I was wondering, since on this board most people who have ever posted in one my threads, seem to have a very smug attitude of OKC, I was what the general membership's opinions on our fine city was.

I thought it was especially funny how snooty "Louisville Playa" was when he talked about laughing if OKC was where the NO Hornets chose to temorarily relocate, and well, I hope he will enjoy his laugh, because he earned it! (sarcasm)

But has anybody heard of the renaissance taking place in Bricktown, Deep Deuce, and Automobile Alley? You know, OKC isn't just about Edmond and Lake Hefner. We're developing some very nice urban substance. Substance that will soon become the envy of the Texas-Oklahoma region... not to undermine the wonderful cities of Dallas and Houston et all, remember, the glass is half full. :)

But please don't tell me that you actually believe OKC is just some piss stop on Route 66, en route to LA. Please don't tell me that you think our economy relies on Indian smoke shops and call centers, or even oil anymore. I think we learned a hard lesson from oil.

Don't think Oklahoma is this flat dusty place that never really made it out of the Dust Bowl. No, we've seen many disasters since that disaster, and some even worse, like the Murrah Building Bombing.

Don't think that Oklahomans are these unedumuhcated hicks that live in quonsack huts on the side of the Whateva River, with their shotguns poised, and their eyes a-squintin, and their mean faces lookin' at you funny.

I once heard it said that Tulsa was a Merceded-Benz, and that OKC was an old Dodge pick-up truck with a shotgun rack in the rear. Because if so, then the Mercedes had gotten repoed and they traded the old Dodge pick-up in for a lovely BMW.

Tulsa is a fine city, don't get me wrong, nicer than some other Midwestern armpits, and a little stroll along the Arkansas River is just the thing for when I need one, but they've fallen behind the progressive Land Run spirit still presiding over it in OKC, a city that has caught with it, and every other city it's size, and now it's about to overlap them all at the rate we are redeveloping our inner city, making changes for the good, and improving our economy.

</end rant>

Oklahoma what? What is this city you speak of? My west coast arrogance surpasses me.

Sorry but I don't hear anything from Oklahoma City. Accept whenever the anniversary of that bombing comes around once a year. Tragic as that was its still be forgotten.

Can you please educate me on this city in the center of the states?

First off I wasn't bein snooty to OCK, it's probably a great city.
But it was you acting like a bigshot asshole. You kept makin it seem like OKC was just the only place the team can go to, Then when I told you that all cities around that size with no Major League team had the same chances YOU flipped out. And the thread is still there everybody if yall want to see his every post.
Then you got mad and tried to put words in SCris's mouth and say he said OK ain't Southern. then you post some smartass post about OK being more Southern than Kentucky!(And if you want to know how other Southerners feel about OK being Southern you can look at the recently made "Which Southern Cities have you been to " thread and then you can see that no one says Louisville isn't Southern, But quite a few say OKC ain't Southern).

OKC is one of those big cities with all the mojo and basically no PR. Which is good and bad.

They Choose Tulsa for the Hornet relocation. The team will be called the Tulsa 66er's.

No triple post this time? Wow, punctuation from you? Wonderful.

I am acting like this because you are wrong, and the way you leaped all over me in the other thread about N.O. NBA. First of all, the Tulsa team is completely irrelevant. The Tulsa 66ers is an NBA expansion team that Tulsa recently got. OKC did not get one, wanna know why? Because at the same time of the announcement the N.O. team was displaced.

Imagine how sure I am, even the Hornets owner has said, "It is now a matter of how many games will be played between Oklahoma City and in Baton Rouge."

In saying this he means, of course, that if they ditch the bayou now, which they have wanted to for a long time, but because of recent circumstances in which I don't have to mention, and in which our entire nation grieves for the losses of these less fortunate, the team has been forced to move, and making a permanent move would be extremely bad PR.

