Norman Apartments and AC Bills (Brent, Canadian: apartment complexes, rent, how much)

[Zaphod1701]

Hey,

I'm moving to Norman with my fiancee to go to the University and I have a couple of questions. First, can anybody recommend any good apartments close to the natural history museum and the university that are clean, not too loud, and relatively secure? Second, what are AC bills like during the summer? Comparable to heat bills in the northeast during the winter? Finally, do apartments in the area offer public tornado shelters or anything like that? Or are you basically on your own.

Thanks!

[#1soonerfan]

Originally Posted by Zaphod1701

Hey,

I'm moving to Norman with my fiancee to go to the University and I have a couple of questions. First, can anybody recommend any good apartments close to the natural history museum and the university that are clean, not too loud, and relatively secure? Second, what are AC bills like during the summer? Comparable to heat bills in the northeast during the winter? Finally, do apartments in the area offer public tornado shelters or anything like that? Or are you basically on your own.

Thanks!

Hey Zaphod1701! Welcome to OU! I've been here now coming up on 4 years, and I think you will love it here. If you are looking for good apartments near the museum (off Chataquah Avenue) I would suggest Traditions Square. They are owned by the university and all bills are paid (as well as most units are fully furnished). I know down the road there are a few more apartments such as Avondale and Post Oak. I couldn't tell you if bills are included in rent, but I've never heard anything bad about them. The apartments off Chataquah are home to a lot of international (esp. Traditions), graduate, and non-traditional students so loud parties and keggers are at a minimum down in that area.

As far as A/C bills during the summer are concerned, its hard to nail down what the bills will be from summer to summer but expect them to be high. Last summer wasn't so bad because it was an abnormally wet, cool summer, but the summer before that was a nightmare. I had bills included in my rent and I was constantly paying overages of 30 to 40% of what was our maximum allowable usage, and my thermostat never got below 77 and I turned it up to 80 during the day when I wasn't there. A lot of it had to do with our apartment complex, which was built very cheaply and had little or no insulation or window caulking, meaning all that lovely cold air was going outside. That is definitely something you want to check out as you go on your apartment hunt. Don't be afraid to ask questions!!

Lastly, I don't know of any apartments that offer public tornado shelters, but a lot of complexes have clubhouses that you can always go into. Me and my roommates actually had to use the one in our complex during a tornado warning (which turned out to be nothing!) If you are on the second floor (or higher) you will want to make plans because for safety reasons you need to be on the lowest floor possible. That being said, tornados in Norman are VERY rare by most standards. There's an urban legend that the Canadian River plain protects Norman from tornados. I don't know how true this is, but I've never seen one being here. Quite frankly, I'd be more worried in california or florida than here in "tornado alley". Besides, with the National Weather Center here, you'll always know when a tornado is coming!

Wherever you are coming from, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the cost of living and quality of life here. It is a very good place to go to school as well as live. If you have any more questions just let me know!

BOOMER SOONER!

[blinkyblank]

Hi there...Avalon, Brentwood Pointe and Post Oak are VERY close to the natural history museum. I never had a problem at Avalon, and they give discounts for being an OU student. They're very clean and I've had very few problems with noise. The common areas of my apartment were pretty tiny, but the rooms were fairly big.

I lived on the second floor so AC can be a bit high, but the heat isn't bad in the winter. I think our highest bill in the summer was $120. The only thing I know about Post Oak is that a former coworker complained of having a brown recluse infestation there, but I don't know how much I trust that person. And I've heard a lot of people complain about Brentwood, but the apartments I saw were huge.

I don't know of any tornado shelters in any of the apartment complexes. I guess you could just go into the clubhouse if anyone is in there. Another option is to drive the heck out of the way (only wise if you know the storm is headed right for you, you know where you're going, and you have enough time). But yeah, the NWC is just down the road, and it's where the SPC and the local National Weather Service office are located, so if anything bad is going to happen, they'd be the first to know.

As #1SoonerFan also said, if you have any questions, just ask!