Are there any new urbanism developments in OKC

[dvxhd]

I don't know if this would help to put things into perspective or not, but here goes:

I was living elsewhere in early 2010 when I lost my job. After two or three weeks and careful consideration, I decided that instead of looking for work there I would take the opportunity to move out of state like I wanted, because I wanted a more urban, thriving city. Finding work wasn't easy, and by August my lease was about to expire. The only place I had to go was Oklahoma, because it's where almost all my family lives. I thought about it, but knew I didn't want to live here as I was pretty familiar with the area, so to buy more time I renewed the lease for nine months, living off unemployment until I could find work. The local (not Okla.) politicians were using unemployment as a political platform and I was starting to feel uneasy. By April 2011, I still couldn't find work and had to surrender. In other words, I was forced here because I had nowhere else to go.

Moral of the story: I wanted to live somewhere that would suit my wants and needs, and though I could have lived more comfortably had I moved to Oklahoma earlier, I knew what I was getting myself into and chose to delay the move in hopes of finding a job somewhere I wanted to live. Now I'm working again, and I have to recover from my unemployment losses, plus save up extra to move (hopefully) this coming winter.

The urban developments in OKC are highly relative. If you haven't experienced growth like OKC is having now, then it seems "up-and-coming" and "rapid." The development is slower than what I'm used to, and if you're coming from metro DC then it'll likely seem slower to you too. I also lived in a city for a couple years that had about 1.5 million in the city proper in 1950, swelling to over 10 million by 2000, with a metro population topping 25 million. Of course, I didn't experience all that growth, however I did get to see the city race to keep up. Previously they favored functionality over aesthetics to house that many people, but when I was there growth had slowed tremendously and I got to see them work on improvements to the city both private and public.

I've also noticed that you love to travel. I do too, and I get antsy being in one place too long. I used to be able to go places for weekend trips no more than two hours away by plane, usually for less than $200. Each place was a drastic change of pace, scenery and climate, which was nice. There aren't as many cities quite so convenient from OKC, and airport service is relatively limited and, in my experience, more expensive than most places. I'm going on vacation at the end of the year, and I have to get to DFW because the ticket was $400 less out of there. I took a trip last year using DFW that was $800 less than OKC. Dallas isn't unreasonably far, but using that airport when you live closer to OKC isn't exactly convenient.

In the end, it sounds like you have control over where you can live, and based on what you've written, Oklahoma City wouldn't be a good place for you to live. Personally, because this is the age of instant gratification, there are things I want out of a city for which I don't want to wait, including decent public transportation, high density, diversity, cultural venues, expanded entertainment and shopping, unique establishments, omnipresent arts, etc. I'm pretty young now, and I believe that I would be very old or dead by the time you would see that in Oklahoma City.

[#1soonerfan]

I think all other posts here make good points. To KCMO, between reading your posts on here and other threads (specifically your "gems" like this), I really think you should majorly adjust your attitude or consider moving somewhere else.

You are trying to have your cake and eat it too. You have no problem taking advantage of the lifestyle you have in a smaller city like cheaper housing and a shorter commute, but you are getting upset that OKC (population 1.3 million) doesn't have the urban amenities of much larger cities with millions more people. How foolish of me would it to post of the DC forum that I'm looking forward to all the cultural amenities of Washington, then write a novel complaining on why I can't buy a 175K house 30 minutes from my job like I had in OKC. Because that's EXACTLY what you are doing here.

I think the fact that you post a link to a blog post to people saying how much they hated OKC pretty much sums up your attitude. There's actually been a ton of good press about OKC lately (Here's a great piece from Forbes about OKC and the region in general) and you chose that? Its almost like you are looking for justification to have a terrible attitude about the city.

I really don't know what you are looking for here (either on this board or from the city), but I really think you should not be moving here at this time. OKC is not for everyone. In my experience, people from TX, the southeast and CA are more compatible to OKC; those from the east coast (or those with east coast attitudes and expectations) generally don't think highly of this area, which doesn't really bother me. You need to live where you are happy and moving somewhere just because you can get a big, cheap house is NOT a good reason to move anywhere. You have to be willing to accept the community, good and bad, and right now I don't think you really want to accept anything.

Just my 0.02.

[debzkidz]

Soonerfan, well said.

[knrstz]

In kcmos defense he posted an article in this forum giving okc praise from the Kansas city star. Fwiw, I don't think okc is a good fit for him and his family either.

[WRosado]

Originally Posted by #1soonerfan

I think all other posts here make good points. To KCMO, between reading your posts on here and other threads (specifically your "gems" like this), I really think you should majorly adjust your attitude or consider moving somewhere else.

You are trying to have your cake and eat it too. You have no problem taking advantage of the lifestyle you have in a smaller city like cheaper housing and a shorter commute, but you are getting upset that OKC (population 1.3 million) doesn't have the urban amenities of much larger cities with millions more people. How foolish of me would it to post of the DC forum that I'm looking forward to all the cultural amenities of Washington, then write a novel complaining on why I can't buy a 175K house 30 minutes from my job like I had in OKC. Because that's EXACTLY what you are doing here.

I think the fact that you post a link to a blog post to people saying how much they hated OKC pretty much sums up your attitude. There's actually been a ton of good press about OKC lately (Here's a great piece from Forbes about OKC and the region in general) and you chose that? Its almost like you are looking for justification to have a terrible attitude about the city.

I really don't know what you are looking for here (either on this board or from the city), but I really think you should not be moving here at this time. OKC is not for everyone. In my experience, people from TX, the southeast and CA are more compatible to OKC; those from the east coast (or those with east coast attitudes and expectations) generally don't think highly of this area, which doesn't really bother me. You need to live where you are happy and moving somewhere just because you can get a big, cheap house is NOT a good reason to move anywhere. You have to be willing to accept the community, good and bad, and right now I don't think you really want to accept anything.

Just my 0.02.

I am extremely interested in OKC:

One, because it is so foreign to me. Two, because I continue to read really good things about it. I checked this forum, and I got this exact same vibe reading through the thread that you did. The new Devon building you guys have looks world class; great addition to a skyline poised to go somewhere in the coming years. OKC seems like it is going places big time.