OK Gazette: Millennials are changing the city forever

[Urbanized]

Suburban tract homes with yards tend to be a bit more insular and protective of the resident from their neighbors and community at large; in urban areas the recreational space tends to be more communal and really extends to the entire neighborhood.

People searching for community and who enjoy regular casual interaction with new people tend to be drawn to urban areas; people who are more satisfied limiting their social interactions to family, known friends and places you drive to tend to gravitate to the suburbs.

One lifestyle choice is not more valid than the other, and often the same person will be drawn to both types at various stages of their lives.

[adaniel]

I used to be hung up on the $ / sq. ft. issue. I bought a house with a big yard and trees and a deck and thought it would be so great.

Five years later, sick of yard work, skyrocketing insurance rates and having to drive everywhere to everything, I bought a smaller place downtown - and my only regret is I didn't do it sooner.

Re: the grocery store issue -- I find that between Native Roots, The Medicine Cabinet, Amazon (and even a service like Urban Essentials, which I have yet to try) I don't find myself needing to take other grocery trips that often (maybe once or twice a month). Hell, if I get hungry I can always just walk down to grab a burrito from Fuzzy's (and maybe stop off for a beer at Skinny Slim's on the way back).

This is actually starting to become a big issue nationwide. Homes nowadays are simply not "right-sized" anymore. You have builders cranking out McMansions that are getting bigger and bigger, while the average family size is getting smaller and smaller. Post-housing bust, people in general do not want to deal with the added maintenance and cost, and they want to live in areas that are compact, or at a minimum an area with convenient access to amenities.

This disconnect is one of several reasons the home ownership rate has been plunging, even as the economy and foreclosures has improved somewhat and interest rates are super low. IMO I believe the next correction in housing prices will come in about 5-10 years when retired baby boomers start unloading their oversized homes onto the market en masse.

I've been pretty vocal on here about OKC's lack of housing diversity so I won't rehash it here. I don't think its so much a city vs suburbs argument; a lot of suburban areas around the country you will generally find a decent supply of townhouses and condos. But good for you for finding a place close to DT that you enjoy.

Personally, I am now almost double the space than I was in my OKC rental condo and I hate it. My last electric bill this past month was $300; I never had a bill over $110 in my old place. Not to mention it's a pain to clean for one person. I'm considering hiring a maid service, so more money out of my pocket. Also, my "spare space" stays empty and unused 95% of the time, unless you count collecting dust as a use. Give me a smaller, quality space in a good location over "more bang for your buck" any day of the week.

[bradh]

Suburban tract homes with yards tend to be a bit more insular and protective of the resident from their neighbors and community at large; in urban areas the recreational space tends to be more communal and really extends to the entire neighborhood.

People searching for community and who enjoy regular casual interaction with new people tend to be drawn to urban areas; people who are more satisfied limiting their social interactions to family, known friends and places you drive to tend to gravitate to the suburbs.

One lifestyle choice is not more valid than the other, and often the same person will be drawn to both types at various stages of their lives.

I think that paints a pretty broad brush, and really depends on the neighborhood. Plenty of newer neighborhoods have shared spaces, communal pools, etc where there is tons of interaction. I'm thrilled about the place we're building now because every time we drive through there I see tons of people (young and old) out running, walking dogs, kids shooting hoops by the pool, etc. The social interaction is more about the people than the setting.

[bchris02]

One thing that is very noticeably different about DFW compared to OKC is the fact there are medium-density developments - developments on par with the Edge and Level - all over the suburbs. Charlotte is the same way. In OKC there is virtually no diversity in housing styles at all. That's something else I am excited about for Chisolm Creek. It's supposed to include a residential component but from what we know it will be different from the typical suburban OKC apartment complex and more like what is being built in other cities.

[Filthy]

One lifestyle choice is not more valid than the other, and often the same person will be drawn to both types at various stages of their lives.

This is probably the most understated, yet at the same time, one of the more valid points made in this entire thread.

[bradh]

One thing that is very noticeably different about DFW compared to OKC is the fact there are medium-density developments - developments on par with the Edge and Level - all over the suburbs. Charlotte is the same way. In OKC there is virtually no diversity in housing styles at all. That's something else I am excited about for Chisolm Creek. It's supposed to include a residential component but from what we know it will be different from the typical suburban OKC apartment complex and more like what is being built in other cities.

Las Colinas (north of 114) could be so much better, but the apartments are all too isolated from the offices/bars/dining

[Plutonic Panda]

One thing that is very noticeably different about DFW compared to OKC is the fact there are medium-density developments - developments on par with the Edge and Level - all over the suburbs. Charlotte is the same way. In OKC there is virtually no diversity in housing styles at all. That's something else I am excited about for Chisolm Creek. It's supposed to include a residential component but from what we know it will be different from the typical suburban OKC apartment complex and more like what is being built in other cities.

Norman is getting several Edge style urban living developments and I believe Moore is getting one soon with the Fritts Farm deal. Chisholm Creek is likely going to offer several like it.

Edmond, as usual, is behind the game here. I believe it is only a matter of time before Edmond gets something like it, but we had a really cool development(18 on Park) that the developer withdrew due to high opposition. The only thing Edmond has is some lofts on Fritz.

[jerrywall]

The Old Town Lofts are pretty cool.

[Plutonic Panda]

I agree. I like them.

[adaniel]

Ironically, I just ran into this article.

The Mansion Backlash: 10 hottest home trends shoot down gaudy palaces - CultureMap Houston

Of particular note, and how this relates to this thread:

2). Millennials, contrary to popular opinion, want to buy a home. They just can’t afford big ones, says NAHB researcher Rose Quint. The answer? Smaller, more affordable homes. Expect builders to design more and more smaller houses with smaller price tags.

