Is OK okay for us? (Tahlequah, May: relocation, showing, vacation)

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

We hope so ComputerGuy!

I just read the info from that link you sent earlier...
Most excellent! Enjoyed the photos.

Tulsa looks really huge to me as I haven't been to Boston in like 8 years.
Looks pretty though... Also looks like I'd get lost there... But according to you folks, someone would be happy to give me directions.

Just saw the new posts... I'm on information overload!

Hopefully, I can get back to everyone before dinner.

If I'm wrong, I'm sure I'll be reprimanded (and I'll take it like a man if I am), but it appears that perhaps GP and Schousse are a married couple...

Just saw GP's last post and on top of being quite informative, it also points me to an area that's in the North East... Which was my original choice before we had a clue... (If we can afford to get a place there cash.) Lots of research to do!

Unless all you folks work for the OK Chamber of Commerce, you've all sold me on OK... And the family is liking it too. Can't wait to sell my house!
Now I have to start looking for a replacement for me to service my clients...
It won't be easy up here... I'm the Bozo who cleans up the competitions' messes. Wish me luck. (Yeah, it sounds arrogant, but this place is still in the stone age.. Even the techs here.)

Thanks for all the info..

You guys are great....
Off to the next reply....

M.

[peggydavis]

ComputerGuy, you asked me about our kids having to work in OKC or Tulsa. Now I wonder why I think that. They are not the types to start their own business, so they want to work for big companies. Bartlesville, Duncan, and Ponca City are 3 towns I can think of that have lost their major corporations. Lawton is the only town not connected to OKC or Tulsa I can think of that is increasing in population and business opportunities. Of course, people work and live in many small places in Oklahoma. Our kids would never consider moving to those smaller places, so maybe I am just talking about my own kids. Even in little Holdenville, we have a company
Visual Lease Services, Inc. - Holdenville, OK - Plat Books, Oil ...


and they have been pretty successful doing whatever they do that involves satellite imagery and computers, gps, whatever.

We have several lawyers, real estate agents, financial services and whatnot. We have a prison that provides employment, and a Tyson Pork Group facility. I guess someone who had some get up and go could be successful even in a little place like Holdenville. Plus, houses are amazingly cheap here. Nearby are Ada, Seminole, and McAlester, bigger towns that have more businesses. I think other parts of Oklahoma are the same way and you can find a place you like in NE or Northern Oklahoma.

I guess I sounded like a desperado or something. Well, I wasn't communicating too well, we are law-abiding citizens. My husband collects guns and they are frequently (always) lying around in his vehicle, but not loaded. I wonder how I would explain that if I drove his truck and then got stopped. We don't have to pack heat for protection here, we are not really that backwoodsy. So, if you like to carry guns around with you, having a concealed carry permit is advisable, and not that hard to get.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

CG, we are real estate appraisers, so we HAVE to have good internet. We haven't printed a paper report in over a year....everything goes out pdf, and 100% of our research is done online....
and we subscribe to data sources that have large files.....MLS's, county records, google, National geographic maps, county mapping programs, etc.

Yeah, I know... I do paperless offices up here for my FEW advanced clients.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

We use HughesNet for our service, as the local dial up is really dirty and fails every time it gets wet.......not just rained on, but from a heavy dew.

The landlines aren't significantly better up here... Although I still have a few clients on dial-up.

BTW... Who maintains your network and takes care of your IT needs?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

We finally dropped our land line completely.....$35 a month we don't need to spend if it fails when you need it most. We lose signal on the satellite only in the heaviest of rains.....maybe 6 times this year so far.

That's about half what it costs up here. And when it fails, they don't seem to care very much... Now you can see why I'm so down on satellite.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Last winter we had to brush snow off once in a while (we got 4" one day....and I couldn't wait the three days for it to melt).

If you are related to schousse as I suspect you may be, I won't pick on you for not knowing what REAL snow and ice are since schousse lived on the Cape.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

At those times we just kick back, pour some ice tea and sit on the porch and enjoy the country. There isn't a job in the world that can't wait another hour before they get it.

I can't say the same in my business.
If the network doesn't go, nothing else does either.
I get NO vacations and NO sick-time... Been that way for the last 10 years...
My boss (me) doesn't allow it. I'm the most evil boss I've ever had.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

and we have more power outages than down time on the satellite anyway.

And knowing the kind of smart guy you are, I KNOW you have a UPS on all your machines.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

I was thinking about how I would set up a business, and where, with your parameters and wants, and I would look at the Osage Hills area southwest of Bartlesville. Nice hill country, some spectacular views, 30 minutes from Bartlesville, 30 minutes from Tulsa.

