Natural Gas being future of energy, does OKC see a HUGE population....

[coov23]

boom in the future? Devon, Chesapeake, Sandridge and Continental all booming right now. With US supposed, "Saudi Arabia" of the future, does OKC turn into a Dallas or Atlanta type metro? Just a question for you experts that follow this stuff.

[OU Adonis]

At one time OKC was somewhat close to Dallas in population. I don't see why it can't be the same way again.

[earlywinegareth]

I think OKC has potential for major growth, but not to the extent of a Dallas or Atlanta. Reason being those cities are major regional commerce centers in more than one industry - both are home to several Fortune 500 companies and airline hubs. OKC won't experience the type of major corporate clustering those cities possess. A more attainable target is Kansas City.

Number of Fortune 500 corps by city:

Houston - 23
DFW 'plex - 20
Atlanta - 13
OKC - 2

[kevinpate]

boom in the future? Devon, Chesapeake, Sandridge and Continental all booming right now. With US supposed, "Saudi Arabia" of the future, does OKC turn into a Dallas or Atlanta type metro? Just a question for you experts that follow this stuff.

Perhaps the bar should be set higher than Dallas and/or ATL?

[G.Walker]

OKC is already experiencing a mini-boom, but not a real significant boom will come, until the next decade.But I don't see us reaching Dallas/Atlanta metro size of 6-7 million, something more realistic for OKC will be 2 - 2.5 million range, within the next 20 years.

[BDP]

Is Natural Gas the future of energy? I think it could be a great bridge to renewable over the next 50 years or so, but I think technology will eventually limit the need for fossil fuels as an energy source. Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska are leading the way in that area.

In any event the only way you can reach Dallas's population level is through diversification. There is a reason why both cities benefited from the last oil boom, but only one is now a top ten city. Much of that has to do with diversification. Dallas was much better at building its economy around more than just one economic sector or even, more specifically one or two commodities within a sector.

I'd like to see Oklahoma become a leader in ENERGY production and innovation as a whole, not just natural gas. This would greatly mitigate against the next commodity bust that will inevitably happen, either through market changes or political forces, probably both. The country NEEDS energy, it doesn't NEED natural gas or fossil fuels. Those commodities are just the cheapest way to meet the energy demand at the present time.

[G.Walker]

Solar Energy, is actually the way of the future, per Ryamond Kurzwell, I suggest you watch The Transcendent Man

[coov23]

Solar Energy, is actually the way of the future, per Ryamond Kurzwell, I suggest you watch The Transcendent Man

Same thing was said in the 80's. Didn't take off then, not gonna happen now.

[Just the facts]

It all comes down to the airport. OKC and Dallas used to be the same size, then Dallas built DFW. Atlanta and Birmingham used to be the same size, then Atlanta expanded Hartsfield. Charlotte and Raleigh used to be the same size, and then Charlotte expanded the airport. All of that happened right after de-regulation that allowed airlines to establish hubs. That time has come and gone.

[BG918]

It all comes down to the airport. OKC and Dallas used to be the same size, then Dallas built DFW. Atlanta and Birmingham used to be the same size, then Atlanta expanded Hartsfield. Charlotte and Raleigh used to be the same size, and then Charlotte expanded the airport. All of that happened right after de-regulation that allowed airlines to establish hubs. That time has come and gone.

Agree. The small airport and lack of an airline hub will limit OKC's growth. As was mentioned before I see OKC developing into a city like Kansas City, Sacramento, Columbus, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, etc. not Dallas, Atlanta, or even Denver and Minneapolis which are on a completely different level.

[mfaulkn]

I hope not

[OKCMallen]

boom in the future? Devon, Chesapeake, Sandridge and Continental all booming right now. With US supposed, "Saudi Arabia" of the future, does OKC turn into a Dallas or Atlanta type metro? Just a question for you experts that follow this stuff.

They are not, at present, booming. (Which is a good sign that they're doing so well in a stgnant economy....just wait until natural gas prices go back up!)

[BDP]

Same thing was said in the 80's. Didn't take off then, not gonna happen now.

So everything that didn't happen in the 80s isn't going to happen? That's weird.

[Just the facts]

The oil bust happened. In the early '80s there were 50,000 people per month moving to Oklahoma as most of the country was still coming out of the "Carter years". I remember people sleeping in their cars because there were not enough homes, apartments, and hotel rooms to house them.

