didn't put much effort into trying to educate her on that score.

Oklahoma is a wonderful place. At my age, I am not affected by any of the cons.

[Karried]

I am appauled by the comments about trailer house comments. If you don't live in a trailer house that why is that offensive to you?

I don't see many comments regarding mobile homes on this thread. What did I miss that you found so appalling?

[CuatrodeMayo]

Please...I spent a good portion of my childhood in a trailer and I owned one for a while.

I still make of fun of trailers and the people who live there.

[PennyQuilts]

I'm afraid to live in a trailer in Oklahoma.

[jsibelius]

Those are just scare tactics. Current regulations make trailer living much safer than "you're gonna die" TV meteorologists would have you think. They're required to be tied down well enough they can withstand fairly high winds, probably EF1-strength tornado. That doesn't mean I'm going to hang out in my trailer house with any tornado headed my way, but the media makes it sound lots worse than it really is. That's how they get ratings. I'm fortunate enough to have an underground shelter nearby.

[PennyQuilts]

All I know is that when they count the dead, they tend to have been living (before their unfortunate demise) in trailers.

[PennyQuilts]

Here is an article I just read about mortality rates of tornadoes when you are in mobil homes:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stor...-cleanup_N.htm

Part of what it says is that: During tornadoes, the fatality rate for people who live in mobile or manufactured homes is 10 times higher than for those who don't, ... such structures "are prone to catastrophic failure at a lower wind speed."

[ddavidson8]

I always loved OKC, but didn't realize how much I loved it until I left for Houston, the arm-pit of America.

[brenna]

I always loved OKC, but didn't realize how much I loved it until I left for Houston, the arm-pit of America.

hahaha, will the 'real arm-pit of america' please stand up?

In regard to Houston, I can think of worse places, but Houston's highways are really f*ed up. I don't know what it is, they just suck....badly. I grew up in Dallas, so I always called Arlington, TX the arm-pit of America.

Why did you move?

[brenna]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the crappy 3.2 piss water oklahoma calls beer as a con

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the crappy 3.2 piss water oklahoma calls beer as a con

Well, it's not REALLY half as strong as Texas beer. It's only 3.2% by WEIGHT. It's 4% by volume. Texas beer is 5% by volume. That's 1% if you didn't want to do the math . Or to put it in beer drinker's terms...You'll have to drink just over 7 Oklahoma Bud Lights to equal 6 Texas Bud Lights. That's not a whole lot when you're knockin' them back. Not that I condone drinking Bud Light either. BARF.

Besides, I buy bottles of 11-12 "point" beer here all the time. Liquor stores carry the good stuff. You just have to plan ahead.

[PennyQuilts]

I also always thought Dallas was the armpit of the world - at least that is just how I described it. I'd still rather live there than Houston. Too steamy. Too crowded. Too far away from home.

[CuatrodeMayo]

I have always heard New Orleans is the arm-pit.

[kevinpate]

nah, Orleans is too far south and a bit too central to be an armpit.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Butthole?

[sheri5]

My list of worst includes the following:

Hicks
Backward mentality
Lack ot true growth
Lack of high end entertainment such as REAL theme parks
Lack of major league sports
OU
Major airports are too small for a major city
Cowtown reputation
False claims that Oklahoma is in the south (we are Midwest, people)
Too hot (Heat is heat, so do not say "oh, but it's a dry heat")
To religious of a reputation
Failure to allow adult entertainment
Lack of true quality education
Roads that are patetic (even Arkansas has high quality freeways)
Backward expressions
Not enough jobs that pay a living wage
Apathy
No high end higher education facility (as in the reputation of Harvard)
Mobile homes in the middle of acreges
Lack of media talent (we use to have a great deal of talent)
Lack of high end shopping
Too many ethnic restaurants

I could go on, however, that is enough for now. By the way... I jus t do not want to do a "best" list.

Here is the first one!!! Why is that a con???

BTW...during the May 3rd tornadoes it didn't matter if you lived in a mobile home or not, the mortaility rate was high.

[sheri5]

I moved back to OKC last year and had great expectations of the place! However, I was disappointed at first. Since then, I have realized there is so much here that I really enjoy.

Pros of Oklahoma:

Low cost of living
My family is here
I LOVE the weather! (Long, hot summers are the best!)
Not crowded
Low-cost housing
No traffic
Accessibility to most anything
The revival of OKC - how exciting!!!!!
Cultural diversity

Oh, there's so much more that I can't even think of right now!

Cons of Oklahoma:

(These don't all directly impact me, but they still disturb me)
Low quality education
Low teacher pay
Crummy roads, though they're just as bad in Michigan!
Job market
State regulations on personal/moral issues (tattooing, body piercing, alcohol content of beer, lottery - though I know that FINALLY passed)
Hokey news reporting - TV & newspaper
Homes that are delivered by a truck, rather than built. (Hee hee! Just saw one at lunch today!)

Oklahoma has a LONG way to go, but I sure am proud of how it's doing so far!

Here it is AGAIN!!!

There are a lot more eyesore properties around this state than mobile homes. Maybe there is a stereo-type or something, I don't know. But whatever...Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.

[CuatrodeMayo]

A stereotype? Trailers are stereotyped? I couldn't imagine.

[jsibelius]

All I know is that when they count the dead, they tend to have been living (before their unfortunate demise) in trailers.

Well naturally they're not as safe as a brick house would be, but I can assure you that they're not as unsafe as they used to be. It depends on the railer you're in, when it was built and when it was tied down. And it helps to be close to a shelter.

[slademan]

Best

OU
Summers
Low cost of living
Friendly citizens

Worst

OSU.....lol im jk...its north enough to forget about
Not enough entertainment
No high end retail or hotels
Redneck image/ Indian image

As far as trailer houses, I have had friends live in them. Most people expect grass
growing a foot high and a couple of broke down cars in the yard. Which in my experience has been pretty accurate.