Why is Oklahoma City not a "Boom Town"?

[kwash]

FRecently i saw forbes did a list of americas next "boom citys" and oklahoma city was no where on it. Austin, Portland, even Dallas were on the list as americas next boom citys, basically citys were wealth is growing along with great culture, great art scene and music scenes. It seems like a list of the next "hip citys" if you will. Charlotte even made the list, okc has definitly grown with the success of okc thunder and all the maps projects. I see okc on list like cheap places to live in america or cheap citys to buy homes etc etc. Why arent we getting more national recognition for being a "boom city"? Only thing i can think of is to many low wage jobs and not progressive enough for the whole "hip city" vibe????

[ljbab728]

You might check out this thread.

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=27143

A lot of those issues were discussed.

[bchris02]

FRecently i saw forbes did a list of americas next "boom citys" and oklahoma city was no where on it. Austin, Portland, even Dallas were on the list as americas next boom citys, basically citys were wealth is growing along with great culture, great art scene and music scenes. It seems like a list of the next "hip citys" if you will. Charlotte even made the list, okc has definitly grown with the success of okc thunder and all the maps projects. I see okc on list like cheap places to live in america or cheap citys to buy homes etc etc. Why arent we getting more national recognition for being a "boom city"? Only thing i can think of is to many low wage jobs and not progressive enough for the whole "hip city" vibe????

Oklahoma City still has image issues to overcome, some of them partial truth and others remnant of the old OKC of the 80s and 90s. I live in Charlotte right now and when I mention OKC to somebody they immediately think boring, conservative, nothing but farmland, tornadoes, etc. Bottom line is OKC offers much more than most of the country realizes, but in my opinion magazines like Forbes will continue to pass over OKC until the city has more of a visible creative class and possibly until Oklahoma County votes blue. Cities like Austin and Portland are known for their prominent hippie, artistic, funky, LGBT, etc presence and those qualities are generally considered the standard for a hip city for young professionals. OKC has some of these, but its less prominent than many cities its size and until that changes and/or Oklahoma County votes Democratic in a Presidential election, OKC will keep its boring, conservative perception nationally.

In a way this is a blessing in disguise because growing too much, too fast is not a good thing. For instance, I have a hard time believing Charlotte really will be a boom town in the next decade because jobs have completely dried up here.

[BoulderSooner]

pretty hard to call Dallas the next boom city ... it is the 4th largest MSA in the US

[venture]

Those other cities also don't come across as being so reliant on a single industry like OKC is with energy. Also agree with Chris in the part that OKC really doesn't have the diverse culture those other cities have. However, I consider OKC a much younger city that isn't as well developed as Austin or Portland. OKC was essentially dead 15 years ago and has just recently, relatively speaking, started to redefine itself. Maybe in 15-20 more years we'll see the night and day difference in the image of OKC. Moving away from the stale dust bowl evangelical melting pot to one of a more diverse and cultured community. A lot of these changes will be natural in there evolution too since the current older and baby boomer generation will be replaced by the children of the 70s/80s. We are getting there, but not yet quite to the level of the other cities mentioned.

[bchris02]

Those other cities also don't come across as being so reliant on a single industry like OKC is with energy. Also agree with Chris in the part that OKC really doesn't have the diverse culture those other cities have. However, I consider OKC a much younger city that isn't as well developed as Austin or Portland. OKC was essentially dead 15 years ago and has just recently, relatively speaking, started to redefine itself. Maybe in 15-20 more years we'll see the night and day difference in the image of OKC. Moving away from the stale dust bowl evangelical melting pot to one of a more diverse and cultured community. A lot of these changes will be natural in there evolution too since the current older and baby boomer generation will be replaced by the children of the 70s/80s. We are getting there, but not yet quite to the level of the other cities mentioned.

Charlotte is more dependent on banking than OKC is on energy, or at least it was prior to the recession. Many of those jobs have not been replaced and the ones that have have been replaced by much lower paying, lower quality call center jobs. I would agree its definitely not a good thing to be a one-industry town, which is why Charlotte is struggling so much right now, but I thought OKC was a bit more diverse than that being the state capital and all.

[Pete]

The easiest answer is that OKC had not had booming population growth.

Over the past few decades, we've grown in the 10-15% range which is solid, but not in the class of the other cities mentioned here.

However, as the previously-posted link will show you, it looks like OKC is approaching or surpassing a projected 10-year rate of over 20%, so that may change perspectives.

[Bellaboo]

Does it matter ? Boom sometimes = Bust.....aka Las Vegas (lost wages), 14 % + unemployment...

