Oklahoma County In/Out Migration Map

[metro]

Found this cool new tool/feature Forbes recently launched. You can click on any county in the country and see the in and out migration patterns and where people are moving from and to. Below I did Oklahoma County. The data is from 2008. The black lines are inward migration and red is outward migration.





http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/04/mig...nties-map.html

[PennyQuilts]

Very cool site. thanks.

[Kerry]

If you select a county and then follow the line to the county on the other end it will tell you how many people moved and the average income of the people moving. I wonder how they know this?

Holy cow - take a look at California. Counties north of Sacramento all stay on the west coast (other California counties, Oregon and Washinton). South of Sacramento every county is solid red and fleeing to all parts of the country.

[adaniel]

Agreed kerry. Clicking on LA County unleashed a slew of red lines going across my computer screen. Funny to think that as recently as the 1980's that county was one of the fastest growing in the nation.

Here's some interesting facts:

The movement from Tulsa County to OK County is +102 net for OK County.

Between OK County and LA County, it is a net +215 for OK County

I would think that OK County draws a lot from rural parts of the state, and thats true except for some notable exceptions. Obviously there's something people in OKC see in Guymon and Poteau because OK County has a net of -24 and -9 for Leflore and Texas county respectively. To each his own, I guess.

This is a really good find. I've already wasted a half hour on this at work!

[CO-To-OKC]

Good find. It's funny to see how many people are fleeing southern California.

[Dustin]

This is so cool! Nuttin but red in So Cal! lol

[Debzkidz]

That is so cool!

[pickles]

Obviously there's something people in OKC see in Guymon and Poteau because OK County has a net of -24 and -9 for Leflore and Texas county respectively. To each his own, I guess.

Corporate farms in the Panhandle and large chicken farms in eastern OK draw laborers not just from the surrounding area but from the entire region. The numbers are likely a result of okc area latinos heading to both locations for work.

[mheaton76]

I saw this earlier on Forbes - fascinating. It's good to note all of the data is from 2008, and it's exclusively from IRS records, so probably very accurate.

[Spartan]

Looks like we're loosing a lot to the Pacific NW. That should be a lesson in urban planning...

[SkyWestOKC]

But we're also gaining a lot from California. It most likely has less to do with urban planning as it does with jobs. When I get my aircraft maintenance license in a few years I will be moving where the jobs are, not what the urban density looks like. Anywhere from Memphis, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, etc. or other large regional jet maintenance bases is where I am destined. Same thing with others, the Seattle area has a huge engineering and tech industry. People migrate where the jobs that fit their interest are, urban settings most likely are not a decision, or a big part of the decision rather.

[Spartan]

I think economic opportunities are surprisingly even. There are a TON of people that end up in bizarre cities for their job, despite that so many people might leave that city for lack of good jobs. I think quality of life is going to be an increasing factor, whereas it certainly hasn't in the past. I just think that the trend of the future is for the creative class to pick and choose what cities they will live in and what cities they are not interested in.

[YeahIKnow]

Agreed kerry. Clicking on LA County unleashed a slew of red lines going across my computer screen. Funny to think that as recently as the 1980's that county was one of the fastest growing in the nation.

LA County does have some inward migration still happening. I guess some people still dream of being rock and/or movie stars. Want to check out a city with virtually no inward migration? Check out Detroit. Sad really.

[stlokc]

I have to agree with Spartan. In the future, many more jobs will be "mobile." there was an excellent article in a recent issue of The Economist" (fantastic magazine, by the way) that highlighted Boise, Idaho. Boise's population has doubled in 20 years, due largely to out-migration from expensive California cities as knowledge workers realized they need only a laptop and can live in a town that fits what they want from a lifestyle perspective. This can be good news for OKC if we can continue to build on our quality of life and foster a network of those in the "creative class." Easier said than done. But I have been to Boise and despite it's beautiful environs, there's nothing there that can't be duplicated on the Plains.

[Spartan]

Well I've always understood part of Boise's advantage to actually be its corporate base, or former corporate base, and having Boise State U right near downtown. Kind of like a mini Austin-type setting..

[stlokc]

Spartan-You are correct about Boise's corporate base. I would liken them to a slightly smaller Omaha in that regard, for whatever reason they have been able to foster this presence, probably due to - say it with me - a high quality of life. Having said that, OKC, by it's sheer size, does provide more corporate opportunity. However it's -say it with me -too tied to one industry. But that's another thread. The Austin comparison is probably apt. Goes to show that in this century, OKC's competition will be coming at us from above and below, from Dallas and Omaha, Kansas City and Boise. Size is ultimately not the becall end all of whether we will be successful.

