Questions about Oklahoma City (Tulsa, Edmond: apartments, renting, crime rates)

[goyanks57]

I am going to be graduating college in May of 2011 (Degree in Communications and Business), and OKC is a city that I am really thinking about moving to. The main reason why is because I have read that the cost of living in OKC is a lot lower than other cities that are similar in size.

I currently live in Pueblo, Colorado, a city of about 100,000 people that has a very sluggish economy and not many career opportunities for college graduates.

Here are just a few questions that I have about OKC: What is the job market like? What would be the best way to search for an entry level job? How much would a 1-bedroom apartment in a decent area of the city cost per month? Is there a good life for singles?

Thanks and any other details would be greatly appreciated.

[rockyinyourradio]

I think you can do well here in OKC with what your looking for. First off, it is cheaper to live here than in most other areas of the country. You need to be careful where you'll want to find your place to live. There are a few areas of the OKC region you'll want to avoid. I would look into the suburbs of Edmond or Yukon which are on the northern and western parts of the metro area respectively. A typical 1 bedroom apartment will run you about 500 a month for anything decent but you might find some studio apartments for as low as 395 or so. South OKC or the northeast side in particular is cheaper but crime rates are much higher.

As far as trying to find a job, is this anything radio related? The radio market is a challenge to find meaningful employment in this market but is not impossible. I'm not too sure how you would go about looking for the job you want except through craigs list which is how I found mine. Economically, Oklahoma City is doing much better than many other areas but the recession is being felt here now in more earnest over the last few months in some of the white collar sectors. Still, it is nowhere near as bad as cities in the northeast or west coast. My guess is if you pound the pavement enough, you'll find work. I would suggest you have interviews lined up and actually secure a job before you move here just to be on the safe side.

As far as dating and the single life... definitely no problem there. I always thought that Oklahoma has some of the most beautiful women in the country. Be careful though, divorce rates are just about the highest in the country (no, I'm not knocking divorced women! but..) .. that means a few wounded birds flying around. Regardless of that, there are still alot to choose from and infact I'll proudly say that you'll find some of the friendliest people in the country here. It's not as fast paced as in Colorado.. although I know Pueblo is a little more laid back than the Springs or Denver.

Culturally, There is alot to do here, I think nightlife isn't that bad at all, depending on what your looking for. We do get several major recording artists that come here (like U2 last Oct.) Parks and recreation has a little ways to go to match other cities of it's size but could be far worse. Recently, Maps 3 was passed which will hopefully improve our parks and recreation system within a few years.

In a nutshell, I think you can do well here. The biggest negative you may find is that the summers are torridly hot and we are subject to crippling ice storms.. then there are the tornadoes to contend with but actually the last few years, it's been surprisingly quiet with the exception of a couple of small twisters last Feb. Good luck in your job search and hope you finally choose OKC as your new home. I think you'll really like it here.

[goyanks57]

Thanks for all of the good advice. No, my job does not have to be radio-related. The degree that I will have is one that is very versatile, not just directed at a specific career field like a degree in journalism or psychology.

[heygirlhey]

The media scene here is pretty nonexistant. Yes, the cost of living is super cheap and people are nice. You can get a huge apartment with free cable for like $500. However, in my opinion, professional (degree-required) jobs are heavily outnumbered by jobs like retail, admin assistants, etc.
I have a Masters in Journalism and have yet to find anything media related because the scene is just not that strong here. It depends on what you're looking for in a career and in characteristics of a city.

[osugirl2]

My best friend has and English and Journalism degree and has had a lot of luck in the Tulsa area finding work. It is also a very nice place in the state to live and has some really great cultural attractions. It's about 90 mins for OKC. I would definitely look into it in addition to OKC.

[alexxxbustos]

Move to Fort Worth! I love it here, I moved from Oklahoma

[405travelgirl]

I recommend coming over for a weekend trip since you're not too far away, even renting a car if you need to would be worth it, you may not get all the answers you're looking for in a weekend but at least you can see the areas in person.