Crime in OK (Stillwater, Allen, Okay: buy, tornadoes, car inspection)

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

Oh, I wouldn't let that scare you off.

I totally disagree with others on this forum that have said that Oklahoma does not have good hospitality. I don't know which Southern state you are coming from, but I have been to every state in the Deep South (with the exception of Alabama)....Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana....and have found Okie hospitality to be very comprable to these areas.

If you have been to cities like Little Rock, Fort Worth, Nashville....OK City is not going to be a whole lot different. (Of course there ARE differences...but, from my personal experience, OK City has more in common with these cities than differences.)

I think some individuals tend to lable areas based solely on negative areas and become fixated on their negative experience. Unfortunately, I did this very thing when I lived on the East and West coasts. Everyday I thought to myself..."Man, these folks are not like me"...."they have no manners or hospitality." What I learned is that it was actually just pride within my own heart. As I look back on living in different areas outside of my home in the South-Central (Oklahoma and Texas) I realize that there were some very good/sweet people that I had encountered, although at the time all I did is focus on my perceived negative experience (s).

Well, enough ramblin' for now. Hope this helps and blessings as you consider moving to OK City.

>>>>>
I think some individuals tend to lable areas based solely on negative areas and become fixated on their negative experience.
<<<<<

After reading this I realize this sentence makes very little sense. Basically I was saying that when some individuals move to a new area, they are more likely to focus and fixate on negative experiences because they have already convinced themselves that everyone around them "is not like me." Hence, they label the whole area/culture/people as bad.

As I alluded to, I did this very thing when I moved away from OkieVille: "These West Coast folks and East Coast Yankees don't talk/think like me.....that upsets me." Well DUH! When I lived on the East/West Coast I was teased (in fun) a little bit for my Southern accent.....of course during this time, I'm thinking to myself, "I don't talk funny, ya'll do!" I was in a new place and I had super-imposed what I perceived to be right culture (basically Oklahoma/Texas culture) on the different areas I was in.

After moving away from the East/West coast I realize how silly this line of thinking truly is. I think many of us do it, however. I needed to get over my own home-state pride and begin to try and build relationships and connect with those around me. When I made the effort to do this my experience and relationships got a lot better.

[Jammie]

Bass, if you say, "y'all", you ARE the one who talks funny.

Seriously though, I know what you're saying and I totally agree.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Bass, if you say, "y'all", you ARE the one who talks funny.

Seriously though, I know what you're saying and I totally agree.

Ha ha!

Jammie, if you move down here, you will be forced to start saying ya'll! Start imitating Reba now so you get it down before you move here.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Bass&Catfish2008

Ha ha!

Jammie, if you move down here, you will be forced to start saying ya'll! Start imitating Reba now so you get it down before you move here.

You may be surprised to know that I can do a Southern accent perfectly. I've always been able to since I was a child. When we had our class play back in high school I tried out for the southern belle role. Everyone was amazed at how I sounded genuine. I never speak like that when we're in a southern area just for fear that someone would get the wrong impression and think I'm making fun of them. I've actually posted about it before, but you've probably never seen it.

I dunno though. Reba has a VERY strong accent and we didn't really hear that in Tulsa. Now Carrie Underwood~she doesn't speak any differently then I do. Maybe it depends on which part of the state you grow up in????

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by Jammie

You may be surprised to know that I can do a Southern accent perfectly. I've always been able to since I was a child. When we had our class play back in high school I tried out for the southern belle role. Everyone was amazed at how I sounded genuine. I never speak like that when we're in a southern area just for fear that someone would get the wrong impression and think I'm making fun of them. I've actually posted about it before, but you've probably never seen it.

I dunno though. Reba has a VERY strong accent and we didn't really hear that in Tulsa. Now Carrie Underwood~she doesn't speak any differently then I do. Maybe it depends on which part of the state you grow up in????

Maybe. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with city-culture and the influx of transplants in the few cosmopolitan areas that Oklahoma has. But in the vast majority of Oklahoma (which is rural) the accent will be quite strong.....certainly compared to South Dakota. I met a young man from the Alva area (which is extreme Northern OK) and he had an accent so thick you would have thought the spirit of Will Rogers or Hank Williams was inhabiting his body. I was offered a job once from a man from Beaver, OK...which is in the panhandle and Northwestern, OK...and he had a Southern accent so thick you could have cut butter with it.

