[Jammie]

We had the opportunity to drive down to Poteau and it is really beautiful there. We really liked the northeastern area of the state though.

Bosscougar, glad you get to travel a lot and I'm glad you enjoyed the SD scenery. It is really beautiful in the Badlands and Black Hills. But you're right about the cold here. Our past two winters have been nice and this one has been nice SO FAR.

[metaljaybird]

Originally Posted by affluent

None...Oklahoma is not so great. I moved here from PA and made a mistake. I am now in Duncan OK where peopleare typical red necks and too conservative...Hope this helps you to rethink.

Wow, very tolerant statement from a liberal. Sheesh.

[2112]

Right now... my favorites are Kingfisher, Medford, Alva, and Davis/Sulphur.

[JPinOK]

I'm not a native Okie, but it grows on you! When I first moved here, it seemed very barren to me, having lived in Florida, WV, TN, and Georgia. The lack of large trees (in most of the state) was hard to get used to. So you adjust. In the 30 years we've lived here, we've planted many trees and flowers everywhere we've lived and have enjoyed our own yard and nearby parks.

Several pretty places I'd suggest are: Norman, Edmond, Ada, Ardmore, Locust Grove (very small town), and Enid. I can't say I've lived in all of those, but I have friends there and have visited them on more than one occasion. I've found them to be pretty, pleasant, and relatively great places to live. I think Tulsa is a beautiful city. The Green Country section of OK is probably the prettiest overall, in my opinion. Anything west of OKC is less desireable because the vegetation tends to go away as you travel west.

As for those who can't find anything positive to say about OK, I pity them. Each of us has a choice to enjoy life or be miserable. One of the BEST things about Oklahoma is the great people. Most are kind, helpful, and friendly. Of course, you'll find a few jerks everywhere...they probably even have some in PA.

[lilypad]

Eastern OK is green and pretty, was over by Sallisaw a few years ago. Stayed in Ft. Smith, a pretty and charming town across the border into Arkansas.

[deeptrance]

I love east central OK. In the summer of 2005 I drove to the west coast (I grew up there) then across the northern USA to Ontario and Vermont, then came back via back roads. I remember clearly how good it felt to get into Oklahoma from Arkansas, the streams were so clear and the mountains are beautiful. Yeah, it's isolated and it's a tough place to live for reasons highlighted by the multiple ice storms that have been attacking the area, and then there are blistering hot droughts in summer. It's not the easiest life. But it's beautiful in eastern OK.

I personally think that OK has one of the least-deserved negative reputations of any state in the USA. I get so sick of people calling the center of the nation "fly-over country" --- maybe if they got out of their planes and took a look around down where they can see the beauty, they'd notice that New York and Los Angeles aren't the only places on earth that matter.

I hate my own elitist upbringing. I grew up in Santa Barbara, my mom used to play as a child on the property where Oprah now lives. But I love the earthiness of people who have to struggle to get by, and Oklahoma is downright REAL with a lot of very good people. The biggest problem from what I heard while visiting is that crystal meth is ravaging a lot of the small towns. That drug is the worst thing to happen to the USA since auto companies destroyed our public transportation infrastructure in order to force us into dependence on oil. Meth and oil, the two worst addictions in America.

[gonefishing]

Pouteau....that is what I was trying to remember. We used to make fun of the name "Poh-toh" because it sounded funny but on a trip to see the Talimena drive I fell in love with the beauty of the area.

Southeast--Broken Bow is gorgeous. We had people within our company who live in TX who had second homes there. I couldn't understand that until I visited the Broken Bow area. Yeah, it is rural but gorgeous.

Tahlequah, too, is a little rural but beautiful.



Tulsa has a couple of areas in the city that are not true "new urbanism" but they have that feel. One is on Brookside (Peoria) where you probably still need a car since it is up and down the strip and the other is the Woodland Hills Mall area (subdivison next to the mall). You could do just about everything your really need to do without having to get out on a main street.

Some people like the areas out around Tulsa--Business owners and people whose jobs allow them to telecommute appreciate that the Tulsa Metro "Wide Area Calling " is one of the largest Wide Area Calling areas in the nation. Measuring more than 4,200 square miles within the toll free calling area-- stretching from Henryetta to Ochelata, and from Snug Harbor to Jennings, OK. (EX:There is no charge when calling from the Drumright phone service area to anyone within these parameters.)

OKC also has a very large calling area---Which is important if you are going to live outside the larger cites but need to call there often.

[gonefishing]

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=35.458095~-97.698943&style=h&lvl=7&scene=2915553&vendor=googl e&pkw=oklahoma_map (broken link)

Copy and paste the url to see a great map of all the green areas in the whole state!

[Synopsis]

Wow shad. Although I'd probably disagree with alot of what you say, I think it would help a bit to break up your paragraphs somewhat and not type so many run on sentences. I'm not trying to be snarky either. It's obvious you're passionate about the topic.

Although I like Tulsa much more than I do OkC, I have to agree with you a little bit on the attitude of Tulsans. They do tend to look down their noses a bit at OkC, and have done that for decades. It kind of bit them in the **** a little bit when OkC started developing things like crazy as a result of MAPS though.

As a native Oklahoman, I have a good deal to say about he whole OkC/Tulsa thing. And it has nothing really to do with which city is "better." It has more to do with the reasons behind this whole sibling rivalry between OkC and Tulsa. I'll start a new thread when I have the time and energy to tackle that topic though.

[Synopsis]

I would really have to disagree with you on the skyline Shad. Three of the tallest buildings in Oklahoma are located in Tulsa, and one of those isn't even downtown. Also, the phenomenal amount of money the oil millionaires spent in Tulsa in the 1920s and 1930s has resulted in one of the larger collections of art deco buildings in the U.S (mid-continent tower, Philcade, etc.). There are some wonderful architectural works of art in downtown tulsa. These are all my opinions, of course; that and 50 cents wouldn't buy me a cup of coffee.

Tulsa skyline:



OkC Skyline: