What do you not like about OKC and what do you think could be better?

[Plutonic Panda]

I have to say this thread is surprising. I have always enjoyed this forum mostly because of all the positive people who enjoy watching OKC develop and get better. Every person I have visit is pleasantly surprised by OKC and they aren't coming to visit from Wichita but from NYC, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, London, San Diego. is it perfect? far from it as I don't think many places are. the political enviroment is horrible but things don't get better by running away to greener pastures but some people have to do what they have to do. the negativity of this thread though is disheartining and makes me wonder why even have an interest in OKCtalk if that is your feeling. To each their own though.

sorry man.

disregard this thread. I've just been depressed lately. I didn't mean what I said in my post.

[OkieNate]

I have to say this thread is surprising. I have always enjoyed this forum mostly because of all the positive people who enjoy watching OKC develop and get better. Every person I have visit is pleasantly surprised by OKC and they aren't coming to visit from Wichita but from NYC, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, London, San Diego. is it perfect? far from it as I don't think many places are. the political enviroment is horrible but things don't get better by running away to greener pastures but some people have to do what they have to do. the negativity of this thread though is disheartining and makes me wonder why even have an interest in OKCtalk if that is your feeling. To each their own though.

Don't let them get you down! BSchris is just some whiny loser with no friends in Oklahoma City and no options to get out so he is incredibly bitter. We've figured him out a while a go, so just laugh at him and the fact he is stuck in a place he loathes haha. Of course Oklahoma City could be better and I agree our political atmosphere is by far the worst thing about our state/city. Complaining about our geographical location is the stupidest thing I've ever read on here...I love this city with all my heart and I know many people who feel the exact same. We live in a uniquely kind and friendly city/state, thats something money can't buy. Not to mention the city is coming into its heyday as it truly is a fairly young city with incredible potential and a bright future, as long as we(positive people) continue to be louder than them(debie downers). Happy 4th of July!

[Bullbear]

Don't let them get you down! BSchris is just some whiny loser with no friends in Oklahoma City and no options to get out so he is incredibly bitter. We've figured him out a while a go, so just laugh at him and the fact he is stuck in a place he loathes haha. Of course Oklahoma City could be better and I agree our political atmosphere is by far the worst thing about our state/city. Complaining about our geographical location is the stupidest thing I've ever read on here...I love this city with all my heart and I know many people who feel the exact same. We live in a uniquely kind and friendly city/state, thats something money can't buy. Not to mention the city is coming into its heyday as it truly is a fairly young city with incredible potential and a bright future, as long as we(positive people) continue to be louder than them(debie downers). Happy 4th of July!

True.. and some people are not happy unless they are unhappy. the grass is always greener but then they get there and then what.. OH NO!.. I am unhappy again. you know why?.. well because when you left.. you took YOU with you.

[Of Sound Mind]

sorry man.

disregard this thread. I've just been depressed lately. I didn't mean what I said in my post.

We all have those moments and those times... hopefully you have someone you can turn to for help. I know you really do care about this city and your post sounded like a "bad day" rant.

[Achilleslastand]

I wish the city would give more attention to areas other than bricktown and downtown.

[Plutonic Panda]

We all have those moments and those times... hopefully you have someone you can turn to for help. I know you really do care about this city and your post sounded like a "bad day" rant.

Thanks man. It was just "one of those days" on top of a depression spell I get every now and then but it's no prob.... we all have our ups and downs... I still plan on moving out, but not because I absolutely hate it here. I've was in a month long exchange defending OKC from some lady on city data who was from San Fran who spewing out non-sense. I actually am either moving to West Hollywood or Manhattan. I don't want to move to NYC though because of the weather, but I might have to... time will tell.

[soonerguru]

Thanks man. It was just "one of those days" on top of a depression spell I get every now and then but it's no prob.... we all have our ups and downs... I still plan on moving out, but not because I absolutely hate it here. I've was in a month long exchange defending OKC from some lady on city data who was from San Fran who spewing out non-sense. I actually am either moving to West Hollywood or Manhattan. I don't want to move to NYC though because of the weather, but I might have to... time will tell.

Weather in NYC isn't so bad.

[Plutonic Panda]

Weather in NYC isn't so bad.

The winter lol....

[FighttheGoodFight]

Thanks man. It was just "one of those days" on top of a depression spell I get every now and then but it's no prob.... we all have our ups and downs... I still plan on moving out, but not because I absolutely hate it here. I've was in a month long exchange defending OKC from some lady on city data who was from San Fran who spewing out non-sense. I actually am either moving to West Hollywood or Manhattan. I don't want to move to NYC though because of the weather, but I might have to... time will tell.

