Grove, OK (Tulsa, Ardmore, Tahlequah: real estate, tornadoes, hoa)

[RBH Automotive]

Yep, He is a really good guy! No pressure, nothing but the sometimes painful truth about things. Has filled every request we have made and never has tried to sugar coat anything.
The other realtors we talked with out there are still calling and such, even after we told them that we have a realtor and that we would rather update ourselves about what is going on out there and what comes on the market.
We actually just found our own slip for our boat and are going to use Jeff instead of the listing realtor.......

[Grayghost]

Do a search for Table Rock or Beaver Lake.Grand Lake is way over rated.

[Honeybee]

Hi :O) We just got back from our Vac. to Tulsa OK. we also went to Grove it is a very nice little town very quaint , and I could really see it becoming a Hot Spot for Vac. and right on Grand lake . You would be happy there .I would think of buying there. But hubby is going to work in Tulsa so that is alittle to far of a drive I would think . :O) Hope you find what you want

[Honeybee]

Gray Ghost, I think Beaver Lake and Tablerock were way prettier the Grand I seen them both also we passed over both Lakes on way to Eueaka Springs we seen Beaver Lake and then over Table rock when we went to Branson MO. very pretty

[Kurt]

It has taken me some time to get on this thread, again, as I have been contemplating retiring in Louisiana as Oklahoma may be too cold. But Florida is way too crowded and expensive for me as I want waterfront and could never afford it down here. I was also devastated by Ivan and suffered through major gas lines with Rita. No thank you. But if I had family here, I might reconsider.

Originally Posted by Jammie

Kurt, I was surprised to see your post. You're moving out of Fla. to OK? Those are the two states that we've been thinking about. Fla. is beautiful and always warm so why are you leaving? I've been reading so much about the high cost of living in Fla. and that's scary. We have family in Fla. which is also a big drawing card for us. Eastern OK is absolutely beautiful though, isn't it?

RBH, I'm so glad that Grove is the place for you. I know you were asking Kurt about the realtors, but all I did was go to an internet site and look at places. I had to sign up in order to get any info and get an email from a realtor every few days. It seems there are plenty of them down there just like all over.

[BrianRamsey]

My wife and I moved to Grove almost a year ago because we didn't want to raise our two-year-old in Memphis. We have a sign shop here in Grove and I continued my IT Consulting practice. We love it here and are very happy about the decision to move here. We were told that with the sign company we could expect to see a drop off in business in the winter months and the former owner used to take all of December off. My parents have owned it for over 3 years now and have not been able to take a weeks vacation. Business is booming. We have been making signs for all sorts of new businesses. Shangra-la finally got purchased and is now The Penninsula and they are building a ton of condos and a hotel plus revamping the golf courses. Walgreen's just put in a location and there are rumors of some other large chain businesses coming.


1. Are there green, rolling hills around it?
Yes there are lots of rolling green hills. Cliffs over looking the lake. Its not flat here like alot of people perceive Oklahoma to be.

2. Are the Ozarks visible from the town?
Nope but aren't that far away. I ride motorcycles and the rides here are great. Just rode over to Eureka Springs AR and it was one of the best rides I have ever been on


3. Is the current population about 6,000?
Not sure. It rises and falls based on the season.


4. What is the economy like there? Any jobs in the service industry, ie motel desk clerks, convenience store clerks, etc?
Again fluctuates with the season. Right now I am seeing alot of Now Hiring signs on restaurants and stores because the tourists are here for the summer.


5. Lendonwood Park, the three acres of flowers~is it plush and pretty and well-kept?
It is a beautiful garden and I use it as a back drop for our family portraits.


6. Tourism in the area since it's by a beautiful lake?
Most definitely.

7. Friendly people?
Very friendly. Its a great community. Alot of wealthy retirees which participate in all the charity organizations. Rotary put in a great part with lots of play equipment, a skate park and tennis courts.

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[Kurt]

Originally Posted by Grayghost

Do a search for Table Rock or Beaver Lake.Grand Lake is way over rated.