OKC does not want to team permantently anyway. I think of it like this: OKC has something N.O. needs right now, and N.O. has something OKC would like right now. It is not charity, and OKC is not a filthy vulture. It was simply a business deal that OKC worked very hard to secure, and it benefits both parties enormously, and, I don't have to mention this but I will, the more home games plaid in OKC versus Baton Rouge, a very lovely city, would be best. Baton Rouge is a gorgeous city, but it can't support the NBA. OKC can, and although we all want to see N.O. keep it's NBA, making it difficult for the Hornets to leave now, it's not possible, so OKC makes a business propsotion.

I went to Oklahoma City a couple years ago. When I was there I visited the Memorial, the Botanical gardens and ate at Bricktown. We were not originally going to see Bricktown, the travel section of our local newspaper did a section on it and it sounded interesting. If I knew how to post pictures I would, because I got great picture that I took of the botanical garden with the skyline in the back.

The memorial is one of the more moving memorials in the country. It in fact got to me more then the Vietnam memorial especially because they included the smaller chairs for the children who were killed.

Bricktown was a neat place. It is nice that it is centered around a baseball park. I hope they can expand that sort of renovation/development throughout more of downtown. I know there is a museum downtown, but I never visited it. In addition to the botanical gardens they make that area uniquely fascinating. The skyline was good to, I was suprised when I went there.

Man the team went to Tulsa face it.
Secondly if you go back and read your post your were acting as arogant showoffish pig. You were posting false info saying that OKC being bigger than Louisville, So I politely corrected you. Then it was you that flew off the handle when I POLITELY said, that all cities around that pop. range with no Major League team had the same chances as yall.
IT WAS YOU THAT FLEW OFF THE HANDLE FIRST AND I WASN'T ABOUT TO TAKE IT, SO THAT'S YOUR OWN FAULT.
Yall can read his entire thread if he ain't edited all his post yet.

Louisville playa how do you manage to get in a fight with just about everybody on this forum, and whats with your obsession with Louisville being southern? It is southern, anybody who knows geography can tell you that. ( I hope people don't start getting the impression that all Louisville forumers are crazy and can't use proper english.)
Back to the subject, I went to OKC a few years back and found it to be a very nice place, I like the old school skyscrapers downtown.

Well I thought that they were getting another impression by Gych that we weren't Southern. So I shall stop.
Also I'm just not about to ake no shit.
icludin yours

Well I thought that they were getting another impression by Gych that we weren't Southern. So I shall stop.
Also I'm just not about to ake no shit.
icludin yours

Hahaha So what, you wanna meet outside the lunchroom after school?

First of all I don't like when Gych is protraying Louisville as a major midwestern city the size of Detroit and then a war begins with every midwestern forumer is bashin louisville, Plus I'm Southerner I can do what ever the hell I want. Secondly hey the west in Shawnee Park 6:00 on the dot.

You insist on being incorrect, so go ahead. But officially, NBA brass and OKC city council have already said a MAJORITY of games will be in OKC.

*change subject*

I went to Oklahoma City a couple years ago. When I was there I visited the Memorial, the Botanical gardens and ate at Bricktown. We were not originally going to see Bricktown, the travel section of our local newspaper did a section on it and it sounded interesting. If I knew how to post pictures I would, because I got great picture that I took of the botanical garden with the skyline in the back.

The memorial is one of the more moving memorials in the country. It in fact got to me more then the Vietnam memorial especially because they included the smaller chairs for the children who were killed.

Bricktown was a neat place. It is nice that it is centered around a baseball park. I hope they can expand that sort of renovation/development throughout more of downtown. I know there is a museum downtown, but I never visited it. In addition to the botanical gardens they make that area uniquely fascinating. The skyline was good to, I was suprised when I went there.

Lovely review. Actually, Bricktown is growing in all directions, including south, to the banks of the OTHER waterfront. It's going to be fabulous. Downtown is growing into Automobile Alley and Midtown too. The arts district is becoming just that, and at the same time, the rest of the city is still booming. Edmond is a breath of fresh air, and Norman is a great college town.

