I'm OK with OKC but where? (Edmond, Moore: for sale, new home, neighborhood)

[Jess5]

Originally Posted by simply me

Thanks for the input. I look forward to moving to OKC. I figured it was just a stereo type about the racism but thought I'd ask anyway. I'm glad to hear such positive things about the area.

I had no idea there was a stereotype about the racism. I've never heard that before, and I'm sorry you heard that. I've lived in Moore, and there was no problem there, when I was there.


"As an African American, I would say that OKC is an average place to raise black family. It's certainly not as bad as some places as far as racial tension goes, but the black community here is pretty stagnant. Most of the AA kids that do get an education move out of OK."

Maybe you could get together with other AAs and make it un-stagnant. It's not just the AA kids who move out of state. A lot of kids go to where more opportunities are available to them.

[Limaro]

My husband is stationed at Tinker. We PCSd here 4 years ago, and have loved every minute of it. We live in Edmond, and I think that this is the best place in the area in terms of schools, activities for your kids, and overall quality of life. I am from the deep south, so I have experienced some high degrees of racism and bigotry, but I have not personally experienced that type of ignorance in OKC. Edmond is a big money area, so there is a large emphasis on education and success. Respect for the military is high, so we have really enjoyed the experience. I am not faced with another move, back to the south, and I am dreading it. Good luck from one military family to another.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Limaro

My husband is stationed at Tinker. We PCSd here 4 years ago, and have loved every minute of it. We live in Edmond, and I think that this is the best place in the area in terms of schools, activities for your kids, and overall quality of life. I am from the deep south, so I have experienced some high degrees of racism and bigotry, but I have not personally experienced that type of ignorance in OKC. Edmond is a big money area, so there is a large emphasis on education and success. Respect for the military is high, so we have really enjoyed the experience. I am not faced with another move, back to the south, and I am dreading it. Good luck from one military family to another.

Thank your husband for his service Limaro, and for your service as well. Military wives sacrifice a lot for this country too.

[ready2fly]

I'll second the earlier post that recommended Carl Albert schools. Their schools are excellent at academics and sports, and they're diverse, too. Very great proximity to Tinker AFB.

I grew up in Choctaw. Truthfully, not much diversity there. I don't remember racial problems, but there were very few black families. It's growing a TON though, so times may have changed.

Welcome to Oklahoma! Everyone is so kind here. I hope you & your family enjoy it.

[nflpa29]

You can even move north to N OKC or Edmond. Quick I-35 access makes it all relatively easy. I use to live in NE Edmond and we had a ton of neighbors who were military. We lived about 2 miles off I-35 north of the turnpike. If you have any questions about neighborhoods north or simply around tinker, just post em and I can reply.

[Limaro]

The Oakdale school system, which is in the Edmond district, has a VERY good reputation. It is in Southeast Edmond, just off of I-35, so it is very close to TInker.

[KurtTGS]

" When I purchased my new house, I didn't even bother looking east of Council Road and race didn't come into that thought process."

Thats because everything west of council road is white oklahomans living on 5 acre plots and raising horses.

It's good that Edmond doesn't have a noticable race problem anymore, considering the modern version of the town was started to get away from lower class and black oklahomans.

I will say though, that Edmond really isn't that great of a city...unless you like a generic looking, urban sprawled town full of strip shopping malls and boring neighborhoods and a "downtown" that is about 5 feet long.

Some people however, are totally satisfied with the mediocre and mundane, and that's fine.

I recommend N.E. OKC, anywhere in between wilshire and downtown, I-235 and Classen. Even closer to Tinker, more home for your money (and your neighborhood will actually have trees older than 10 years old) and you'll live in an actual city.

And as far as race issues, Oklahoma has switched the bigotry from African Americans to Hispanics. Here's to hoping we can eventually get past that too, and shed our image for good, which would coincide with the progress our city has been making the past 3 years and beyond in all other areas.

[DrinkGreen]

Originally Posted by ready2fly

I grew up in Choctaw. Truthfully, not much diversity there. I don't remember racial problems, but there were very few black families. It's growing a TON though, so times may have changed.

I grew up in Choctaw as well, and it is kind of true that diversity is an issue. However, I can speak that from the time I entered Choctaw high school, to the time I graduated, to the time I moved out of the Choctaw area, that it was getting more diverse each year. Choctaw is a rapidly growing town as far as residents. Their school is definitely worth looking into.

The downside of Choctaw is that it is still a "bedroom community". People live in Choctaw, but choose to do their shopping and entertainment elsewhere. For kids with no transportation of their own, there might be little to do in town.

If you like Choctaw schools but want to be closer to town, I suggest you look into a small town called Nicoma Park. It sits between Midwest City and Choctaw. It has the small town feel, it is part of the Choctaw school system, but it's just a stone's throw from the popular areas of Midwest City.

[WhiteSandsYucca]

To me, Oklahoma City seems like a nice, normal metro area to raise a family. It isn't that big, but it is big enough, and is growing. And, when one wants to visit the "Big City", they only have to drive around 3 hours south to visit the enormous Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

[peggydavis]

Midwest City is a lot nicer than it used to be. New stores have moved in and there is some nice new housing too. Choctaw & Nicoma Park are nice, and there really is diversity in the area compared to Edmond and the western suburbs.