[bchris02]

Does it matter ? Boom sometimes = Bust.....aka Las Vegas (lost wages), 14 % + unemployment...

Agreed. I am leaving Charlotte for OKC in one week due to this. 10% unemployment and people still flocking here in droves has made it near impossible to find quality employment. As I've said many times, slow, steady growth is great which OKC has.

[adaniel]

Does it matter ? Boom sometimes = Bust.....aka Las Vegas (lost wages), 14 % + unemployment...

This.

I love our strong, above average, but sustainable job and population growth as of late.

Living in both Dallas and Atlanta (both "boomtowns") has probably jaded my outlook but I don't want anything like that in OKC. DFW is still going strong (although its tapped the brakes on the breakneck pace of growth experiences in the 90's). Atlanta has pretty much fallen on its face. You can get a house really cheap there, though.

Looking at the components of population growth has shown strong in-migration into this area for some time now, so its not like people are not moving here.

What matters most to us: have a strong community with a sustainable long term future? Or being the "it" place for a few years and attracting a lot of wannabes until the next "it" place is crowned by Forbes/Fortune?

[RadicalModerate]

I suppose, in large part, that the answer to the OP's question
depends upon how one defines "Boom Town" . . . Doesn't it?

So, far, as least within my limited perspective,
CHK has come the closest to creating a positive Boom Town.
vis-a-vis OKC.

BTW: I would have to list Cromwell, OK
as the worst "Boom Town" ever,
using a different scale of definition.
Yet I have been wrong before . . . =)

[Teo9969]

We're probably one or two Fortune 500 companies away from being on those lists. Or if somehow CHK or DVN were to take off and become Fortune 100 companies (This would have happened if Natural Gas didn't doom Chesapeake...but it did, so we deal with it).

What OKC needs terribly is a relocation from a respectable Fortune 700 medical or technology company to diversify the economy, or for a local company in a non-energy field to take off and stick around.

The other thing we need to do is start investing (moving?) in the urban core and developing the arts culture in OKC. Sports only take you so far, and right now, that's all we care about.

[Oil Capital]

Just to clarify, here is a link to the Forbes article.

They actually ranked all 51 metro areas that have populations above 1 Million. Forbes only showed the top 8:

1. Austin
2. Raleigh, NC
3. Nashville
4. San Antonio
5. Houston
6. Washington, DC
7. Dallas
8. Charlotte

However, you can see the whole ranking list here. Oklahoma City ranked 20th out of the 51 metro areas. Not bad at all.

Here is the criteria:

We started with job growth, not only looking at performance over the past decade but also focusing on growth in the past two years, to account for the possible long-term effects of the Great Recession. That accounted for roughly one-third of the score. The other two-thirds were made up of a a broad range of demographic factors, all weighted equally. These included rates of family formation (percentage growth in children 5-17), growth in educated migration, population growth and, finally, a broad measurement of attractiveness to immigrants — as places to settle, make money and start businesses.

[Questor]

What OKC needs is a better reputation. People are drawn to Austin not just for the economy, but because people think it's a fun city. Just talk to anyone in OKC that is considering moving there... all they can talk about is 6th Street, the nightlife, all the cool things there are to do at all hours of the day and night, the interesting people, the wide variety of restaurants, and so on. People really want to live there. OKC needs to work harder at changing its image of being a boring sleepy little town. And honestly in some respects it also needs to work harder at incubating or providing some of those things that Austin is known for.

You can see it in the media. Every time Austin is referenced in a movie or on TV, it's the darling city that is hip and cool that everyone wants to visit. It's even that way on more mundane shows like House Hunters. Contrast that with how we are usually portrayed....

Perception is worth a lot. The problem needs to be solved.

[bchris02]

What OKC needs is a better reputation. People are drawn to Austin not just for the economy, but because people think it's a fun city. Just talk to anyone in OKC that is considering moving there... all they can talk about is 6th Street, the nightlife, all the cool things there are to do at all hours of the day and night, the interesting people, the wide variety of restaurants, and so on. People really want to live there. OKC needs to work harder at changing its image of being a boring sleepy little town. And honestly in some respects it also needs to work harder at incubating or providing some of those things that Austin is known for.

You can see it in the media. Every time Austin is referenced in a movie or on TV, it's the darling city that is hip and cool that everyone wants to visit. It's even that way on more mundane shows like House Hunters. Contrast that with how we are usually portrayed....

Perception is worth a lot. The problem needs to be solved.

