Worst 5 things about Oklahoma? (Kansas, Strang: environment, tornadoes, jobs)

[clover10689]

I am moving to Oklahoma at the end of this month, from Nevada. I have been there once to visit, and I fell in love. But, I know that LIVING somewhere is completely different from visiting.

From everything I've read and everyone I've talked to, the majority of Okies loves it in Oklahoma. And everytime I look at peoples stories of moving there and their life there I get more excited about going.

But, there HAS to be things you dislike about it, since nowhere is perfect. So far the only negatives I have found to Oklahoma is the heat (which Nevada also has, so thats no change to me) and tornados (I'm slowly teaching myself how to not have an anxiety attack when I think about them. I'm a complete scaredy-cat).

So anyways, I know that there are SOME negative aspects to living in Ok. and I was curious about what everything thinks the 5(or more) worst things about it are. I just want to know completely what I'm moving to before I go so there are no nasty surprises.

[Synopsis]

Great post clover:

The Summer Heat and Humidity

Tornadoes (but these aren't as bad as people make it out to be)

Lack of Pro Sports Teams (but OkC is about to remedy that)

Ice Storms in the Winter

I'll leave it at four; off the top of my head I can't think of a fifth right now.

I lived in Nevada for a couple of years (Reno) and loved it there. Especially the summers in Reno (spectacular).

Good luck in you move. I wish you all the best!

[valpoguy]

1) Conservative mindset. (And I don't mean fiscally conservative, which I don't mind as much. I mean the Bible Belt style of xenophobic social conservative.)

2) Not a lot of things to do entertainment-wise, as far as art, culture, etc. There's some, but you have to dig for it. (This is kinda related to #1, in a way.)

3) Not a lot of fun, artsy/progressive/hip kinds of neighborhoods with diversity. Paseo in OKC is an exception, and there are a couple of others, but not like most places have. This is also related to #1.

4) Pollution in lakes and rivers. (In fairness, this is bad many places these days, but it hits hard in Oklahoma where water recreation is one of the main things there is to do for fun.) This could also be related to #1, as environmentalism is seen by many as as some sort of liberal conspiracy, and pro-business mindsets prevail at all costs. There isn't curbside recycling in most places, for example.

5) Not a lot of good paying jobs for college grads. This is somewhat offset by low cost of living, but there's a definite "brain drain" with many people ending up in Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, etc. Besides the lack of such jobs, I think many also choose to leave due to the things I listed in 1-4, and many companies choose not to locate in OK because so many creative/intelligent/progressive types don't stick around. It's all related, and a bit of a bad cycle that needs to be broken.

The summer heat can be oppressive, yes, but no worse than in most of the southern half of the U.S. As far as tornadoes go, I think I maybe saw one in the 25+ years I lived there, and never personally knew anyone who lost anything from one. Neither of these things would be in my top 50, let alone top 5.

[jessaka]

1. poverty
2. pollution in lakes and rivers
3. tornadoes, more so in some areas than others

that is all i can think of at the moment

[peggydavis]

1. Heat & humidity
2. Too many litterbugs
3. Too many other bugs
4. Lack of good jobs in rural areas
5. Interstate highways are in bad shape

[Going_Somewhere]

Tell me more about the bugs????

And are tornadoes common around Whitesboro?

[Nameless]

1. hot, hot summers
2. ice storms
3. no pro sports (yet)
4. reputation as bible carrying freaks

Four is really all I can think of, most of what gets me here is the weather and the perception of our people. Not once have I been in a public place (sporting event, grocery store, etc) and have had a person preach religion to me. Strangely this evening I was driving and for the first time in probably 3 or 4 years saw some jehova's witnesses riding around.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Going_Somewhere

Tell me more about the bugs????

And are tornadoes common around Whitesboro?

Well, that would depend on which bugs you're talking about. Tornadoes are not as common in the Eastern part of the state, much of that is due to the hilly terrain. Whitesboro sits in the middle of a bunch of hills/mountains so it's not prone to tornadoes.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by valpoguy

1) Conservative mindset. (And I don't mean fiscally conservative, which I don't mind as much. I mean the Bible Belt style of xenophobic social conservative.)

2) Not a lot of things to do entertainment-wise, as far as art, culture, etc. There's some, but you have to dig for it. (This is kinda related to #1, in a way.)

3) Not a lot of fun, artsy/progressive/hip kinds of neighborhoods with diversity. Paseo in OKC is an exception, and there are a couple of others, but not like most places have. This is also related to #1.

4) Pollution in lakes and rivers. (In fairness, this is bad many places these days, but it hits hard in Oklahoma where water recreation is one of the main things there is to do for fun.) This could also be related to #1, as environmentalism is seen by many as as some sort of liberal conspiracy, and pro-business mindsets prevail at all costs. There isn't curbside recycling in most places, for example.

5) Not a lot of good paying jobs for college grads. This is somewhat offset by low cost of living, but there's a definite "brain drain" with many people ending up in Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, etc. Besides the lack of such jobs, I think many also choose to leave due to the things I listed in 1-4, and many companies choose not to locate in OK because so many creative/intelligent/progressive types don't stick around. It's all related, and a bit of a bad cycle that needs to be broken.

The summer heat can be oppressive, yes, but no worse than in most of the southern half of the U.S. As far as tornadoes go, I think I maybe saw one in the 25+ years I lived there, and never personally knew anyone who lost anything from one. Neither of these things would be in my top 50, let alone top 5.

I guess you don't live there now, is there anything good you can say about the place? Actually, from what I have heard, one of the reasons major companies do not locate is the higher cost of business tax even though the overall tax rate in OK is the lowest in the country.

Nita

[nmnita]

Just judging from what we have observed from visitng and what our granddaugher says:

1-poor paying jobs

2-spiders and other creatures

3-humidity

4- tornados, but really not that many

As for humidity, there are a lot worse places. Same with polution, be it rivers or whatever. and you talk about litter bugs, come to NM if you want to see liter.

Nita