Oklahoma City or Phoenix, AZ? (Tulsa, Howe: high crime, public schools, tornado)

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Nameless

Ice storms tend to happen almost every winter (some winters worse than others). You won't have to worry about driving on ice for more than a day or two, it's the power problems it can cause that you should concern yourself with.

Yes, it is in the bible belt. If that's not your thing though just go about your daily life and if someone asks you a question about going to a church just explain how you feel about it and they will accept it. Even though this is the bible belt, most people are excepting of everyone, especially in a metro like OKC, sometimes people make it out to be heaven, come on there's over a million people here, we have all types.

I hate labeling Oklahoma and especially OKC as a specific region. It really does have attributes of all those regions you listed above. If I had to say one more than the other it'd be Midwest. Agriculture is bigger in the country surrounding here than in places south and east. But really, you can make an argument for either of those regions. I don't understand why some people need to know what region we are, maybe because they are from a place like Iowa which is 100% Midwest and they can't understand not having a distinct identity.

It's whatever floats your boat. Yes, if you went to PHX you'd be turning down a good option, an excellent option that is. But, I've never even been to PHX so all I can tell you is stats and what I read online/see in the media. Maybe it's not terrible overall, but 115 degree weather for 3 months straight, tens of thousands of new residents a year and constant subdivisions as far as the eye can see are enough for me to discount it.

Don't be surprised by any of the responses you're getting from your post both on this thread and the thread you made in the PHX forum. Most people here have never even been to PHX, let alone lived there. It's a thousand miles away, way off most of our radars and vice versa with them I'm sure.

You're wise beyond your years Nameless.

[aj661]

Originally Posted by Cali_Okie_Girl

just cause i love OK, i would pick OK but they have there differences...OK is somewhat flat but there are some hills..even Mountains near KS (Wichita Mountians) AZ as ive heard is more flat then OK and OK is known to be flat well then there is tornadoes but still...i did some research for u on each state..Arizona seems more dry and much more desert..OK has a variaty of weather

This thread on the Arizona forum has turned into a heated (no pun intended) debate as usual, so I thought I'd see how it was going over here. I wasn't going to post here but I've got to point out a huge misconception about AZ. It's more than just hot dry desert. Yes, we did hit 122 degrees in Phoenix in 1991 and it gets hotter than that in places along the Colorado. But people don't seem to realize we have some of the most diverse geography and weather in the nation. The record low temp in Arizona was 40 below zero, recorded at Hawley Lake in the White Mountains (elevation over 8100 feet) during January 1971. The record high was 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City in June, 1994.

Arizona has everything anyone could possibly want in life.

Everything except Sweet Tea.

Ask for it here and the waitress will look at you like you're from another planet. I love AZ and hot weather; never said it was perfect.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by aj661

This thread on the Arizona forum has turned into a heated (no pun intended) debate as usual, so I thought I'd see how it was going over here. I wasn't going to post here but I've got to point out a huge misconception about AZ. It's more than just hot dry desert. Yes, we did hit 122 degrees in Phoenix in 1991 and it gets hotter than that in places along the Colorado. But people don't seem to realize we have some of the most diverse geography and weather in the nation. The record low temp in Arizona was 40 below zero, recorded at Hawley Lake in the White Mountains (elevation over 8100 feet) during January 1971. The record high was 128 degrees at Lake Havasu City in June, 1994.

Arizona has everything anyone could possibly want in life.

Everything except Sweet Tea.

Ask for it here and the waitress will look at you like you're from another planet. I love AZ and hot weather; never said it was perfect.

Arizona is one of the most beautiful states in the country, without a doubt. You have desert, mountains (REAL Mountains), and a colorful history. I think the op was asking about Phoenix vs. OkC. But you're correct, Arizona has a diverse climate. Heck, in Flagstaff it never hardly get's over 80 degrees in the summer.

[aj661]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Arizona is one of the most beautiful states in the country, without a doubt. You have desert, mountains (REAL Mountains), and a colorful history. I think the op was asking about Phoenix vs. OkC. But you're correct, Arizona has a diverse climate. Heck, in Flagstaff it never hardly get's over 80 degrees in the summer.

I know he was, but I saw the line about variety and had to comment...

I attended Steed Elementary School in Midwest City, but only the first grade. OK does have something AZ doesn't -- one of our Native Sons. Geronimo is buried at Fort Sill. You've also have FRONTIER CITY. I remember that from 1962! I cannot believe it's still there. We had Legend City back in the 1960s, but sadly, it went under.

Synopsis, you and the other City-Data "Okies" have a great weekend!

Legend City
Welcome to Frontier City!

[LadyRobyn]

Originally Posted by aj661

This thread on the Arizona forum has turned into a heated (no pun intended) debate as usual, so I thought I'd see how it was going over here.

