Coronado Heights - Experience, Thoughts, etc.

[pw405]

Hello All - I've been looking for houses in OKC for quite a while and in the past few weeks I've decided to turn up the intensity and work with a real estate agent & mortgage company to finally get the wheels in motion.

I live in Norman now, but I've worked in OKC for last 6 years. There are a few homes in the Coronado heights area (see map below) that I am considering buying. I'd like to know if any posters live in this area, or know somebody that does. Would just like to get some opinions other than the realtor's.

For those who aren't aware, this is the neighborhood bound by Portland & Meridian, 63rd & 50th:



Thanks for any info you may be able to provide!

[Pete]

I really like that neighborhood. Mature trees, great prices, decent-sized lots, great location.

Rollingwood (directly west) is very similar and I actually like it a bit better.

[ljbab728]

I live in that immediate area and agree with Pete.

[bluedogok]

I would consider buying there if I was moving back to OKC.

[pw405]

Ok good deal - I've wanted to find something close to work and tried my hardest to keep the real estate search inside of the 40/44/235 Loop but it is next to impossible to find a home with a 2 car garage and 1.5+ baths for a reasonable price! The homes here seem like a great value and appear to be built well. I've looked at 5-6 in the neighborhood and I couldn't see any evidence of foundation settling/etc.

Any comments on safety/crime? Crimetracker shows a few burglaries per month, but I suppose you'll have that in the city.

[foodiefan]

You also might want to check in Windsor Hills (23rd/36th, Meridian/Ann Arbor). . . still some original home owners in this area!! Quiet, lots of trees, well built homes, and very accessible.

[Pete]

Ok good deal - I've wanted to find something close to work and tried my hardest to keep the real estate search inside of the 40/44/235 Loop but it is next to impossible to find a home with a 2 car garage and 1.5+ baths for a reasonable price!

Attached 2-car garages really started to happen in the late 50's / early 60's, which is when all these homes were built.

Another great and similar neighborhood in that area is Cullen's Lakeview, which is north of 63rd, south of NW Expressway, west of Meridian and east of Ann Arbor Terrace.

Lakeview, Coronado Heights and Rollingwood were all built about the same time, all with 2- car garages and almost all the homes are in the $120-$150K range.

[rezman]

Back in the late 50's when my folks moved down here from Chicago, my dad built our first house on NW 58th Terrace, west of Porland between Roff and Shawnee Streets. Our family still has a bunch of color slides from when it was all sparkling brand new. Even several with a brand new 1958 Rambler sedan parked out front. Many of the houses in that area were built during the mid century modern period when a lot of the garage doors had decorative trim work on them that you don't see any more. And most of those doors have since rotted away and have been replaced by modern raised panel doors. I was over there not long ago, and it is still a nice area.

[gjl]

I lived in that neighborhood from 1960-1976. Like rezman, my father built a house on 61st st between Tulsa and Vermont after moving from Chicago. That area was settled by many of the management people who were starting up the newly opened Western Electric plant on Reno and Council which open in June, 1960. They were operating at a pilot plant on 39th and Tulsa prior to the new plant opening. Many houses in that area were newly built in that time frame. I would look carefully at the foundation on any house you are considering buying in that area. Dolese had a large sand pit directly across Meridian at what is now Dolese Park and I've heard a lot of houses in that area have foundation problems because of the type of soil base they were built on. Although what house in Okla doesn't have foundation problems because of our weather extremes. I currently live about a mile SW of that area and still consider it a nice area.

[ljbab728]

Any comments on safety/crime? Crimetracker shows a few burglaries per month, but I suppose you'll have that in the city.

Of course crime can occur anywhere but I've always felt very safe in the area.

[pw405]

Thanks to all who have replied. I spent some more time in the area and It does seem like a great location. Looked over everything with a fine tooth comb and didn't see any evidence of foundation settling or piers. It could have been done years ago though, but the house seemed solid and reasonably priced. Hopefully I'll get to move back to OKC soon!

[stratosphere]

The area is nice and there are a lot of well kept homes with mature trees. The neighborhood is a mix of older people who are probably orginal owners, younger people who work at the nearby hospitals, and basically a bit of everything. Typically its a good place to settle in and relax outside in the evening, walk the dog, etc. People are generally friendly and look after each other. The homes were well built back then and not every house looks alike.

