Oklahoma City is at the threshold of becoming a solid market with potential for more growth. We saw Charlotte and Nashville go this through these stages in the early 90s where their metro populations exceeded 1 million. Twenty-plus years later Charlotte boast 2.2 million & Nashville 1.7 million.
Oklahoma City has an advantage because MAPS I jump-started our economy. We are a unique community because we invested in ourselves. Word is getting out about the make-over of Oklahoma City--the magazines are telling our story and placing us in the company of some of the more progressive cities in the U.S.
We're on the radar as this is evident with recent announcements by Boeing & General Electric. As we continue our momentum--there will be more announcements and developmental growth about our city as we become a competing city.
The energy companies are making our area attractive as talent is brought to the city; our unemployment numbers reflect this trend. Our hospitality industry is on the rise with the rapid growth of our area hotels. OU Medical research park (formerly Presbyterian) in getting poised for new growth & development.
We need to continue to keep our home grown talent here as well as attracting talented professionals from other states--that's the key to sustained growth.
It is going to become important that we build up Will Rogers to where we can have more destinations added to our airport instead of having to channel through magnet airports like Dallas' DFW & Southwest Airlines.
Oklahoma largest airports: Oklahoma City Will Rogers & Tulsa International have been funneling traffic to mega airports in Dallas (via OKC) and Kansas City (via Tulsa) where they can connect to other destinations not offered at either of Oklahoma's major airports. If Will Rogers continues to build and pull some of the traffic Kansas City is getting from Tulsa with more direct & non stop routes out of Will Rogers instead of our people going 200 miles to Dallas and Tulsa connecting 200 miles to Kansas City--our city will boom.
Oklahoma City saw some recent expansion of $100 million in the first decade of 2000 with another $70 million of expansion planned for 2015. We're slowly getting there.
Oklahoma City needs to position and brace for growth.
The convention center & hotel will attract the intangibles you can't always measure. It's like the investment yield from the first MAPS that gave our city the shot-in-the arm to immune ourselves from the vices of the Grapes of Wrath image it has taken us so long to shake. Marketing our cities is on-going and the convention center & hotel will pay more dividend as executives get that 'feel good image' that we are ready and ripe for business & industry's expansion and relocation.
Let's build that convention center & hotel because our investment will be returned; much like what we have already experienced with the original MAPS.
"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.
Re: Convention Hotel
Originally Posted by Laramie
Oklahoma City is at the threshold of becoming a solid market with potential for more growth. We saw Charlotte and Nashville go this through these stages in the early 90s where their metro populations exceeded 1 million. Twenty-plus years later Charlotte boast 2.2 million & Nashville 1.7 million.
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