Louisville. The Tulsa team is an nbdl team.

If I knew how to post pictures I would,


browse for the image on your computer, then upload it (http://www.imageshack.us)

browse for the image on your computer, then upload it (http://www.imageshack.us)
I actually uploaded my first picture today. :happy: In regards to the Oklahoma City picture, well it would first have to be brought from my house, to my apartment, scanned, formatted, and then uploaded. Perhaps I'll post it later in the skyline section.

yeah OKC is actually nice, reminds me of fort worth in some ways

Bigger than I imagined. You don't really hear about it, except in a funny episode of King of the Hill last season.

Say what?!!

*runs a google search*

Bigger than I imagined. You don't really hear about it, except in a funny episode of King of the Hill last season.

yeah that pimp was hilarious

Snoop Dogg?

I actually really liked OKC... downtown was def. improving in 2004, I usually visit when I visit my grandparents in Vianna Hills, AR.. Which is in the Southside of Fort Smith.. Tulsa seemed more appealing but both are very unique and nice.

Here's some pics I found here: http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/grand3.html

http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3128.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3124.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3364.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3154.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3159.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3359.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3343.jpg
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3332.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3238.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3236.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3201.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3205.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3216.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3352.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3351.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3311.JPG
http://www.notpurfect.com/travel/grand/IMG_3371.jpg

Unfortunately, Oklahoma City hasn't quite lost it's bad reputation. Oklahoma is a relatively new state still, almost to its 2007 centennial. Being almost 100 years old, it's hard to believe that the wild west frontier stereotype still applies to the state while revolutionary urban renewal concepts are being applied in its capital.

As a resident of Oklahoma City, my opinion in a word is "revival." If you haven't been to OKC every year since about 2000, you've probably missed something. The obvious Bricktown district is the fastest growing entertainment area that I've ever seen, including the ballpark, canal, movie theater, and many dining/club options, plus a growing retail market. This really exemplifies the Land Run-spirit of OKC, as SRG mentioned. Just as the city grew to a population of 10,000 in a day, Bricktown has grown from an abandoned warehouse district to a thriving popular culture center.

Besides Bricktown, the Arts District includes the beautiful Myriad Gardens with Crystal Bridge by world-famous architect I.M Pei, a new downtown library, and an excellent art museum with the world's tallest Dale Chihuly glass sculpture as its centerpiece, in addition to the renovated convention center, arena, and civic center.

Unfortunately, even local opinion of the city and state seems to be often spoiled. Some of us remain adamant that Oklahoma is a great place to live while others (particularly the young people) continue to spread the stereotype that "Indian Territory" is boring and lifeless. Hopefully these thoughts will be cleanly dispelled when the urban renovation of OKC finally sinks in to the minds of Americans.

the Bombing kinda made people weiry of the city I imagine, but looking at these photos...people are trying there, and it looks great.

I kinda have a soft spot in my heart for a city that goes thru anything like a bombing like OKC did.

OKC, a great city.

Speaking of the bombing... Here's a shot of the Memorial.

http://fury.com/galleries/road_trip_2003/index-Images/10.jpg

The memorial was absolutely WONDERFUL.
I went a few years back and it is just a great thing they have done, definatly a very respectful and moving memorial.

i find both OKC and Louisville appealing

Actually terrorism is becoming norm in the OKC area. I feel somewhat short-winded right now; very cold outside, and very late.

But take a look at the info I posted in this thread:
http://urbanok.9.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=729

Another member posted some links to the John Birch Society's website... hmmn... but they are interesting nonetheless. I have never been interested in the JBS, FYI. Never will be either. But still interesting reading.

i really don't know much about okc, other than i believe it shares an art deco heritage with kansas city.

something tells me i would like okc much more than tulsa.

