Possible move to Oklahoma City (Norman, Edmond: homes, neighborhoods, construction)

[AFraser]

My husband may be taking a job opportunity in Oklahoma City with Boeing, and we would appreciate information on nice and safe up and coming neighborhoods for couples in their early 30s with a baby.
We are not really suburban people, and really love historic homes. We have come across some areas online, like Crown Heights, The Village, Paseo, but am wanting real opinions verses websites trying to "sell" these locations. How are the surrounding areas? And are there other areas worth looking into? Are these areas with coffee shops within walking distance, and possible restaurants? Safety is our number one concern with a baby. Not too concerned with schools since I will probably home school when the time comes.
And last but not least some opinions about storm shelters.... Below ground? Above ground? Basements? I have heard basements would be really unsafe due to flooding.
As excited i am for the change from California, i am a bit nerve racked. My grandparents are from Oklahoma (Greer and Norman) and my grandmother shared with me that her most prolific memories are of running into storm shelters with her mother yelling about tornadoes. Now I know its a lot different from the late 30s and 40s when it comes to warnings and what not, but Im still incredibly scared!
Thanks in advance!

[Zachj7]

Hi,

I am also from California and the idea of wAlking or biking down to a coffee shop, market, etc. is not common here. Basements are uncommon here because of the frost like and other regulations. With that said, some of the older homes have basements. Depending on your budget, Nicholas hills, The Village area might be an idea. Lastly, I know tornadoes can be very scary but so are earthquakes. At least you get a warning from tornadoes. Sadly, most homes do not have shelters. Some have them underground in their garage or outside. I think an underground shelter would be the better idea. The chances of being directly affected by a tornado is very VERY slim if you are aware and listening to local media.

[Dale Cooper]

Crown Heights and Paseo, yes. The Village, not so much. Nichols Hills is old money; i.e., extremely wealthy. Like the Beverly Hills of Los Angeles.

I might suggest Edmond, but isn't Boeing down by Tinker? If so, it would be a pretty bad ride, especially in rush hour traffic.

If Boeing is in the Tinker area, Norman is another option for you.

Far north east Oklahoma City, stay north of Britton, and around I-35, particularly east of I-35 is nice. Around the Apple Valley area. That's an area that ranges from modest to ... think professional sports salaries.

You're in for an extremely pleasant shock when you see prices. You're looking at what might sell in CA for a couple of million that will be a couple hundred thousand here. For a quarter mil here, you can get a lovely home on acreage.

Walking from Point A to Point B will be a problem. OKC and surrounding area is very spread out.

[AFraser]

Thank you both for replying.

Yes, Boeing is right next to Tinker.

What is considered a bad drive during rush hour? My husband currently commutes over 2 1/2 hours in traffic, but thats gross CA traffic. Is it a bad commute from lets say...Crown Heights to Tinker?

[Dale Cooper]

Originally Posted by AFraser

Thank you both for replying.

Yes, Boeing is right next to Tinker.

What is considered a bad drive during rush hour? My husband currently commutes over 2 1/2 hours in traffic, but thats gross CA traffic. Is it a bad commute from lets say...Crown Heights to Tinker?

If you're used to 2.5 hours, Crown Hgts to Tinker won't be so bad. You would likely go to I-40, then straight to Tinker. Probably 30 minutes tops.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by Zachj7

Hi,

I am also from California and the idea of wAlking or biking down to a coffee shop, market, etc. is not common here.

In Oklahoma you can find that mainly in some of the small towns in which town leaders from the past elected to require sidewalks and sometimes bike lanes in new street construction.

Keep in mind that earthquakes have been acting up in central Oklahoma just to the north of Oklahoma City. Norman seems to be a good place to live in order to get away from them.

[AFraser]

Coming from California, earthquakes are the least of my worries! We deal with them all the time, and sleep through 99% of them... Except for the 6.0s and up. Obviously those are a bit unnerving. Im really concerned with the weather in OKC. We really don't have "weather" here, so Im not sure what to expect.

[Zachj7]

I grew up in San Francisco and I can say that I have felt more earthquakes in Oklahoma in 4 years than all my time in California. Thankfully they are all small except that one we had a few years ago. You will see strong thunderstorms, you will see heavy downpours wind and hail but it is extremely unlikely you will see a tornado. Most that I know outside the meteorology field have never seen a Tornado (I am a meteorologist.) I would not let weather be the deciding factor in moving here unless you have a difficult time with heat.

Coming from California, walking to coffee shops and supermarkets will be a thing of the past except if you are in a tiny town. There are parts like Deep Deuce and a few other places including Norman that have that sort of urban walkable environment but they are far and few between. It is a very car centric place. The people here are very friendly and OKC is a great place to raise a family and live in.

Whatever you do, avoid south OKC.

[eddie gein]

I'm going to agree with Dale on the Norman thing. There are some neat historical homes to be found in the University area which is green, walkable and provides cultural opportunities etc. Norman is one of the best places in the state for your child to live.

Commute to Boeing would be about 30 minutes up Sooner road and would probably be less stressful then commuting from any point in OKC. The areas around Lincoln and McKinley schools are where you will find the type of homes you are looking for in an area roughly bordered by Berry on the west/Timberdell on the southwest. Lindsey on the southeast/12th on the east. Alameda on the northeast. Main on the north to northwest and back to Berry on the northwest.

[civich]

People who have lived here all their lives and have seen the growth and resulting increase in traffic think that the traffic congestion has gotten awful. Those of us who have lived in truly large metropolitan areas however know this: we don't have traffic here in OKC. When you move here from CA you will laugh at complaints of local traffic.