Tulsa is 6th in Top 100 Best Places to Live, OKC not listed?

[dismayed]

These lists are fairly meaningless. Their methodology is inconsistent as all hell, and when compared with other so-called rankings which attempt to rank similar traits, the factors which are chosen might as well have been picked out of a hat.

These sorts of lists are great for generating views on a site's page. That's about it. Don't take them seriously -- at least not unless we do well, then the list may be relevant and worthy of our attention.

I think that's a good point. There is one thing we should take seriously though... On almost every list, regardless of criteria, the one city that shows up again and again as one of the highest ranked in our region is Austin, TX. Within the state, it is often Norman that appears on these lists. Regardless of criteria I think it does say something very positive about cities that can manage to show up on a wide range of "best places" lists that look at, often times, very different criteria from one another. Really OKC's civic leaders (or any city's leaders for that matter) should ask what it is about some of those cities that causes them to turn up time and again on lists such as this and what can we learn about that and apply to OKC....

Just a thought anyway.

[Peach fuzz]

Congrats Tulsa! Don't hate be happy for our statesmen. It's a pretty city, good vibe, and doing well with nothing relatively big going on as of now. Omahaha, Des Moines, and other plains cities that I've been to are a joke compared to Tulsa. And every time I go there it seems people are pretty happy to live there.

It's kind of like a Huge Edmond that actually has something to brag about instead of hot gas. Good job Tulsa

[Spartan]

It's kind of like a Huge Edmond that actually has something to brag about instead of hot gas. Good job Tulsa

"Don't Edmond my Tulsa" anyone?

[Peach fuzz]

Ha! I'm sure a lot of Tulsans say "Don't Oklahoma my Tulsa"

[Larry OKC]

^^^
Naw. For some reason they think Tulsa is a state. Whenever I would go up and the fair was running, I would ask locals to show me where the State of Tulsa was at. After getting dumbfounded looks would ask them, well you have the Tulsa State Fair. In OKC we have the State Fair of Oklahoma. At least we know what state we are holding it in and even though we are the largest city in the State and the seat for state government, we don't need to exaggerate and claim we ARE the state.

[pokeskickazzzz]

I lived in Tulsa for 6 years now in OKC for about 6 years (northside for 4 years now southwest near moore/norman)... Tulsa was fine but I much prefer OKC..... and especially norman it's a great town.... and this is coming from a sooner hatin' cowboy! lol

[G.Walker]

I wonder why Norman always makes these lists? Norman has a good retail and commercial base, but they lack in the industry department, and if you don't work for the City of Norman, OU, Norman Regional Healthplex, your in trouble finding a decent white collar job that pays well, I have been a resident of Norman for 11 years so that's how I know the job issue here...Norman is more like a bedroom city to OKC. Don't get me wrong, Norman is a great city to raise a family and they have a lot to do here, but its not a city for young professionals looking for white collar jobs that pay well. When I graduated OU in 03, most of my classmates headed south to Dallas to find a job.

[BG918]

Congrats Tulsa! Don't hate be happy for our statesmen. It's a pretty city, good vibe, and doing well with nothing relatively big going on as of now. Omahaha, Des Moines, and other plains cities that I've been to are a joke compared to Tulsa. And every time I go there it seems people are pretty happy to live there.

It's kind of like a Huge Edmond that actually has something to brag about instead of hot gas. Good job Tulsa

I think OKC and Tulsa can learn a lot from Omaha and Des Moines. I am impressed by both cities and have arguably more vibrant downtown's than either OKC or Tulsa, even though they are smaller. Minneapolis, a mostly flat city surrounded by farmland with sub-freezing and often sub-zero temperatures all winter, has over 3 million people in its metro, all 4 pro sports teams, and a very vibrant downtown area. They invest heavily in their parks and bike trails and use those things to attract young people and immigrants, which there are a lot of both. Of course they also have a progressive state government, something we unfortunately do not have..

[Yahola]

T-town seems to be an island of non okieness. That may explain why its so different. Tulsans are proud of their city and have always been treated like the red headed stepchild from the legislature, perhaps that is the reason why Tulsans feel like they are on their own. Unfortunately the city govt has also let down the populace.

[Bunty]

Minneapolis, a mostly flat city surrounded by farmland with sub-freezing and often sub-zero temperatures all winter, has over 3 million people in its metro, all 4 pro sports teams, and a very vibrant downtown area. They invest heavily in their parks and bike trails and use those things to attract young people and immigrants, which there are a lot of both. Of course they also have a progressive state government, something we unfortunately do not have..

And for all that people most certainly have to pay higher taxes in Minnesota than they do in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma we want to pay lower taxes, not higher, or at least the conservative politicians think we do, so they can get our votes. Watch how Oklahoma Republicans running for elections will soon be stressing cutting taxes and making government smaller. Never mind that gaps in the state budget had to be filled with Obama's giveaway money.

[earlywinegareth]

Tulsa beats OKC in the Lakes category hands down. I would love to have one of their big lakes around here. Thunderbird is too dirty and crowded and has become a dumping ground for dead bodies.

[BG918]

And for all that people most certainly have to pay higher taxes in Minnesota than they do in Oklahoma. In Oklahoma we want to pay lower taxes, not higher, or at least the conservative politicians think we do, so they can get our votes. Watch how Oklahoma Republicans running for elections will soon be stressing cutting taxes and making government smaller. Never mind that gaps in the state budget had to be filled with Obama's giveaway money.

Good point. Minnesota has some of the highest taxes in the country for residents and businesses outside of California and New Jersey. Yet people continue to flock there and there are large number of F500 companies headquartered there. All this with a winter where temps. may not go above freezing for weeks at a time and tons of mosquitos in the summer. Still over 3 million people live there and they have a strong growth rate. Minneapolis has invested heavily in improving its quality of life and it has paid off.