Hope everything turns out well for you! I would say go to Hollywood the weather is much nicer.

[bchris02]

I will say one thing. Sometimes I am very negative. However, I never personally insult or belittle anybody on this site for their preferences.

[Plutonic Panda]

Hope everything turns out well for you! I would say go to Hollywood the weather is much nicer.

Thank you! I do it haha...


Yeah, I want to get into surfing as well, so that's another plus there.

[gjl]

It must really suck to be young these days. Must be even worse to be a young progressive. Life is what you make it, not what some city makes it for you. I've lived here since 1960 at the age of 5. Had some great times growing up as a teenager. Got a really good job in my early 20s. In the late 70s and 80s we were out partying all the time. Dance clubs, bars, going to the lake on weekends in the summer. Settled down in the 90s got married and raised a family. Retired in 03 at the age of 47. You know in all those years I don't think I ever got up in the morning and thought, you know, I'm miserable because there are no sidewalks in OKC. or got home from going somewhere and thought, I'm really miserable because there in just not enough landscaping on that street I just drove down. Or this place just sucks because there are no people in the parks. Is this really what young people are depressed about these days. My advice is go out and have a good time while you are young. Those ages fly by so fast that before you know it you wake up one day and you are 60. Again, your life is what YOU and you alone are going to make of it. Don't depend on a city to make you happy. There is plenty here to do.

[Plutonic Panda]

It must really suck to be young these days. Must be even worse to be a young progressive. Life is what you make it, not what some city makes it for you. I've lived here since 1960 at the age of 5. Had some great times growing up as a teenager. Got a really good job in my early 20s. In the late 70s and 80s we were out partying all the time. Dance clubs, bars, going to the lake on weekends in the summer. Settled down in the 90s got married and raised a family. Retired in 03 at the age of 47. You know in all those years I don't think I ever got up in the morning and thought, you know, I'm miserable because there are no sidewalks in OKC. or got home from going somewhere and thought, I'm really miserable because there in just not enough landscaping on that street I just drove down. Or this place just sucks because there are no people in the parks. Is this really what young people are depressed about these days. My advice is go out and have a good time while you are young. Those ages fly by so fast that before you know it you wake up one day and you are 60. Again, your life is what YOU and you alone are going to make of it. Don't depend on a city to make you happy. There is plenty here to do.

you're right man. It's all a matter of perspective. It's amazing how many awesome places there are in this city. Some many neighborhoods on the outskirts that are something completely unexpected and places like Paseo are an awesome asset.

[TheTravellers]

It must really suck to be young these days. Must be even worse to be a young progressive. Life is what you make it, not what some city makes it for you. I've lived here since 1960 at the age of 5. Had some great times growing up as a teenager. Got a really good job in my early 20s. In the late 70s and 80s we were out partying all the time. Dance clubs, bars, going to the lake on weekends in the summer. Settled down in the 90s got married and raised a family. Retired in 03 at the age of 47. You know in all those years I don't think I ever got up in the morning and thought, you know, I'm miserable because there are no sidewalks in OKC. or got home from going somewhere and thought, I'm really miserable because there in just not enough landscaping on that street I just drove down. Or this place just sucks because there are no people in the parks. Is this really what young people are depressed about these days. My advice is go out and have a good time while you are young. Those ages fly by so fast that before you know it you wake up one day and you are 60. Again, your life is what YOU and you alone are going to make of it. Don't depend on a city to make you happy. There is plenty here to do.

Some people like to live in their own world and don't really care about much that doesn't affect them immediately and personally, and others live in another world and care about things like sidewalks, political beliefs, the future, and things outside their immediate purview. I know lots of people that are the former and they actually say "I don't care much about that kind of thing, I just do my thing here and don't think about much else and let everything happen" (almost an exact quote). I'm of the latter viewpoint, though, I can't just stick my head in my bubble and live in my own world, doing my own thing, and just live my life, doot-de-doot-de-do, I want to try to improve the things I can... Way too many folks in OK that just go about their daily lives and don't care about changing/improving things, which is part of why we're on the bottom of good lists and top of bad lists. And if you're someone like me, it's disheartening to live someplace like that.

Just remember, PluPan, it's expensive to move, both financially and personally, don't do it too much (we moved from OKC to Milwaukee to Indiana to Chicagoland to 2 places in the Seattle area back to here)...

