Relocating to OKC..Good and Bad !

[kevinpate]

Should I ever think of leaving Norman for somewhere else in the metro, my main exclusionary criteria will be quite simple - avoid known tornado alleyways.

Whatever else Norman does or doesn't have in its favor, I do like where it sits weatherwise, so I doubt I'll be moving anytime soon.

[Easy180]

Only takes one F4 to make it a known tornado alleyway pate...Dodged it so far, but being just south of Moore doesn't make it completely safe by any means

Just as long as one doesn't mess with Memorial Stadium!

[Saberman]

As you can tell by some of the posts, we are all proud of the areas we live in, there is something for eveyone.

I would agree with earlier post, come and look around, check out the different areas of the City.

I grew up in the Midwest City/Del City areas, lots of change and rebuilding, but as one might expect it's a military town, and proud of it. People are just as friendly as you'd expect anywhere else in Oklahoma. They are actually larger then most towns around bases, guess being close to OKC doesn't hurt. Alot has happened and grown up around there in the 35 years since I lived there.

[jbrown84]

Welcome!

I live in Edmond and highly recommend it for reasons already posted. SoonerDave's far SW OKC has a very similar housing market, but the disadvantage is an [unfair] lack of retail options. Just as an example, the southside has no Barnes & Noble or similar bookstore. The northside has just fared better with getting a better variety of retail.

A little more info on OKC proper:

The "bad" neighborhoods are mostly the inner Northeast, some areas directly south of I-40, and the inner Southeast. Some of the nicer inner city historical neighborhoods are Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, Crown Heights, and Lincoln Terrace. These all have a variety of historical homes, some in better shape than others. These areas are all in the vicinity north of Downtown.

More outdoors recommendations:

Red Rock Canyon is a nice surprise in western Oklahoma an hour or so west of OKC. It's Oklahoma's best rapelling, with great verticals and overhangs up to 100 feet.



Roman Nose State Park will feel a bit more like NM than some other areas. It is a small lake surrounded by buttes and there are several natural springs, including the Spring of Everlasting Waters, the biggest spring I have ever seen anywhere. It's like water spewing out of a 10 foot wide opening in the ground. It's very cool.

Chickasaw National Recreation Area is near Turner Falls in the Arbuckles and less crowded. At 100 years old it is one of the oldest national parks. It is filled with natural springs, small waterfalls, and hiking trails. Great place for camping. Lots of shade. Also in the park is the Lake of the Arbuckles, a really good lake for waterskiing and fishing. Much clearer than Thunderbird or Arcadia.

Lake Murray State Park Is another great lake-based park and a bit closer than Texoma. It's surrounded by rolling hills and forest and has a big stone castle overlooking it on a cliff.

Robbers Cave State Park is probably my second favorite in Oklahoma. It's in the San Bois Mountains, part of the Ouachita Mountains (which are the highest between the Appalacians and Rockies). There is a nice small lake there, lots of historic CCC cabins, lots of hiking (did a 10-mile there once), and the main feature is a rocky, mazelike area where outlaws like Belle Starr used to hide in caves. Also good for rapelling and some climbing.

Ouachita National Forest covers some of the best parts of the Ouachitas, including the Winding Stair Mountains, home of the Ouachita trail, which goes from eastern Oklahoma all the way to Little Rock. This area is sometimes called the Little Smokies because of the resemblence to the Appalacians. Lots of forest--mostly pine. Not what people imagine for Oklahoma, thats for sure.



Beavers Bend State Park is easily the best State Park in Oklahoma. It's a 3-4 hour drive from OKC, but well worth it. Surrounded by national forest land, the park includes Broken Bow, Oklahoma's most scenic lake, where steep mountains rise out of the water. Downstream, the river takes a wide slow bend through the park where just about every kind of recreation you can imagine is available. Further downstream is some great Class III+ whitewater. Pretty exciting if you are in a canoe.








The Wichita Mountains

[okclee]

This thread is making me want to move to this fantastic place that everyone is writing about, sounds like a great city in a great state!

Oklahoma really is an excellent place to locate to it is definitely a hidden gem in the US. I do think that word is starting to get out though. As far as my recommendation for what part of the city you should move to, I would have to suggest you look at downtown Okc in and around Mid-Town. You then would be a close drive to all of the great surrounding areas as well as there is just something about living in the core of a city. I don't think that you would want to isolate yourself to one side or the other side of a Oklahoma City. If you locate in the middle then you can have it all.

[metro]

great post jbrown, I do have to disagree with one thing though. I don't think Roman Nose is the best place for rappelling in Oklahoma though. While it is good, the Wichita Mountains have far better rappelling and there are many spots with over 300+ foot drops.