Bartlesville is a very impressive small city. It has all the civilization you have to have.....wal-mart, car dealers, accountants, architects, engineers, etc. It has a one company economic base: Conoco-Phillips. If C-P decides to move totally to Houston, the refinery there will still be operational and with oil hitting $100 a barrel all the old stripper wells are being brought back on line providing long term service industry prospects. Bartlesville is home of the Price Tower....the only high rise office building by Frank Lloyd Wright; it offers free wifi throughout the downtown area; it has a really good historic sense, so the old downtown buildings are maintained really well; Wal-Mart has built a distribution center 12 miles south of town which lends itself to economic stability and, as it is new, will continue making a positive impact for a long time to come; there are a couple of private Universities there as well as a campus of Rogers State University; the OKMozart festival is awesome.....in short, it has a lot of things going for it.

Sounds completely awesome. If I remember correctly, Bartlesville either had a dearth of available properties or there was nothing much in our range... I'll have to ask my professional RE surfer... (Wifey)

But it looks like a vicinity we're definitely interested in.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

The area I am talking about are the Osage Hills that can be found east and south of Pawhuska, around Barnsdall and Avant. Land is relatively inexpensive, taxes are low, building codes are almost non-existent, people are willing to help out, but otherwise leave you alone.

I'll add those places to the list... They sound great.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Bartlesville is 45 minutes from Tulsa with the usual excellent shopping, parks, etc. East of Tulsa is the Port of Catoosa...the most inland ocean access port in the US; Tulsa has an incredible cultural offerings, having both a philharmonic and an opera. The Jazz Festival is of national importance, the Dfest is one of the best adult alternate rock festivals around, the Octoberfest brings visitors from around the world; Tulsa even has the worlds largest gun show, with 2500 booths on 10 acres INDOORS of nothing but guns, twice a year. It is home to the Palomino Horse Association, it has an arena football team, it has ice rinks and a hockey team, There is noise about getting another soccer team there, it is home to music legends like JJ Cale, Garth Brooks, Roy Clark, Leon Russell, actors like Gary Busey and Gaillard Sartain. There are 7 private degree granting Universities (University of Tulsa, whose football team just beat Army; Oral Roberts; Wesleyan, Southern Nazarene, St Gregory's University, Spartan College of Aeronautics, Phoenix University), five state University campuses (OU, OSU, Rogers State U, Northeastern State U, and Langston U), countless private tech and business schools, Vo-Tech and Tulsa Community Junior College.

Okay, I'm sold!
Now to find a way to make it happen ASAP.
After seeing OK in person of course...
I have a feeling we're going to come to and end up living in OK the same way Jessaka did.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

If you lived near us, you would be in more of the plains, and would be about halfway between Tulsa and Stillwater, home of Oklahoma State.

Which if I'm correct would be about 90 minutes from either big city?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Frankly, a person could do a lot worse than the Tulsa/Green Country area..........us curmudgeons are frequently conflicted......we have a desire to keep this area off the map so to speak....we don't want M*******s finding out about it......and that desire conflicts with our natural (and justifiable) need to brag........

Would "M*******s" stand for a word containing "Mass" and "holes"?
(A term assigned to the lovely citizens of MA by people NOT from MA.)
If so, I was quite happy to leave them all in my rear view mirror.

You've been VERY helpful. Thanks so much!

And... If you are related to schousse, I've DM'ed our requirements to her (him?)
(Hard to tell from the little info I've gotten here in the last few days that I started on this forum.) Sure hope I don't get flamed for my assumptions!
(*Cringing*)

If I'm wrong, please feel free to properly chastise me.

Thanks,

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Lets hold off on that till we find out how he waves when you drive by, ok?

Hey pal...

I still wave at a lot folks I pass up here... Even though it's appeared to have gone out of style as of late!

(Took about 6 months to get used to it, but once you do, it's a hard habit to break. )

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Hi Peggy,

Originally Posted by peggydavis

ComputerGuy, you asked me about our kids having to work in OKC or Tulsa. Now I wonder why I think that. They are not the types to start their own business, so they want to work for big companies.

Running your own business is NOT for everyone.
A friend I have up here tried it last year, doing business telephone systems and data cabling, and panicked during a slow season.
And things up here always seem to go up and down.
It takes a certain kind of person to ride out the slower times without going insane...
Especially in the depressed economy up here.
I might be insane, but I sure hope not.