^^
I do right now simply because Tulsa has lost so much DT pizzaz, but in 5 or 10 years I'll like Tulsa more because of some really awesome things they have going on. And that's my hometown, what can I say?
Not to mention I still think Tulsa has a way better skyline.

All cities have its pluses and minus. As a former truck driver, I would rather drive to a shipper located in downtown OKC as verses downtown Louisville KY. Louisville has a nice riverfront; but other then that, OKC is more trucker friendly. Ok, a little biased here, the Kentucky DOT are just too hard on truckers. I'll vote for Oklahoma City.

I toally understand. Oklahoma did a smart thing being so trucker friendly. Nearly half the semis I see anywhere in the US seem to have Oklahoma plates.

They really kill our roads. Oklahoma has more milage of rough roads than any other state. But I suppose we benefit from trucking corporations like Yellow and others.

I think OKC will have a nice riverfront, though it's really in the development stages, and the river itself is artificial.

niiiiiiiiiiiiiice

OK city looks like an above average city...

true^^

Wow, Oklahoma City looks like a very relaxed, gentle kind of place.

I'd really like to make a visit, even just to see the memorial.

i only saw OKC at night (on a sunday no less) and really didn't get to appreciate it as i would as if i went during the day.

the memorial is quite moving especially at night when it's quiet.

I've been 3 times.

The most important factor in public perception of OKC right now is the New Orleans-OKC Hornets. Now that it looks like the Hornets could possibly be here permanently due to the incredible support shown by Oklahoma City residents, more people from near and far will be drawn to great OKC areas like Bricktown. (The Ford Center, where the Hornets will be playing, is very close to downtown and Bricktown.)

People still call us a city of rednecks. People will need to be wrong at least 10 more times, and at least a million people will have to help prove how wrong that is before public opinion of us completely changes.

Want to know what I heard the other day? I don't think most SSCers will believe that someone could possibly say things like this, because they understand what the real world is like. Anyway:

A friend said that his cousins from New York asked him how the heck he flew to NY from Oklahoma. And if they had to drive to Texas to buy a truck.

I have trouble believing that people don't realize that the United States is pretty much 100% modern, and all states have an airport and car dealerships.

As long as young Oklahoma City metro residents continue to think that the city is a city of rednecks, the world will think the same. It's a very sad situation, but OKC can't even peel its 100-year old stereotype off the minds of some of its own citizens. And if OKC can't peel off an image of redneck-city with astounding, revolutionary projects like MAPS (33 similar programs across the country since MAPS began) and economic development like that seen in Bricktown plus residential boom Northwestern and Southern areas of the metro, I don't know how ANY city can seem attractive to its people.

The most important factor in public perception of OKC right now is the New Orleans-OKC Hornets. Now that it looks like the Hornets could possibly be here permanently due to the incredible support shown by Oklahoma City residents, more people from near and far will be drawn to great OKC areas like Bricktown. (The Ford Center, where the Hornets will be playing, is very close to downtown and Bricktown.)

Even though it would be great if the Hornets stayed in OKC permenently, it does seem like a rather rotten way to get a team. I know that the mayor keeps insisting that they are not taking advantage of NO's situation but it would be sort of opportunistic if the Hornets stayed.

It would be. But don’t worry, supposedly Shinn and Ray Nagin have been discussing WHEN the Hornets will go back. That might mean we get an EXTRA year? Maybe…?

It would be. But don’t worry, supposedly Shinn and Ray Nagin have been discussing WHEN the Hornets will go back. That might mean we get an EXTRA year? Maybe…?


if OKC wants the team, i say go for it.

it was all business when NOLA poached the team from CLT.

^That is true but this situation goes beyond business. NO was devastated by a power beyond any of us to control and resulted in hundreds dead including the spiritual death of maybe an entire city. This situation is not "business as usual" and the return of the Hornets to NO could help in the revitilization of that city.

I'm curious about a year later. Has OKC been ravaged from a PR standpoint by the Norlanites making it out to sound like we're poaching their team?

