Grove, OK (Tulsa, Muskogee, Miami: environment, real estate, tornado)

[SinCity]

Originally Posted by lovelylady_3864

I am considering moving there but I don't want to move to a small town where everyone is sleeping with everyone. and or where there is alot of affairs. i have a family life and want to keep it that way.
Please let me know if there is alot of southern floosies there.

No, I haven't seen anything that resembles southern floosies here!! The closest I've come to mingling with the type of crowd who might be inclined was one evening out at a local nightclub called Rockin Armadillo. It definitely didn't appear overly loose to me despite it being a young crowd. I have no doubt that Grove has it's fair share, as every place does, but OK is still fringing the bible belt as well as has a lot of retirees, which I'm sure makes for less of a Payton Place than many places. However, I am not employed yet and until I am, and get to know a lot of locals, I wouldn't be a great reference yet. I have lived in small towns in many states though, and as long as there is some strong religious influence around, it seems to make the place much more livable and likable, for me personally and despite that I am agnostic. My experience here is that it has much less religious influence than small towns in Utah but certainly a big step up from small 24 hour towns in NV.

[SinCity]

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Grove is a tourist attraction, many of which do things on vacation they'd never consider doing in their own back yard. On the other hand, they make a small town much more lively, which I like. IF there was a way to avoid places with abundance of floosies and home wreckers, which I doubt there is, I suspect it would be very religious small towns. And I say that with great skeptisism. My sons tell me the Mormon girls where we lived in small town Utah were far more promiscuous than in the 24 hour NV gaming atmosphere I was trying to save them from!

[Jammie]

SinCity, I didn't realize that you've already moved to OK. Guess I got behind.

How ironic that you grew up in the Hills and picked the same area that we like. I remember you saying that you didn't want to come back up here because it's a bit too chilly. That's actually an understatement right now.

I know there are weather charts, but how do you actually compare the weather in the Grove area to that of the Hills? Also, I was under the impression there wasn't much employment in the Grove area, is that correct?

[SinCity]

Originally Posted by Jammie

SinCity, I didn't realize that you've already moved to OK. Guess I got behind.

How ironic that you grew up in the Hills and picked the same area that we like. I remember you saying that you didn't want to come back up here because it's a bit too chilly. That's actually an understatement right now.

I know there are weather charts, but how do you actually compare the weather in the Grove area to that of the Hills? Also, I was under the impression there wasn't much employment in the Grove area, is that correct?

OMG Jammie, the winters here are SOOOO mild in comparison to Black Hills. It gets below freezing only a couple days in a row and seldom in the teens. Below zero makes weather history! Snow seldom stays on the ground more than a day or two. Slick roads are cause for weather alerts here but even during the ice storm, lasts only a day at a time and no bad driving conditions until the next cold front, again lasting only a day at a time. At worst so far, slick roads occurred only about twice in the same week. After 7 years in FL and 17 plus in the desert, a real winter of any magnitude was a hard concession to make, but necessary if I were to have the other things I want such as grass, plants & trees that grow w/o regualr watering. In a nutshell, winters here are a piece of cake and lasts only a few months before it is the next season!

Employment is another story however. If you're willing to work in factories (LOTS in the area) or casinos (only one close by but many in Miami about 1/2 hr away), starting pay is around $9 per hour and with great benefits. Beyond that though, what jobs there are pay around $7 an hour and most w/o benefits. If one is willing to commute, Joplin is about an hour away by way of a toll road and has a lot of good employment opportunites. However, I want to be a part of the community I live in by being employed here so I will avoid a commute for work if at all possible. Bank teller positions start around $1,500 per month with above avergae benefits including 100% education reimbursements and 10% reimbursement on clothing and shoes. There are a lot of medical jobs available in and all around Grove but I don't know what the pay sclae is. Shangri-La resort would normally be a large employer here but it is closed at present. If you let me know the type of job you'd want here, I'd be happy to find and send that info to you.

