[timcxt]

If I wante to move to Canada it would be Toronto. Lol. But my company has no business in Canada.

[#1soonerfan]

Tulsa certainly has some advantages over OKC, especially in the scenery department, but if you are looking at getting your education then definitely stick with OKC. Tulsa really only has TU and ORU, both of which are way expensive, and a bunch of branch campuses of other schools. Which can be a pain since a lot of times they only have a barebone class schedule. I have a friend who goes to OU-Tulsa and is driving to Norman once a week (thats 240 miles roundrip) to take a class she must have to graduate. A bit outrageous is you ask me.

OKC metro has two large public univs (OU and UCO), plus a ton of private schools if you want to go that route. Off the top of my head theres Southern Nazarene, OCU, Okla Christian, Mid America, etc. Plus theres two law schools and a huge medical school here.

In any event, it appears that you have already picked OKC and anything said beyond this point is useless banter. As you can already tell there's a bit of a childish rivalry between the two, so brace for some real hyperbole during the duration of this thread.

[timcxt]

OKC has us due to the colleges. But Tulsa is cheaper. Lol. We like both. But OKC does stand out more. It's not 100% set in stone on either one. I would make more in Tulsa. Lol.

[nevergoingback]

Originally Posted by happytown

Tulsa now has to use the old 'but we have trees and hills' comparison. That says a lot...

Still works like a charm. LOL.

Has anyone mentioned QT yet?

[timcxt]

Nope they haven't.

[timcxt]

Still the big question for us is this

What city is best for artist? Ones that are supported and actually have a chance to sell stuff? OKC or Tulsa?

We just mad it to Dallas and my wife like Tulsa more than OKC just by driving by.

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by swake

I have also lived in both. You really should visit both cities and make up your own mind. I really don’t think you will be torn once you see both. Visit Bricktown in Oklahoma City, and Deep Duce, Heritage Hills, Paseo, Western Avenue and the capital area. Then visit Tulsa, the Brady area, Brookside, Utica Square, Swan Lake, Riverparks, Maple Ridge, Cherry Street, and Florence Park. Make up your own mind.

If you are in OKC, also visit Crown Heights, Edgemere Park and Mesta Park.

Originally Posted by swake

You should ask about where to live in Oklahoma City. When you ask about cool or good neighborhoods in Oklahoma City you will hear that there are some nice ones, in Edmond and Norman. Which are like 15-25 miles from downtown. Or there are “emerging” areas in town, but many of those have been “emerging” for decades. What they mean is that one pretty nice street is often next to abandoned houses and ghetto areas on the next block. There is no solidly “nice” part of Oklahoma City anywhere in an older part of the city.

Older parts of Oklahoma City only really began emerging 15 years ago. Correct, there is no solidly nice part of older OKC, however older areas have been making serious inroads thanks to OCU, Paseo, the Asian District and MidTown.

Originally Posted by swake

It’s also false that Oklahoma City is growing faster, the past several years the two metros are growing at basically the same rate. Tulsa was harder hit in the recession after 9/11 but has recovered since. Tulsa is a more compact city, at least through the central part of the city, which is the best part, and is better educated, wealthier, has better shopping, parks, libraries, museums, neighborhoods, nightlife,

Very true, both are growing at basically the same rate. Between 2006 and 2009, the OKC MSA grew 4.5%, Tulsa's MSA grew 4.1%. OKC is catching up quickly where shopping is a concern mostly due to the Classen Curve and Penn Square Mall. Also opening in OKC this summer is Outlet Shoppes at OKC, which will offer everything from Brooks Brothers to Saks Fifth Avenue of 5th and Banana Republic Outlet.

Originally Posted by swake

and oddly importantly better grocery stores. You would be shocked how bad OKC’s grocery stores are.
A single Whole Foods location is not going to correct that all on its own either.

In addition to Whole Foods, Sunflower Farmer's Market is opening a location in OKC this fall. Coming early 2012 to Edmond is Uptown Grocery, which will be the same concept as HEB Central Market in The Woodlands, TX. Already open is Crest Fresh Market in SW OKC.