Bigger than I imagined. You don't really hear about it, except in a funny episode of King of the Hill last season.

Yeah I have to admit, one of the funnier KOH episodes.

Never been to OKC. Do I want to?

Oklahoma City’s problem isn’t really a bad image. More like a lack of an image. Oklahoma’s a crossroads state between the Midwest, South, Southwest, & Great Plains. OKC’s somewhat like a smaller Dallas, Houston, Denver or Phoenix; it’s more in the population range of a Kansas City, Fort Worth, Charlotte; maybe a larger Wichita. There seems to be much less written about OKC than Tulsa. A few of the books that finally came out after the Federal Building was bombed really captured OKC’s uplifting spirit. The bomber was from an all-white suburb of Buffalo, NY, not from Oklahoma. Indeed, one of OKC’s best assets & this did surface after the bombing is that it’s become quite a bit more racially diverse than most people think. OKC has a good & from what I understand, relatively harmonious mix of whites, blacks, American Indians, Latinos, & Southeast Asians, with a high rate of interracialism. In that respect OKC’s maybe a bit like Sacramento, another state capital boom & bust city that has struggled to grow out of an image of being a dull, boring family-oriented place, convenient to many preferred places, almost a huge truck stop, rather than a destination in its own right. That OKC seems to have rebuilt & recovered from the bombing, as it did from the dust bowl & the oil bust, that says a lot about OKC’s resilience. OKC should do just fine just once it’s gets it’s real story out.

Funny how Buffalo and it's "all-white" suburbs always work their way (or get worked into) things, isn't it?

I don't really have an opinion on OKC one way or the other; I really don't know too much about the place besides the Murrah and that you have a AAA baseball team. Not that that's a bad thing. From that viewpoint of being somewhat "under the radar", I would imagine it's a pretty decent place to live.

Bayview I really appreciate your description. It's actually pretty accurate from my perspective. Except the "larger Wichita" bit- Wichita is more industrial and trailer-park-y, OKC is I think over twice the size. It also reminds me of a smaller Dallas or Houston, partly because I think Texas is the only state that is comparable in culture to Oklahoma.

And your description on the state of diversity in Oklahoma is especially accurate. We have a good mix of cultures, and despite the conservatism and Bible Belt status, these cultures are tolerated and respected, and they're allowed to flourish and become a part of the whole culture rather than morphing to be like more of the same culture. You can drive through Oklahoma City and see pink and turquoise tiendas and tile-roofed Asian markets within a few blocks of each other, and you're likely to see people of all races shopping inside. My favorite personal experience of the city's diversity was on the far northwest side, the area considered the whitest and wealthiest sector, at a Mexican restaurant. There was a pair of Middle Eastern businessmen working over a laptop and speaking another language in one corner, Mexican laborers in another, and behind me there was an elderly Christian white lady eating and discussing religion with a young Hindi Indian man with a heavy accent. (The latter was the most interesting relationship to me, which I would still like to figure out!)

I think that openness to culture and race goes back to the Land Run, when all those very different people lined up and no matter what color or religion or background they had, they all had in common a thirst for opportunity and a drive to succeed that brought them to Oklahoma.

Seems like a cool place when looking at pics.

I agree with Bayview...


OKC doesn't really have much of an image, positive or negative. And considering its rather large size, that is an extrememly advantageous thing imo.

Having no image is much better than trying to overcome previous negative stereotypes.

If I were an OKC'an (?) I'd be happy to fly beneath the radar. The longer you are not noticed, the bigger the debutante party will be. Just keep on primping....eventually folks will pay attention.

I think of OKC as a city making a big turn around from economic problems,
I think that OKC is very interesting, alot of art deco, and lots of brick.

To qualify this, my experience of OKC was of over 10 years ago, as I was there on a buisiness trip shortly after the bombing. Without going into too much detail my work there required me to participate in quite a bit of travel around the OKC metro area, mostly the suburbs, and in meetings with real estate people and developers.

