how close are the oil wells to OKC living?

[racinok]

As for basements, up north the frost line is 4' or more deep, so to build a house you have to dig deeper than that for the foundation. If you are going to have to dig that deep already, they dig a little deeper and put in a basement which will give you more living area/storage. Here in Oklahoma, the frost line is only about 2' deep so it would take much more digging than is necissary to put in a basement, so most don't.

[cgonzal4]

Maybe it's to late for this response but while working in Oklahoma this June 2011, I passed Mustang and heading towards Piedmont and I did see a small oil well on a private property. Temperature was always in the high 90's and in the upper 100's late in the afternoons with a very strong warm breeze in the early mornings. A lot of thunderstorms with hail during this tie. It was this past May 2011 that a tornado F5 hit a portion of Piedmont, near Lake Falcon where two young boys perished. I happen to work for an agency that provides aid to disaster victims.The sheriff of Piedmont took us on a tour of the disaster site. The devastation was heartbreaking. We saw many destroyed homes but only a few underground shelters since not everyone can afford one. In the short time I was in Oklahoma, I was literally nervous and watching the news since June is still a dangerous month for tornados to hit. I spoke to the parents of a teenager that perished due to the tornado and also to a man who lost everything but his life to the tornado. Homeowners in OK must have homeowners insurance and a safe room installed on their property, that's the only way they can have a bit of peace of mind. The Joplin tornado in May 2011, five days before Ok was hit, took more than a 150 lives is not so far from OK. Personally, I could never consider living in Oklahama.

[ou_norman]

Originally Posted by cgonzal4

Homeowners in OK must have homeowners insurance and a safe room installed on their property, that's the only way they can have a bit of peace of mind. The Joplin tornado in May 2011, five days before Ok was hit, took more than a 150 lives is not so far from OK. Personally, I could never consider living in Oklahama.

Certainly seeing tornado damage first hand can be scary. It's no comfort to people who HAVE experienced loss of property by a tornado, but in reality it's pretty rare to be significantly affected. (For example, a house in a hurricane zone is WAY more likely to be damaged since the disaster path can be hundreds of miles wide). Additionally, the loss of life in Oklahoma tornadoes is always MUCH less than in other states, despite having a record of the strongest tornadoes in the world. In central Oklahoma, you are more likely to BE in a tornado, but thanks to our highly sophisticated meteorology community and respect for weather, you are less likely to lose your life than in other states- and just about every state can experience tornadoes.

[teakboat]

Look at Tulsa. Same good weather as OKC, but for some reason fewer tornadoes. The tornadoes for the last few years begin just west of OKC and die out before they make it to Tulsa. We have had few direct hits in our Tulsa neighborhoods over the last few decades. OKC has been getting hammered.

In the opinion of most, the natural landscape tends to be much prettier on the eastern side of the state, if that matters to you. OKC has the new riverwalk development and a pro basketball team, but Tulsa is a pretty city with interesting wealthy old neighborhoods, and is worth a look.