[nofearfactor]

hey,HoneyBee-
you got it.its so cheap to live here.and clean.and safe.I live in the BrokenArrow area also.
there are places close to visit for mountains and ocean.
Arkansas and Colorado for mountains.Houston/Galveston area,the Gulf,for semi-ocean.

and going back home to California for visits is so easy to do.

the last time I went home,I took my wife and kids and we flew, we had to fly into Sacremento,rent a car,and drive up to Sonora.(usually when I go myself I try to make I-80 drives pretty much in a day.I always stop at this one truck stop just over the mountain from Wyoming,into Utah,for a short nap,then go on in.on the way back I can usually make it to SaltLakeCity,get a short nap,then maybe one more little nap somewhere in Wyoming or Nebraska.That trip thru Nebraska is BORING..).the trip with her was nice for me,and an awesome experience for my Okie born and bred wife and kids.shes well traveled but had never been to Cali other than getting to put a toe in the ocean when she was as a kid,then turning around and going home.Her father was an AmericanAirlines mechanic/inspector and had to work on a plane and took the whole family for a visit to Cali.they got to put one toe in the ocean,then get back to the airport to go back home to Oklahoma.That was her only visit.on our visit,she loved the drives in the mountains.then took her to San Fran.she got to go to the bridge,the ocean,lunch at Pier39,walked around Chinatown,etc.She loved Monterrey when we went out to visit my brother.Big Sur.Carmel to visit a buddy of mine.the Napa area and Carmel valley horseshoe for wine tasteings.went up and down Hwy1 and 101 for some drives.she didnt want to come back home.I got it tho.even tho she didnt suspect what I knew.it was nice for her to visit,but also nice to return to Okiehoma for her also.her life is here in Oklahoma and she would never be happy there,once the new wore off.some of the negatives others write about just didnt bother me I guess because I tend to take the good with the bad.I do that here also.and its more affordable here.

and Oklahoma people are super nice.most anyways.its weird for me to see people smile at you so much. and they say 'Thank you' and 'excuse me' alot here.weird for me.

Turlock.hehe.I used to have to drive down to Turlock from Sonora just to find a foosball table to play on.I would go to the mall or WorldMarket or Costco or whatever in Modesto for wants/needs then go over to Turlock before going home and play some foosball.
Merced for monster truck races.
Modesto for movies.I usually went to George Lucas's THX theatre downtown Modesto for my movies.
Jamestown for my motorcycle parts.

anyways.you'll love it here.its growing on me.I'm getting used to it and ***** about things less and less.one thing not to do is bring 'California snobbery' with you.hard to do."well,we had this,and we had that,in California",etcetc.you know the drill.Okies are receptive to outsiders better than Californians.true born and bred Californians HATE outsiders for some reason.most.but not all.they think people are taking something away from them when they move in there.like its their state,stay away.and now theyre the ones moving out as fast as the new people moving in.weird.

but now I know what it means to say,"nice to visit but wouldnt want to live there".I understand now...

[Mattie Jo]

I looked on Realtor.com when thinking of a place to live. We had a small inheritance, and I wanted to buy the house without having payments, and then have some money left over. I tried NM and AZ because my husband wanted the desert; I DIDN'T! But I tried. I said, "I can get you into a house in NM but not AZ for $100,000 but there are no trees and barely a yard. Then I tried Oregon, but I couldn't find anything in Oregon for even that. He didn't want to live there anyway due to too much rain. I just wanted options. I thought of TX because we had lived there before, but while we lived in San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Cristi, and he once in Houston, Ennis, and Canton, I couldn't imagine myself moving back there, unless it was in the upper north east corner, because I wanted to live where it was lush. We both decided against the south because we have lived in Florida and Mississippi, and the racism bothered us. Yes, we are white, but it bothered us greatly, which is why we didn't want Arkansas. We didn't want a lot of snow either, but I wanted some. Griffis on this forum told us about Tahlequah, said it was the best town, and he didn't really like OK, if I recall correctly. So we had planned on taking a trip here and to Texas if we didn't like it here.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised that OK was pretty coming across 40, not lush but pretty, and we both said that we could live there if we had to. We were not ruling it out. Then we got to highway 82 and started up from Vian. I stopped at a gas station/grocery store to ask if they had maps. There were two guys in their shopping, and they laughed. "You don't need maps here." I told him that there was a house on Moonshine road that we wanted to see. He said something like turn left at the blue tank. Anyway, I fell in love with this part of OK from the minute we turned north on 82. It was lush with beautiful tall trees and rivers. We drove into Tahlequah early that morning and we both loved the town. I couldn't tell you why. We stay over a week and found our house, and I didn't want to have to go home to pack, but that we did.