[OkieNate]

It must really suck to be young these days. Must be even worse to be a young progressive. Life is what you make it, not what some city makes it for you. I've lived here since 1960 at the age of 5. Had some great times growing up as a teenager. Got a really good job in my early 20s. In the late 70s and 80s we were out partying all the time. Dance clubs, bars, going to the lake on weekends in the summer. Settled down in the 90s got married and raised a family. Retired in 03 at the age of 47. You know in all those years I don't think I ever got up in the morning and thought, you know, I'm miserable because there are no sidewalks in OKC. or got home from going somewhere and thought, I'm really miserable because there in just not enough landscaping on that street I just drove down. Or this place just sucks because there are no people in the parks. Is this really what young people are depressed about these days. My advice is go out and have a good time while you are young. Those ages fly by so fast that before you know it you wake up one day and you are 60. Again, your life is what YOU and you alone are going to make of it. Don't depend on a city to make you happy. There is plenty here to do.

This is such a great response, I wish I was wise and mature enough to have written this but it's no secret I cannot stand a certain poster. I relate to this post VERY much as I am in my mid 20s have seen a lot of the US and a fair amount of the world for someone my age. I've always said I need to get out of Oklahoma on more than one occasion a year but I am always happy to come HOME. (even from Maui!). Thank you for your words they hit home with me!

[catch22]

What I don't like:

1. The prevailing political and social expectations.

It's difficult to be a progressive in this state. But that is slowly changing.

2. The culture.

The societal expectation for someone my age:

Already be in a committed, serious relationship where marriage and kids are already in the pipeline. Suburban acreage, large truck, and fishing/lake plans this weekend.

3. The weather

I work outside all day. It's either 110 degrees and no wind, or 18 degrees and 45 mph wind. Very rarely is there a moderate temperature or day.

4. Unwalkable

I hate the over dependence on driving. I hate that I have to drive a mile through my neighborhood to reach the grocery store that is literally 450 feet from my doorstep. But the 13 foot wall around my neighborhood, and single point entrance to my neighborhood prohibits and restricts the simple activity known as walking. You can have your suburbs, but we should also still make walking, well...walkable.


Regarding the above posters. I don't mind the grit. I don't mind the power poles. I actually don't like perfectly manicured and sterile urban environments. To me, I like to feel like I live in a real city. The perfect manicured, sterile environment seems fake to me. But, that is not to say I enjoy seeing trash on the streets, poorly maintained infrastructure, and poor city planning.

[bchris02]

This is such a great response, I wish I was wise and mature enough to have written this but it's no secret I cannot stand a certain poster. I relate to this post VERY much as I am in my mid 20s have seen a lot of the US and a fair amount of the world for someone my age. I've always said I need to get out of Oklahoma on more than one occasion a year but I am always happy to come HOME. (even from Maui!). Thank you for your words they hit home with me!

This board has an ignore feature. You should try it out.

What I don't like:

1. The prevailing political and social expectations.

It's difficult to be a progressive in this state. But that is slowly changing.

2. The culture.

The societal expectation for someone my age:

Already be in a committed, serious relationship where marriage and kids are already in the pipeline. Suburban acreage, large truck, and fishing/lake plans this weekend.

3. The weather

I work outside all day. It's either 110 degrees and no wind, or 18 degrees and 45 mph wind. Very rarely is there a moderate temperature or day.

4. Unwalkable

I hate the over dependence on driving. I hate that I have to drive a mile through my neighborhood to reach the grocery store that is literally 450 feet from my doorstep. But the 13 foot wall around my neighborhood, and single point entrance to my neighborhood prohibits and restricts the simple activity known as walking. You can have your suburbs, but we should also still make walking, well...walkable.


Regarding the above posters. I don't mind the grit. I don't mind the power poles. I actually don't like perfectly manicured and sterile urban environments. To me, I like to feel like I live in a real city. The perfect manicured, sterile environment seems fake to me. But, that is not to say I enjoy seeing trash on the streets, poorly maintained infrastructure, and poor city planning.

I agree 150% with this.

Your second point is probably what irritates me the most out of everything. Individualism here is highly discouraged. There is tremendous social pressure here for everybody follow a certain life path and be at a certain point in life at a certain age. Certain interest/hobbies are also expected i.e. fishing, hunting, sports (college or NBA basketball), mudding, etc. If you stray from that it can be difficult finding your niche.

As for my previous comment about grit, I am mostly referring to the suburban areas. OKC has many "upscale" suburban areas that could be very nice if cleaned up a bit. I actually like a lot of the grit in the core. For instance, I really like the look of NW 23rd St. On that stretch I actually feel like I am in a major city.

