Population Growth for OKC

[bradh]

Edmond getting more and better shopping, restaurants and movie theaters means a bigger draw for people from Stillwater and Enid adding to the traffic problems. It's doubtful Stillwater will ever get a better movie theater, a Home Depot or Target and a bunch more desirable businesses when people can just drive to Edmond in 45 minutes for all that. The upside is Stillwater and Enid gets spared from the nuisance of the problems that more congestion brings on.

What are you talking about, Enid has all that. What does Edmond have that folks from Enid would have to drive down for?

[dcsooner]

I haven't lived in OKC for 20 years but in talking with family and friends, and through multiple trips back, it seems to me that, (outliers like Sally Kern notwithstanding) there is a real and growing divergence between the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, which is becoming more urban and progressive and the rest of the state, which, if anything, is regressing.

I totally agree with this observation

[Laramie]

Oklahoma City's most promising days are ahead; Tulsa is following a similar break-out path you saw with OKC in the 90s as their metro will eclipse 1 million in 2020. The initiatives in both cities: MAPS & VISION 2025 has spurred more than $1 billion in private investments in each city.

Oklahoma City & Tulsa are cities on a separate direction from the state. Tulsa like OKC has managed to move toward a more diverse economy; they appear to be a little more heavily dependent on the Energy sector as OKC was in the 80s.

George Kaiser's foundation - 55 additional aces planned for Tulsa's new park ($350 million) along Riverside Drive: http://www.news9.com/story/22597201/...place-in-tulsa

Oklahoma City ($132 million) has 70 acres planned for a central park in the core: http://newsok.com/article/5442858

These new parks are gathering places that adds to the 'quality of life' aspects of cities that are near or exceed the 1 million metro population.

[Bunty]

What are you talking about, Enid has all that. What does Edmond have that folks from Enid would have to drive down for?

Then I will kick Enid out of the point I was making.

[Bunty]

In many ways, dcsooner is spot on about Oklahoma. Not trying to be toxic, but the truth is the truth. I was born and raised in OKC for a good portion of my life. However, by leaving the State, it opened my mind that Oklahoma desperately needs to work on it's image. Poor education, poor health factors, no true diverse industry. Sorry folks, but sometimes the truth needs to be spoken. I am ready to get raked over the coals now (LOL).

So many bad state legislators, who probably aren't as well traveled as you, come from all over the state. Yet, the new state AG referred to the Oklahoma Legislature as well led by smart people. Fortunately, the Chamber of Commerce with its lobbying pressure has probably been more successful than any other concern in holding back a number of bad bills that would have been negative to industrial expansion and discourage population gains. So things in Oklahoma could be worse, progressiveboy.

The C of C will have to be back hard at it in 2018. If Oklahomans, as smart voters, want more done, then they will have to kick out a bunch of state capitol incumbents in 2018, assuming they get challengers. If not, incumbents will think they have been doing things right all along, and Oklahomans can just look forward to getting more bad government right back in their faces with population gains further slowing down. The C of C can't hold back everything bad.

Meanwhile, on the positive side, passage of the Energy Jobs Act of 2017, which allows horizontal drilling in all rock formations not just shale, will hopefully work as well as its promoters expect with thousands more drilling jobs and increased tax revenue. That will be a nice development, provided that legislators don't take it away by resuming income tax cuts as some of them are looking forward to doing.

[Midtowner]

If our legislature has learned anything from relentless tax cuts, they'll forget it in 12 years anyway when every single one of them has termed out.

[BG918]

I haven't lived in OKC for 20 years but in talking with family and friends, and through multiple trips back, it seems to me that, (outliers like Sally Kern notwithstanding) there is a real and growing divergence between the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, which is becoming more urban and progressive and the rest of the state, which, if anything, is regressing.

Well the problem is that the state govt funds important things that impact OKC and Tulsa like transportation, education and healthcare so even though the cities are getting better they can only do so much at odds with the state.

[Plutonic Panda]

Another poster has indicated Oklahoma had very minuscule growth(almost negative). What was OKC’s growth? I’m guessing Tulsa lost population again.

[KayneMo]

Census estimate shows growth has slowed. July 1, 2017 population estimate for the state is 3,930,864 - a 12-month increase of 9,700. City population estimates aren't released until about June 2018.

Oklahoma Population Numerical Increase
2016-2017: +9,657
2015-2016: +16,848
2014-2015: +29,345
2013-2014: +25,168
2012-2013: +34,542
2011-2012: +30,066
2010-2011: +25,703

[Plutonic Panda]

Hopefully that will increase for 2018. Those are horrible numbers for an entire state.

[Colbafone]

Hopefully that will increase for 2018. Those are horrible numbers for an entire state.