But still, other parts of OK were really pretty to me too, at least what I saw, but I like green country best. And Arkansas is really pretty and is right next door. I think it takes 20 minutes to get to the border, but it looks like here. I have yet to visit Eureka Springs area. I have yet to go to Grove where they have white pelicans in their lakes. And if you love birds, this area is a migratory route. I always wanted a cat when we moved, but not now. There are enough wild ones out there, and I feed one of them. My dog chases off what she finds, but we have bird feeders, and I have never seen so many birds in my life. The other day when driving in the country of Locust Grove I saw a bald eagle perched on a fence.

We also have an elk reserve that we have not seen, and swimming holes in a nearby river. Oklahoma is a well kept secret. When you tell people in CA that you are moving there you get funny looks, like Why? And I could have said, "Well, when the ice bergs all melt, you may wish that you moved earlier. LOL.

And so what do we have here? A house that was only $62,000 on one half acre. We are remodeling it, and we are cleaning up the yard of vines, and I am buying plants that seem so cheap I feel like I am ripping the nursery off. Lowe's is more expensive, but still isn't like CA. I go into an antique store and remember what it would cost me in CA. I bought an antique dresser for $200 and found them to be $1000.00 on the Internet.

But one thing to remember, and I just read it in today's paper. Tahlequah is the fastest growing city in OK.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by jessaka

I looked on Realtor.com when thinking of a place to live. We had a small inheritance, and I wanted to buy the house without having payments, and then have some money left over. I tried NM and AZ because my husband wanted the desert; I DIDN'T! But I tried. I said, "I can get you into a house in NM but not AZ for $100,000 but there are no trees and barely a yard. Then I tried Oregon, but I couldn't find anything in Oregon for even that. He didn't want to live there anyway due to too much rain. I just wanted options. I thought of TX because we had lived there before, but while we lived in San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Cristi, and he once in Houston, Ennis, and Canton, I couldn't imagine myself moving back there, unless it was in the upper north east corner, because I wanted to live where it was lush. We both decided against the south because we have lived in Florida and Mississippi, and the racism bothered us. Yes, we are white, but it bothered us greatly, which is why we didn't want Arkansas. We didn't want a lot of snow either, but I wanted some. Griffis on this forum told us about Tahlequah, said it was the best town, and he didn't really like OK, if I recall correctly. So we had planned on taking a trip here and to Texas if we didn't like it here.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised that OK was pretty coming across 40, not lush but pretty, and we both said that we could live there if we had to. We were not ruling it out. Then we got to highway 82 and started up from Vian. I stopped at a gas station/grocery store to ask if they had maps. There were two guys in their shopping, and they laughed. "You don't need maps here." I told him that there was a house on Moonshine road that we wanted to see. He said something like turn left at the blue tank. Anyway, I fell in love with this part of OK from the minute we turned north on 82. It was lush with beautiful tall trees and rivers. We drove into Tahlequah early that morning and we both loved the town. I couldn't tell you why. We stay over a week and found our house, and I didn't want to have to go home to pack, but that we did.

But still, other parts of OK were really pretty to me too, at least what I saw, but I like green country best. And Arkansas is really pretty and is right next door. I think it takes 20 minutes to get to the border, but it looks like here. I have yet to visit Eureka Springs area. I have yet to go to Grove where they have white pelicans in their lakes. And if you love birds, this area is a migratory route. I always wanted a cat when we moved, but not now. There are enough wild ones out there, and I feed one of them. My dog chases off what she finds, but we have bird feeders, and I have never seen so many birds in my life. The other day when driving in the country of Locust Grove I saw a bald eagle perched on a fence.

