[OKC Chanel]

Yes that would be a big problem. I would hate for that to happen. Im sure the base will be fine. OKC took care of Tinker. I am sure the state will provide something if it were to close down. Im sure the war years are here to stay with possible domestic terrorism. Im sure you would know much more than me on that one. I do shopping!

[kblume]

I was wondering if there is anything that is good in Lawton? All I'm hearing is how bad it is. I was also wondering if you are still living there, because if you are why are you still there if it is that bad? The pay in Oklahoma is better than the $20,000 we get in Iowa. I was also wondering what side of town is considered the "bad" side and what is the "good" side. Here in Des Moines we have the east side which is the bad neighborhoods and gang activities there and then we have the west side which is the good side where all the wealthy people live. I know that Lawton is smaller than Des Moines, but there has to be some good places there. I was also wondering what other towns would be good towns to live in. I was thinking of moving closer to Oklahoma City. For example Mustang, Norman or Shawnee, how are those places? Any useful information would be helpful to help me decide if I want to move to Oklahoma or go for my top choice which would be the Fort Worth area.

[Deacon]

Oklahoma is ranked 49th in the nation as far as teacher pay - with South Dakota being dead last. Teachers in this area usually last 5 years or less and then move to another state for the better pay. Texas, Kansas and even Arkansas eventually get Oklahoma's teachers. As far as what side of town is the best? I will quote what the Chief of Police just stated on TV not to long ago. "Gangs are everywhere in Lawton. There is not a neighborhood that is immune." Lawton has more gang violence than Tulsa and yes, even OKC. This is one of those towns that offer absolutely nothing for the kids to do so they get into trouble. Drive by shooting are way up lately. Someone asked me, "why am I still here"? Well, I live out in the country, outside the Lawton City limits. I just watch them kill themselves on TV! Personally, if I were to pick a town in Oklahoma to live, it would be Norman.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Deacon

Oklahoma is ranked 49th in the nation as far as teacher pay - with South Dakota being dead last. Teachers in this area usually last 5 years or less and then move to another state for the better pay. Texas, Kansas and even Arkansas eventually get Oklahoma's teachers. As far as what side of town is the best? I will quote what the Chief of Police just stated on TV not to long ago. "Gangs are everywhere in Lawton. There is not a neighborhood that is immune." Lawton has more gang violence than Tulsa and yes, even OKC. This is one of those towns that offer absolutely nothing for the kids to do so they get into trouble. Drive by shooting are way up lately. Someone asked me, "why am I still here"? Well, I live out in the country, outside the Lawton City limits. I just watch them kill themselves on TV! Personally, if I were to pick a town in Oklahoma to live, it would be Norman.

Sheesh, and I always thought that So. Dak and Miss. were the rivals for low teacher pay. There is one thing to consider though~both states are not as expensive to live in as a lot of states are.

[Deacon]

Sheesh, and I always thought that So. Dak and Miss. were the rivals for low teacher pay. There is one thing to consider though~both states are not as expensive to live in as a lot of states are.

3 years ago when Oklahoma gave their teachers a $3,000.00 a year raise, they did rise above Mississippi. But last year and this year, Oklahoma only gave their teachers, even those with Doctorates, a $600.00 a year step pay raise thereby putting the teacher pay right back down at the bottom of the heap.

[owens266]

Yeah, Cache is pretty laid back. Not far from Lawton. It's a quiet area for the most part. Decent school from what I hear. As for Geronimo, yes it sucks...You can drive through the whole town in 2 minutes (1 minute if you speed). They should name the place Dead End. You're gonna be depressed if you move there.

[Rikrich]

Originally Posted by Deacon

Hello Kblume,
Welcome to the field of teaching. I happen to know many school Administrators in the area so I know a little bit about the teaching field. As in, it does not pay what all of you are worth. This area pays approx $30-$32,000 to start (depending if you have any prior military experience, etc)and usually only pays $600.00 per year step increases. Although, 3 years ago, the area paid their teachers a $3,000.00 year increase. As far as Geronimo, the place is literally falling apart. It is about 5 miles down the street from lawton and 2 miles or so from the city dump. If the wind blows just right, I hear the residents of Geronimo can smell the dump. 5 years ago, there were no homes for sale there. Now you can find 50 homes for sale. It is on the decline. There are only 2 corner convienent stores in the city. All the streets are crappy also. As far as a motel, I would recommend Springfield Suites on Interstate Drive (right off Interstate 44) or Fairfield Inn on SE 7th St. Stay away from any and all motels/hotels on Cache Road unless you like nasty shower stalls etc. If you like small towns, I would recommend Cache, Oklahoma (which is just west of Lawton). I think you would like teaching in Cache much more than in Geronimo. The schools in Cache are funded by Goodyear's taxes and put Geronimo's schools to shame. As far as country bars, I honestly cannot recommend one because all of them are trouble sooner or later - especially for a single woman that is alone. Remember, Lawton is your typical military town - it is very rough around the edges. I am a 101st Airborne Division Veteran myself so I mean no dishonor to any of our military men and woman in this town but a military town is a military town and that is all there is about it. I recommend never to go out alone especially when being new in town. I hope this helped you out a little bit.

I agree with the esteemed Veteran of the 101st Air Assault Division. I graduated from One Station Unit Training at Fort Sill in August of 1983 (Twenty Four years ago, hard to believe!), and remained there as a permanent party GI. Yep, a military town is a military town and I kept my eyes and ears open whenever I went into Lawton on weekends. I made it a point to AVOID THE STRIP. I take it the strip is still in business? A guy in my unit made the mistake of going to the strip alone, and with a wad of cash. Unfortunately, the poor sap (This kid was not very street wise) was not very careful, flashed all of that money in his possession and got rolled (He lost all of his money). If the strip is still alive and thriving in Lawton (I have not returned to the area since I honorably separated from the service when my 2 year hitch was up), either avoid it and don't go there alone and flash your cash around.

[deannahndrsn]

hello out of all of the negative things that have been stated about the lawton/ft.sill area is there anything that is good about this place at all because my husband and myself is supposed to get stationed there in a couple of months and now im not sure if i even want to come there?

[LadyRobyn]

Originally Posted by deannahndrsn

hello out of all of the negative things that have been stated about the lawton/ft.sill area is there anything that is good about this place at all because my husband and myself is supposed to get stationed there in a couple of months and now im not sure if i even want to come there?

Word! What a depressing thread! LOL And I wonder why it is in the OKC section... Lawton/Ft. Sill is nowhere near there.

Hi deannahndrsn! We live in Duncan but go shopping in Lawton frequently... Here are some other (more recent) threads about Lawton/Ft. Sill, hopefully you can find some good info in these:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/oklah...ill-bound.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/oklah...sill-help.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/oklah...need-help.html

If you have specific questions that aren't covered in those threads I would suggest starting one of your own in the regular Oklahoma State section of the forum. Oklahoma Forum - Relocation, Moving, Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum Best of Luck!

[_redbird_]

The profile shows Deacon's last activity was 8/14/07. Do you think he drank the water at the museum?

Who will field the questions about Rotten? That's what we call it. LR? You?