[TexanOkie]

I'm not surprised OKC is higher than all those surrounding areas. Having grown up in DFW and lived in Austin for a few years, OKC has way more to offer for the average millenial than those two cities if you don't take jobs into account. Austin really caters to a specific type of person, and Dallas is a corporate/sterile environment. OKC seems to bridge the gap between those two.

[Pete]

The kids who grew up in Dallas and actually want to stay in the DFW area, but want all the millenial-focused lifestyle amenities likely have moved to Fort Worth. I bet if you looked at Fort Worth's millenial migration statistics, it would probably be pretty close to OKC's.

What specific amenities do you mean?

[bchris02]

It depends on the person. Dallas and Ft Worth, despite only being 30 minutes apart have two distinct personalities. Dallas to me feels like a larger Charlotte and when I go there I almost feel like I am back in Charlotte. It's very corporate, polished, and cosmopolitan. Uptown Dallas is a mecca for young, urban professionals. It's also somewhat sterile which can turn certain types of people off. Fort Worth on the other hand is a lot more gritty, a lot slower, and a lot more "authentic" if you will. Fort Worth has a few things that really impress me, such as high-rise residential, a lot more historic architecture, and the sensors for pedestrians at intersections, but I didn't see anything there that won me over. I think OKC has a lot more energy. I don't see why millennials would prefer Fort Worth over Dallas, Austin, or OKC.

[bchris02]

Millennials living with parents: We just can't leave the nest apparently.

[bradh]

It's totally excusable to live with mom and dad for a few months post college, but if it gets to a year you got to get the hell up outta there

[Zuplar]

My little sister stayed with my parents for a long time, hell she even moved her husband in for awhile, little over a year. Of course she dropped out of college and never really did much. When she did move out a year ago she moved down a few blocks, and sometimes still goes and spends the night at home. I've always thought this odd.

[Urbanized]

This is completely anecdotal, but I witnessed an interesting moment related to this topic last week. At the DowntownOKC developers luncheon the speaker was Brad Segal, a very-respected downtown development consultant from Denver. Since his presentation leans heavily on generation living trends, at one point he asked the audience to identify itself by generation. The audience (probably around 200 people) was understandably heavy with Boomers and GenX, but Brad was genuinely surprised that maybe 1/4 of the room raised their hands to identify as Millennials. He said nationally most of the time when he asks that question something like 3 hands go up.

This is a bit of a hot button issue for me as there has been a local narrative in recent years that Millennials were responsible for all of the "cool" development in urban OKC - especially in places like Plaza and Midtown - while marginalizing, ignoring or even outright denying contributions made in these areas by Boomers and especially GenX.

But I did find it interesting and worth noting that Millennials are indeed heavily connected, involved, motivated and in OKC, apparently more so than many other cities. There were of course other reasons for the great representation in that room, but I think the point is salient.

Without question there are occasional community squabbles related to things like the boulevard and urban design issues that tend to fall along generational lines to some extent. But I think the real story is not how one generation is driving things, but how in OKC all generations have become involved and invested in the city's renaissance, and how well they work together. I don't think it works that way in many other communities.

[CuatrodeMayo]

Less talk, more action. Better Block OKC is making it happen:

https://twitter.com/betterblockokc

#LOVEyourcity

[AP]

I really wish I was going to be in town this weekend.

[bombermwc]

It's totally excusable to live with mom and dad for a few months post college, but if it gets to a year you got to get the hell up outta there

I lived at home through college (OCU commuter) and purposely stayed at home the first year after I graduated. It allowed me to shove almost a full year's worth of salary into the bank before I moved out, giving me a security padding of savings. That money helped with my first home purchase, avoided any loans for my wedding, and has allowed me to stay quite comfortably ahead of things ever since.

-------------

Something I'm very interested in with the millennial crowd, is to see how it changes the political make-up of the state as they start to become interested in voting. I'm 33 and make it a point to vote in everything that I'm aware of (although sometimes it's difficult to know when you don't get a newspaper), but I even have difficulty convincing my wife to vote in the non major stuff. I think you'll find that millennials are far more moderate to liberal than the current voting trends in Oklahoma. Personally, I feel like to we stand to "blue up" the state quite a bit. Oklahoma has flopped between R and D over the years and we're in a heavily R world right now. But I think that's going to change over the next 10-15 years.

[PennyQuilts]

C

Suburban tract homes with yards tend to be a bit more insular and protective of the resident from their neighbors and community at large; in urban areas the recreational space tends to be more communal and really extends to the entire neighborhood.

People searching for community and who enjoy regular casual interaction with new people tend to be drawn to urban areas; people who are more satisfied limiting their social interactions to family, known friends and places you drive to tend to gravitate to the suburbs.

One lifestyle choice is not more valid than the other, and often the same person will be drawn to both types at various stages of their lives.

I'm sure that's true for many, but don't overlook perfectly sociable people who enjoy community interaction but long even more for the chance to see wildlife, have space for certain hobbies/interests and select a neighborhood based on schools/infrastructure, desire for a large yard to accommodate dogs, cost, etc.

[bchris02]

I wonder if the recent extreme legislation in this state will impact the city's growth rate among young professionals.

[jn1780]

I wonder if the recent extreme legislation in this state will impact the city's growth rate among young professionals.

Well, old radical people eventually die, so there's that. Millennials can actually dramatically change the political landscape if they actually vote.

[bradh]

I wonder if the recent extreme legislation in this state will impact the city's growth rate among young professionals.

can we limit the wet blanket posts to one thread?

[BG918]

I wonder if the recent extreme legislation in this state will impact the city's growth rate among young professionals.

That and depressed oil prices.