So I got to see quite a bit of the surroundings (and on my own time drove into the city and some areas I didn't see on buisiness)...from Edmund to Moore to Norman, Midwest City, Del City, and those areas west and northwest of the city proper (where there is sort of a suburban "edge city" devlepoed", as well as seeing some higher-end areas like the Village.

I also did see downtown.

I wasn't too impressed, to be honest. The place seemed pretty bland and sprawly and dominated by surburbia and suburban commercial strips punctuated by the occasional mall...everthing fitting into that big midwestern gride. The downtown had a respectable collection of skyscrapers, but was sort of blah, no riverfront or anything like that (I'm used to citys being on water, though I recognize that is maybe not the norm). It seems that the area south of downtown was just open space, cleared of stuff, and they put a big convention center up in the mddle of the void.

The older parts of town didnt seem to be all that special...sort of 1910s and 20s style development, mostly single family, like youd find anywhere else in the US Midwest.

The interesting thing is the state capital, instead of being in the heart of the city, was set somewhat away from downtown.

Id guess the place was like parts of Sacramento, urban srpawl plugged into a grid. Though Edmond and Moore did have real town centers, from what I recall. It seems Edmond was pretty nice in that way.

That edge city in the NW suburbs, with the suburban skyscrapers, reminded me of the early sprawly areas of Chicago of the 1970s and 80s, the area between Oakbrook and Yorktown out on Butterfield Road (Dupage County) or the Woodfield area a bit out in Schaumberg.

I guess other western citys have their dreary sprawl too, like San Antonio and Albuquerque and even El Paso. OKC sort of fits into that league, I think.

Thank you for sharing your experience Jeff! Since I'm not old enough to remember the city as it was that long ago, I appreciate the window on the past, if you will. I notice that I take some things in the city for granted now that weren't here a decade ago, like the riverfront:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oklahoma%20river/riverwalk15_fromagnew.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/oklahoma%20river/oklahomariver_8_06_a.jpg

We're still in the early stages of developing the river, but there are about 1,200 acres of mostly undeveloped land between downtown and the river that are slated for mixed-use, highrise residential, etc.

He means slated as in ... groups of citizens, developers, and city councilors coming together in one or two task forces. The area will be transformed with more MAPS-like investments, lots of green space, there will be the Metro Rail Transit down there, and a TIF at the request of the developers, many of whom I have seen already have plans for land that they own.

An exciting time to live in OKC ... a city that is developing an identity from nothing. I realize every city with an identity, there is a spin to that. Take San Francisco, for example. There are various spins which you can like to think of San Francisco as. I like to leave politics out of things and I hope others do for Oklahoma, so it stands that SF is a great place, IMO.

But you all have never thought of Oklahoma as a Dust Bowl place? I'm floored. Everytime I leave the state, say someone at a counter asks to see my drivers' license, I show them, and they will literally start humming the chorus to "Oklahoma!" or say ... when people ask me if I ride my cow to work (for the hulluva it, I suppose).

FYI, no, I do not ride my cow, Bessie to work.

First thing's first. Some trees have got to be planted along that new "riverside" and something has to be done with those hideous white rocks. And for those who were wondering what Jeff from Dayton was talking about with our state capitol, it's actually located two miles northeast of the core of downtown, connected by Lincoln Boulevard. The main building is in a park where Lincoln widens, while the other buildings are one both sides of Lincoln, and there some along 23rd. It's still a really old, urban part of OKC.

Speaking of the older areas, I can proudly say that everything between I 40 and I 44 is completely changing. Old crack houses are being bought up and turned into the American Dream, and abandoned streetcar shopping rows, like the Paseo, and Uptown, and elsewhere besides downtown, are getting the same 'downtown treatment' as the rest of the inner north side of town. Getting the south side to come alive will be another thing, but it can be done. There is good news coming out of Capitol Hill (on a hill that overlooks the State Capitol, 5 miles to the north) that should hopefully spread to the rest of the inner south side.

