What's OKC like for a single 30-something female in I.T.? (Oklahoma City: movie theaters, tornadoes)

[debzkidz]

My advice would be to not let anyone know you are from Texas and you will probably be fine.

In 5 years of living here I've only had one person be rude to me because I was from Texas, and it's not something I've kept secret. Most people you meet will tell you about relatives they have in Texas or something.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by #1soonerfan

I certainly wouldn't say this market is soft; however coming from an area that is colloquially called "The Silicon Prairie" to one that is economically more blue chip (and 1/5 smaller to boot) will result in an obvious step down of opportunities.

Believe it or not, the opportunities here aren't that great either. Unless you want to be a professional contractor, that is.

There are some however that are worth exploring. Your best bet is to get on with one of the local oil and gas companies. Devon, CHK, Sandridge, (soon to be) Continental are all staffing up bigtime in a wide array of positions. And the pay is decent to boot. Boeing just announced a huge expansion, but I think they will be using a lot of their own people they are transferring in from KS and CA. A better bet might be getting through one of their subcontractors, like Dell or i2. Both have big offices here.

Good to know...I've heard the oil/gas companies are good bets. What about state/fed gov't positions as well?

I should say I am a 25 year old single male who actually grew up in Plano. So I'm familiar with the differences in the 2 places. I really do enjoy living here. The cultural similaries, for the most part, are pretty similar. People IMO are pretty friendly in both, but Dallas is more fast paced, and will simiply have more to do. OKC is no slouch though, and the city is getting better every day. There's not as much traffic or congestion. There isn't the rampant conspicous cosumption that DFW is famous for, which is a huge relief. At the same retail stores that you're used to will be lacking here (I would give my left toe for a Container Store or Quik Trip!)

I wouldn't miss Quik Trip but I think if I did live in OKC, any weekend trip to Dallas would involve a LOT of shopping.

With all that in mind, I would always caution a single person who's still fairly young to really evalutate to make sure OKC would be right for you. As a single person myself, I am at the age where a lot of my friends are getting married (which is very common in OK), so I'm increasingly becoming the 5th wheel when I go out. It makes for a dreadful dating scene. Some on here may disagree with me, but while people won't be preaching to you on the sidewalks, a lot of socializing and "plugging in" here still centers around the church. If you do decide to move here, I would try to stay in the urban/inner city area. The church factor is less of issue in urban parts of OKC and there are a lot of civic organizations to get involved with.

Basically, if you are looking for a "Sex and the City" lifestyle you will grow to detest OKC. If you are looking for a slower pace and are okay with having to be a bit creative to date (since the dating pool is so small) than OKC might be for you.

I think if I did move there, I'd be shooting for an 'urban hip' neighborhood to buy a house in. I don't really like the suburbs. I live in the suburbs here in DFW, but Richardson is hardly comparable to Frisco. I wouldn't want to live in Frisco's equivalent in OKC. I'd be looking for OKC's Lakewood or Kessler Park instead. I've never watched SATC so I don't know what the lifestyle is, but I'm guessing it revolves around lots of hot clubs and parties. That's not my scene; I'm pretty quiet and bookish.

I ask about the dating scene out of idle curiosity more than anything else. I haven't dated since breaking up with my last boyfriend a year ago this month and it's not because I'm hung up on him...it's because I'm not interested in a relationship. If I ever meet Mr. Right, fine. If not, that's OK too. I'm not actively looking.

[#1soonerfan]

Kessler Park is a very cool neighborhood. If you want a similar vibe look to Edgemere Park or Crown Heights.

I would avoid federal/state employment given the state of federal/local budgets. I have a friend who works for the FAA here in OKC in IT and is getting nervous about the next round of appropriations, if that gives you any clue.

[debzkidz]

I agree about Kessler Park. My grandmother lived there when I was a kid. Soonerfan is correct about Edgemere and Crown Heights being as close as you will probably get. I personally love that part of OKC.

[debzkidz]

Oh forgot to say, I would definitely start with the O&G companies as they will probably pay better than most anyone else and they are all growing like crazy.

[LynnieBug]

Hi, i didn't read the previous responses, i'm trying to not stay here all morning, but i just wanted to add that i am also a single female in my 30s, have lived in OKC almost all of my life, and really like it here. If we had a beach, it would be perfect ;-) And we're close enough to Dallas that if you do find you're missing stores, restaurants, etc., it's not too bad a hop.
It is hard to be vegetarian or vegan here - we don't have a lot of variety there. Hopefully it's changing since we have Whole Foods now, but it's slow. OKC has changed a lot in the past few years with the MAPS projects, Downtown used to be so dead but its pretty neat now. I wish I knew better what you were looking for and hoping to avoid, then i could maybe be more helpful. But YES, i find that people are friendly here. I live in an apartment complex that has a lot of people from other countries, which i really like. And you just cannot beat the cost of living here. It's incredible.

