Is OK okay for us? (Tulsa, Lawton: real estate, home, rent)

[redbird4848]

Originally Posted by TheComputerGuy

Besides... I came here to learn about OK.
M.

Mein gott, pewterguy, that country your in is bee-yoo-teeful! You're gonna leave that behind for this?



Our newspaper girl refuses to deliver the The Oklahoman to our place after this past spring and summer's rains. Our pathetic dirt road is a baby red river.

[jessaka]

The higher the temperature the lower the humidity is true. Maybe someone was just saying that because they were complaining or just believed it to be so. I didn't find it bad here like I said, I have lived where I couldn't stand it. I was able to work in the garden in the summer; I couldn't elsewhere like Florida or Mississippi.

[jessaka]

Originally Posted by peggydavis
I like to read to viewpoints from non-natives, like Jessaka, Schouse, and LadyRobyn to name a few. Maybe Redbird. I mean non-natives to OK so Redbird is a non-native in that respect. It is interesting to look at things I take for granted from another point of view

.

Viewpoints on what?

[jessaka]

Okay, Computer Guy, I found just where you have to live, otherwise you may miss your State. It is just as someone here said, Quachita Moutains. Find a town near it, and then you will have Ft. Smith, AR as your biggest city.

Ouachita Mountains trip Photo Gallery by Mark at pbase.com

This is in the Southeastern part of Oklahoma, and if you live near the mountains you won't have tornadoes, but get very close to them or find a town that isn't flat. Hmmm, is that possible? Perhaps you can't live in the mountains, all parks. You will have ticks and mosquitoes though.

[redbird4848]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

I like to read to viewpoints from non-natives, like Jessaka, Schouse, and LadyRobyn to name a few. Maybe Redbird. I mean non-natives to OK so Redbird is a non-native in that respect.

I am half and half. I never considered CA my home, even though I spent most of my childhood years there.

My family used Route 66 quite often in the old days to travel back and forth from CA to OK. We would move to OK and stay for a few years (always rural) then move back to CA when the employment situation got too bad for my folks.

And every summer, me and my brother would write letters to my grandma and grandpa and ask to spend the entire summer with them. In our home, whenever my parents spoke of OK, they always referred to it as "back home".

I really like the part of Oklahoma I'm in now- *Hughes County, its not as pretty as Green Country or SE Oklahoma, but the people here are very friendly. I am from SW OK where I encountered a lot of blatant racism as a child. Although one has to remember the Kiowa/Comanche/Apache tribes were pretty warlike and the relationships between Indian/whites were exasperated by both sides.

Our country is definitely getting better in that department. All in all, I think OK people treat you on how you behave. Although I think there is a lot of shifting of negative feelings toward the illegals. Guess everyone takes a turn in America being the bad guy.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Well, it is not that beautiful in OK as NH is in your pictures.

And those weren't even the GOOD pics.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

OK has its own beauty that you learn to appreciate, and the camera is not big enough to take a picture of it. SE Oklahoma is probably the most beautiful part of the state.

I hear you. In my experience, the people you live with can be more important than where you live. The better you like a place, the better it looks.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Tulsa & OKC are nothing like Boston when it comes to traffic. People from other states laugh at us when we talk about traffic.

I hope you're right!
We'll see...

Originally Posted by peggydavis

OKC looks huge on the map, but it is spread out. Some people call it sprawl, but we like to have elbow room. I was just a kid when I lived in the east, and the crowdedness bothered me then. I could never live with that again, but it will be fun to visit.

Elbow room is GOOD!

I've become spoiled in this rural area...
When I drive an hour South, the traffic starts making me uptight.
But it's still WAY better than it was in MA.

It's all relative I guess.
I'll have to find out for myself.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

I like the way OK has opportunities for my children to make a living without moving away. All 4 of our kids have a great education courtesy of OK, nice places to live, and a good place for our grandkids to grow up.

That's a pretty glowing recommendation. OK has moved up yet another notch for us.
Do most people agree with your sentiments?

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Five months of harsh winter. 20-30 degrees below zero. I lived in Wisconsin for 2 winters and I thought that was cold. It was not windy there, though. I got tired of no sunny days there. Now I wish for cloudy days.

It only gets that cold for 2 or 3 weeks... It certainly makes one appreciate the rest of the average Winter.

Here's a good one....
Last March we had a storm that dumped over 3 feet of snow (not counting drifts) in under 24 hours. That was fun to shovel out of.
But we know how to deal with snow up here.. It didn't even shut the place down for more than 10 hours or so.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Keep us posted. We would love to have you here, as well as Montanamom and Coleeng.

Thanks for the kind invitation!
If the majority of people there are anything like the people I've met here,
I'm 95% sure that OK will become our new home.

Thanks for the post!

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Thanks for the laugh... I needed it.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

They ARE huge. Sometimes, during rush hour, it takes almost 40 minutes to go from one side of town to the other.

We're taking about OKC right?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

It isn't the country that is all that windy....it's the people. Go into a supermarket and before you are through the checkout, you know the life history of everyone else in line, you have seen the cashiers grandkids pictures, and you've been invited to three different churches.