Thanks for sharing an interest in my hometown. :)

I think that OKC is down looked becuase of its age, and that it missed out on alot of European immagration, but something that OKC does have that can be overlooked is its Korean population.

I've been to OKC and Tulsa (along with alot of the rest of Oklahoma) many times over the past 5 years for work. In my opinon, it just seems like the entire state is something along the lines of about 3-4 years behind the rest of the country. The people just seem slower...not mentally, but they just don't seem to be in a hurry to change. There seems to be alot of brain drain in the state as well. Kids graduate from college and move elsewhere for jobs. Granted, this is just opinon, not fact. I just know as a resident of Dallas-Ft. Worth, I see the cars and trucks from Oklahoma everyday loaded down with new residents (almost as many as I see from California!!).

I've been to OKC and Tulsa (along with alot of the rest of Oklahoma) many times over the past 5 years for work. In my opinon, it just seems like the entire state is something along the lines of about 3-4 years behind the rest of the country. The people just seem slower...not mentally, but they just don't seem to be in a hurry to change. There seems to be alot of brain drain in the state as well. Kids graduate from college and move elsewhere for jobs. Granted, this is just opinon, not fact. I just know as a resident of Dallas-Ft. Worth, I see the cars and trucks from Oklahoma everyday loaded down with new residents (almost as many as I see from California!!).


OKC sounds alot like Birmingham and Alabama in terms of people perceptions about it.

They have cars in Oklahoma?

OKC sounds alot like Birmingham and Alabama in terms of people perceptions about it.

As I've also spent alot of time in Birmingham and the rest of Alabama, I'd say the two are comparable. I think Birmingham is a much more scenic city than OKC, but both are about the same size towns and both have huge potential. I'd say the biggest thing holding both towns back are the states in which they are located and the general perception (real or outdated) associated with the two.

There are a lot of Texas license plates in Oklahoma, too. There's just a high level of interaction between Oklahoma and DFW, I think. A large portion of DFW graduated from OU ... a large portion of OKC's population is from Texas.

How are we slow? Not changing?

Yeah, if you see an Oklahoma car full of Okies, how do you know they aren't headed down to Dallas for shopping or Arlington for Six Flags or something like that? Sure, lots of Oklahomans move to Texas, particularly the metroplex, but that is becoming a lot more rare because the economy is really growing statewide.

On the other hand, do you know how many Texas-tagged vehicles drop their kids off at school every day down the street from me? Quite a few... ;)

I flew into Roy Rogers Int. once on my way to Dallas. The airport seemed kind of small but I flew into smaller. What I remember most is all of the red dirt that seems to be every where when traveling south. I think even the overpass bridges are painted burnt orange to compliment the surroundings?

Also I had an old girlfriend that went to a major OK university around there and she lived in OK proper. We did not explore the area too much. It was summer and really hot outside. So we stayed inside and had sex mostly.
We went to one Mexican restaurant that was not memorable and went to an outdoor sonic drive in I think. We broke up shortly there after and it was mostly due to known long distance relationship issues. The part of the city she lived in seemed a little rough but her apartment complex seemed safe enough for her.

So if I had to sum up that I think of OKC in 3 statments.

Hot in the summer.
Dry in the summer.
I think there is also some kind of weird restriction on buying alcohol in OK, that also seemed a bit different.

Okay, well I'm glad Oklahoma left a very distinct impression on you on your long-distance booty call.

I guess the dryness would depend on which summer you were up here for. We've had some really remarkable rain totals in a few recent summers, and then a few recent summers have been remarkably dry -- hence all of the forest fires you heard about on CNN or FOX.

The clay in the soil is red, because of iron deposits that lay underneath the landscape. Red dirt is something you have all over the south, though. There is even a channel of country music named after it.

