Ask me any question about Lawton, OK. (Norman, Broken Arrow: military, for sale)

[Deacon]

I have lived in Lawton, OK for 24 years. Ask me a question and I will tell you no lie. Do you see a Lawton thread? nuf sed!

[gingerzhang]

i am a new to okc, just got here from china last week. is rockwell far from lawton?

[Deacon]

Hello,
Welcome to Oklahoma. I never heard of Rockwell, OK. I do know there is a rockwell st/ave in OKC. It is one of OKC's main streets.

[gingerzhang]

thank you for the thread...i know nothing about oklahoma anyway...it takes time to get used to here..lol

[happytown]

Originally Posted by Deacon

I have lived in Lawton, OK for 24 years. Ask me a question and I will tell you no lie. Do you see a Lawton thread? nuf sed!

Deacon- Do you see a Norman, Broken Arrow, Edmond thread?

I would love to hear about Lawtons museums, art galleries, attractions, nightlife, great restaurants, bars and hip joints like small boutiques.
- movies/bowling/put put dont count.

But when I compare Lawton to cities with the same population I seem to be a bit discouraged.
Norman, Broken Arrow, Edmond, MWC, Enid, Stillwater all have some kind of charm like a university or higher quality of life or near large cities that have more culture.

Dont tell me lies
Dont Tell me sweet little lies
(Dont tell me lies, Dont, Dont tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you cant disguise.

Please tell me all about the wonders of Lawton. Deacon.

[Deacon]

Let us start with museums. Yes, there is a museum that is next to a park that harbored some prarrie dogs that were bothering no one. But the city illegally poisoned the dogs in the middle of the night and was sued by the EPA for illegal use of dangerous chemicals therefore possibly poisioning the water table. Do not drink the water at the museum if you want to visit it. The taxpayers are now stuck paying the fine imposed on Lawton for its inhumane and blatant disregard for it's citizens. I would not recommend eating any fish in the lake that is next to the poisoned dogs which is next to the museum either. There was a proposed building of another mall, but the city fathers nixed that because the one and only mall did not want any competition. If you visit the only mall, watch your back because it is all gangs hanging out in it. You would think by building a new county jail "right next to the only mall" in town that there would be some cop presence. Think again. But it a gorgeous county jail building sitting right next to the only mall in town. You would be safer shopping at one of the 2 Wal-marts. Yes, Lawton has become a 2 wal-mart town. How special is that? There is also a Philharmonic Center but that is full of mold because it was built in a hole and floods everytime it rains. Movie theaters - There used to be one on 38th Street that closed down so to build a huge Movie Theater on Cache Road that also closed down. If you want to see a Movie, you go to the only Mall but pack a weapon because of all the gang activity in and around the mall. Attractions consist of Pawn Shops, Used Car Lots, Fast Food Joints and Banks. As far as Boutiques? There is a Tea Room that has been for sale for 2 years now. As far a nightlife -- A lot of bars come to mind. As soon as the sun goes down, a hooker is not hard to find, if that is what you consider nightlife. I can go on and on but I have to go double lock all my doors because the sun is going down. Feel free to ask more specifics.

[kblume]

Hello,
I have enjoyed reading what you say about Lawton, but it kind of scares me a little bit. : ) I am a beginning teacher that is looking for a teaching position in the Lawton area. I have a job interview in Geronimo coming up and would like to know some information about the area. Is there a lot of crime? Being a female, single and only 25 I would like to live in a safe neighborhood. I would also like to know about the nightlife, not the strip clubs or hookers but bars (I like country so if you know of any good, safe country bars let me know) and other things that single, 20 somethings do for fun. Also, I was looking up motels to stay at for the one night I'm there and was wondering which ones to stay away from and which ones would be good to stay at? Do you know anything about the schools? I grew up in a small town so I know what that is like and I have lived in a city of 200,000 for the past 3 years so I know what that is like too. I love the small town, country life a lot better and looking to get back to one. Any information would be helpful.
Thank you! Hope to hear from you soon.

[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.

[OKC Chanel]

Isnt the military base there one of the largest in the nation. I know that Tinker is huge and has many developments like golf courses. It seems like it would be a decent city.

[Deacon]

Yes, Lawton is also known as Lawton/Fort Sill. Fort Sill is the largest Artillery Training Military Base in the Nation. Because of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) Fort Sill will even become larger in the future. 4,000 more troops should be coming here within the next 2-3 years because of BRAC. But it is sad to also realize that with every extra unit that is brought to Fort Sill, that is a Unit that is taken away from another City somewhere else in the Nation. Many States suffer because of BRAC, i.e. cities fail when bases are closed. If, in the future, Fort Sill finds itself on the BRAC list for some reason, Lawton will be closing its doors because Fort Sill makes this town. Again, Lawton is a military town. Without the military being here, Lawton would be no more. Also, Lawton has to raise taxes by $35,000,000 so to accomodate all the new troops and their families - for the water lines, roads, housing etc. Nothing is free.