As it should be. Short of literally 3 or 4 school districts, no child should be raised in this state. Until this state gets its act together, I would imagine more people moving out of state, and less job development, this less coming into the state.

We all post on here and have a decent knowledge of the OKC area. But how many of you are familiar with more rural areas? Go drive to Watonga. Or Mangum. Sayre. Lahoma. Medford. Chandler. Cashion. Our rural school districts are less educated now than ever.

[Rover]

While you are correct about the abysmal way this state approaches education, I'm betting the slow down has more to do with slowdown in the oil and gas business than education. People move to where there are jobs. The rural oil patch has been hard hit. And, farming continues to be more and more automated and efficient.

People need to realize that the curve on oil and gas is threatened by alternate energy solutions and technology, as are other jobs. We either change our approach to education and training or will continue to slowly lose jobs, or at least not grow. It is a US problem as well.

[Plutonic Panda]

While you are correct about the abysmal way this state approaches education, I'm betting the slow down has more to do with slowdown in the oil and gas business than education. People move to where there are jobs. The rural oil patch has been hard hit. And, farming continues to be more and more automated and efficient.

People need to realize that the curve on oil and gas is threatened by alternate energy solutions and technology, as are other jobs. We either change our approach to education and training or will continue to slowly lose jobs, or at least not grow. It is a US problem as well.

So how long until I see you in another thread responding to another poster who is complaining the economy isn't diverse enough in Oklahoma saying Oklahoma has a very diverse economy. lol

[bchris02]

As it should be. Short of literally 3 or 4 school districts, no child should be raised in this state. Until this state gets its act together, I would imagine more people moving out of state, and less job development, this less coming into the state.

We all post on here and have a decent knowledge of the OKC area. But how many of you are familiar with more rural areas? Go drive to Watonga. Or Mangum. Sayre. Lahoma. Medford. Chandler. Cashion. Our rural school districts are less educated now than ever.

I agree. Oklahoma has some of the most depressing small towns of any state I've spent time in. Small towns within OKC or Tulsa's sphere of influence and towns near the state border are doing alright, but places like Henryetta? McAllister? Checotah? Okemah? It's depressing just driving through some of those places.

I think the oil & gas slowdown, dysfunction at 23rd and Lincoln, and the improving national economy are hitting Oklahoma pretty hard right now. It will be interesting to see what OKC and Tulsa's numbers look like. My guess is a hair of growth in OKC and a hair of population loss for Tulsa.

[Bunty]

I agree. Oklahoma has some of the most depressing small towns of any state I've spent time in. Small towns within OKC or Tulsa's sphere of influence and towns near the state border are doing alright, but places like Henryetta? McAllister? Checotah? Okemah? It's depressing just driving through some of those places.

I think the oil & gas slowdown, dysfunction at 23rd and Lincoln, and the improving national economy are hitting Oklahoma pretty hard right now. It will be interesting to see what OKC and Tulsa's numbers look like. My guess is a hair of growth in OKC and a hair of population loss for Tulsa.

I've been to Idabel before and didn't know a town could look so run down and poor. Towns in central and western Oklahoma aren't generally as bad off. A big bunch of small towns have been slowly dying away or at best stagnant for decades.

Online shopping and buying doesn't help most any town, large or small. Wal-mart closed in Perry. The upside is the west side Wal-mart in Stillwater benefits. Not all the problems have to do with poorly run state or local government.

The price of oil keeps slowly going up. That will surely help things in Oklahoma from getting worse. Higher prices for oil should mean more drilling and bring in higher revenue. Citizens should oppose legislators, who take that as a sign to resume reducing income taxes. Opposition to cutting taxes should be just as strong as opposition to raising them.

[dcsooner]

While you are correct about the abysmal way this state approaches education, I'm betting the slow down has more to do with slowdown in the oil and gas business than education. People move to where there are jobs. The rural oil patch has been hard hit. And, farming continues to be more and more automated and efficient.

People need to realize that the curve on oil and gas is threatened by alternate energy solutions and technology, as are other jobs. We either change our approach to education and training or will continue to slowly lose jobs, or at least not grow. It is a US problem as well.

To that point, this State is horrible in job creation. The lack of manufacturing on a large scale is one aspect, dependence on O&G. OKC touts all these firsts in multiple categories BUT nowhere do we talk about JOB CREATION. Oklahoma never COMPETES for high wage jobs and saying low cost of living is a plus is overused. Low cost of living equates to low wages and incomes. The State is simply run poorly

[Laramie]

Census estimate shows growth has slowed. July 1, 2017 population estimate for the state is 3,930,864 - a 12-month increase of 9,700. City population estimates aren't released until about June 2018.