[jbrown84]

I said that about Red Rock Canyon. I said it because it's a rappelling only place. You really can't climb there, so it's not crowded with climbers. The Wichitas are a true rock climbing mecca, but the irregularity of the rocks and few 90 degree verticals make it not quite as ideal for those that just want to rappell.

[RSA]

I don't recall if you said you were married or had kids. At 43 years old, I find Norman to make me feel a little out of place. Now I am sure there are 43 year old Normanites but, after all, it is a college town.
In my opinion, Edmond requires a family for membership or at least some sort of shared custody of children. I do not live in MidTown but I am very partail to what it has to offer. Also, Heritage hills and Mesta Park to the north and the Paseo Arts district just north of that. Which has an AWESOME Arts Festival every May which blows away the Downtown festival, in my opinion. Mid Town offers variety.

[Patrick]

Actually, concerning malls, you guys are both wrong.

Crossroads is actually the largest mall when it comes to square footage (1.23 million sq feet), although it's also the worst mall in the metro. Quail Springs is second in size (1.21 million sq feet), and Penn Square is third (1.18 sq feet). They're all over 1 million square feet though, so it doesn't matter. They're all large, two level malls.

That being said, Penn Square Mall is by far the nicest mall in the metro, with the most upscale stores! It has the upscale stores like Whitehouse Black Market, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Williams Sonoma, Georgiou, Coldwater Creek, Bachrach, Mr. Ooleys, Jos A Bank, Ann Taylor, Rockport, J. Crew, Coach, Apple, Banana Republic, etc. I'd compare Penn Square to Cottonwood Mall in Albuquerque.

Quail Springs is more your general mall with general family mall type stores like Gap, Sears, and Express. It's more like Coronado Center in Albuquerque.

Avoid Crossroads Mall on the city's south side. It's a known gang hangout.

[NE Oasis]

Hey everyone...i'm going to be relocating to OKC in about a month or so. Can anyone compare to where i live now in Albuquerque good or bad. Middle class (not rich or poor) areas to live and good gyms to lift weights. Best mall(s). Nite life. Any water recreation/state parks close by to jet ski/ water ski , camping etc..etc...i think you see where im going on this and i'd really appreciate any and all advice and answers. Take Care !! 6foot3...

For one size fits all - Northwest OKC has Quail Springs Mall with apartments all around, plus restaurants and Home Depot/WalMart, etc.
Coming soon 15 minutes north of there is a land locked wave park for jet skis.

Welcome!

[Patrick]

For one size fits all - Northwest OKC has Quail Springs Mall with apartments all around, plus restaurants and Home Depot/WalMart, etc.

Home of look-alike strip centers sprouting up out of no where. If you like to be bored, you'll enjoy the Quail Springs area.

[Millie]

Oasis- what's this jet ski park you're talking about?

[Karried]

It's the new wakeboard park in Guthrie..

It all depends on what you are really looking for in your environment. For some, quality schools are of utmost importance, others, it's the nightlife ....

I live near Quail Spring area and I don't find it boring at all. But, of course, I have kids so that is where I prefer to be at this stage of my life.

The area does offer a lot of choices, but it does cost a little bit to get out and enjoy the offerings in the area. I imagine if you are on a tight budget, it would be very boring.

There are not a lot of walking trails or biking trails in the immediate vicinity..but there are lots of gyms. Most of the time I see walkers walking through their neighborhoods.. pretty safe area.

The restaurants are abundant and a lot of chains (but most are more pricey than the average Ihop or Sonic) You have PF Changs, Bravo, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, a few blocks west on Memorial, Mahoganys, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Abuelos, Carrinos, Panera, Mimi's, etc etc ...more restaurants and shopping than anyone could ever need, the movie theater, shopping at the mall, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, going to the Baker Street Pub or to Friends Nightclub to dance.

The location and convenience is what I absolutely love. Everything is so easily accessed, Pikepass and we're anywhere we want to go in 10 min or less. Lake Hefner Pky.. we're at the airport in 20 min.. and 235 drops us into Bricktown in less that 20 min....

Even though we head to Bricktown for sporting events and concerts, we hang around here for the most part. Kids love to swim in the backyard and hang with their friends (great neighbors!) and they love to play around the creek on the greenbelt, so like I've said, it all depends on where you are in your life. I like the area a lot.... Lake Arcadia is so close.. we jet ski there a lot. I've never lived anywhere else in OK so I guess I'm biased.. but based on the schools and the people here, it works for us and I love raising a family here.