I have posted this before but I decided on Grand Lake after looking at Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Beaver, and Norfolk. I've seen them all. Yes, Grand Lake can get a little stained at times, especially the Northern part when there are big rains in Kansas. But the South end is deep and remains petty clear. Midlake is also very nice.

But here is the skinny! You own right to the lake, you can put in your own dock, and their is no major setback to build on the lake. I can't tell you how many beautiful homes I looked at on Table Rock that had no access to the lake--you had to drive to a Marina--and were losing their view of the lake because the Corps would not let them cut any trees on a wide swath in front of their home.

I want access to the lake. I want to see the lake. I bring that morning cup of coffee down on my own dock. I can take a boat out anytime I want. That is the advantage of Grand Lake. Besides that, I think it is beautiful.

[Jammie]

Kurt, I'm glad that you found your perfect spot. It really is a beautiful place. I did happen to notice they had a very odd winter though. They got ten inches of snow at one time. Guess that was pretty much a record.

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Kurt, I'm glad that you found your perfect spot. It really is a beautiful place. I did happen to notice they had a very odd winter though. They got ten inches of snow at one time. Guess that was pretty much a record.

I lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for 3 years and often went out to the North Dakota Bad Lands. Of course, I grew up on a lake in Northern Minnesota. One thing I can tell you, if you have lived in the Upper Midwest bordering on the Great Plains it is very hard to feel at home in the "East".
I have lived in Tennessee, both Carolinas, and Florida.

I went to all of these places to get out of the Minnesota cold. I kinda like the South but there is just something more open and friendly and certainly less congested the further West you go. But I am not a big mountain person so the Mountain West is not for me. The West Coast is definitely not my cup of tea.

So, I looked for a lake that was sort of due South of Minnesota/North Dakota and eventually came up with Grand Lake. That was not such a difficult leap as I remember many Minnesotans talking about fishing in the Ozarks. Also, many people from St. Louis and Kansas City would vacation in Minnesota.

My original intent for my post was to simply say that if you are in South Dakota and want to get warm--don't go East, i. e., to Florida because you will not like the culture or the congestion. It will also be much more humid than even Eastern Oklahoma--which I find just right for me.

You want to be a hybrid of a Cowboy and a Lumberjack. Parts of East Texas fill this bill and even Northwest Louisiana. Arkansas is also a safe bet. So, Dakotans and Minnesotans looking for warmth and less congestion and still some woods with some open spaces should go due South.

If you are in the Black Hills area you do have trees and even some Chinook winds to moderate the temperature. I think the Black Hills are a bit like the Arbuckles in Oklahoma--only further South.

See what I mean? The further East you go on your Southward trek the more the culture and landscape will change. You go too far south in Texas and it gets Hispanic. I am to old to learn a new language, although I have no objection to hard working immigrants that are legal and are proud of their culture. I am just not one of them.

I finally just drew almost a straight line form my lake in Minnesota south to Grand Lake in Oklahoma. And I found a lot of other folks like me did the same thing! No North Carolina for me. No Arizona and definitely looking forward to leaving Florida. I am just a Midwestern Boy with one foot in the prairie and one on the fringe of the Eastern woodlands (Northcentral Minnesota). We had birch trees at our lake cabin but my Mother also grew prickly pear cactus!

Jammie, I was poking around the threads and see you are from SE South Dakota. So you are a prairie-plains dweller. What I say about just going due South and getting warm without going too far East or West goes double for you. Northeast Oklahoma is the best fit for us Northern Plains dwellers.

[Jammie]

Kurt, you've given me so much to think about now. Geesh, I'm always confused. We really do like Eastern OK. It is so pretty there and it's definitely warmer then it is up here. Oh and if I lived out in the Hills, it'd probably be harder to leave there. It is SO pretty out there.

We've never lived anywhere but here, but I totally understand what you're saying about things being different further east. We've been a couple places that direction and enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't live there. I do like Fla., but it appears that the cost of living is just totally insane there. What part of Fla. do you live in?

Anyway, keep us posted about your trips to Grove.