Don't Edmond my Norman

[sooners83]

What does this mean? I have seen cars with this sticker on them.

Does it have to do with the expansions of chain stores and restaurants in Norman?

I think I saw one that said don't Norman my Edmond also... What is all this about?

[john60]

As far as "Don't Edmond my Norman" goes, I was under the impression that it was kind of the campaign slogan of someone running for city council or mayor recently. And yes, I think it had to do with some Norman residents wanting to resist the expansion of chainy, cookie cutter establishments (like those on Ed Noble, I guess), and wanting to preserve their identity as a unique town.

At least that's how someone explained it to me, I don't really recall the details.

[Misty]

'Don't Edmond my Norman'
The Norman Transcript


— Transcript Staff Writer
No one ever accused Norman of being boring or bland.
At least not yet -- and lots of Normanites want to keep it that way.
That's what inspired Transcript message board poster Dan Sorrells to take an irreverent and playful poke at a much different north Oklahoma City suburb by printing "Don't Edmond my Norman" bumper stickers, which this week went flying out of the Earth at 309 S. Flood Ave.
The free black-and-white stickers and grassroots campaign apparently struck a chord.
It's only natural for Oklahoma City's two largest 'burbs to have a healthy rivalry, and even though they share some similarities -- both have major universities, quaint downtowns and a significant amount of Oklahoma City commuters -- they couldn't be more different.
While Norman has a reputation of being intellectual, artsy and quirky with an eclectic mix of liberals and conservatives, to the aforementioned Normanites, Edmond has a reputation of being upscale, ultra-conservative, quiet and maybe a bit snobby.
And although they might try to deny it -- Edmond has a reputation of being, well, boring, with lots of Edmondites liking their town just that way.
Wednesday, there were a small handful left of "Don't Edmond my Norman" stickers.
"Here's a couple of dollars," said one woman as she picked up one of the last remaining stickers. "Give them to the guy who printed these."
But now they're all gone. More are reportedly being printed.
Sorrells said he doesn't have anything against Edmond, which he calls a "nice town." Nice -- but bland.
"I don't want to poke (Edmond) too hard. But it's kind of fun ... If it makes us think just a little bit ... then I'm happy with it," he said. "We're not trying to be mean about it, it's just kind of a little playful thing."
Sorrells has a health care consulting business that does logistical and operational support for different kinds of health care entities. But -- perhaps tellingly -- he's also a guy who used to bake bread at the legendary Lovelight Restaurant and Bakery on Campus Corner.
He said the inspiration for "Don't Edmond my Norman" came a few years ago during a road trip through Austin, Texas, home to the University of Texas, the PBS television program Austin City Limits and a city that prides itself on its many unique characters.
"They have their "Keep Austin Weird" campaign and we were chuckling about it, and 'Don't Edmond my Norman, came out of that drive back," Sorrells said.
Recently he was chatting with friends on the Transcript message boards about Norman developments and where the town is going now.
The concern that led to the "Don't Edmond my Norman" campaign was what the message posters saw as an ominous trend. University alcohol policies, the town's nuisance house ordinance, burgeoning Stepford-home developments and increasing traffic snarls were named by some who believe Norman is on a slippery slide downhill.
Sorrells had his own example.
"This year I got hooked into organizing Groovefest because some of the students couldn't do it," he said. "And we had a heck of a time getting the noise variances for Groovefest, and it's an event that's been going on in Norman for 20 years. And it's not because anybody at the city's bad or being cranky with us or anything, but the town's evolving."
Apparently there had been noise complaints from neighbors about the amphitheater.
" ... From some degree I can understand that, but it's a college town and they moved down there by an amphitheater and that's what makes Norman fun is that kind of stuff," Sorrells said.
"Norman is going to grow," he said. "But the thought behind it is that we need to grow in a way that Norman doesn't lose its essential character. ... It's a dynamic, how things evolve over time in a town like this. ... We sure want to make sure we keep it fun and keep it interesting and don't let it just grow and grow until it's to the point where it's just another big bedroom community."
But one of the the message posters' concerns is that as more and more people move to Norman as a bedroom community, the newcomers aren't as emotionally invested in Norman.
"And as you keep adding certain kinds of developments, you end up bringing in folks who really aren't part of Norman in the same way. And that changes the demographic and kind of the political dynamic in Norman too," he said. Sorrells stressed he doesn't have anything against Edmond.
"But I live in Norman for a reason. I want to keep it funky. ... It's important. We have to take care of the patois of our town," he said. "There's not an agenda behind it larger than that. ... I think I'm going to go buy another hundred now."
Carol Cole 366-3538 ccole@normantranscript.com

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

[windowphobe]

One's Mustang should never be Moored, either.