We also have an elk reserve that we have not seen, and swimming holes in a nearby river. Oklahoma is a well kept secret. When you tell people in CA that you are moving there you get funny looks, like Why? And I could have said, "Well, when the ice bergs all melt, you may wish that you moved earlier. LOL.

And so what do we have here? A house that was only $62,000 on one half acre. We are remodeling it, and we are cleaning up the yard of vines, and I am buying plants that seem so cheap I feel like I am ripping the nursery off. Lowe's is more expensive, but still isn't like CA. I go into an antique store and remember what it would cost me in CA. I bought an antique dresser for $200 and found them to be $1000.00 on the Internet.

But one thing to remember, and I just read it in today's paper. Tahlequah is the fastest growing city in OK.

Jesseka, you are filled with information. thanks so much. Many of the places you considered we did as well the first time around. Arizona was an option, but we ruled it out because of the crime (we got the same in NM, didn't know it ahead of time) NM is a beautiful state in many ways and the people are pretty down to earth, but I have a feeling Ar or Ok will be better. To talk about racism, actually one of the problems with living here is reverse racism. We too gave some thought to moving back to Texas, the property taxes stopped us cold, plus our daughter and son in law will retire in Ar or Ok so we wouldn't gain much by moving close to them just to have them leave in 5 to 8 more years. Yes, they are taking early outs, it must be nice. All I can say is I am so happy they have invested well and will never have any financual worries. We are looking at something around $100 thousand. I feel certain we will have no problems.

Again thanks, between you and the realtor we have contacted we are excited about the move. Too bad we have to wait til about this time next year. I have an obligation that will keep us here. Being someone who is always volunteering can hurt more than it helps from time to time.

Nita

[mkfarnam]

I rememeber when San Diego was a sailors town in the 70`s. The Navy docked their Air Craft Carriers, Battle Ships and Destroyers right there in the Harbor.
Now San Diego is a Tourist attraction.
I know a family that lives right on the Border in San Diego. Illegals run through his property so he helps the Border Patrol out once in awhile.
Anyway, He is concidering moving to Tahlequah, OK,

There are 2 businesses just opening in Duncan, both from So, Ca, and both from less than 10 miles from where I am in Ca.

I have to start over so I might as well start over in a completly different environment while I`m able.
Actually,
I was born and raised on a Dairy Farm in Michigan. Lived over 35 years in California.

[Annielee]

Thank you Flamingo343, You post is very helpful to one whose family is about to take the leap of faith and leave cali after 45 years of hussle and bussle and give ok a try.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Annielee

Thank you Flamingo343, You post is very helpful to one whose family is about to take the leap of faith and leave cali after 45 years of hussle and bussle and give ok a try.

Just from having visited OK, I think you'll be happy with your decision.

[W.Witcher]

Home is where my husband goes and his new job took him to Grove. He actually works all over the US but this is where we'll be based. I already have the address of where I'm going. I should be out there in July and my husband said I won't have to stress about getting back to work right away after all. I need the vacation anyway. Haven't taken one in years. I skate alot and he said the pavement looks pretty good. He's there right now by the way. I can't wait to get the heck out of here. California sucks. The people here suck. I have never worked with so many lazy people in all my life. It's a miracle this state produces anything at all. So needless to say I'll be very happy to leave here. Thank you so much for responding and let's keep in touch Jammie.

[mkfarnam]

W.Witcher Wrote:

The people here suck. I have never worked with so many lazy people in all my life. It's a miracle this state produces anything at all. So needless to say I'll be very happy to leave here. Thank you so much for responding and let's keep in touch Jammie.

Watch it! I have`nt left California yet. lol
But I agree.

Since the last part of 2005, 49,000(and counting) families have left California.

[Mattie Jo]

W. Witcher,

All I can say about your husband's job and his moving to Grove is, What a great deal. I believe you will love it there. I know when I see it I will want to live there, but when I travel I always find places that I want to move to, and you can't live everywhere.

