[PatoLiza]

Thanks for your unconditional offer to answer questions for those who need unbias answers about Lawton-it's safety, school, etc... I was tickled to see that you mentioned a positive note about Cache School. I found out that residents on the West side of Lawton (i.e. Pecan Valley South) are zone for Cache School District. There is a neighborhood called Shelter Lake on that side of Lawton. Do you have any information on the depths of the lakes and if they ever dry up during drought season? Also, do you know of honest home builders in the area? Also, I have been reading Cameron University's website but I didn't get any info on children's string orchestra (after school hours.) Is it safe at night by the University? Thanks again and looking forward to hearing from you.

[happytown]

Lawton cant be all that bad. It was chosen over many cities in OK for the CBA Calvary team which is very significant.
Wiki...
Lawton, Oklahoma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[peggydavis]

Originally Posted by LadyRobyn

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!

Thanks, LR! Thread is moved.

[Synopsis]

Lawton, like many cities, will have its up and down sides. Although it's in a semi-desert environment, it is a very beautiful area with the Wichita Mountains nearby. Low humidity is a plus too. I could enjoy living in the Lawton area very much.

[PatoLiza]

I am looking for a native Lawton resident/s who can tell me about a particular builder in the area. We are looking at houses (existing and under construction) and we are wondering how reputable this particular builder is. I am trying to respect privacy and obey the rules of this forum. So if you are a lifetime resident of Lawton, would you e-mail me directly if you have first hand knowledge of builders in the area. Thanks in advance and looking forward to hearing from you.

[dustirose101]

I am getting ready to move to Lawton,Ok/ the Forst Sill ARMY base to live with my Brother who is in the ARMY and with my sister. I am going to be looking for a new job as well as somewhere to stay after I have stayed with them for a short time. Is there anyway to get a link to search for housing or jobs availiable in this area?

[LadyRobyn]

Hi Dustirose!

Try this link for jobs: Oklahoma Job Link You can choose which town to search in, and what type of work you would like.

A link to housing is a little more difficult. It might be easier to look for a place once you get here...most rentals are listed in local papers or just by a sign out front. You might be able to find something in the Lawton Newspaper though: Lawton Constitution

Good Luck!

[sisROX]

how many hours a week do trainees or new employees have to work? my dad just started orientation there today and i was curious about it. thx ;p

[Greys]

Well - i am coming back to lawton after 10 years OMG time jsut flies by nowadays !!!
first time I was young and restless, and working at night at a club in the "old Lawton"
now i am a mother of 3 with 2 dogs and i am really concerned about moving back because of all this gang stuff one reads as well as the schoolstuff...

renting will probably not work for me because of my dogs ;/
I rescued 2 greyhounds and they live with me now.
It seems many Landlords are concerned about pets ...
thank god they cannot put NO kids in their ads, LOL !

i am trying to find a house in cache but i cannot afford 100000.
since everyone thinks the schools are better there i would really like to move out this way...

I was hoping to find a affordable old 3 bdr with fenced yard for cheap to fix up myself !!

but it seems that i can only get something like that in duncan !

does anyone have any input for me ?

what is better with children...

cache or duncan ???

And are there any maybe trailers or something in cache that one would not find on the webpages ? i cannot just go look for myself because right now i am still in Germany. Looking to moving into Lawton Area on March 25 th though

Maybe i will meet some of the nice people I have read about in this nice forum

Thank you all for your replies !

The Greys

[j67bubba]

Ok folks....SHESHH! By what Decon had to say at the begining of this thread nobody should live in Lawton.....

Lawton is not as bad as Decon made it out to be.

The city didn't raise taxes to pay for BRAC, they raised them to pay for a New Central Middle School because the one they had was falling apart. This raise also is paying for new sewer and water lines around Lawton. These are things that needed done weither BRAC was happening or not.

I have lived in and around Lawton most of my life, minus the time I was in the Army.

Well, here is my view of it all.
BRAC
There is alot of construction happening on Ft. Sill because of BRAC. The ADA School is moving from Ft. Bliss Texas to Ft. Sill. This move is expected to bring more than 10,000 people to the Lawton area.

Gangs
Yes there are gangs in Lawton, but then again, what city in America doesn't have gangs? Most of the gangs hang out in the lower income areas of town. The city police doesn't do much to stop them from being here, but they do monitor their activity and ensure they don't get out of hand.

Shopping
Central Mall - Normal shops like Sears, Dillards, JC Penny's, The Gap, Game Stop, Radio Shack, Zales, Gordons, Kay Jewelry and other smaller shops.
During the week teenagers hang out at the mall. The Owners of the mall have hired extra security and have also made weekend nights family nights. No one under 18 is allowed in the mall without an adult. Only exception is if they are going to the movies.

Wal-Mart - Lawton has two Super Wal-Marts. One is in the central part of town and the other is on the West Side which was only built a few years ago.
Sam's Club - This one is located next to the Super Wal-mart in the central part of town.
K-Mart - This is located in the north central part of town. Still has the blue light specials and still smells like it did 30 years ago...I still have not figured out how they do that?
Computers Stores - Office Depot and Staples
Hardware stores - Home Depot, Lowes, Sutherlands, Commance Home Center

For several years there has been plans for a Town center to be built on the West side of town. Two different developers have attempted to get the dang thing built, but to no avail, it has not panned out. The last attempt was stopped when the developer wanted more than the city could give due to state laws. Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Pets Smart and others were due to come to the Town Center. There is still hope that it happens but we here in Lawton are not holding our breath.

Entertainment
Movie Theaters - Cental Mall and Carmike are the two that show first run movies. Vaska shows movies that are about to go to DVD or just really stunk it up. Caution about the Vaska, it is about as old as Lawton is.
Musems - Ft. Sill has a nice one if you are into Military history. Lawton has the Great Plains Musem.
Great Plains Coliseum - Holds Rodeos, Fairs, and other types of entertainment events through out the year.
Lawton-Ft. Sill Calvary - Two Time CBA champions. Note - The team has only been around for two years.

Housing -
With BRAC housing prices are going up all over the Lawton area. New housing areas are popping up all over too. Not just in Lawton but in Elgin, Cache and the Medicine Park area. Housing prices really depend on what part of town or area you are looking at buying in. Personally, I bought my house in the Medicine Park area 5 years ago for $120,000 (2000sq, 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 living areas and 2 acres of land) and just had it appraised for $180,000.

To be honest, there is really only one good trailer park in Lawton and it is on the East side of town. Stupid rule they have is no fences allowed.

Schools
Elementary schools are spread out all over town.
Middle Schools - Eisenhower(West Side), Tomlinson(Central/West), Central, McArthur(East)
High Schools - Eisenhower(West side), Lawton High (Central), McArthur(East Side)
Side note - I know alot of people are moving outside of Lawton so their kids can go to Elgin, Cache, and Duncan schools due to the High Schools becoming over crowded. Lawton really needs to add another High School but where to put it and who will pay for it is another story.

Traffic
The Traffic in Lawton is just like any other city. Bumper to bumper during lunch and after people get off work.

Last but not least.... FOOD!!!
We have...Olive Garden, Chili's, Applebees, LoneStar, Santa Fe Cattle Company, Outback, Buffalo Wild Wings and bunch of other small places that are just as good as the big chain places.

Whewwww! Sorry so long, but just thought everyone should get a better idea of Lawton. I Could put more, but figure this is enough to digest right now.

Will be glad to answer any questions that anyone might have.