I'm not completely sure how to PM here, but if i can help, drop me a note and i'll do what i can! I'll ask around about the IT sitch, not sure a lot is happening, but it can't hurt to ask. Pre-welcome to OKC if you do decide to move.

[LynnieBug]

Originally Posted by sparkman75229

I own property and do business in OKC and have relatives in Tulsa. My experiences have been very different. I think it depends entirely on if you actually live there or are there on business. I have found the people in Tulsa to be nice, but not any nicer than the natives in DFW, but I have had many negative experiences in OKC.

My advice would be to not let anyone know you are from Texas and you will probably be fine.

I would argue that Oklahomans are indeed more laid back but are no more friendly than native Texans. I think both states are among the friendliest.

In regard to the bold part - are you serious?! Not what my experience has been at all, i've been in Oklahoma all of my life except as a child, we were in LA and Detroit for a few years. The only time any Texas/Oklahoma "stuff" comes up, it's just college football, and we have friendly rivalries as the OP more than likely already knows. So many of us either went to school in TX or vice versa, most people i know have friends in TX, especially Dallas. My best friend lives in Dallas, a large bunch of people i went to high school with live in the DFW area. I just adamantly disagree - no one needs to hide that they're from Dallas here It's too silly.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by LynnieBug

Hi, i didn't read the previous responses, i'm trying to not stay here all morning, but i just wanted to add that i am also a single female in my 30s, have lived in OKC almost all of my life, and really like it here. If we had a beach, it would be perfect ;-) And we're close enough to Dallas that if you do find you're missing stores, restaurants, etc., it's not too bad a hop.
It is hard to be vegetarian or vegan here - we don't have a lot of variety there. Hopefully it's changing since we have Whole Foods now, but it's slow. OKC has changed a lot in the past few years with the MAPS projects, Downtown used to be so dead but its pretty neat now. I wish I knew better what you were looking for and hoping to avoid, then i could maybe be more helpful. But YES, i find that people are friendly here. I live in an apartment complex that has a lot of people from other countries, which i really like. And you just cannot beat the cost of living here. It's incredible.

I'm not completely sure how to PM here, but if i can help, drop me a note and i'll do what i can! I'll ask around about the IT sitch, not sure a lot is happening, but it can't hurt to ask. Pre-welcome to OKC if you do decide to move.

Not sure what I'm looking for so much as what I'm looking to avoid...basically I want to get away from the "Dallatude", if you know what I mean.

[Goodpasture]

If you are good at what you do, getting and keeping a job should be no problem.......regardless of your field.

Finding a social network isn't any more of a problem, depending on what you like to do. If you are a city dweller, you probably will have to like OU football. If you like the countryside, it might be better to like OSU football.

Other things you need to do..........

Learn rodeo. Native Okies tend to be kids from the country and they know the difference between Ty Murray and the Cherokee Kid.

Become indifferent to tornadoes. Just like Californians just shrug and say "It was only a 6.8, all it did was wake me up" you have to learn to say "It was only an F3, it just moved the leaves around a bit."

Be able to get excited about a touring Broadway production.

Know the difference between a Remington and a Winchester.

Know the difference between a Remington and a Russell

Attend a couple of Pow Wow's so you can explain everything about ndn's to kinfolk back east.

Become an expert on small town chicken fried steaks

Remember, we are only superficially nice and friendly......we actually only hold doors open for the ladies so we can watch them walk away.

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

If you are good at what you do, getting and keeping a job should be no problem.......regardless of your field.

Finding a social network isn't any more of a problem, depending on what you like to do. If you are a city dweller, you probably will have to like OU football. If you like the countryside, it might be better to like OSU football.

Other things you need to do..........

Learn rodeo. Native Okies tend to be kids from the country and they know the difference between Ty Murray and the Cherokee Kid.

Become indifferent to tornadoes. Just like Californians just shrug and say "It was only a 6.8, all it did was wake me up" you have to learn to say "It was only an F3, it just moved the leaves around a bit."

Be able to get excited about a touring Broadway production.

Know the difference between a Remington and a Winchester.

Know the difference between a Remington and a Russell

Attend a couple of Pow Wow's so you can explain everything about ndn's to kinfolk back east.

Become an expert on small town chicken fried steaks

Remember, we are only superficially nice and friendly......we actually only hold doors open for the ladies so we can watch them walk away.

You must be joking, I am a native Okie and your list of what a person NEEDS to do is silly. I attended OSU and OU and have a bachelors and masters. Care not one iota for rodeos and no one has ever questioned it. Wouldn't know the different between a Remington or a Winchester and don't care. Also don't know a Russell from a Remington and it doesn't matter. Yes, it's nice when there's a touring Broadway musical in town and I learned long ago to just set out a tornado watch. Cannot imagine anyone needing to attend a pow-wow unless they are interested. I'm not.

A person doesn't need to do anything different from what they already are and if anyone says different, it's only their opinion.