In Carrie Underwood's case, I think the main thing you see is that she is in Hollywood/Nashville culture now....major cities and around city people....not in podunk Checotah (which I personally like!). Whatever accent she may have had has been lessened and become more homogenous because of the circles that she runs in. I think Carrie U. went to NEO in Tahlequah (or the Muskogee branch, I dunno)......the vast majority of the students that go to NEO that are from the surrounding area (eastern OK) you would definitely notice an accent. Carrie grew up in Checotah, which you would certainly hear a Southern accent by the majority of the residents in that area. Many people in my own family grew up just south of the Checotah area and you would be amazed how prominent their Southern accents are...even to this day. (Hence, I come by my twang honestly. I even tried to lose it while I lived in New England...but it was to no avail....the way I formed words and the pitch of my voice was just too different and I wasn't foolin' anyone.) I think a more common/typical accent among Oklahoma women would be a cross between Reba/Carrie Underwood....both Reba and Carrie would be the extremes with Reba obviously having a strong accent and Carrie's being very understated to non-existent.

My own mother definitely has a strong accent. I'll never forget when I went on a trip to St. Louis with my mom and our cab driver referred to my mother as having one of the sweetest Southern Belle accents he had ever heard. My mother grew up not too far from where Carrie Underwood grew up in Oklahoma. IMHO, it is for this reason (speech/dialect) that Oklahoma could never be rightly included in the Midwest because it is so culturally divergent from the rest of the Midwest....I prefer South-Central or Western South as an accurate regional designation for OK/TX because it maintains the obvious cultural differences between Oklahoma/Texas with the Deep South (AL, MS, GA, LA, SC) while still acknowledging an infusion of overt Southern culture in OK/TX.

Another thing that is going on with dialect is that I think with younger people it is especially common to not hear a Southern accent because of the incredible influence of music/media/tv on our younger people. You can go to Atlanta and not tell much of a difference between the way that young adults speak with young people from Southern California. This is sad IMO, but a reality. Speech/dialect is becoming progressively more homogenous.

Sorry for the ramble. Hopefully this is helpful for you as you learn more about Oklahoma culture in future visits as well as your eventual moving here. We look forward to having you!....excuse me, I mean, ya'll! ha ha :-)

[Jammie]

Hey Bass, that is a very interesting post. You're right. I imagine that a lot of the people who live in Tulsa or OKC aren't actually Okies by birth.

We have a sort of "adopted family" that live in NC. They have a very strong Southern accent and she feels embarassed about it sometimes. That's unfortunate cause I think it's kind of cute. It does seem to have so much to do with the media~just like you said. There's actually a school where people relearn how to speak or pronounce words. I think it's in Chicago and many national newscasters, meteorologists, etc. attend. Kinda sad, really. I'm just glad to hear English being spoken no matter how the words are pronounced.

[png22]

The areas to avoid tend to be:
Warr Acres (high crime)
Del City/Midwest City (some ok areas, some high-crime/high-poverty areas)
some neighborhoods/streets near downtown

Good areas:
Edmond
Norman (west side)
NW OKC (north of the Village on up)
Yukon

Must sees:
Bricktown/downtown proper
The boathouse has a lot of rowing activities for people of all ages.
OU campus and Norman's Campus Corner
Lake Hefner trails
Nichols Hills has some nice shops for the area

Oklahomans consider themselves super-friendly, but its not the same type of "friendly" as Texans. To me (a Kansas/Texas/Washington transplant), it reads as nosy-with-a-defensive edge. BUT I will say that Oklahomans are very open and outgoing. Very. Its easy to make friends and get involved here. And the cost of living is great. A lot of people in OKC are transplants - often from smaller towns within the state. And Tulsans consider themselves far more cultured than the people of OKC and the OKC-ians don't care much because they're closer to OU games. Football is a religion. People drive like they do not have to be aware of other vehicles as long as they just stay between the lines themselves. There is a lot of state pride.

[LoveitinVa]

Originally Posted by png22

The areas to avoid tend to be:
Warr Acres (high crime)
Del City/Midwest City (some ok areas, some high-crime/high-poverty areas)
some neighborhoods/streets near downtown

Good areas:
Edmond
Norman (west side)
NW OKC (north of the Village on up)
Yukon

Must sees:
Bricktown/downtown proper
The boathouse has a lot of rowing activities for people of all ages.
OU campus and Norman's Campus Corner
Lake Hefner trails
Nichols Hills has some nice shops for the area

Oklahomans consider themselves super-friendly, but its not the same type of "friendly" as Texans. To me (a Kansas/Texas/Washington transplant), it reads as nosy-with-a-defensive edge. BUT I will say that Oklahomans are very open and outgoing. Very. Its easy to make friends and get involved here. And the cost of living is great. A lot of people in OKC are transplants - often from smaller towns within the state. And Tulsans consider themselves far more cultured than the people of OKC and the OKC-ians don't care much because they're closer to OU games. Football is a religion. People drive like they do not have to be aware of other vehicles as long as they just stay between the lines themselves. There is a lot of state pride.