[Larry OKC]

I know this is going to come as a shock to many of you but I just don't buy into the whole nebulous, quality-of-life, as a major factor for most people. MAYBE in great economic times or in certain job categories, one can pick and choose. But in regular economic realities, you go where the work is. If your employer gives you a choice between being transferred to 1 of 3 cities, then yes, it can come into play. But it has been my experience, that the only option most employers give you is, you are being transferred to "X" or you can start looking for another job.

[stlokc]

Larry-It depends on the type of job and type of industry that you are talking about. If you are a petroleum engineer or a bond trader or an aircraft maintenance worker or something like that, than you are correct. What Spartan and I are talking about is the entrepreneurial group who are choosing to either start their own businesses or work in fields that need not be tied to a specific location. I think of architects, communications professionals, consultants, contract workers. I have a number of friends that no longer go into an office per se, but work from hone, for themselves or for several employers, hopping planes and doing video conferenc calls. They can do that from St. Louis or OKC or Boise or the Florida keys. Feels like that is the future, in some industries at least.

[Larry OKC]

stlokc: Of those 4 choices, which do you think the people you are talking about would choose and why?

discloser: I am a native Okie, (live across the street from the hospital where I was born) and lived in many different states and cities. Vacationed in 46 of the lower 48. Moved back here in my college years and will most likely live here the rest of my life. it is "home".

[stlokc]

Larry- Many of the ones I know have chosen St. Louis, largely fir family reasons, because it is their "home." I do know a guy who works for IBM from a small town in northern Michigan because he lives Northern Michigan. As to which they will choose, my point exactly is that they will choose what they like. If they like the mountains, they'll choose the mountains, if they love dry heat, they may choose Arizona. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Give them a reason to love OKC. I'll also freely admit that this may only apply to 5 or 10 percent of the population, but that 5 or 10 percent who make an active choice to live in the place they love are naturally going to be engaged and interested in that place they have chosen, instead of muddling along in a place they happen to have landed. That seems convoluted, forgive me.

[stlokc]

Sorry for "fir" and "lived" when I meant "loved." Damn Iphone!

[PennyQuilts]

Sorry for "fir" and "lived" when I meant "loved." Damn Iphone!

You can edit it for a short time.

[Larry OKC]

Not convoluted at all, what you are saying seems to support what I am saying too. And I understand that we are talking about our own experiences ("your mileage may vary") and nothing scientific about it at all. The reasons seem to boil down to family or geographical features (oceans, mountains, desert etc).

If they don't have family here, why would they chose OKC?

We don't have many of the geographical features, so why OKC?

What would you suggest that OKC get that would make it unique and stand out (give them a reason to love OKC). Seems we are focusing on things so OKC will be just like other cities. Some of the stuff we are doing gives people less reasons to hate us I suppose, but we need something that makes OKC at the top of the list of choices. I honestly don't know what that is, just asking for thoughts.

Spartan, correct me if I am recalling this incorrectly, but even you strongly supported MAPS 3, didn't you say you probably will NOT be moving back to OKC after you get your degree? What are your reasons for not doing so?

[stlokc]

OKC is not blessed with geographic features, which is why the city has been working so hard in the last 15 years or so, with the MAPS initiatives, to make it a city where people who have a choice actually want to live. As for what I personally would like to see, well, I have to go to work (in an office, LOL) and don't have a lot of time to expound. There are lots of threads like that on this board. Seems like a new one everyday!

[metro]

Corporate farms in the Panhandle and large chicken farms in eastern OK draw laborers not just from the surrounding area but from the entire region. The numbers are likely a result of okc area latinos heading to both locations for work.

Close, Hispanics and Latinos are actually two different things, not every Hispanic is a Latino, but every Latino is Hispanic. Hispanic is the broad term for everyone. Anyhow, yes, Enid and Guymon are actually booming with Hispanics recently. I've heard through reputable Hispanic sources that Enid is one of the fastest growing Hispanic populations in the country (percentage wise). They even recently launched their own Spanish newspaper, Impacto Portales Spanish Gazette which covers Enid and Western Oklahoma.

I have to agree with Spartan. In the future, many more jobs will be "mobile." there was an excellent article in a recent issue of The Economist" (fantastic magazine, by the way) that highlighted Boise, Idaho. Boise's population has doubled in 20 years, due largely to out-migration from expensive California cities as knowledge workers realized they need only a laptop and can live in a town that fits what they want from a lifestyle perspective. This can be good news for OKC if we can continue to build on our quality of life and foster a network of those in the "creative class." Easier said than done. But I have been to Boise and despite it's beautiful environs, there's nothing there that can't be duplicated on the Plains.

If you're a futurist, you'd believe machines will do the work in the future, until we hit the Singularity, and we can no longer predict how the machines will react or how technology/humanity will advance. If Moore's law continues, it should happen between 2025-2040.