Agreed. The thing is OKC isn't nearly as bad as most people perceive it but like you said perception is everything. As I said in an above post, I think one of the big problems with OKC's national image is its one of the few urban areas in the country that consistently votes Republican. Not that that's a bad thing as I lean Republican myself, but when it comes to being perceived as a "hip and cool" place, voting Republican is already two strikes against it. When people talk about Austin or Portland, their liberalism is one of the first thing that comes to mind and that's what attracts young people. OKC simply needs more of a visible creative class.

[MikeOKC]

I think one of the big problems with OKC's national image is its one of the few urban areas in the country that consistently votes Republican. Not that that's a bad thing as I lean Republican myself, but when it comes to being perceived as a "hip and cool" place, voting Republican is already two strikes against it. When people talk about Austin or Portland, their liberalism is one of the first thing that comes to mind and that's what attracts young people. OKC simply needs more of a visible creative class.

Nope. I don't buy that. This article is very instructive...it's definitely worth the read.
The Fall of the Creative Class

[adaniel]

What OKC needs is a better reputation. People are drawn to Austin not just for the economy, but because people think it's a fun city. Just talk to anyone in OKC that is considering moving there... all they can talk about is 6th Street, the nightlife, all the cool things there are to do at all hours of the day and night, the interesting people, the wide variety of restaurants, and so on. People really want to live there. OKC needs to work harder at changing its image of being a boring sleepy little town. And honestly in some respects it also needs to work harder at incubating or providing some of those things that Austin is known for.

You can see it in the media. Every time Austin is referenced in a movie or on TV, it's the darling city that is hip and cool that everyone wants to visit. It's even that way on more mundane shows like House Hunters. Contrast that with how we are usually portrayed....

Perception is worth a lot. The problem needs to be solved.

OKC should focus on being OKC.

IMO the perception of OKC is actually pretty positive right now. I recently came back from Dallas and Memphis and was really surprised how many people spoke highly of OKC. Lots of reasons why too. Also, don't underestimate the power of the Thunder. I think the main problem is so many people have no opinion of OKC, if it even comes on their radar. That can be easily changed though.

In regards to trying to be hip, OKC has a small yet vibrant creative community that should continue to be fostered, but we will never be "hip" in the cool kids eyes. That's perfectly fine with me. I mean, not to be rude, but who cares if we are a "darling city" that looks good on House Hunters? Is that a sign of a city's health? They do the same thing with Portland and it has a 12% unemployment rate.

We are who we are: cowboy boots, buffalo burgers, wide open spaces, Thunder basketball, etc. We should embrace those things the same way Nashville dropped the "new south" BS and starting promoting itself as "Nashvegas", corny country music and all. We should also continue to exploit unique things that a lot of cities don't have, much like OKC is doing with the river and rowing sports.

People who want Austin will go to Austin no matter how hard OKC tries to imitate. Fortunately I feel that OKC is taking inspiration from several cities and kind of plotting its own path right now. If the people you know are moving to Austin just because of 6th Street, they will probably be unemployed and back in OKC within the year.

[CuatrodeMayo]

OKC should focus on being OKC.

IMO the perception of OKC is actually pretty positive right now. I recently came back from Dallas and Memphis and was really surprised how many people spoke highly of OKC. Lots of reasons why too. Also, don't underestimate the power of the Thunder. I think the main problem is so many people have no opinion of OKC, if it even comes on their radar. That can be easily changed though.

In regards to trying to be hip, OKC has a small yet vibrant creative community that should continue to be fostered, but we will never be "hip" in the cool kids eyes. That's perfectly fine with me. I mean, not to be rude, but who cares if we are a "darling city" that looks good on House Hunters? Is that a sign of a city's health? They do the same thing with Portland and it has a 12% unemployment rate.

We are who we are: cowboy boots, buffalo burgers, wide open spaces, Thunder basketball, etc. We should embrace those things the same way Nashville dropped the "new south" BS and starting promoting itself as "Nashvegas", corny country music and all. We should also continue to exploit unique things that a lot of cities don't have, much like OKC is doing with the river and rowing sports.

People who want Austin will go to Austin no matter how hard OKC tries to imitate. Fortunately I feel that OKC is taking inspiration from several cities and kind of plotting its own path right now. If the people you know are moving to Austin just because of 6th Street, they will probably be unemployed and back in OKC within the year.

+10

[CaptDave]

+ another 10. OKC is doing pretty well now as far as reputation. The Thunder impact has been huge - I was recently in Washington DC and wore a Thunder t-shirt one day. Numerous people say something positive to say about my adopted hometown as I walked around.