Oh my goodness... What a fun read that was! Here I am living in Oklahoma and I had NO idea there had been "several" tornadoes that hit OKC and Edmund just this last week! Now I am worried! Are the cities still there? I need to call our local stations and chastise them for hiding this *news* from us! (Yes I am being obnoxious. )

Not to minimize any damage that has have been caused by the flooding, hail, and wind but I swear sometimes it sounds as though our entire State gets ravaged by huge tornadoes every week or so. Ooh wait... maybe THAT is why Oklahoma is so flat...
---------------------------------------
To midnight rambler:

No more silliness from me. Arizona is VERY beautiful and diverse, our second oldest Daughter lived in Chandler and just loved it there. I on the other hand crave humidity and was totally miserable every time we visited!

My advice (as always) is to visit both places and listen to your heart...you will know in a very short time which place will feel like "home" to you.

Best of luck!!

To aj661: You all to the west have a lovely weekend as well!!

[in_the_gloaming]

In support of Drink Green's post, I've lived in both Oklahoma and Arizona. I lived in Tempe Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix for a full year. There are mountains that surround Phoenix at a distance, three sides of Phoenix. The one side that doesn't have the mountians is going towards Tucson. About a half century ago, my father and I made a trip out to Eloy Arizona to get my brother. Eloy is S. E. of Phoenix and not very far to the east of Casa Grande. He had run away from home and we went out to Arizona from Minnesota to get him.

With Phoenix, like Oklahoma City, it all depends on where in the city you choose to live. With Oklahoma City, I never had a problem with Bethany, which Drink Green said to avoid. When I stayed in Bethany, I rented a room in a motel. But, then, I didn't know everything there was to know about Bethany either. Some very close friends of mine live in Midwest City, where they have a very, very nice home on a corner lot. Their home is about 2,500 square feet, a completely enclosed and fenced in back yard with a wooden fence, and a two car garage. They have wonderful neighbors. I've met some of them while I visited them. I like then and their neighbors a LOT! My friends are an older retired military couple that live very close to Tinker Air Force Base. Many of their neighbors are also retired Air Force.

I used to live in S. W. Oklahoma, which is flatter than eastern Oklahoma. Central and Western Oklahoma has many long rolling hills. Eastern Oklahoma is not flat! Its hilly! And, the closer you get to Ft. Smith, the hillier and more humid it gets. West of Oklahoma City water is more of a problem than it is east of Oklahoma City.

I've also traveled thru Washington State going inland from Seattle, thru Ellensburg, Othello, Moses Lake, and over to Spokane. The lay of the land in Oklahoma is somewhat similiar to that of central and eastern Washington State.., flat to long rolling hills. The western end of Oklhoma is also high desert, much like it is in parts of Washington State, both states have high desert terrain if you know where to look.

I'd like to ask a question though. I just wonder if any of you are familiar with Havre Montana? Once many years ago I passed thru Havre on a train and along side of the railway station in Havre was an old, old, old caliope. Is that caliope still there?

A caliope is like a pipe organ on wheels. I asked my older brother about it and he told me that, many, many, many years ago an old circus went up there. Went broke and had to disband, getting rid of everything. The caliope I saw was meticulously manicured in circus colors of red and gold. The wheels had wooden spokes. I enjoyed seeing it! I just love it when people take pride in what they have and want to preserve it so future generations of Americans can enjoy it too!

[yensid]

Originally Posted by LadyRobyn

Oh my goodness... What a fun read that was! Here I am living in Oklahoma and I had NO idea there had been "several" tornadoes that hit OKC and Edmund just this last week! Now I am worried! Are the cities still there? I need to call our local stations and chastise them for hiding this *news* from us! (Yes I am being obnoxious. )

Just had to say this cracked me up! I've only been here almost 2 years and I'm noticing what you are talking about. Earlier today I talked to a friend from Washington and ended up explaining that the tornadoes are a factor, but not some widespread plague.

[in_the_gloaming]

Originally Posted by yensid

Just had to say this cracked me up! I've only been here almost 2 years and I'm noticing what you are talking about. Earlier today I talked to a friend from Washington and ended up explaining that the tornadoes are a factor, but not some widespread plague.

When you call them about the weather, how about a hot cup of coffee (_)? a cinnamon roll @ and a big hug (((big hug))) ? Just in case. They might put you on hold..., like it is when you call the IRS. LOL.