Now for some bad stuff, there was a police chase that started in Warr Acres and ended up over here two nights ago, with OKC and WA police firing on the suspect and killing him. I wish i could say this was an isolated incident except for the fact that a few years ago Someone had stolen a car and there was a police chase through the neighborhood with the suspects shooting at the police and hitting some cars on NW 62th near Portland. This eventually ended up in a crash near Atrium Towers where both the Police and the Perps crashed seperately, and the police shot one of the suspects and took the other to jail. Also, there is a bad element from presumably outside of Coronado Heights, who looks for target homes and once they know someone's away they might attempt to break in and rob the homeowners. I know this because i was a target and this happened to me. Luckily i was at work and the home security system worked and the criminals left immediately. Also i must say that OKCPD responded very quickly and three officers went into my home with their guns drawn, so im very appreciative of that.

Having said all of that, hopefully i haven't deterred the OP from the area. This is the world we live in now, unfortunately, and as this city grows this type of thing will happen more often. This is in no way a Coronado Heights phenomenon as it probably happens just about everywhere. It's a MUST that you protect yourself and your family from this type of thing.

A few things i have done since my own break-in have been:

Trim trees and bushes around windows and doors
Installl security lights
Install new security windows and doors throughout house
move alarm signs to more visible areas
talk with your neighbors, get to know them better
personal protection around the house

Pretty basic stuff but it bears repeating. Best of luck

[pw405]

The area is nice and there are a lot of well kept homes with mature trees. The neighborhood is a mix of older people who are probably orginal owners, younger people who work at the nearby hospitals, and basically a bit of everything. Typically its a good place to settle in and relax outside in the evening, walk the dog, etc. People are generally friendly and look after each other. The homes were well built back then and not every house looks alike.

Now for some bad stuff, there was a police chase that started in Warr Acres and ended up over here two nights ago, with OKC and WA police firing on the suspect and killing him. I wish i could say this was an isolated incident except for the fact that a few years ago Someone had stolen a car and there was a police chase through the neighborhood with the suspects shooting at the police and hitting some cars on NW 62th near Portland. This eventually ended up in a crash near Atrium Towers where both the Police and the Perps crashed seperately, and the police shot one of the suspects and took the other to jail. Also, there is a bad element from presumably outside of Coronado Heights, who looks for target homes and once they know someone's away they might attempt to break in and rob the homeowners. I know this because i was a target and this happened to me. Luckily i was at work and the home security system worked and the criminals left immediately. Also i must say that OKCPD responded very quickly and three officers went into my home with their guns drawn, so im very appreciative of that.

Having said all of that, hopefully i haven't deterred the OP from the area. This is the world we live in now, unfortunately, and as this city grows this type of thing will happen more often. This is in no way a Coronado Heights phenomenon as it probably happens just about everywhere. It's a MUST that you protect yourself and your family from this type of thing.

A few things i have done since my own break-in have been:

Trim trees and bushes around windows and doors
Installl security lights
Install new security windows and doors throughout house
move alarm signs to more visible areas
talk with your neighbors, get to know them better
personal protection around the house

Pretty basic stuff but it bears repeating. Best of luck

Nah - not deterred, the original house I made an offer on didn't pan out. Apparently when we viewed it there was already an offer under consideration. Likely going to make an offer on another one this week, so hopefully we'll have better luck this time!

And honestly... crime doesn't scare me much. I spent the first 20 years of my life in Oakcliff (SE 44th and Bryant). I've just lived in an isolated suburban area in Norman for the last 10 years, and the only crime we see there is dog poop in yards, and sometimes I hear loud music. Lol...

What I didn't realize is how bad the crime is to the south - near the 23rd and Portland area. There was an article on NewsOK a couple weeks back about how the OCPD has ramped up extra foot patrols due to high crime.

[zookeeper]

Nah - not deterred, the original house I made an offer on didn't pan out. Apparently when we viewed it there was already an offer under consideration. Likely going to make an offer on another one this week, so hopefully we'll have better luck this time!

And honestly... crime doesn't scare me much. I spent the first 20 years of my life in Oakcliff (SE 44th and Bryant). I've just lived in an isolated suburban area in Norman for the last 10 years, and the only crime we see there is dog poop in yards, and sometimes I hear loud music. Lol...

What I didn't realize is how bad the crime is to the south - near the 23rd and Portland area. There was an article on NewsOK a couple weeks back about how the OCPD has ramped up extra foot patrols due to high crime.

It's actually the NW 23rd and Meridian area. There is a strip that includes a couple of apartment complexes that has forced the department to resort to foot patrols. It's helped establish relationships with some of the people in the neighborhood, but those people aren't the trouble makers. The minute the foot patrols stop for an hour or two, there's another assault, murder, rape, it's truly a sad situation. Windsor Village, to its credit, has some people who are actually willing to work with police. Unfortunately, those people don't stick around and/or cooperate for long due to reprisals, which is the fear within that element in the first place. But the foot patrols and high presence of officers needed definitely stresses the budget and limits coverage elsewhere.

