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Old 03-31-2014, 10:27 AM
 
634 posts, read 897,141 times
Reputation: 852

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Howdy. I will be relocating this summer and I have narrowed it down to Texas or Arizona, but I have had my eye on Oklahoma for a long time because it sounds like I'd fit in, I've lurked in the forum here, read various debates and opinions, now I need a local perspective.

I like sports/nascar, the outdoors, tattoos, and happen to think a bass pro downtown is the kewlest thing this side of heaven since most of the time they are in the middle of nowhere. My politics lean toward conservative, but I'm mainly live/let live. I thrive in laid back slower pace environments. My idea of fine dining is anything outside on the grill. Entertainment is world of warcraft so all I need is solid wifi. Not bothered by severe weather, grew up in midwest and experienced a direct hit twister as a child. I'm a machinist by trade n it looks like there is a strong industrial presence to support plenty of jobs in that area.

I have kin around dfw and there are no income taxes, the main draw for Texas, along with shorter winters, but they don't strike me as all that bad in Okc. Phoenix is nice and I have visited, but I'm unsure about the fit, the people seemed aloof and impersonal, altho it is laid back enough. I hate to shop, which puts me in the "different" group in both places.

Edit: So I don't need any specific input as of yet, but I do want to know if my overall assessment is moving in the right direction.

Thanks.

Last edited by Garethe; 03-31-2014 at 10:51 AM..
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Old 04-01-2014, 06:20 AM
 
Location: back to Texas soon!
72 posts, read 126,747 times
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I lived in the DFW area for 16 years prior to moving to the OKC area (Edmond) in 2013. I'm in the process of moving back to Fort Worth within the next couple of weeks. Having lived in both areas I can tell you there's not that much difference between the two. This past winter in OK seemed to be colder than normal, certainly colder than I was used to in Texas. Also, it is extremely windy here which for some reason really bothers me. I have a tornado shelter in my house in OK so I never felt unsafe due to the weather.

I've met some great people in OK and plan to be friends even after I move back to Texas. For me the move is a 50/50 split over not liking my job in OK and really missing my friends in Texas.

From the sound of your post you seem to have a good attitude about the move which is probably the biggest key. I think you'd enjoy living in either location and should have no problems with wherever you ultimately choose to live.

Best wishes and good luck!
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Old 04-01-2014, 04:55 PM
 
Location: Oklahoma
17,790 posts, read 13,682,006 times
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OKC is a mini version of DFW. Weather is basically the same. OKC runs a handful of degrees cooler for the most part and some of the northern fronts that hit OKC don't get as far as DFW. DFW probably has a tendency to get ice more often than OKC which will get snow.

To me it depends on how big a city you want. And how much the extra trappings are worth to you to put up with the extra people. In reality most people from OKC go to DFW at the drop of a hat for entertainment. The race track in DFW is less than 3 hours from most parts of OKC

Having lived in Arizona, the element you are seeking is surely there, you just have to wade through all the transplants and snowbirds to get to do the things you want to do. Winters are great there but summers are awful. And are about 5 months long. In OKC the worst summer we have ever had was like a normal summer in Phoenix
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Old 04-02-2014, 11:02 AM
 
18 posts, read 40,714 times
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AZ and TX are both affected a lot by draught. If fishing is your thing, OK is paradise most of the time. I have family in all three places, and AZ was created as a desert (well, south of Flagstaff) and during hotter conditions, it will go back to being a desert. I believe they purchase most water from outside sources. While TX is also getting hotter and dryer, I just wouldn't want to be caught with a mortgage in AZ during water shortages.

OK is lake country, from OKC to Arkansas. And Missouri offers even more right up the road.
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Old 04-07-2014, 07:17 PM
 
634 posts, read 897,141 times
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Thanks for the responses and not getting snippy as a few real life friends did when I asked the same question. They took it as poking fun and that is not at all what I am doing.

I should have mentioned I lived in Kansas City for two years and moved back last November to prepare for an Alaska job this summer. I was bored and we had way more winter than I was told so I really don't want to move back, it just wasn't the right fit for me.

So I guess I need to know how it compares to Kansas City, I know it's all a matter of opinion, but that's exactly what I want to hear.
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Old 04-12-2014, 12:31 AM
 
Location: Kansas City North
6,816 posts, read 11,540,499 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Garethe View Post

So I guess I need to know how it compares to Kansas City, I know it's all a matter of opinion, but that's exactly what I want to hear.
I've lived in KC all my life except for a 3.5 year job related move to OKC, so I guess i'm qualified to answer.

OKC is much friendlier and a bit more conservative. More emphasis on church. Much easier to get around, driving. There's more snow in KC, more ice in OKC. They don't plow the residential streets in OKC. Winter temps are usually about ten degrees warmer. I think somebody above mentioned the wind. It does blow all the time. I thought Missouri had bad roads until I moved to Oklahoma. Worse than Missouri.

When I lived in OKC i was traveling quite a bit and it seemed like to go fly anywhere you were usually going through Dallas. Fares were higher out of OKC than KC.

No basements in OKC.

My DH is a disabled vet (100%) and Oklahoma has many perks for them including being exempt from sales and real estate taxes. The Oklahoma City VA hospital was very, very good.

If it weren't for all my family being in Kansas City, I could easily have stayed in Oklahoma City. I really liked living there. YMMV.
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Old 04-12-2014, 12:36 PM
 
Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma
30,976 posts, read 21,630,499 times
Reputation: 9676
Quote:
Originally Posted by Garethe View Post

So I guess I need to know how it compares to Kansas City, I know it's all a matter of opinion, but that's exactly what I want to hear.
Surely the alcohol laws are looser than they are in OKC, if that is of some importance. Alcohol in Oklahoma was prohibited from around 1910 to 1959, so the drinking culture never caught on much here.
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Old 04-12-2014, 10:43 PM
 
Location: OKIE-Ville
5,546 posts, read 9,503,252 times
Reputation: 3309
Quote:
Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie View Post
Surely the alcohol laws are looser than they are in OKC, if that is of some importance. Alcohol in Oklahoma was prohibited from around 1910 to 1959, so the drinking culture never caught on much here.
Well, I would be happy to get you some of Uncle's bootleg wine. Seriously. That stuff will put some hair on your chest.
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Old 04-13-2014, 12:55 AM
 
Location: Tulsa, OK
2,572 posts, read 4,251,139 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008 View Post
Well, I would be happy to get you some of Uncle's bootleg wine. Seriously. That stuff will put some hair on your chest.
Bootleg wine??? He really lives life on the wild side!
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Old 04-15-2014, 07:21 PM
 
Location: OKIE-Ville
5,546 posts, read 9,503,252 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by okie1962 View Post
Bootleg wine??? He really lives life on the wild side!
No lie. He'd have it in a small tub behind his fridge. He also tells stories of making "White Lightenin'." I've never sampled it though. To say he's a bit strange would be the understatement of the century. He's about fifty percent Oklahoma Redneck and fifty percent Country-boy Hippie.
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