[hipsterdoofus]

Don't gotebo my slapout

[Luke]

Don't Del City, period.

heh heh

[venture]

A college town should always be different...pretty much agree with everything the guy said in the story. If I wanted to live in Edmond...I wouldn't be in Norman. It is nice to see some new stuff in Norman, but the town has to retain its history of being a "young" city and a place to have fun.

I think you can easily pick out the people who just recently moved to Norman and haven't been here while. Look at the restaurants. Those that are dressed up to eat are probably from other parts of the metro or somewhere else. Those sitting back relaxing in their pair of jeans, comfortable shirt, and probably a ball cap (if a guy) are those that have been around the laid back college town atmosphere awhile.

[Chefdavies]

I lived in norman for 7 years. When I read about these bumper stickers I laughed. Someone in the paper was justifing them in showing how different edmond and norman were. The funniest part was when the commentator refered to the two towns as "college towns." I grew up in edmond and now have moved back to edmond. Edmond has never and never will be a "college town." Yes there is a college but when was the last time edmond became the 3rd largest town in oklahoma for a UCO football game. Norman is norman. My friends and I have had heated talks about normanites. I was one I'll admit it. I truely believe you have to have a state of mind to live in that town. I might get bashed for this but, that mind is not a grown up one. Or let me say its a town that doesn't let you grow up. Many of my friends have said the same things. I like norman and I like the things they do (festivals, football). But to compare edmond to norman is stupid. I like the bumpersticker "Live in norman to have fun, Live in Edmond to grow up."

[jbrown84]

Well, just because UCO doesn't have a huge sports following doesn't make it not a college town. Edmond has a lot of things it wouldn't have if it weren't for the presence of a large student population.

[venture]

Well it is a good thing Norman doesn't need a football game to become the third largest city in the state, because we are there without em.

[jbrown84]

Yeah, I was gonna say...

[bombermwc]

Neither one is a college town...at all. You take away OU, and Norman would still be a massive player. Same with UCO an Edmond.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Take away OU, and 97.42% of Norman would instantly die of an aneurysm.

[hipsterdoofus]

Edmond is certainly not the college town that Norman is. While Edmond has UCO, UCO is a commuter school and also a school where a lot of kids that graduated from Edmond high schools attend, which makes it quite a bit different than a Norman or a Stillwater as far as "College Towns" go... Thats not to say there arent regular college students at UCO, but it is different.

[BG918]

Norman is a college town...east of Berry, north of Hwy. 9, south of Robinson, and west of 12th. Go west of Berry and it's just like Edmond or any other large city/suburb. If you want the college town vibe but don't want to live in the college town you live in west Norman aka Brookhaven. That area is almost identical to the nice neighborhoods and schools you find in Edmond except instead of hills it's Canadian River floodplain/farmland. The college town also goes away as you head east of the campus, east of 12th Street. There it becomes a lot like Moore or Midwest City, mostly middle class neighborhoods with some pricier ones going up in far east Norman (east of 24th). The college town, IMO, is pretty small and represents the OU campus and its surrounding neighborhoods especially the historic ones on the west and north sides, Campus Corner, and downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods.

I think a lot of people like Norman because it mixes an urban walkable college town with all the amenities of a large city in a suburb of OKC. More and more though Norman is becoming less of a suburb and more of its own city, and the OKC Metro is becoming known as OKC/Norman especially as the population keeps increasing (115,000 currently).

[CuatrodeMayo]

I never hear it called OKC/Norman.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Me neither.

[Jesseda]

oh and please dont put midwest city and moore in the same class, i mean common...

[dismayed]

I have to say with all the development going on along I-40 Midwest City is looking pretty freaking awesome lately. That city has really turned itself around.

To me Norman is the closest thing to a town that puts off that 'college town' vibe that we have here in Oklahoma. I like the fact that you can see people who look very suburban on one corner, and at the next you see a bunch of college kids dressed in medieval clothing for no apparent reason whatsoever going somewhere. Norman is an interesting place.

[Karried]

To me Norman is the closest thing to a town that puts off that 'college town' vibe that we have here in Oklahoma.

What about Stillwater?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

What about Stillwater?

Isn't that in Kansas?

[bwana_bob]

Isn't that in Kansas?

Given that your screen name is the agri-tourism slogan for our pumpkin-hewed college town, I assumed you knew exactly where it is located.

[jbrown84]

What about Stillwater?

ummm, no.

[bombermwc]

oh and please dont put midwest city and moore in the same class, i mean common...

If you want to start down that road, I bet I will win. If you really really want to compare MWC and Moore togther, we can have an all out drag down stats war...but maybe we should post that somewhere else.

But be prepared...

[CuatrodeMayo]

What about Stillwater?

Lousy sports teams but a great college town.