Originally Posted by swake

If schools are important, then the magnet school system within Tulsa Public Schools are among the best schools in the whole country. And in Tulsa, the whole southern part of the city south of 61st (which is actually almost half the city) isn’t in Tulsa Schools, it’s in Jenks and Union schools. Union is a good school system and Jenks is again one of the best in the whole country. There are good schools in the OKC area, but the better schools are in Norman and Edmond and they were not ranked nationally the way the magnet school in Tulsa and Jenks were.

Classen School of Advances Studies in OKC and Harding Charter Prep, both magnet schools, outranked Booker T Washington in Tulsa, but not by much. Based on the national rankings, both metros were balanced.

39, Classen School of Advanced Studies, Oklahoma City, 5.569
68, Harding Charter Prep, Oklahoma City, 4.615
73, Booker T. Washington, Tulsa, 4.495
392, Edmond North, Edmond, 2.507
497, Edmond Memorial, Edmond, 2.292
729, Edison Prep , Tulsa, 1.931
734, Norman, Norman, 1.915
933, Jenks, Jenks, 1.665

Oklahoma City recently selected a site for its new downtown elementary school.

Originally Posted by swake

Oklahoma City is larger, has a better tourist area and better tourist attractions, better sports, more higher education options and has a slightly better economy. OKC also has less traffic, but then the city sprawls so much you likely will actually end up driving more.

Until you have had to put up with the supersprawl that is Houston, Oklahoma City as "sprawling so much" doesn't even begin to compare. Remember, too, swake that prior to 1956, Oklahoma City was only 85 square miles with less than 300,000 people.

Not disputing you, swake. Just wanted to add to what you may have missed. I only made this post because most of my inlaws in Tulsa had zero clue of the following happenings in OKC...

- Whole Foods opening a location
- Sunflower Farmer's Market opening a location
- A new 50-story skyscraper was going up
- Oklahoma City is getting a real outlet mall
- That two Fortune 500 energy companies exist in OKC

Heck, if it weren't for me, they would have never guessed that Hobby Lobby, Braum's and Sonic are all OKC based companies.

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by timcxt

Still the big question for us is this

What city is best for artist? Ones that are supported and actually have a chance to sell stuff? OKC or Tulsa?

We just mad it to Dallas and my wife like Tulsa more than OKC just by driving by.

Tulsa is a very artsy city. Always has been always will be. Oklahoma City's art scene is young and booming. OKC has one of the nation's largest arts festivals, called Festival of the Arts, which draws over 750,000 people each year for the 5 day festival. In Tulsa there is Mayfest.

In Oklahoma City, check out Untitled Art Space and IAO Art Gallery. Also check out the art galleries in the Paseo Arts District. Below is a list of recommended OKC and Tulsa art galleries.

Tulsa Art Galleries

Brushworks
Joseph Gierek Fine Art
Pierson Gallery
Royce Myers Art Ltd.
Studio 1628
Tulsa Artists Coalition Gallery

OKC Art Galleries

50 Penn Place Art Gallery
Avondale Galleries
Cross Bar Gallery
Dodson Galleries
The Howell Gallery
JRB Art
Paseo Originals Art Gallery
Visions In The Paseo

OKC Non-Profit Art Galleries and Alternative Spaces
Individual Artists of Oklahoma
Untitled [Artspace]

Swake might be able to help you with Alternative Spaces and Non-profit galleries in Tulsa should you choose Tulsa.

[timcxt]

Wow thanks for all the info okcpulse. That is some great information. I like Tulsa. Buy it does seem OKC has more of what we are looking for. Due to it having good lower cost universities. And it's not like we couldn't go to Tulsa and have a booth or something to try and see some art she makes.

The thing that draws me to Tulsa is the cheaper apartments. And the river front parks.

[okcpulse]

Glad to help. Tulsa River Parks are awesome. In OKC, check out Boathouse Row. The North Canadian River in central OKC was recreated into three "river lakes" and was renamed the Oklahoma River. Boathouse Row is just SE of downtown on the river. It is the official training venue for the U.S. Olympic Rowing Team. There are trails along the river. The restoration project brought thousands of trees back to the riverside. The North Canadian River's natural beauty was destroyed in the 1950s when a flood control project straightened the river channel, created a flood plain and removed the greenery. The restoration project, a part of the first MAPS project, was the first step to restoring the river.

However, Tulsa's river parks have a lot of natural beauty.