Oklahoma City, OK versus Houston, TX (people, cons, size, economy)

[debzkidz]

I have experience living in both places. We moved to OKC from Houston 7 years ago. We love living here, but I have to agree with Okie Poke, if you can't find outdoor activities in Houston you will have a hard time here. We've never lacked for things to do in either place.

As far as the weather goes it's not nearly as humid here as in Houston. It does get just as hot, if not hotter, but the humidity is not nearly as bad. As for tornadoes, yep we've got'em. That said, I have never been involved in one here but I was in a shopping mall in Houston (First Colony, Feb 1998) when it was hit by one.

We love the laid back lifestyle here. It's just not so crowded and fast paced. It took me a couple years to slow down my lifestyle, but I'm so glad I did. Traffic is nothing here compared to what Houston has and even from our home on the northeast side of Edmond to hubby's office downtown it's only about 30 minutes during rush hour and about 20-25 minutes other times.

As for hills, well OKC is not exactly in the mountains ya know. As the song says "Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plains". Seriously, the western sides of the metro are more flat with less trees, while the eastern side tends to be more wooded with gentle, rolling hills.

I agree with the poster that suggested you come and take a look around before you decide. That's what we did. We spent a long weekend here checking out areas of town, activities for our kids (who were in high school), dining options, shopping, school districts etc. We went home and decided living here was something we could do. We have never regretted our move here.

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by army_knife

Which would you choose for a family of 5 with three kids(1,5,8)? Currently we are in houston. My husband might have an opportunity to relocate to okc but is it worth it? Thank u!

Whether or not it's worth it isn't something we can decide for you guys.

[Oildog]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

Whether or not it's worth it isn't something we can decide for you guys.

People ask daily if their life would be better in Houston, and the answer in most cases is yes.

Now if you lack employable skills, have multiple children out of wedlock, or have a Nancy Pelosi tattoo I don't think it will work for you here.

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by Oildog

People ask daily if their life would be better in Houston, and the answer in most cases is yes.

But I think the OP has been entertaining the idea that Oklahoma might be a good choice, and I'm simply saying that none of us can say for sure what's best for them.

Now if you lack employable skills, have multiple children out of wedlock, or have a Nancy Pelosi tattoo I don't think it will work for you here.

You lost me here.

[Westerntraveler]

Id much rather live in Houston than OKC or anywhere in Oklahoma for that matter.

[3dogsnokids]

Originally Posted by OkiePoke

Traffic/Commute: OKC
Cost of Living: OKC
Overall Crime: OKC

Culture: Houston
Activities: Houston
Food: Houston


Both cities are great. Houston does have more to offer than OKC I think.

Oh, OKC has a better NBA team

Weather, really depends on you and your family. OKC is considerably less humid, but it actually gets cold for more than a day or two. It snows about 5 times a year. Tornadoes, the only people who really worry about them are people not from Oklahoma. It is a way of life probably similar to hurricanes. The vast majority of tornadoes cause little damage.

Being from OK and living in The Woodlands currently, I find that OKC is a better option for families:

Food: If you want chain food: Houston, if you want great local food: OKC.
Culture and activities: OKC has great museums, as does Houston, but OKC has Norman just down the interstate and OU has great museums and festivals. The local music scene is way better in OKC, as Houston seems to be all rap and country.
Weather: People actually know how to drive in the rain, snow and ice in OK, the city doesn't shut down for a bit of ice like in Houston. (Seriously, Houston gets so much rain, and the people still drive 15-20 under in the rain- you don't need to slow down that much when its sprinkling.) Tornadoes are really not a big deal, even now that Gary England is gone, just watch the weather report and head to your shelter when they say to do so.

[Nairobi]

Originally Posted by 3dogsnokids

Being from OK and living in The Woodlands currently, I find that OKC is a better option for families:

Food: If you want chain food: Houston, if you want great local food: OKC.
Culture and activities: OKC has great museums, as does Houston, but OKC has Norman just down the interstate and OU has great museums and festivals. The local music scene is way better in OKC, as Houston seems to be all rap and country.

It sounds like you simply prefer smaller cities, and it also sounds like you're comparing suburban Houston to all of Oklahoma City, which isn't fair. You may prefer the specifics of what OKC offers, but by no objective measure does it outdo Houston in local food, music, or culture and activities. Seriously, you're comparing a global metro of 6 million plus to a regional metro that's just over one million in population. Sorry, but the odds are clearly in Houston's favor, and you'd be hard pressed to find very many people who would give any city in Oklahoma an edge here.

Houston has one of the most celebrated food scenes west of the Mississippi. OKC? Please.

Weather: People actually know how to drive in the rain, snow and ice in OK, the city doesn't shut down for a bit of ice like in Houston. (Seriously, Houston gets so much rain, and the people still drive 15-20 under in the rain- you don't need to slow down that much when its sprinkling.) Tornadoes are really not a big deal, even now that Gary England is gone, just watch the weather report and head to your shelter when they say to do so.

Houston receives 20 more inches of rain per year than Oklahoma City does, so I highly doubt that the latter is more knowledgeable of driving in wet conditions. The slow people you're dealing with are most likely transplants and immigrants (there's a bunch of them here, you know) who don't have much experience in this area. But a native Houstonian who doesn't know how to drive in the rain is probably something like a New Yorker who doesn't walk.

I'll give you snow and ice. This city happens to be located in a region of the world where winter precipitation isn't common. Not really our fault.

I'd say that you should definitely get to know Houston better.

[OkiePoke]

Both cities are great. One just has to find what fits them and their family best. Houston is a large city with large city offerings. OKC is a smaller city with great offerings, just not as many as Houston.

[ToyYot]

Originally Posted by 3dogsnokids

Being from OK and living in The Woodlands currently, I find that OKC is a better option for families:

Food: If you want chain food: Houston, if you want great local food: OKC.
Culture and activities: OKC has great museums, as does Houston, but OKC has Norman just down the interstate and OU has great museums and festivals. The local music scene is way better in OKC, as Houston seems to be all rap and country.

Maybe if you actually lived in Houston you'd have a better perspective!

[ptt]

I didn't know that OKC could even compare to houston. Houston is an international city but OKC isn't. While the food scene in NYC or San Francisco is better than in Houston but houston is far better than OKC.