If OK didn't look promising for my own business, I have PLENTY of experience in the IT field. I could take a 9-5 job if I had to. Heck... It would be a LOT easier.
(I must be a sucker for punishment.)

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Bartlesville, Duncan, and Ponca City are 3 towns I can think of that have lost their major corporations. Lawton is the only town not connected to OKC or Tulsa I can think of that is increasing in population and business opportunities.

I was just told that Bartlesville and the surrounding areas were a good prospect.
It's close enough to Tulsa though

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Of course, people work and live in many small places in Oklahoma. Our kids would never consider moving to those smaller places, so maybe I am just talking about my own kids.

Yeah, kids like the "excitement" of the city. As for my wife and I, we could live without it. (Been there, done that.)

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Even in little Holdenville, we have a company
Visual Lease Services, Inc. - Holdenville, OK - Plat Books, Oil ...
and they have been pretty successful doing whatever they do that involves satellite imagery and computers, gps, whatever.

You mean "Hooterville"?
Thanks, I'll check out those links.
Sounds close enough for rock n' roll if need be.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

We have several lawyers, real estate agents, financial services and whatnot. We have a prison that provides employment, and a Tyson Pork Group facility. I guess someone who had some get up and go could be successful even in a little place like Holdenville.

Ma'am... I get the job done, or I couldn't have been self-employed for 10 years.
You and others here are giving me a lot of hope for OK.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Plus, houses are amazingly cheap here. Nearby are Ada, Seminole, and McAlester, bigger towns that have more businesses. I think other parts of Oklahoma are the same way and you can find a place you like in NE or Northern Oklahoma.

NE and N. OK are looking pretty sweet at the moment, but I'll end up checking out the outlying areas of OKC also before we make any decisions.

All the info I've gotten here has been great.

Originally Posted by peggydavis

I guess I sounded like a desperado or something. Well, I wasn't communicating too well, we are law-abiding citizens. My husband collects guns and they are frequently (always) lying around in his vehicle, but not loaded. I wonder how I would explain that if I drove his truck and then got stopped. We don't have to pack heat for protection here, we are not really that backwoodsy. So, if you like to carry guns around with you, having a concealed carry permit is advisable, and not that hard to get.

Peggy, I never for a second considered you to be desperado-like.
I never meant to infer that... I was just being a wise guy.
My sense of humor is somewhat like RedBird or GP... Although I've tried to be on good behavior here.

I'm not what one would consider to be a gun nut, but we do enjoy our firearms and I like having them around... I also like the ability to carry when I'm somewhere that I feel it would be a good idea to do so... Especially when I'm accompanied by the wife and kids in an area that may not have a great reputation.... It's my job to protect them from that nasty old world out there.

For the record, I can't remember the last time I carried up here, but as I said, I like the ability to do so.

Thanks for all the info, all you folks have been great... I hope you're all representative of the average Okies.... I know we'll enjoy it there.

Thanks,

M.

P.S
I've been on here for over 12 hours today...
(I only do that at work when required. )
I'm starting to get pixellated and making a few too many typos for my taste...
But I'm getting some great info and meeting good people... So it's worth it.

[peggydavis]

Well, N and NE OK are at least slightly cooler as far as weather goes. Bartlesville is getting the new WalMart distribution center, and that will pick business up. When they lost Phillips 66 headquarters, that was a hard blow for the town. Any town of about 35,000 that lost several thousand good-paying jobs would be in trouble. They are making a comeback though.

[Goodpasture]

Mass***** ......yep, nailed it.

UPS on one machine.....everything else we unplug

schousse is my business partner, among other things......she is pretty sharp....knows a good thing when she sees it.

The $35 a month is for a ground line. The phone company doesn't have dsl in the area yet, although they are putting conduit in the ground out front. I would look at both HughesNet and wildblue for isp in the rural areas.......remember we are a lot further south than you, so the inclination level for a geostationary satellite is about 44 degrees so we are optimum for sat service. Cost of isp service runs between $59 to $99 or so, plus hardware. An option is the sprint or att cell cards. We use one in the field and it works pretty good.

If the network goes down things don't go here either.....but folks don't get their shorts in a wad about it, here. Not like New England

Okie City is about an hour west and south, Tulsa is 35-40 minutes east....we do both several times a month.

Concealed carry is cheap and easy to get. If you are a resident, you can go to a sporting goods store or gun shop and buy a gun (any legal gun) and take it home with you. If you don't carry the gun concealed, you don't need the concealed carry permit....so if you are into Cowboy Action and you need a couple of 45 caliber vaqueros don't bother with any permits.