There are things to do in the area... might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you just have to know where to look.

[foodiefan]

Re: Midwest City/TABF area. . . you asked about it 2X, so I'm presuming your have an interest in that area. . . perhaps a mil/civ employee. . . or working for one of the majors that have located here to do business with Tinker/Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center or the MRO Mall.

Disclosure: I lived in MWC and worked at the base for many years, but moved after I retired because most of the activities I am interested in/involved in are in the OKC "core". If the area was where it is at today when I moved, I'm not so sure I would have made the effort to move. . . .

TAFB/OC-ALC is actually the largest single site employer in the State. . . probably over 25,000 mil/civ employees. Not sure of current figures, but they used to say that the yearly ecomonic impact of the base was larger than the budget for the State of Oklahoma. . . people tend to think of Tinker as a "blue collar" workforce, but the administrative/managerial workforce is probably the larger of the two. . .so don't be mislead when someone indicates that they could close Tinker and it wouldn't be a death knell to the economy of not only the OKC metro area, but the state as well. Many mil/civ employees live in the Mid/Del area, but the commuter population is larger. . . they drive from OKC, Edmond, Moore, Norman, Yukon, Mustang, Shawnee. . .and some even further.

MWC is, indeed, "moving up" in the scheme of things, and , while they have a way to go, there is a lot to be said for the MWC, Choctaw/Harrah area. Housing in Eastern Oklahoma County can match some of the very upscale areas in OKC and Edmond (350,000 and up) and it's a quick trip via the interstate to downtown, Norman, Penn Square. . probably 20 minutes max to anywhere "cool". If you are in MWC proper, that would be 10-20 minutes.

If you think about what Edmond was like in the 70s -80's, your looking at the MWC area . . .and they are on the move.

If you will be working in the TAFB area, I would definitely look closely at Eastern Oklahoma County. . . if not, then. . . no.

[OUman]

I'm not a city expert, but having lived here since '97 and having been around the metro, I can definitely say I like it here. Especially where I live, in Norman. Norman has been able to combine the college town atmosphere with the city-like feel and small-town feel all in one. If you choose Norman, night life here can be found on campus, at a historic area called "Campus Corner"-it's where you'll find great bars and restaurants, also on the west side of town, plenty of options as far as dining goes along the Ed Noble Parkway. As far as apartments go, Norman is still in the midst of a building boom, and the latest addition is an apartment/store area coming up on the east side called the "East Village." I believe it will also have a few condos. The building boom also spills over to homes as well, there have been more than a thousand new homes built here over the past 5 years. Norman has an excellent road system, most streets are laid out in a grid-like manner here as well and there are a million ways to get to where you want to go. Only thing is, some of them are not maintained that well, and you'll always find construction year-round.

The thing about the "east side" and "west side" is that Norman has pretty much expanded more in an east-west fashion than north-south, so pretty much any location other than downtown/central is referred to as being on the "east" or "west" side. Also, the older part of town is on the east side, the newer part is the west side.

[6foot3]

Some more general ???'s

I may want to increase my skills in HVAC (air conditioning/fefrigeration) so how's the community college system there or trade schools. Although not needing any medical care what is the main hospotal incase i ever was sick or got hurt. I see OU has a large one but i think its a medical school hospital. Where do i go for drivers liscense and plates and who is the utility providers ??? Oh yeah are the cooling systems all refrigerated air. Do you evaporative cooling like out here in New Mexico..

Thanks again......

[mranderson]

Some more general ???'s

I may want to increase my skills in HVAC (air conditioning/fefrigeration) so how's the community college system there or trade schools. Although not needing any medical care what is the main hospotal incase i ever was sick or got hurt. I see OU has a large one but i think its a medical school hospital. Where do i go for drivers liscense and plates and who is the utility providers ??? Oh yeah are the cooling systems all refrigerated air. Do you evaporative cooling like out here in New Mexico..

Thanks again......

OKlahoma City Community College is one of the best Community Colleges in the nation, and one of the largest by enrollment. Our Vo-Tech system, I feel is good.

It is good that you want to hone your skills, because Oklahoma requires HVAC people to be licensed.

Drivers license, you go to DMV (Oklahoma calls it DPS). To change your vehicle registration, go to any tag agency. And the cooling systems? Refrigerated air.

[Karried]

Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Technology
OSU-OKM
RSC

Program Description
Install, troubleshoot, repair and maintain residential, commercial and industrial equipment. Learn air conditioning, refrigeration and heating applications. Specialized training for EPA certification in refrigerants is also offered. After completing both programs and completing one year of verifiable work experience in the HVACR
industry, applicants may apply to take the Oklahoma Journeyman Refrigeration test. Day or evening classes available.
The following programs are available:
Refrigeration Technology prepares students for refrigeration technician.
Air Conditioning/Heating Technology prepares students for HVAC technician.