[gjl]

I was 36 when I got married the first time. I never felt any pressure to get married or have kids. I saw a lot of my friends get married and have kids young then get divorced. Also I never had kids but I raised 2 step kids. You can ignore what perceived pressures you think are out there. Never owned a pick up truck until I was 40. And wasn't always at the lake in the summer. Played a lot of golf too. You can make your life fun or you can mope around and wish it was.

[OkieNate]

This board has an ignore feature. You should try it out.



I agree 150% with this.

Your second point is probably what irritates me the most out of everything. Individualism here is highly discouraged. There is tremendous social pressure here for everybody follow a certain life path and be at a certain point in life at a certain age. Certain interest/hobbies are also expected i.e. fishing, hunting, sports (college or NBA basketball), mudding, etc. If you stray from that it can be difficult finding your niche.

As for my previous comment about grit, I am mostly referring to the suburban areas. OKC has many "upscale" suburban areas that could be very nice if cleaned up a bit. I actually like a lot of the grit in the core. For instance, I really like the look of NW 23rd St. On that stretch I actually feel like I am in a major city.

This is my preference to do this. Glad you knew who I was referring to.

[LandRunOkie]

As Stephen King wrote, summer is the season of dreams. Also I think you're suffering from some cognitive dissonance. The view being told to you by the media of what OKC is is very different than what it actually is. A lot of this has to do with the coverage/propaganda about the OKC Thunder. Let me tell you some advice, don't live your life waiting for OKC to be a "championship city". People who expect to be happy "someday" will never be happy. The here and now is infinitely more important than a pro team's accomplishments. Focus on achieving the goals you can control and ignore everything else. /endrant

[ljbab728]

I actually am either moving to West Hollywood or Manhattan. I don't want to move to NYC though because of the weather, but I might have to... time will tell.

Plupan, you may find some "cougars" in West Hollywood but I would suggest you check closely to be sure they are female.

[Eddie1]

It must really suck to be young these days. Must be even worse to be a young progressive. Life is what you make it, not what some city makes it for you. I've lived here since 1960 at the age of 5. Had some great times growing up as a teenager. Got a really good job in my early 20s. In the late 70s and 80s we were out partying all the time. Dance clubs, bars, going to the lake on weekends in the summer. Settled down in the 90s got married and raised a family. Retired in 03 at the age of 47. You know in all those years I don't think I ever got up in the morning and thought, you know, I'm miserable because there are no sidewalks in OKC. or got home from going somewhere and thought, I'm really miserable because there in just not enough landscaping on that street I just drove down. Or this place just sucks because there are no people in the parks. Is this really what young people are depressed about these days. My advice is go out and have a good time while you are young. Those ages fly by so fast that before you know it you wake up one day and you are 60. Again, your life is what YOU and you alone are going to make of it. Don't depend on a city to make you happy. There is plenty here to do.

Probably one of the most insightful posts I've read on this site.

[Plutonic Panda]

Plupan, you may find some "cougars" in West Hollywood but I would suggest you check closely to be sure they are female.

you mean human? haha.... That's a REAL plus right there to lol.... I already know a couple on FB that live there

[Celebrator]

Way too many folks in OK that just go about their daily lives and don't care about changing/improving things, which is part of why we're on the bottom of good lists and top of bad lists. And if you're someone like me, it's disheartening to live someplace like that.

Really have not seen this here at all. I came from a place (Orlando, FL) where this attitude seemed to be rampant though. There, it was "I'm here for my slice of the sunshine, don't bother me about anything else" and "I paid my taxes up north, I don't want to contribute my money here for community improvement." (This is what I heard when a half penny sales tax increase to improve the schools failed to pass...I was a teacher down there and that commented fried me!) If there weren't the tourist dollars flowing in that pay for so many of the improvements, I really don't think the improvements (infrastructure, streetscape, etc.) would be of the scale or quality you see down there. Anyway, here there are lots of grass-roots efforts for making things better, I think that is undeniable, really. There is a generally unified feel that people support and want to work for continuous improvement for OKC. I LOVE that about here.

[Questor]

I wish people here (the majority populace) were more creative. They're just not. It impacts the design of buildings, the look of neighborhoods, the dated interiors of brand new houses, the way things are laid out, the type of businesses we have, the type of businesses we don't have, the types of job opportunities there are, the recreational activities available, the food, the types of hobbies people are into... Really it's a problem with tentacles into almost every facet of life here.

Also, this city is overrun with government workers. It feels about as bad as DC. I tend to think this and the creativity problem are inter related.