Edmond (Mustang: work, special need, move)

[peggydavis]

That is Cottonwood Creek, right?

You are right about the more concrete they pour, the more runoff there will be. Some areas that did not flood in the past will flood in the future. I would never buy a house that was that close to a creek or in the creek bottom, even with flood insurance.

[prerunner1982]

The first picture is off of Waterloo and Portland (Hwy 74)... Farm land on either side. The water at that point if probably 100yrd wide.

The 2nd picture is on Penn between Charter oak and Seward, again farm land. Water is probably 100-150yrs wide and probably 5 feet deep in some places on the road. This same river floods Charter oak between May and Portland, if any of you locals remember the old guy being rescued off the top of his white pickup, this was the river that did it.

As Peggy said.. this is the Cottonwood Creek... but if you build up the farm land with houses/concrete...where is the water going to go?... I did hear they had a meeting at one of the schools concerning this issue..

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by ellenshel

NW Edmond being flood prone concerns me - do we need/ or are we required to get flood insurance ?

Locate your address on the maps on the FEMA maps and it will tell you what Flood Zone you are in. Most of Oklahoma is mapped.....there are some counties that don't participate (like Pawnee) but the more urban areas are.

FEMA Map Service Center -

[peggydavis]

I have seen it like that. I have thought about all the rapid development in that area when that creek floods frequently. If you are traveling east or west around that area, they have those flip-up signs that say "road closed for high water" or something so the problem has been there for a while.

The real problem to me is that the creek flows north, into the Cimarron I believe. With all the recent development, the creek will be backed up over the road further and further south, into developed areas, as time goes by.

Now, this is not all of northwest Edmond. We are talking about the areas around Cottonwood Creek, and its tributaries. No way I would ever buy a house that was in a flood plain anyway, or potential flood plain.

I think they will eventually build some flood control lakes, and make the creek in a concrete channel.

[E.Richardson]

Edmond unfairly gets painted with that brush because of the home values and the average annual salary. The truth is Edmond is a wonderful place to call home and in comparison to other areas that my family and I have lived, it's one of the safest. I also enjoy the fact that property values and the cleanliness of the city makes it a great place to live.

[nom]

I would stay in Edmond schools. Edmond has 3 high schools on Newsweek's list of the top high schools and it has a lower college remediation rate than Deer Creek. I beg to differ on the flooding issue also. There are houses that were built on or near flood plains during the draught and have since flooded. There will be more houses which will flood because recent flooding hasn't been as bad as some of the flooding in the late 80s. Check out the oklahoma county assessor site and look at the maps. They have an option to turn on the flood plains. You can either type in a specific address or launch the map option. The map option has the flood plain capability. Oklahoma County Property Search Leonard Sullivan Assessor

[thethinblueline]

I've lived in Edmond my entire life and graduated from an Edmond High School about 4 years ago.

The school system in Edmond is by far the best public system in the OKC metro area. There are currently 3 High Schools and I would predict a fourth will likely spring up within 5 or 6 years.

Snobs/Snootiness: Honestly, it does exist. However, it is only a small percentage of the town and is certainly not everyone. The far east side of edmond (Bryant Rd. and east) and the far north side (Danforth Rd and north) are the more snooty areas. Again though, it is not everyone. The west side of Edmond is much more down-to-earth.

I would recommend the areas north of 164th st (aka 15th st in Edmond) and west of Santa Fe. This is a "good" area and you can find homes for as little as $110,000 up to $750,000 depending on your budget. This area is quickly growing and also has the newest elementary school in town (Corner of 178th and Pennsylvania Ave).

Crime is virtually non-existent in Edmond. Cops are known for giving traffic citations because not much else happens. Central Edmond has slightly more crime than surrounding areas, but again it is much much lower than any part of OKC.

Something that is confusing to newcomers is the sheer size of OKC. It is over 600 sq miles and is always in the top 3 largest cities in the U.S. by sq. miles. OKC extends far into the area that most would consider "Edmond". For example, where I grew up had an Edmond address, Edmond Schools, but was in OKC city limits with OKC utilities and OKC police/fire service. This unusual cross-boundary situation occurs mostly on the west side of Edmond.

Additionally, if you're used to public transportation, a car is basically necessary in Edmond. Period.

If you have any more questions, I'll watch this thread and do my best to reply.

Good luck.

[Limaro]

I am a military dependant, and of all of the places that I have lived, I have never felt so at home as I do in Edmond. There is Money here, and, like anywhere, there are people who flaunt it...but I have never felt like finances were a factor here. I have 2 children in elementary school here, and you won't find better schools in the metro area. People are kind, and accepting, NEVER judgemental or "snobby" I wouldn't live anywhere else.

[EdmondDriver]

Originally Posted by thethinblueline

Snobs/Snootiness: Honestly, it does exist. However, it is only a small percentage of the town and is certainly not everyone. The far east side of edmond (Bryant Rd. and east) and the far north side (Danforth Rd and north) are the more snooty areas. Again though, it is not everyone. The west side of Edmond is much more down-to-earth.

To a certain extent, there's snobs anywhere you go. But for me, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. There's a ton of people I know that would do anything they could to help out a neighbor or friend.
But I also open my ears and listen sometimes, and I think the biggest problem is that some people just assume that there are snobby areas of Edmond, and then look for reasons to back it up. I'll just say that I would never, ever, rule out Edmond as a place to live just because you heard a few snobby folks live there.

[Goodpasture]

I'm sure glad folks like you wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Frankly I couldn't stand being around people like that........you know the kind I mean....everyone works, goes to church, pays their bills, joins PTA. They are just so dammed nice you want to pick a fight with someone just to see one happen.............