Jammie, I researched for 2 years and checked out a lot of places before moving here. Keeping in mind that everyone has their own special criteria and my list was very very long (!), Grove and Monkey Island area has exceeded my expectations, which I had come to believe was going to be impossible. I love the people (amazing how many love dogs and comment on my schnauzer even in a drive-thru!) the town of Grove (quaint in comparison to similar sized towns), the unique and happening restuarants and pubs on Monkey Island in the summer, Tulsa is a wonderful city to live near for affordable air travel and shopping (and medical specialties if needed), and the views of the lakes most everywhere you drive for miles north and south are everything I was looking for. The sight of the large expanse of water always makes me feel a wave of solitude regardless of whether it is smooth as glass or rough. I am really looking forward to finding my lakefront homesight by water this summer!

[lmaxson]

Sin City,
My family and I will be checking the 2 above towns out to relocate next mo. My husband will retire next yr but I will still need to work and we have a 10 yr. old. Does anyone have any info on the comparisons of these towns. Looking for small town near lake with good schools and things for kids ( soccer, dance, theaters ect.) Night life is not a priority. Any info would be appreciated.

[SinCity]

Imaxson, I haven't checked out Bella Vista myself so can't comment on that community but there is a woman on this forum who will be moving there soon because of family and despite her love of Grove area. Hopefully she responds for you. As for Grove, I have lived here since Oct but didn't start looking for employment until recently. There are many factory type jobs and medical, but there's not a whole lot of anything else that pays much or offers benefits. So it depends on what kind of employment you'd be interested in... yes, there are jobs to be had but if you have only specific lines of work and pay you'd consider, many travel to bigger cities of Joplin, Pryor, Vinita, and Miami which all are within a n hour or less. In my ventures across the state of AR and eastern OK, Grove is the only town on a lake (and Grank Lake IS the grandaddy of them all!!) that had the flavor I was looking for which the tourism causes. There's are more pubs and eating places (when including Monkey Island and other nearby lake towns) than most small towns would have. I don't know anything about the schools but I have been impressed that so many kids like it here (kids always seem to think grass is always greener someplace else) and the adults who grew up here have never said a negative thing aout the schools or town. I think that says a lot. Hope that helps some.

[gnl714]

Anyone know how the mosquito situation is in Grove? I'm north of Dallas and I can't have a cup of coffee on the porch without being swarmed. Probably not much better near a lake, but wanted to check. At least with that much snow maybe they get killed off every year-not here!
We've put in for a transfer with ATT to Grove, so I'm thankful I found these posts! Been a big help!

[briansgi]

I have a place on Grand Lake and we have no mosquitos, but we also have purple martin houses set up along with all the neighbors. Can't tell you if that's why we don't have mosquitos but I'm sure it helps. We sit outside on our deck all the time and never see any or get bit.

[jessaka]

So I need to make or buy purple martin homes since I don't live in Grove.

[Kurt]

At my place on south Grand I am on a hill with no marshy or low areas. I am also exposed to alot of breeze--sometimes downright strong wind. I like the wind as I like to hear the waves on the pebbly shore. I have never had mosquitos. When I grew up in Minnesota on a lake our neighbor had Martin houses and they did help keep the mosquitos away. But being away from marshy areas or standing water and a good breeze and enough sun keeps the pesky guys away. Of course, you are going to find it hard to find anyone with a place on Grand saying anything bad about it. The only complaint I have is that for a few weeks on Saturday and most of Sunday at the height of the boating season I have lots of traffic--but it is the price to pay for being so close to the water. I almost overhang my seawall with the house. But I can go inside and watch the action from the sun porch if it gets too busy. And it is quite a show. I have one of the smallest places on the lake in my neighborhood--it is really an old timey little cottage. You can still find places like that on the lake, but they are getting harder to find. Most of my value is in the waterfront lot. Act quickly if you want a house and waterfront at a more reasonable price. It is getting expensive right on the lake. But if you are willing to live off the lake or between the lakes--Eucha or Spavinaw--it is still a bargain. There is something here for all income levels.