They are pretty lazy in CA. I have walked into so many stores where clerks are one the phone to a friend and don't get off to even help you. I would so much rather be here in OK, where they talk to customers instead even if they continue longer than one would expect, which is rather nice because you know that they will give you the same amount of time and more if you need it.

California's real workers are the Mexican. I have never seen so many hard working people in my life.

We left CA in 95 and headed east. That was also a period when people were moving out fast. The news article said that those moving in were welfare and so it is fast becoming a welfare state, not to mention illegals. People move there from other States because you can get more welfare money there.

But when we moved we had gone to the south, and I was very unhappy in the south. My biggest complaints were as usual, lack of good shopping, but more so lack of real trees, not that Miss didn't have trees but Texas and Florida didn't unless in TX you were by the Louisiana border. I wanted to move to New Orleans but being that my husband was in construction they were at a standstill, so we headed back to CA because I was homesick for my parents. Now that they are gone, nothing was holding me. I don't even miss CA.

MK, when are you leaving that hell hole?

Yes, Oklahomans are receptive to CA. I went to help out the garden club today, and I worried that being from CA they may not accept me. It was my first experience of dealing with people on a more intimate level outside of going to the Unitarian Church. One asked me where I was from, and I said that I have lived in TX, FL, and mainly CA, and then she said that she would forgive me for having lived in CA since I have lived elsewhere, just joking. I threw in other States out of fear. Well, we were weeding the park of plants that are not weeds to me. I came home with a baby red bud tree and two pecan trees. I also got some poke weed because I was told that birds love it, just to find that I have some at home. There was a lot more growing in the park's flower bed, but I have the same at home. And then Monday they are having a pot luck that I may attend.

[Honeybee]

Originally Posted by jessaka

W. Witcher,

All I can say about your husband's job and his moving to Grove is, What a great deal. I believe you will love it there. I know when I see it I will want to live there, but when I travel I always find places that I want to move to, and you can't live everywhere.

They are pretty lazy in CA. I have walked into so many stores where clerks are one the phone to a friend and don't get off to even help you. I would so much rather be here in OK, where they talk to customers instead even if they continue longer than one would expect, which is rather nice because you know that they will give you the same amount of time and more if you need it.

California's real workers are the Mexican. I have never seen so many hard working people in my life.

We left CA in 95 and headed east. That was also a period when people were moving out fast. The news article said that those moving in were welfare and so it is fast becoming a welfare state, not to mention illegals. People move there from other States because you can get more welfare money there.

But when we moved we had gone to the south, and I was very unhappy in the south. My biggest complaints were as usual, lack of good shopping, but more so lack of real trees, not that Miss didn't have trees but Texas and Florida didn't unless in TX you were by the Louisiana border. I wanted to move to New Orleans but being that my husband was in construction they were at a standstill, so we headed back to CA because I was homesick for my parents. Now that they are gone, nothing was holding me. I don't even miss CA.

MK, when are you leaving that hell hole?

Yes, Oklahomans are receptive to CA. I went to help out the garden club today, and I worried that being from CA they may not accept me. It was my first experience of dealing with people on a more intimate level outside of going to the Unitarian Church. One asked me where I was from, and I said that I have lived in TX, FL, and mainly CA, and then she said that she would forgive me for having lived in CA since I have lived elsewhere, just joking. I threw in other States out of fear. Well, we were weeding the park of plants that are not weeds to me. I came home with a baby red bud tree and two pecan trees. I also got some poke weed because I was told that birds love it, just to find that I have some at home. There was a lot more growing in the park's flower bed, but I have the same at home. And then Monday they are having a pot luck that I may attend.

That is just Wonderful sounds like your finding your place there Jess I love to shop as well and I look alot too .If I see something that I just have to have I get it .I hope to find some little shops and I also love the Goodwill stores and thrift stores You can find some real neat things in those places . Best to you sweetie and your new home .We are moving June 22 heading to BA to our new home we just bought Plan on taking our time because I will have our 3 little dogs with us it least 3 days to get there .My daughter and her hubby just got there to there home they bought in BA they love it so far I can't wait to get there I miss my grandkids and my kids .