[TU 'cane]

Originally Posted by midnight rambler

Thank you everyone for the great information so far! You guys really are nice! I would initially be renting an apartment (for at least 6 months). We go back and forth on this, but my g/f will probably be joining me within a few months of the move. TU 'cane, Core to Shore sounds really neat. It sounds like either city would be a good choice for golf. I also posted my question on the Phoenix site and what they're saying there about your city (several people moved to Phoenix from OKC) is kind of scaring me, I have to admit. Are ice storms very common there? Here we get a ton of snow, not so much ice though. I'm not totally freaked out about tornadoes; I say what's going to happen will happen, there's nothing you can do to change it, but driving on ice does scare me. Also, is Oklahoma City considered the Bible belt, as they are saying on the Phoenix site? Do you guys (and gals) consider yourselves the south, southwest, or midwest? Are there any special foods or traditions that make Oklahoma different? I've heard Oklahoma has a lot of Native American culture-- is that visible in Oklahoma City too? I'm trying to picture what it would be like. I really wish I could come down there to visit, but my company wants me to decide ASAP, since the training for the position starts in 3 weeks. I might be able to take a quick trip to OKC sometime in the next two weeks. To be honest, I'm leaning towards Phoenix, mainly because I know more about it, but I want to make sure I'm not turning down a good option. I'm going to keep doing a lot of research here. I appreciate all of your help.

When it comes to ice storms and tornados, you'll get them anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains pretty much. Atlanta had one last month, so no need to worry about tornados (saying this because a lot of people like to think they only happen in OK), like I said Tulsa, DFW, Kansas City, St. Louis, Little Rock, they all get them occasionally. The ice storms are just annoying, it depends on the severity of them though. About Core to Shore, the good thing there is it's already under way, so it's not like it's one big vision or fantasy, it's real. Tulsa is known as the buckle of the Bible Belt, and yeah OKC is considered part of it, but that just means there tends to be good morals and ethics, which is a good thing in my opinion. I've always considered Oklahoma part of the Southwest, which includes Texas, NM, and AZ. But now a days people may call it Midwest, or even Southeast. A more precise name for it would be South Central I would think. When it comes to food and diversity, OKC has it. They even have their own China Town, known as the "Asia District". But you can't beat an Oklahoman Steak. The Native American culture is all over in OK, and always will be, it's not that obvious though and a lot of people like to think OK is full of Indians and teepees which it is not what so ever. I wish you the best of luck and hope you make the right decision. Just ask if you have anymore questions.

Also I noticed that people over in the AZ forum keep saying things like "OK is so flat and farmlands, it's boring...etc." Well one thing I can say about Phoenix, once you've seen one desert you've seen them all . And they say in Phoenix you can get to So. Cal and Las Vegas.. etc. Well the good thing about OKC is it's central location, your're only 2 1/2 hours or so from DFW, an 1 1/2 from Tulsa, Kansas City is idk, i'm gonna say 7 hours, idk though. Little Rock is just east on I-40 from OKC.. Just continue to do your research that's all I can tell ya.

[eddie gein]

I've lived both places and I think it really depends on what you want.

Phoenix is sort of an artificial place. What once was a true southwestern cowtown has become a megalopolis full of transplants. On the otherhand, OKC still has a sense of identity of being what it has always been. A good old cowtown. In Phoenix, the winter weather and the palm trees and the greenery due to the irrigation canals make you feel like you are in southern California. However the people you meet are going to be from New York, Chicago and Minnesota. It will be rare to find a person who is actually FROM Arizona. And if you do it is more than likely that their parents were from New York, Chicago. If you do find a second or third generation Arizonan in Phoenix they are probably Hispanic.

In OKC most people will be from somewhere in Oklahoma or the neighboring states. Northeasterners and Midwesterners are much more rare here.

On the other hand, Oklahoma City has a good blend of Hispanics, African Americans. native Americans and Asians (mostly Viet Namese) which provides some diversity.

OKC seems a much more traditional city in terms of layout and neighborhoods etc. Phoenix had roughly 100K at the end of WWII and it has been expanding exponentially ever since.

Thus if you want a real sense of community then I think OKC gets the vote.
If you want to be able to sample culture from other parts of the United States without having to live there then Phoenix gets the vote.

As far as the weather, Phoenix is waaaay better in the winter but generally OKC has mild winters with just enough of the bad weather to make you appreciate the good days. However, I prefer summers in Oklahoma over Phoenix. Phoenix is basically a blast furnace for four months. The monsoons make it cool off a little bit (for an hour or so) but kick up the humidity.

Oklahoma can be a blast furnace but usually for not more than a couple of weeks. The weather can be hot and dry, hot and humid, cool. Just about anything. A few years ago, OKC had a summer where there were only two or three days above ninety. It felt like western Oregon. Oklahoma summers have more variety than Phoenix.

Another thing. Phoenix politically is run by the older generation. Which is why they have a lot of golf courses but not as much nightlife as a city of 4 million might expect. Old town Scottsdale and Mill Ave. in Tempe are the hotspots and probably rival Bricktown pretty well.

Scenery wise it is hard to beat Arizona, but Oklahoma has a lot more diversity than almost any other state in the country. Lots of water.
As far as hiking there are several places to go in the OKC area and there are over 300 miles of trails in the Ouachitas alone.