Terrain around Oklahoma City

[cindycat]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Washington Irving came through this area in 1832 and named it the crosstimbers because the explorers had to hack through the forest with machetes.

We lived on the western edge of the Crosstimbers for 30 years. One of the other names Washington Irving used was "forest of cast iron," for the same reason you gave. The blackjack trees aren't very tall but they're tough. Much of the "hacking" is because the limbs grow out of the full length of the tree. We were forever having to limb them up so we didn't get whacked off the riding mower. I miss those scrubby ole oaks!

[soonermeteor]

A lot of people have already hit the nail on the head. Its gently rolling hills on the north and east side, and then flat on the west and south side. Its mostly filled with trees as it is on the cusp of the east/west divide. If you head east out of the city, you feel like you are in the mid-west. When you drive west, you hit the barren great plains. It's not brown. The terrain like any city will vary due to the weather of the current year, but never brown.

It's not a hell hole by any means. I'm from Colorado and it shocks people for me to say it, but I'm happy here.

[Guthrie Kid]

LOL! That's funny, I lived in Colorado for a while and they were all flabergasted...why would you want to live in a dry flat dusty horrible hell hole like that...this often heard from people who never set foot in our state.

The only thing I could ever figure was they knew that if you head east out of Denver, the Springs, etc. Colorado is just that, flat, dusty, and treeless. I guess they just assumed that is what it looks like from there on?

My back yard taken yesterday morning , Guthrie Okla...way out west in the dusty, treeless plains LOLOLOLOL!:

[happytown]

Originally Posted by cindycat

We lived on the western edge of the Crosstimbers for 30 years. One of the other names Washington Irving used was "forest of cast iron," for the same reason you gave. The blackjack trees aren't very tall but they're tough. Much of the "hacking" is because the limbs grow out of the full length of the tree. We were forever having to limb them up so we didn't get whacked off the riding mower. I miss those scrubby ole oaks!

Many of those oaks are under preservation. Because of the age. Some are 300 to 500 YRS old.This is the least disturbed forest system in the Eastern U.S. The old-growth constitutes not just the largest stand of old-growth timber in the East, but an actual majority of the old-growth east of the Rockies.
.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by happytown

MThe old-growth constitutes not just the largest stand of old-growth timber in the East, but an actual majority of the old-growth east of the Rockies.
.

^True. From the Ancient Cross Timbers Consortium website:

The Cross Timbers and Post Oak Savanna form the frontier between the eastern deciduous forest and the grasslands of the southern Great Plains. This great ecotone appears to preserve more uncorrupted ancient forest than any other biogeographic province in the eastern United States..

Link below.

The Ancient Cross Timbers Consortium

Map: This is just the area around Central Oklahoma.

[jessaka]

I decided to reread these posts now that I am living in Oklahoma. I have been to Oklahoma City. I cannot say whether it is a hell hole or not because I basically don't like cities except to say that I love San Francisco. Still wouldn't want to live in SF.

Tenkiller is beautiful, and I have seen lakes and rivers in most areas of California and found them to be lacking of trees and other foliage.

Bricktown in OKC is really beautiful because I loved the buildings, but I would prefer them to have more shopping and restaurants. There seems to be room for that there.

And the surroundings terrain of OKC is pretty. Sure it may be flatter than some areas and have less trees, but it is still beautiful.

I moved to Tahlequah, OK, and I love it because it is in the Ozark foothills so a little more hilly and with more trees. It is wonderful to be near rivers. I am not much into lakes, but I do love rivers. Probably because I grew up along the Salinas River in Paso Robles, but Illinois beats the Salinas River in beauty , although the Illinois is a bit too large for me. I always loved how the Salinas River dried up in the summer so you would walk the river beds during that time, and in the spring you could walk across the river. We have some creeks like that here. I think they branch off the Illinois.

Griffis, Arkansas may be prettier in some areas, I don't know, but everywhere I have traveled so far in Arkansas it looked the same as east Oklahoma. And if it turns into pines in some areas, I would not consider it prettier. Sparrow Hawk area near Tahlequah turns into pines, and I don't think it is as beautiful as I-10 along the Illinois.

Guthrie Kid,

Your back yard looks like ours. I have to figure out how to preserve it and stop worrying about all of the poison ivy. I have killed so much, but hopefully when I am done with the ivy killing it will grow back with other plants. So yes, so much for the dust bowl image. Just that in my spraying it was mostly poison ivy and other vines that I was tripping over. I would prefer more brush like the one in your last photo that is in the foreground. It will all happen. As fast as things grow here I know it will. This winter our two corrals were barren. Now everything in them is 6 foot tall. I can't even get to them to get rid of the poison ivy because it is a jungle.

[southland]

I just spent a few days in OKC for work.

Kudos to you folks that live there. You have a very nice, clean city and you should be proud of it. There were much, much more trees there than I thought there would be...I guess I kind of pictured Oklahoma to be more of a grassland tornado alley area. I wondered around town during rush hour to get myself aquainted to the area and I didn't run into very heavy traffic. Very impressive. The only area I didn't get a chance to explore enough was the people. My friends that stayed there tell me that everyone is nice, and that the ladies are cute.

Oh, and stepping off the plane into that squeaky clean airport that wasn't too big or busy was a breath of fresh air. My layover was in Dallas and I HATE that airport.

I was unable to find the local colleges to tour, but I did make my way into Edmond (sp?). That is really a nice looking town. I also found the Bass Pro Shop downtown OKC and got a bit distracted there...but I am Cajun, so that's understandable.

I am considering relocating there for work. If that's the case, I might post on here to find some good deals on single family homes to rent. Honestly, I love the company and I know I can do the job. It's just a matter of what they offer me to move there...but I am really stoked about the possibility of being transfered to OKC.

[Nameless]

I'm glad you enjoyed your visit, many people's opinions of the city change after they visit.

[MyCitySearchName]

Griffis....or any other well-traveled person, really

Just curious, where do you like?.....I have been looking for a good place and I have a few choices picked out....but seeing as how you're so critical and you've been around the block I'd actually like to hear your input.

So far...I've been looking at
Cookeville & Soddy Daisy, TN
Dahlonega, GA
Mentone, AL
Eureka Springs & Hot Springs, AR
Tahlequah, OK
and Corvallis or Seaside, OR

What I want:
-Water, Rocks, Hills pretty green vistas and no HOA's (I want goats and stuff on a homestead, off-the-grid type property)
-Nearby community with good restaurants, organic grocery store/market and a decent hardware store.
-enough dentists close by to keep me in business (I own a dental lab)
-local musicians and craftspeople like artists and blacksmiths
-A good hospital with a heart doctor, for dad.

...lower taxes & gun friendly preferred

[Goodpasture]

You mean Spring River doesn't do it for you? You have so much water out at Bottomless Lakes and those hills around Arabella provide all kinds of vistas..........you are right in the heart of boating country now.....drive any direction for 600 miles and you will find a lake......

Seriously though, Northern Arkansas and southern Missouri are pretty nice and meet all your requirements.