Advice for my gay friend (Oklahoma City, Norman: real estate market, apartment, lofts) - (OK) - City-Data Forum

TCMaster · 01-17-2011, 12:22 AM

So my very good friend (who is openly gay and lives with his partner) has been offered a job in downtown Oklahoma City. They are a little nervous about it not being a very friendly area for gays, but it is a really good job offer and they want to make it work. But anyways he asked me to do some research for him, so I have decided to ask here. Are there any neighborhoods that are at least somewhat gay friendly? They don't have to have gay people, they just don't want to feel threatened, or hear gay slurs everywhere they go. They are very private people, so they don't go around making out in public. They would prefer to be close to downtown (not in a bad neighborhood) with some shopping and nightlife. So first, should they even come to Oklahoma (they live in Chicago now) and are there any neighborhoods that fit the bill?

debzkidz · 01-17-2011, 11:09 AM

If your friend and his partner want to live somewhere in or near downtown, they should have lots of options. There's lots of neighborhoods just north of downtown have lots to offer. It just depends on how much they want to spend, buy or rent, condo, apartment, single family detached home? There are lots of cool old neighborhoods, like The Paseo, Mesta Park, Midtown, Heritage Hills, all are near downtown, along with some new urban lofts in and near downtown.

I think they will find OKC to be pretty welcoming. Yes, it is a very conservative city, but at the same time, I think that they will find it to be pretty friendly and really with a live and let live attitude. I do see gay couples out and about town regularly, and I don't really think people think much of it. Sure, there will be some people that might give a disapproving look occasionally, but if they aren't out there pushing it down others throats, for the most part they will be left alone. OKC does have various events during Pride Week including a parade, and and they always have banners flying from the light poles on the entrance/exits to the airport, welcoming people who are coming into town for the events, so I don't think they will find us too disapproving.

StillwaterTownie · 01-17-2011, 11:49 AM

Oklahoma's first and only openly gay legislator's house district is, if I'm right, fairy close to downtown Oklahoma City. He won relection by a remarkable 70%, even though he has made it known that he believes that gay employees of the state of Oklahoma should have all the same benefits as straight employees.

superhyper · 01-17-2011, 12:13 PM

Although I live in Norman, I can say that I've never had any trouble in OKC and I'm gay. The area is fairly conservative, but if there's one thing I've learned over years of living in this state is that that governs how people vote but not how they live. Most people will still be very kind to someone they might politically disagree with, and I promise you you'll find plenty of "teetotaling" religious types getting sloshed in bricktown on the weekends

Bass&Catfish2008 · 01-17-2011, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCMaster

So my very good friend (who is openly gay and lives with his partner) has been offered a job in downtown Oklahoma City. They are a little nervous about it not being a very friendly area for gays, but it is a really good job offer and they want to make it work. But anyways he asked me to do some research for him, so I have decided to ask here. Are there any neighborhoods that are at least somewhat gay friendly? They don't have to have gay people, they just don't want to feel threatened, or hear gay slurs everywhere they go. They are very private people, so they don't go around making out in public. They would prefer to be close to downtown (not in a bad neighborhood) with some shopping and nightlife. So first, should they even come to Oklahoma (they live in Chicago now) and are there any neighborhoods that fit the bill?

>>>>>
They are very private people, so they don't go around making out in public.
<<<<<

They'll be fine then.

TCMaster · 01-17-2011, 06:00 PM

They are looking for a house or a condo, with at least 2 bedrooms, and at least 2 bathrooms. My friend also mentioned to me that they could spend up to $750,000 but would like to keep it down to more like $600,000 if possible. I personally have no idea what the real estate market there is like, and I don't really think they know either, so they need to know what kind of place that would get them.
My friend is a petroleum engineer (I didn't know the oil industry was fairly accepting of gays but at least the company he works for is), and his partner is an aerospace engineer. He has heard that there is a little bit of aerospace in the area, but will he be able to find a job in the next 18 months?

debzkidz · 01-17-2011, 07:18 PM

That will buy a palace in OKC. No worries there.
Boeing is currently in the process of moving some of their stuff to OKC from California. According to news reports they will be hiring a bunch of engineers, once they figure out how many will be transferring from CA. I'm sorry I don't have details.

StillwaterTownie · 01-17-2011, 07:40 PM

Yeah, if I had up to $750,000 I would be wondering how much of a mansion it would buy in Heritage Hills, which is near downtown OKC.

okie1962 · 01-17-2011, 09:47 PM

I found this link and thought it may be helpful. Tell a little bit about okc
Oklahoma City

TCMaster · 01-17-2011, 10:30 PM

Thank you all for this good information. I talked to him on the phone today, and he said that he was looking at the real estate listings, and was shocked at what their money could buy. In Chicago, they sold their 1600 square foot townhouse (which was very close to the lake) for half a million. The one sticking point is that his partner has moderate asthma, which can be made severe with air pollution (one of the reasons they want to leave Chicago), so how is the air quality down in Oklahoma?

And this is me asking... I am definitely going to want to visit them, but I only get time off in the summer. But I really don't like humidity. I know Boston is significantly cooler in the summer, but the years I spent there were not so nice, at least in the summer. I can easily handle dry heat (110 in phoenix was not nice but it was bearable), but does OKC get humid in the summer? Is July or August a better month to visit? I also hear you get pretty wicked thunderstorms down there, but are they the type that have really heavy rain? Or would I just be better off taking time off in another month of the year?