[MikeOKC]

I certainly don't believe it's the energy of the future. Anything that contributes to global carbon emissions can't possibly be described as the, "energy of the future." The only saving grace is that it's cleanER, and because it's cleanER it will continue to grow --- for awhile. But for how long? Eventually, without a more diverse economic base, Oklahoma City's financial future could be quite shaky.

I'm especially unhappy to see the OERB pushing natural gas to school children and asking that their Aubrey McClendon written materials to be used in classrooms. Our children need to learn the truth - not industry spin. I've seen some of those materials and it's appalling. They're doing massive teacher training this summer ($50 stipend for one day) and asking for commitments to use their curriculum. It's a pursuit of profits over science. That may go over fine in Oklahoma, due to the self-interest, but children need to learn truth - not fiction in order to simply delay the inevitable decline of oil & gas.

[Bunty]

I don't think Oklahoma and Oklahoma City has been putting forth much in the way of positive impressions to the outside world that it welcomes a diverse bunch of people. If a state and city wants to go global to grow it needs to give the impression it's putting out the welcome matt for every body.

[soonerguru]

You're making a tremendous leap of logic. There is nothing conclusive suggesting that "natural gas if the future of energy." Stop drinking Aubrey's Kool-Aid.

Now, if it becomes the "future of energy," which I seriously doubt, that would be great for OKC. Right now the "natural gas is the future of energy" thing is a PR campaign. Nothing more.

[semisimple]

Same thing was said in the 80's. Didn't take off then, not gonna happen now.

Silly logic aside, this might be right exclusively for political reasons--but just a fraction of the enormous subsidies (direct and indirect) for oil could go a long way for making solar viable. Unsurprisingly, from a technological perspective there is a very big difference between what could be achieved with solar power in the 80s and what is being achieved today in terms of efficiency and cost of production.

And to answer the question--no, a sustained natural gas boom will not propel OKC into the leagues of Dallas or Atlanta, not even close. A FAR more likely scenario would be that companies like Chesapeake migrate to Houston and OKC's boom grinds to a halt.

[stlokc]

Because I love OKC, I certainly do hope that natural gas booms for a while. But long term, it's not a solution. In 30 or 40 years, transportation will likely be fueled in a completely different way (electricity, wind, etc.) Who knows what technologies will develop that will make what seems impossible now possible. Maybe we'll all finally get our jetpacks and cars will go the way of the horse and buggy? (I kid.) I do think it gives OKC some breathing room in the next couple of decades to develop a truly diversified economy. Long term, anything relating to health, biotechnology, etc seems like the better bet. We may all get our jetpacks or everybody may someday work virtually but we'll all still be aging. And we'll eventually be the size of present-day KC but by that time, it won't be enough to be "top tier." Something else will have to happen to make that possible.

[bombermwc]

Personally, i hope we don't take off like that. One of the best things about OKC is that it's not a large metro like DFW. If I wanted to live somewhere like that, i would move there. Bleh.

[Bill Robertson]

Personally, i hope we don't take off like that. One of the best things about OKC is that it's not a large metro like DFW. If I wanted to live somewhere like that, i would move there. Bleh.

Could not have said it better myself.

[cjohnson.405]

I hope it doesn't become like the DFW area. I just moved FROM there because the culture is so poor.

Dallas is just big business. There are no mountains or rivers or natural resources. It is a city that boot strapped itself into success with a large variety of business.

The result in the booming suburbs is that people are hyper-transitional. They are transferred from Ohio or Pittsburgh and live there for 3 years and then move on somewhere else. When I lived in McKinney, not one person on my block of houses with tiny yards was from Texas.

People knew they were not going to stay so they did not form relationships. It is an extremely disconnected society.

I hope that OKC does not become Dallas.

[NoOceanHere]

Same thing was said in the 80's. Didn't take off then, not gonna happen now.

I whole-heartedly agree with ypur statement, COOV23!

[ou48A]

Our states oil and NG production can have a very long lasting impact on our state.

I would like to see about 5% of the state’s gross production tax ear marked for endowments at OU and OSU. Eventually we won’t be able to produce near as much oil and gas. This would pay dividends for many years and help spur quality job growth for our state for many years.

It’s in our states interest to promote NG as the fuel of the future

[ou48A]

Count me out on wanting to see the OKC area to become like the DFW area.
One of our highest quality of life issues is our comparatively low levels of congestion.