Metro Technology Centers Full-Time Program - Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning Technology

You might also try Francis Tuttle

[jbrown84]

Some more general ???'s

I may want to increase my skills in HVAC (air conditioning/fefrigeration) so how's the community college system there or trade schools. Although not needing any medical care what is the main hospotal incase i ever was sick or got hurt. I see OU has a large one but i think its a medical school hospital. Where do i go for drivers liscense and plates and who is the utility providers ??? Oh yeah are the cooling systems all refrigerated air. Do you evaporative cooling like out here in New Mexico..

Thanks again......

Nope, no swamp coolers here. Too humid. Seems we've covered tech schools. You have a lot of options with OKC Community College, Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech, OSU-OKC, and other smaller ones.

Hospitals: OU Medical Center is strong, and semi-public. The major private hospitals include St. Anthony (midtown/downtown), Integris Baptist (inner NW), Mercy (far NW), Deaconess (inner NW), and Integris Southwest (inner SW). I recommend St. Anthony because they aren't as money-grubbing as the others and have a strong commitment to Midtown and to the poor and homeless.

[Patrick]

There are two main vo-tech centers: Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech on the city's far northwest side, and Metro Technology Centers on the city's northeast side. Both have HVAC programs.

You can also consider our main community colleges: Oklahoma State University-OKC campus, Oklahoma City Community College, and Rose State College in Midwest City.

Main hospitals have already been listed. The largest is probably OU Medical Center, also the home to Oklahoma's only Trauma 1 Center. All of our hospitals are generally good, although I'd say the Integris Hospitals (Baptist and Southwest) and Mercy are probably more money-grubbing.
I'd typicaly stay away from the regional hospitals like Edmond Medical Center, Midwest Regional Med Center, Norman Regional, Canadian Valley Hospital, etc., because if you have a major problem, you'll just be transferred to OU Medical Center anyways.

We actually were transferred a patient recently from Midwest Regional. She had fever of unknown origin. Midwest Regional had her in the hospital for an entire month and couldn't determine the cause of her fevers. Patient was transferred to OU Medical Center FINALLY, and we found out she had a pulmonary embolism the first day. Took us one day, something they couldn't determine in 1 month.

[AFCM]

If you're interested in getting some training and experience with HVAC, you can earn while you learn with the Oklahoma Air National Guard. I'm not a recruiter, and I don't want to sound like one, but consider the following:

- Instead of paying to receive training at some Vo-Tech, the Air Force will PAY YOU to learn a new skill.

- In addition to the skill you'll learn at AF Tech School, you'll be receiving college credit torwards your Associate's Degree. The AF is the only branch of service to have it's own community college. Check into the Community College of the Air Force. Whenever you enlist, you're actually enrolling in school, and all the training you receive goes towards your degree. All you have to do is get credit for your general core classes and you'll have a degree. How do you do that? Well, CLEPS are free to military members, so you can take that avenue. Don't feel like taking CLEPs? Well, you can always...

- ...Go to state funded school with 100% tuition assistance paid. While you're attending school for free, you can also collect nearly a thousand dollars a month from the GI Bill. When I start playing baseball again, I'll be attending college for free and pocketing the GI Bill to pay for bills and live.

- Also, when you sign up for the Air National Guard, you're entitled to a $15,000 bonus upon the successful completion of your training.

- Plus, with all of that training, schooling, and experience...what more could a potential employer want out of an applicant? The answer...MILITARY. Having a military background is a huge plus to many employers, especially government jobs. Having prior military service on your resume makes you very marketable!

- What about deployments? Well, they are always a possibility, but this isn't the Army National Guard we're talking about here. The Air National Guard almost always asks for volunteers first, and you will rarely ever deploy. They understand you're a civilian first, and will try everything in their power to keep you from unwanted deployments.

- Now, add up free training, experience, college education, $15K bonus, marketability, and pride in what you do...what do you owe the ANG? Just one weekend a month, and two weeks a year. I challenge you to find ANY part time job like that offers these benefits, especially while requiring so little of you.

I'm not a recruiter, but I am a big advocate of military service. I'm sorry to take this so far off base, but if you're interested in getting some skill, you should look into joining the Oklahoma Air National Guard. If you're interested, PM me and I can get you in contact with a recruiter. If you're not, that's fine. Good luck and have a safe trip.