[bchris02]

Nope. I don't buy that. This article is very instructive...it's definitely worth the read.
The Fall of the Creative Class

That's interesting. It's been ingrained in our culture that the creative class is what attracts young professionals and while that may be partially true, I agree it does not cause economic growth, but rather economic growth causes a creative presence to move in. OKC is already seeing this happen and it will just get bigger as time goes.

[ljbab728]

A lot of these changes will be natural in there evolution too since the current older and baby boomer generation will be replaced by the children of the 70s/80s. We are getting there, but not yet quite to the level of the other cities mentioned.

Venture, I'm part of the baby boomer generation and I'm not quite ready to be replaced yet, thank you. LOL

[NoOkie]

That's interesting. It's been ingrained in our culture that the creative class is what attracts young professionals and while that may be partially true, I agree it does not cause economic growth, but rather economic growth causes a creative presence to move in. OKC is already seeing this happen and it will just get bigger as time goes.

I think the creative class is the vanguard of getting more youth in, but not the reason the youth come. Simply put, OKC isn't as cool as Austin or Portland(Comparisons in this very thread). Both of those places have some big subcultures that draw people there and get their attention. Portland has a serious foodie culture and an incredible number of "artisinal" products (Some of it kind of hipstery bull**** like bespoke artisinal hemp tie-dye shirts, but also some good craftsman making quality goods at incredibly high prices). Austin has it's music scene and nightlife. Both places have some serious craft brewing going on too.

What does OKC have? I've lived here for 5 years now, and can't pinpoint anything other than artisinally crafted conservative politicians that can't keep their mouths shut. When people ask me why I live here, I can't give a good answer other than "Jobs are plentiful and housing is cheap." OKC is a nice enough place to live, and I'm really happy at the progress we've made at improving our city, but what's the elevator pitch? What can you say to a 18-25 year old to make them want to move here? Thunder basketball, buffalo burgers, cowboy boots and Crazy Old Sally Kern isn't going to do it.

[G.Walker]

Every city is different, every city have their strengths and weaknesses, every city has their own identity. Why should we strive to be like other cities? We should move forward in our own skin....I would hate to be labeled as a another Austin or Charlotte.

Believe it or not, Oklahoma City does have a an young identity, that has emerged in the last 15 years or so. I have been living here since 99' and have notice an emerging culture.

The urban core is seeing an influx of a young professional culture, tailored around young professionals in the medical and biotech industry. Downtown is full of young professionals who are nurses, young doctors, and some holding management positions in biotech firms. For example, a 25 year old guy from Durant was just hired on as a Senior Network Engineer at my job making $70,000 fresh out of Graduate School, him and his girlfriend are starting their OKC life in Deep Deuce...

Also, there is strong alternative rock music culture here, or I should say Flaming Lip culture...I see many youngsters adopting this alternative rock music as lifestyle, especially in Uptown...

[Pete]

OKC is a nice enough place to live, and I'm really happy at the progress we've made at improving our city, but what's the elevator pitch? What can you say to a 18-25 year old to make them want to move here?

"OKC is a rapidly emerging city that is still largely a blank slate and not only can you live there very easily and well, you have the opportunity to truly help shape the community. There is evidence of this happening on many fronts -- urban neighborhoods, the creative arts, restaurants and nightlife to name a few -- and as the city needs young, bright, motivated people, you'll be welcomed with friendly, open arms."

[NoOkie]

Every city is different, every city have their strengths and weaknesses, every city has their own identity. Why should we strive to be like other cities? We should move forward in our own skin....I would hate to be labeled as a another Austin or Charlotte.

Believe it or not, Oklahoma City does have a an young identity, that has emerged in the last 15 years or so. I have been living here since 99' and have notice an emerging culture.

The urban core is seeing an influx of a young professional culture, tailored around young professionals in the medical and biotech industry. Downtown is full of young professionals who are nurses, young doctors, and some holding management positions in biotech firms. For example, a 25 year old guy from Durant was just hired on as a Senior Network Engineer at my job making $70,000 fresh out of Graduate School, him and his girlfriend are starting their OKC life in Deep Deuce...

Also, there is strong alternative rock music culture here, or I should say Flaming Lip culture...I see many youngsters adopting this alternative rock music as lifestyle, especially in Uptown...

I'm not saying we should copy Portland or Austin or Charlotte. I'm saying we seem to have a non-identity. From the anecdote about your friend, your elevator pitch is "Jobs are easy!" which they definitely are, but that's not enough to boost us up into the top 10.

I'm not dissing OKC(much), I like living here well enough that I'm still here despite the awful weather. I just think that we lack something to set us apart from the other cities we're contending with in the cool arena. Hopefully this big development push in the urban core helps cultivate that.