Coronado Heights is a safe neighborhood. The high-profile chases and arrest/shooting were both coincidental anomalies that could have happened anywhere. Neither one began inside the neighborhood, the perps were trying to get lost in the neighborhood.

Oklahoma City has "hot pockets" of crime which are so-called for their density. These hot pockets, like the Meridian strip, don't tend to expand and is gang fought territory. Lyrewood, tenth street, North Highlands (which is a pocket of crime, it's not a hot pocket because it is too large of an area) are some of the worst. But there are very few large areas of crime in Oklahoma City. We have a serious problem with these tighter pockets and they are usually surrounded by otherwise nice neighborhoods.

Something I advise all home buyers to do is call the briefing stations (sometimes called substations, precinct stations) for the area they are considering and just have a talk with supervisors and talk to a few officers. You'll get a feel. This has become an acceptable practice and officers are usually helpful in being honest about their patrol areas.

Good luck in the house search!

[bluedogok]

Even many of the "hot" areas for crime are nothing like the crime areas in bigger cities. I had a friend who grew up in the North Highlands area and lived there after her parents moved to Camelot and never really had a problem there. It seemed the crime activity there was even more localized, one block on a street may be bad but the three or four streets around it had no issue. I think it had more to do with who was living on a street at any given time than anything else. She moved out of that neighborhood about ten or so years ago. I worked for 11 years over a 15 year period at Britton & Broadway and never felt it a widespread problem there.

[Pete]

The huge percentage of crime involves people who know each other.

Random crime is much more hyped by the media (because it's scary and draws more of a response) but almost everywhere, if you mind your own business and don't associate with dirtbags, you're going to be fine.


I always make the point I worked in an area that is considered to be among the worst in Los Angeles -- which is to say way, way worse than anywhere in OKC -- and never had a problem in 6 years. I remember one time I was in line at the bank and there was something weird escalating between a couple of people in the lobby, so I just left and came back later. Turns out there was a shooting between those two in the parking lot; they had known each other from before.

I also leave bars/clubs if I sense tension. The combination of testosterone and alcohol can be a very bad one and I'm not going to risk getting stabbed or even having my teeth kicked in just because a couple of idiot meatheads have nothing to lose.

[LandRunOkie]

Areas north of the expressway are considerably lower crime than similar areas to the south. South of the expressway is PC High territory and north is PC North territory, a divide that has shaped development over the years. The much ballyhooed Lyrewood (which I personally find non-threatening, especially compared to other parts of the city and real hoods in places like St. Louis) is south of the expressway and is PC High territory.

[pw405]

Areas north of the expressway are considerably lower crime than similar areas to the south. South of the expressway is PC High territory and north is PC North territory, a divide that has shaped development over the years. The much ballyhooed Lyrewood (which I personally find non-threatening, especially compared to other parts of the city and real hoods in places like St. Louis) is south of the expressway and is PC High territory.

True, although a quick look at the crime tracker shows north of expressway has slightly fewer crimes, but not a significantly different amount.

A friend of mine lives in North Highlands on a quite street, he's only average about 2 break-ins in the last 5 years.

[stratosphere]

Nah - not deterred, the original house I made an offer on didn't pan out. Apparently when we viewed it there was already an offer under consideration. Likely going to make an offer on another one this week, so hopefully we'll have better luck this time!

And honestly... crime doesn't scare me much. I spent the first 20 years of my life in Oakcliff (SE 44th and Bryant). I've just lived in an isolated suburban area in Norman for the last 10 years, and the only crime we see there is dog poop in yards, and sometimes I hear loud music. Lol...

What I didn't realize is how bad the crime is to the south - near the 23rd and Portland area. There was an article on NewsOK a couple weeks back about how the OCPD has ramped up extra foot patrols due to high crime.

Best of luck to you. This is a nice neighborhood...which i guess is why there is some crime. Ill admit the two police shootings were isolated and somewhat rare. I guess if there is an upside to that its how quickly the police responded to whatever the situations were and they were able to deal with it.

[rezman]

True, although a quick look at the crime tracker shows north of expressway has slightly fewer crimes, but not a significantly different amount.

A friend of mine lives in North Highlands on a quite street, he's only average about 2 break-ins in the last 5 years.

Is that your friend's personal experience, or the neighborhood as a whole?

[pw405]

Is that your friend's personal experience, or the neighborhood as a whole?

I know a guy who lives there, the first time they actually made out with some stuff, the second time was some very young kids that got away with $5 if I recall correctly.