If you want to come visit, let me or schousse know and we will try to get some info for you as to what is available in the areas you are looking at. If you don't mind primitive we could probably find a pillow or two for you around here somewhere.

Be warned though.....been thinking of voting for Hillary just to tick off the folks down the road.......this is such a red effing state that it won't make any difference anyway.

[Nameless]

There's been like 6 pages today. Don't any of you have to work weekends! Sorry in advance for not reading all those pages. But I just thought this was hilarious!

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Well, N and NE OK are at least slightly cooler as far as weather goes.

That's always a plus!

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Bartlesville is getting the new WalMart distribution center, and that will pick business up. When they lost Phillips 66 headquarters, that was a hard blow for the town. Any town of about 35,000 that lost several thousand good-paying jobs would be in trouble. They are making a comeback though.

That sounds a little concerning...
When I came up here, the area was "up and coming" but over the last 2 years, it seems to be "down and going".

I figured it was going to be about 5 years until they hit the 21st century...
Now it looks like it will be another 10 years. I'm a patient guy, but...

M.

[TheComputerGuy]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Mass***** ......yep, nailed it.

Yeah, I certainly wouldn't enjoy living amongst those folk

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

UPS on one machine.....everything else we unplug

Even when no one is home?
Also even when there isn't a storm happening, surges and brownouts can kill or weaken your equipment. You want to be a little wary about that.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

schousse is my business partner, among other things......she is pretty sharp....knows a good thing when she sees it.

So are you implying that you're a "good thing"?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

The $35 a month is for a ground line. The phone company doesn't have dsl in the area yet, although they are putting conduit in the ground out front.

When you say "ground line" am I to understand that you're only receiving from the satellite and transmitting via land line? 2-way satellite has been around for over 5 years... I think I'm misunderstood you.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

I would look at both HughesNet and wildblue for isp in the rural areas.......remember we are a lot further south than you, so the inclination level for a geostationary satellite is about 44 degrees so we are optimum for sat service. Cost of isp service runs between $59 to $99 or so, plus hardware.

I have experience with both providers, and they leave a lot to be desired...
But... NH isn't the greatest location to take advantage of satellite.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

An option is the sprint or att cell cards. We use one in the field and it works pretty good.

What kind of speeds do you get out of that?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

If the network goes down things don't go here either.....but folks don't get their shorts in a wad about it, here. Not like New England

But I LIKE when they get their knickers in a twist.
In MA and S. NH if a machine so much as hiccups, they place a service call immediately... That's profitable...

Up here, if their machine boots up within about 10 minutes and only crashes every 20 minutes, they tolerate it... Not good for business.
(Bear in mind I'm generalizing a bit... It's not really that bad, but it seems like it.)

Finicky clients LOVE me!

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Concealed carry is cheap and easy to get.

Not compared to NH...

In NH, you fill out the application and if you're squeaky clean like I am, in under 2 weeks, you pay them $10 and pick up your permit at the local PD.
It's a "Shall Issue" state. The only better places for CCW are VT and AK.
No permits are required.

Whereas in OK, you have to take a training course for around $60 and pass a test to get a certificate, then you pay a $100 non-refundable fee fill out an application and from what I've read it can take up to 90 days to get your permit.

Definitely not cheap OR easy compared to NH.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

If you are a resident, you can go to a sporting goods store or gun shop and buy a gun (any legal gun) and take it home with you.

Same here... Even at Walmart.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

If you don't carry the gun concealed, you don't need the concealed carry permit....so if you are into Cowboy Action and you need a couple of 45 caliber vaqueros don't bother with any permits.

Yeah, but there are a LOT of folk who get uptight when they see someone open carry.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

If you want to come visit, let me or schousse know and we will try to get some info for you as to what is available in the areas you are looking at. If you don't mind primitive we could probably find a pillow or two for you around here somewhere.

Thanks for the offer. We WILL be coming to look at OK after we sell out up here.
Until then, I don't get any time off or vacations. I'm on duty M-F 8am-4pm.

And unless for some unfathomable reason we found the place to be repulsive,
we're about 95% sure we want to live there. I'm pretty sure we won't find it repulsive.

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Be warned though.....been thinking of voting for Hillary just to tick off the folks down the road.......

What did the folks down the road ever do to you?

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

this is such a red effing state that it won't make any difference anyway.

You make it sound like a bad thing....
Maybe you haven't been away from MA long enough...
Don't worry... The effects wear off in 5 - 7 years.

Thanks,

M.