Oklahoma Population Numerical Increase
2016-2017: +9,657
2015-2016: +16,848
2014-2015: +29,345
2013-2014: +25,168
2012-2013: +34,542
2011-2012: +30,066
2010-2011: +25,703

Thanks KayneMo:

Very disappointing especially when our city maintained decent numbers despite the glitch with the oil industry. Can't wait to see what the numbers are for Oklahoma City & Tulsa--state's 2 most populous cities. Our state is getting a bad rap for not getting its fiscal house in order coupled with the oil crisis. We'll see how diverse OKC's economy is come June 2018.

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/OK

[Jersey Boss]

While you are correct about the abysmal way this state approaches education, I'm betting the slow down has more to do with slowdown in the oil and gas business than education. People move to where there are jobs. The rural oil patch has been hard hit.
People need to realize that the curve on oil and gas is threatened by alternate energy solutions and technology, as are other jobs.

I'm gonna call Bull Chips on this. Yeah there has been a slowdown in O&G due to market forces. However the assault on alternative energy is not due to market forces but by the state government looking to the past for solutions. Passing laws penalizing consumers from selling back solar excess or prohibiting third party solar farms from selling to residential customers hurts the employment prospects of individuals in these industries well as entrepenours investing in these new industries. Cutting incentives for wind energy while still propping up Hamm and his fellow barons with tax cuts, tax credits, and prohibiting towns from regulating drilling and waste water injection does not encourage the future.
Now mix in draconian marijuana laws and refusal to abandon the lock 'em up and throw away the key approach to crime and you have a future with 4 or 3 congressional seats next time around.
Add into the mix the State overriding municipalities when they try to pass quality of life ordinances such as minimum wage increases and the state will slowly go the way of rural Oklahoma.

[Rover]

Funny, our draconian mj laws were in place while we were booming. So was our awful education situation.

[dcsooner]

Funny, our draconian mj laws were in place while we were booming. So was our awful education situation.

Exactly When was Oklahoma booming? When teachers got a raise, when we got a large 2-3000 job factory? Or maybe when the per capita income ranked above the 25th quartile? When we lost oil companies to Houston? When we jailed more people per capita than any other State?You really mean when big oil boomed cause that is the ONLY industry that has historically had boom cycles.

[OKCRT]

Every time the state locks someone up for minor drug possession someone is getting paid. So many folks in prison today in Ok because of drug use and or minor possession. I'm not talking about dealers I am talking about people that have been caught with small amounts more than once. This state loves to lock them up and get paid. It's criminal. They really love to lock young woman up that have been charged with dangerous substance. Take a look at the figures, OK is out of control. Take them to court and get a conviction and send them to prison and collect that money. All drug addicts in OK should pack their bags and leave asap....Remember the young lady from Kingfisher that got 8-10 years or so for selling a couple joints? Yes,true story and it's not an isolated thing either. It happens all the time in OK. They get these young folks for minor charges and get them into the system and it's a revolving door. Looks good for the DA getting all those convictions

[Rover]

Exactly When was Oklahoma booming? When teachers got a raise, when we got a large 2-3000 job factory? Or maybe when the per capita income ranked above the 25th quartile? When we lost oil companies to Houston? When we jailed more people per capita than any other State?You really mean when big oil boomed cause that is the ONLY industry that has historically had boom cycles.

I’m sure you are right. Getting stoned legally is all we need. What a great economic development platform.

[bchris02]

Every time the state locks someone up for minor drug possession someone is getting paid. So many folks in prison today in Ok because of drug use and or minor possession. I'm not talking about dealers I am talking about people that have been caught with small amounts more than once. This state loves to lock them up and get paid. It's criminal. They really love to lock young woman up that have been charged with dangerous substance. Take a look at the figures, OK is out of control. Take them to court and get a conviction and send them to prison and collect that money. All drug addicts in OK should pack their bags and leave asap....Remember the young lady from Kingfisher that got 8-10 years or so for selling a couple joints? Yes,true story and it's not an isolated thing either. It happens all the time in OK. They get these young folks for minor charges and get them into the system and it's a revolving door. Looks good for the DA getting all those convictions

It's insane to think that OK actually borders Colorado. The two states couldn't possibly be any more different.

[bchris02]

I’m sure you are right. Getting stoned legally is all we need. What a great economic development platform.

Legal marijuana is big business and the tax revenue would help solve the budget crisis. Just look at Colorado. Legal marijuana is a factor in the current boom that the Denver metro area is experiencing. Oklahoma won't even consider legalizing though. People want to blame Big Pharma and private prisons but the real reason is this is the Bible Belt and the God-fearing Baptists that run this place feel they have a mandate to protect the population from themselves (and make money while doing so).

[bchris02]

And no...legal weed wouldn't be a magic solution to OK's problem but it could be a piece of the puzzle, especially if the tax money generated from it went to increase teacher salaries and the state was prohibited from cutting existing education funding.