Thanks for the info. It looks like it will be very useful. I've printed it out and am putting it in my "Moving" file for future reference.

Some on this forum say Oklahomans are not very friendly and some think otherwise, but based on my experiences on this site Oklahomans seem pretty friendly to me. I'm really looking forward to coming out there and experiencing it first hand.

I'd like to ask about something you said in your post "Png", what is it about
people from Tulsa that makes them feel more "cultured" than people from OKC?

[colleeng47]

About OK and friendliness. We took a trip to Albuquerque and Santa Fe with an overnight stop in Amarillo this past summer. On our way home we went into a convenience store and after being greeted by the friendly clerk, I turned to my husband and said "I'll bet we crossed over into Oklahoma already." Yes, we had. I could tell the difference immediately.

But then, you'll find out for yourself when you come.

[AlphaRam]

I have lived in and visited other areas of the country. In fact, I was born in California. However, I have lived most of my life in Oklahoma.

Regarding people, I would caution against making a generalization about the people of the state. I will say that my wife (from NEPA) says that Oklahoma people tend to sugar coat things in their speaking. Then again, when we first talked on the phone, she though I sounded like Andy Griffith and I thought she sounded like the Nanny. When we visit NEPA each year, some of the people tell me I sound like Hank Hill. I just tell them "Now Bobby, ..."

Again, about the people, it is like anywhere else in that there are personal dynamics involved. Your people experience and relationships will be unique for you and your family. I find friendly people around and I find jerks around just about anywhere I travel.

Some things you will like here is that the taxes are considerably lower. Legislation of what you can and cannot do isn't as restrictive. If there is a snow storm and you feel the need to drive, no snow emergencies are declared to restrict you from the road.

I traveled along I-70 out to NEPA and back a couple of weeks ago, with a stop in Deleware. It seems the economy is much worse out that way. I think we got within 120 miles of NYC although the Poconos is a world away, right?

Remember that Oklahoma is in the Bible belt....and for years Tulsa was the buckle of that belt. There are some giant churches built out here. It wouldn't surprise me if one of them hosts arena football...lol.

Renewing a car tag is in the $90 range each year.

Depending on what town you are making a purchase, the sales tax rate will run between 7-10%.

You do not have to pay a school tax or occupation tax.

You can own a firearm as long as you are not excluded by Federal law.

You can carry a firearm concealed if you go through the state licensing.

Electric is about 50-60% cheaper that back East. Nobody uses heating oil - natural gas is plentiful here and is used for heating primarily.

You can get into almost as much trouble for shooting a cow as for shooting a person.

Unions do not have much clout in Oklahoma. There are less of them.

Garth Brooks lives about 20 miles from me and you can see him in line at Lowe's, or gassing up at QuikTrip. Celebrities from around here seem to lead more of a normal lifestyle than their conterparts in other areas.

Don't worry about learning where things are - the weather man will teach you geography. There is an occupation of stormchaser here in Oklahoma.

There is a severe lack of Italian restaurants in Oklahoma (overall), but plenty of BBQ (western style), Mexican, and steakhouses. As with everywhere, there are Amish quilts and jams. Perhaps one of the Amish board members can chime in on that.

We do have bigger mosquitos out here, but I always felt that gave you a chance to retaliate since you can see them. I have never seen a rat, but I have seen armadillos, possums (o'possum is probably the correct word), coyotes, copperheads and water moccasins. We do not have porcupines, very few bears, pike, and pigeons only in a few urban habitats.

Democrats from OK could probably be republicans in states back East. Political views as a whole are thought about differently out this way. There is less history to learn here since most of the history was not written before the Civil War.

If you have heard of Six Flags over Texas, do know that Oklahoma is the 7th flag over Texas. Football is very big out here. Oklahoma and Texas is a huge rivalry in college football. Texas can be refered to as "Baja Oklahoma". Unfortunately, there are too many Dallas Cowboys fans in the state (you will think the same if you happen to be a Giants fan).

There's a few things to ponder in your decision. Good luck!