That's okay, the real locals here (what few are left at least) are very much the same.
It took a while to get used to that, having come from MA, but it sure beats people trying to cut in front of you, spouting profanities. Especially when some of those people smell like they haven't bathed in a while.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

you should have been here a few weeks ago. A fellas pigs got out after dark......you should have heard the cussing and carrying on. Especially when he stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle.

I thought you didn't have any neighbors?

Besides... If my new neighbors had a pig and it got out, the only way we could tell would be that the pig would be smaller, quieter and have more clothing on than their kids do.

Have you ever seen loud, obese, half naked children flying around outdoors?
It ain't pretty my friend! My poor daughter almost went blind.
(NOTE: Their parents aren't significantly better. The woman cusses like a sailor.)
(No offense to sailors!)

It wasn't like that here a year ago.

Unless one has some acreage, you can't choose your neighbors.
(Yeah, I know, you don't have that problem.)

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

We have a fella half a mile away been practicing with his black powder rifle. I think he does archery as well, but I can't tell from here.

Archery is very quiet and one of the few good neighbors I have actually builds black powder rifles and flintlocks. (Unfortunately, we have to go to the range to shoot them. Firearms cannot be discharged within 300ft. of a dwelling... And the lots are relatively small here.) It would sure be nice to have enough land to zero my rifles without having to drive 7 miles.

In this part of NH most of us have LOTS of firearms, and with the exception of VT and AK, our concealed carry laws make OK's look absolutely Draconian! You fill out an application, pay your $10 and if you have a squeaky-clean record like I do, you get your permit in under 2 weeks. (Quite frankly, as far as I'm concerned, the 2nd Amendment should be our permit, but that's a discussion for a different forum.)
(NO flames please!)

But... OK's firearm laws are better than some of the places we've looked into, so I guess it's not a deal breaker...

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Again, we are in a lot the same situation. Bought 20 acres down the road and the taxes are up to $150 for the year.....and there is nothing on it but weeds and trees.

Oh yeah?
I have just over an acre and my property tax is over $4,000 this year.
(Then again, we have no income tax or sales tax (so far) but the commies in our local government are doing their best to change that... And I guarantee it won't drop our property tax accordingly.)

Isn't it nice of them to spend MY money more wisely than they think I could spend it myself?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Again, I know what you mean....passed three pickups yesterday and only two people waved.

It used to be that way up here, but it's changed over the years.
I could EASILY get used to that again! That rocked!

Thanks for the post goodpasture, I really enjoyed it!

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by colleeng47

That's precisely why my family is making the trek west (hubby and I joke about "going west" for a better life for the yunguns' -- makes us feel very Wagon Train). Anyway, in order for our kids to have any kind of life here in NJ, they have to either go for their MBA, law degree, or other highly educated professional degree. Then pay $350,000 plus for a small starter home, pay about $8-$10,000 in property taxes and spend the rest of their lives working 60 hours a week to pay for it all. AND have to commute a hour or more into either New York City or Philadelphia. Don't want that for them. DD is into horses and storms, son wants to make films -- after he gets some training in a trade (like carpentry or such) to have a steady paycheck.

I want to say I really love all the positive and friendly posts on this forum. I'm so glad I stumbled onto it.

New Jersey? What exit?
(Sorry, I have a friend from NJ and he told me ask that question of anyone I meet from there. Apparently it's an NJ inside joke. So far, I haven't been slapped so...)
And yes, I've been there once when the kids were little to go to Six Flags.

Yes, we DO seem to be in the same boat.
It's not all that different here... Even in Rural NH.

And yes, we seem to have found a pretty friendly and diverse group here, ranging from men & women, from 17 to retired. That's pretty helpful.
(Aren't we lucky?)

I've viewed a few other state forums that aren't near as friendly.

From my experience here, we will definitely be visiting OK and if the average folk there are like the folks here, I'm pretty sure we will make it our new home.
(Now to narrow that LARGE state down to an area that we like, where there's decent employment opportunities in my field, that we can afford to buy cash, (we want to be mortgage-free. THAT will definitely improve the quality of our life.))

Thanks for the post!

Good luck,

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Mein gott, pewterguy, that country your in is bee-yoo-teeful! You're gonna leave that behind for this?

It looks that way...
Especially if most of the folks there are like you.
(Your post in the Intentional Communities thread killed me.)
You are definitely my kind of people.

Originally Posted by redbird4848

Our newspaper girl refuses to deliver the The Oklahoman to our place after this past spring and summer's rains. Our pathetic dirt road is a baby red river.

We're no strangers to dirt roads...
In fact a lot of roads here are actually better in the Winter than they are the rest of the year. A lot smoother to drive on at least.

Thanks,

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Hi Jessaka,

Originally Posted by jessaka

The higher the temperature the lower the humidity is true.

I've heard that from enough people here to take it at face value.
As far aw I know, no one's lied to me yet.

Originally Posted by jessaka

Maybe someone was just saying that because they were complaining or just believed it to be so. I didn't find it bad here like I said, I have lived where I couldn't stand it. I was able to work in the garden in the summer; I couldn't elsewhere like Florida or Mississippi.

I've been to FL MANY times, but only in February...
But even my ancient in-laws (who kept their NH home at 85 degrees all winter) come back to NH in the Summer.

Heat is a relative thing though, so the best way to judge, will be to experience it for myself.

Thanks for the post,

M.