[soonerguru]

It's actually the NW 23rd and Meridian area. There is a strip that includes a couple of apartment complexes that has forced the department to resort to foot patrols. It's helped establish relationships with some of the people in the neighborhood, but those people aren't the trouble makers. The minute the foot patrols stop for an hour or two, there's another assault, murder, rape, it's truly a sad situation. Windsor Village, to its credit, has some people who are actually willing to work with police. Unfortunately, those people don't stick around and/or cooperate for long due to reprisals, which is the fear within that element in the first place. But the foot patrols and high presence of officers needed definitely stresses the budget and limits coverage elsewhere.

Coronado Heights is a safe neighborhood. The high-profile chases and arrest/shooting were both coincidental anomalies that could have happened anywhere. Neither one began inside the neighborhood, the perps were trying to get lost in the neighborhood.

Oklahoma City has "hot pockets" of crime which are so-called for their density. These hot pockets, like the Meridian strip, don't tend to expand and is gang fought territory. Lyrewood, tenth street, North Highlands (which is a pocket of crime, it's not a hot pocket because it is too large of an area) are some of the worst. But there are very few large areas of crime in Oklahoma City. We have a serious problem with these tighter pockets and they are usually surrounded by otherwise nice neighborhoods.

Something I advise all home buyers to do is call the briefing stations (sometimes called substations, precinct stations) for the area they are considering and just have a talk with supervisors and talk to a few officers. You'll get a feel. This has become an acceptable practice and officers are usually helpful in being honest about their patrol areas.

Good luck in the house search!

I live in the area and it's actually the area that is WEST of Meridian and south of 23rd -- and even in that area, there are nice parts -- that has had problems. Even the apartments on 23rd are not all bad. There are a couple of complexes that have been problematic but we have been appreciative of the additional police presence.

I live East of Meridian and our neighborhood is fine. We've had some domestic incidents and minor thefts / burglaries, but my family and I have lived in our home without incident for 9 years.

No matter what neighborhood you live in in OKC, you need an alarm, good lighting, and probably a dog. Just life in the city. Every single person I know who does not have an alarm system has been burglarized, regardless of neighborhood. One of them I warned about it, but he said, "I'm good. I have a gun." So someone broke in and stole his gun.

Get an alarm system.

[pw405]

^lol, I never understand people with that mindset.

Looks like I'll once again be an okc resident around the middle of August! Just waiting on an inspection and appraisal to come back ok. House has a relatively newer alarm system and I've been growing my 100 lb dog for 6 years now.

Speaking of home security, does anybody remember that show on The "Learning" Channel called "It Takes a Thief"? It was a pseudo-reality TV show where they would have ex-professional thieves break into to people's homes (they knew about it in advance, not just which day it would happen) and show the how easy it was to steal all their stuff. They would then go back and show them how to make the proper security enhancements. Pretty interesting.

[zookeeper]

^lol, I never understand people with that mindset.

Looks like I'll once again be an okc resident around the middle of August! Just waiting on an inspection and appraisal to come back ok. House has a relatively newer alarm system and I've been growing my 100 lb dog for 6 years now.

Speaking of home security, does anybody remember that show on The "Learning" Channel called "It Takes a Thief"? It was a pseudo-reality TV show where they would have ex-professional thieves break into to people's homes (they knew about it in advance, not just which day it would happen) and show the how easy it was to steal all their stuff. They would then go back and show them how to make the proper security enhancements. Pretty interesting.

I know. Great story from Soonerguru and one we've probably all heard from someone before. It makes no sense how somebody can think that, because they own a gun, they won't be a victim of burglary or theft. I hear that from people and wonder if all they do is sit at home on the couch - with the gun aimed at the door. Do they never leave?

Great news and congratulations on your new house! Sounds like it's probably a done deal. Great it has the newer alarm system and you own a fully prepared watch dog!

[Plutonic Panda]

I know. Great story from Soonerguru and one we've probably all heard from someone before. It makes no sense how somebody can think that, because they own a gun, they won't be a victim of burglary or theft. I hear that from people and wonder if all they do is sit at home on the couch - with the gun aimed at the door. Do they never leave?

Great news and congratulations on your new house! Sounds like it's probably a done deal. Great it has the newer alarm system and you own a fully prepared watch dog!

I have guns, lots of them. Hidden in places around the house, but let me say a few things here.

Having a security system is much more safe than not having one.

Having guns will protect a lot more than a phone will(if you break in my house, I'm shooting you. I don't believe in killing unless it's absolutely necessary, but I will be putting a round into your leg first).

Secondly, that show that was mentioned, the chances of someone with that amount of skill breaking into your house is almost zero. Most criminals aren't exactly rocket scientist or they wouldn't be criminals in the first place.

Alas, with any crime, even murder is easy to get away if you do it right.