[okclee]

Minneapolis = Highly educated City

They put a HUGE emphasis on their education system and lots of money into it.

Taxes are a higher there but the average income is higher too.

No grocery tax or clothing sales tax.

[Yahola]

Also no Okiethink!

[BG918]

Also no Okiethink!

That raises a different question all together: why is it that Great Plains states to the north seem to be more progressive such as Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin while southern Plains states like Oklahoma and Texas are so much more conservative. Is it because we are more closely tied to the South? The states to the north, even Kansas and Nebraska, don't seem to have the religious conservatism that exists in Oklahoma for some reason.

[Spartan]

I wonder why Norman always makes these lists? Norman has a good retail and commercial base, but they lack in the industry department, and if you don't work for the City of Norman, OU, Norman Regional Healthplex, your in trouble finding a decent white collar job that pays well, I have been a resident of Norman for 11 years so that's how I know the job issue here...Norman is more like a bedroom city to OKC. Don't get me wrong, Norman is a great city to raise a family and they have a lot to do here, but its not a city for young professionals looking for white collar jobs that pay well. When I graduated OU in 03, most of my classmates headed south to Dallas to find a job.

There are TONS of good jobs in Norman. We have what's being called "green collar" jobs. They are better than white collar jobs. Can't think of anywhere else in Oklahoma with a lot of "green collar" jobs. Biotech. Research. Technology. That's where Norman has an advantage over the rest of Oklahoma. No, we do not have a big oil corporation, however..

[Spartan]

That raises a different question all together: why is it that Great Plains states to the north seem to be more progressive such as Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin while southern Plains states like Oklahoma and Texas are so much more conservative. Is it because we are more closely tied to the South? The states to the north, even Kansas and Nebraska, don't seem to have the religious conservatism that exists in Oklahoma for some reason.

They were founded on different things. I think that the value that rings true here in Oklahoma and Texas is making money and gettin rich quick. The value that states such as Iowa and Nebraska were founded on are more aligned with family values. As such, education is their primary concern. Gettin rich quick is our primary concern.

[BG918]

They were founded on different things. I think that the value that rings true here in Oklahoma and Texas is making money and gettin rich quick. The value that states such as Iowa and Nebraska were founded on are more aligned with family values. As such, education is their primary concern. Gettin rich quick is our primary concern.

And that could be a direct byproduct of the oil boom days, which the northern states did not experience. Oklahoma (and Texas) to this day rides the tide of the energy industry. When prices are up the state is awash with money and having low taxes is fine. When prices go down we run into problems.

[G.Walker]

There are TONS of good jobs in Norman. We have what's being called "green collar" jobs. They are better than white collar jobs. Can't think of anywhere else in Oklahoma with a lot of "green collar" jobs. Biotech. Research. Technology. That's where Norman has an advantage over the rest of Oklahoma. No, we do not have a big oil corporation, however..

Exactly, but all those "green collar" jobs are in conjunction with OU. We need more private high paying companies to come to Norman, that is not fueled by OU.

[Spartan]

Exactly, but all those "green collar" jobs are in conjunction with OU. We need more private high paying companies to come to Norman, that is not fueled by OU.

Weathernews. Albon Engineering. Sitel. Immuno-Mycologics. Bio-Cide. Southwest Nanotechnology. ClientLogic. Shaklee Corp. Space Imaging. Xyant Technology. Hitachi. Astellas Pharma. NOAA. And so on....

On second thought there are also a TON of non-tech big employers, too: USPS National Training Center. Sysco. Johnson Controls/York. Office Max National Sales Center. And so on....

[dismayed]

This is just my opinion, but to answer my own question on why do some cities such as Austin or Norman tend to always show up on these lists regardless of criteria... in a word, I think it boils down to diversity.

Each of these lists tends to focus on some things they think make a city great: arts, music, sports, entertainment/bars/cuisine, jobs, education, parks, and so on. I've noticed that the cities that tend to pop up on all the lists are the ones that tend to have strong showings in all of these areas -- in other words, no matter what criteria you decide to choose from, you're going to get some good results.

Austin is a perfect example. It's a green city with a relatively low cost of living, with lots of jobs, and with lots of hip and artistic stuff going on in town and tons of recreational activities.

I think if we want OKC to be one of these cities we must continue to diversify to the point that there is something here for everyone to enjoy.

[Easy180]

Tulsa beats OKC in the Lakes category hands down. I would love to have one of their big lakes around here. Thunderbird is too dirty and crowded and has become a dumping ground for dead bodies.

Wait a minute...Draper has its fair share of dead bodies too thank you very much

[ljbab728]

Exactly, but all those "green collar" jobs are in conjunction with OU. We need more private high paying companies to come to Norman, that is not fueled by OU.

Every city needs more private high paying companies but you make it sound like having industries fueled by OU is a bad thing which it certainly is not. Most of the businesses near the OU Med Center in OKC are fueled by OU. Do you think any of those businesses would have been in Norman or OKC without OU?

[Spartan]

We know how Austin is with UT.. 55,000 students in the middle of the city.

[G.Walker]

Weathernews. Albon Engineering. Sitel. Immuno-Mycologics. Bio-Cide. Southwest Nanotechnology. ClientLogic. Shaklee Corp. Space Imaging. Xyant Technology. Hitachi. Astellas Pharma. NOAA. And so on....

On second thought there are also a TON of non-tech big employers, too: USPS National Training Center. Sysco. Johnson Controls/York. Office Max National Sales Center. And so on....

hmmmm.....ok good point, but most of these companies have been in Norman for over 10 years. USPS, Sysco, York, Astellas, Hitachi...etc...give me a major private company that has came to Norman in the last 5 years, or even 10?