The beer restriction is that 3.2+ beer can not be sold in grocery stores. This is in the petition process, and thousands of signatures have been collected, with many more thousands still needed (though the petition is just fresh).

The law has even prevented Whole Foods from coming into Oklahoma to an extent. I don't drink, personally, but I can see where the law is ridiculous, seeing as prohibition is just a relic of the olden days in most states.

Oh, and everyone take a quick moment to meet WILL Rogers, probably the most famous Oklahoman. A famous political pundit, comedian, entertainer, and man of many other trades. Will Rogers was in fact a Cherokee Indian, a Cowboy, and a renowned newspaper columnist all at the same time. OKC's airport is named after him, not just because he died in a plane crash with Wiley Post (for whom OKC's other airport is named after) but because he was a leader in pop culture during the Oklahoma golden age, and because he was a welcome guest on both sides of the aisle in Washington time after time. Few pundits were ever as highly regarded as he was, and of the many famous Will Rogers quotes, the one you all have probably heard the most often is, "I've never met a man I didn't like."

http://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/HollywoodCowboys/leading%20men/WILL%20ROGERS.jpg

I flew into Roy Rogers Int. once on my way to Dallas.
Also I had an old girlfriend that went to a major OK university around there and she lived in OK proper. We did not explore the area too much. It was summer and really hot outside. So we stayed inside and had sex mostly.


:lol: I like your honesty.

I could have gone my entire life without hearing that.

@ UnionStation13 lol nice, i think everyone here also agrees.

As for OKC, most people don't really know much about it except maybe the bombins that happened a couple years ago and the Hornet's relocation. It can definately be a big booming city in the midwest in the not too distant future.

I could have gone my entire life without hearing that.

I didn't see how it was pertinent, but ... ok. Whatever.

On the other hand, do you know how many Texas-tagged vehicles drop their kids off at school every day down the street from me? Quite a few... ;)

Probably just commuters living out there in the northern suburbs. Isn't OKC just another part of the Dallas metro area by now? :lol:

Umm ... No.

Until I had driven through OKC and stayed for a day, all I knew about the city was the OKC bombing unfortunately. I apologize for that idiot coming from my metro area. Anyways, I had a very positive feeling about OKC for the day I was there, nice buildings, pretty good skyline. I remember telling my friend that OKC moved up on my "power rankings" list of US cities after we left. Just get an Major League sports team (Pittsburgh Penguins or N.O. Hornets possibly) and it will certainly boost name recognition for your city.

Oh ... I seriously recommend that you edit that last part of your list, or you're on their hit list for good.


Remember: The rooster will crow at midnight.:runaway:

I visited OKC in March 2006. I had a great time and will be going back in the future. The people were nice and helpful as well.

i live in okc and i thout okc was a city untill i visited chicgo the windy city okc is a imatation city compared to chigo i am goin to move to dallas by 09 cause i want to be in a better one a city with 24 hour bus and train servicesorry but i hate my home state

Sorry, but I am against investing anything into the bus, or any 'ghetto' form of mass transit. Light rail or bust for me.

Chicago is a great city, of course, but the other cities, besides Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, actually do offer a lot. You have to have a keener appreciation for modest things done to perfection in order to realize it.

OKC isn't really that bad, I have seen it, its a very nice place, and I can assure you it is a real city, but if you just move to a city thats bigger and bigger, you will never really find where you actually want to live, I mean, if I love European influences, but I'm not packing my suitcase and heading to Boston or New Orleans am I?

Citygal's statement "I hate my home state" is the biggest problem of both OKC and Tulsa, and the entire state of Oklahoma. But her opinion is slowly being replaced lately with the "I believe in Oklahoma" mentality that is emerging in local media, developers, businessmen, and average people who enjoy Hornets games or Bricktown.

I think that alot of it has to do with that OKC and Tulsa are stereotyped as redneck cities, and so alot of people from there feel like they need to move,
the media has alot to do with it.