[bigboyz06]

I know that Lawton is the 3rd largest metropolitain area in Oklahoma but never hear anything about it. The only thing I know about it is Ft. Sill. What does anyone know about this area?

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by bigboyz06

I know that Lawton is the 3rd largest metropolitain area in Oklahoma but never hear anything about it. The only thing I know about it is Ft. Sill. What does anyone know about this area?

Great high school football.

[trythis]

The Wichita Mountains and Wichita Wildlife Refuge are near Lawton as well. I really enjoyed camping, climbing, and hiking there the times I went. Seeing Bison was neat. I heard they had elk, too. You can drive to the top of Mount Scott for one of the best views in western Oklahoma.

As for the city of Lawton itself. You are right that you don't hear much about it when you are elsewhere. You do hear about their football teams. Fort Sill gets some notice now and then. But, the city... not so much. I've only been there a few times in my youth. I do know that Cameron University is there.

Lawton once had a reputation as a bit of a rough place. Is that still the case?

[Griffis]

Originally Posted by trythis

The Wichita Mountains and Wichita Wildlife Refuge are near Lawton as well. I really enjoyed camping, climbing, and hiking there the times I went. Seeing Bison was neat. I heard they had elk, too. You can drive to the top of Mount Scott for one of the best views in western Oklahoma.

^^^ This.

The Wildlife Refuge is quite beautiful, and large. Wild bison and all kinds of other critters along with the various foliage...a lot of it resembles parts of the Desert Southwest. Some of it, to me, even looks like African savanna.

The view from the top of Mt. Scott is incredible.

You should remember, though, that the Wichita Mountains are ancient. They have been eroded greatly. This is nothing like the Rockies. You're not going to see majestic peaks at dizzying heights with the air so thin it takes your oxygen.

Also, if you are a drinker, they don't allow alcohol in. I mean, there's not a checkpoint or anything, but there are rangers. Probably no problem if you have sealed beer or spirits in your vehicle, but from what I understand, they are pretty serious about imbibing while in the refuge.

As for the city of Lawton itself. You are right that you don't hear much about it when you are elsewhere. You do hear about their football teams. Fort Sill gets some notice now and then. But, the city... not so much. I've only been there a few times in my youth. I do know that Cameron University is there.

Lawton once had a reputation as a bit of a rough place. Is that still the case?

I think Lawton has bounced back some. Back when I was in college nearby in the late 80s-early 90s it was considered rough. There were a zillion shady pawn shops from all the military personnel coming and going. When I went there back then it seemed pretty ghetto-tastic in a lot of places.

Nowadays it seems much more pleasant and safe. I don't know why this is. I was there recently with my family, spent a couple nights in a hotel and traversed the refuge and mountains a lot. There are many nice neighborhoods. The main drags through town on the highways with the little strip malls and all the fast food places and such is nothing to write home about, but the town does have some character in my opinion. Seems pleasant enough.

I don't mean to pry, but may I ask why you are inquiring about Lawton? Are you considering moving there or something?

[Army_Guy]

Originally Posted by trythis

Lawton once had a reputation as a bit of a rough place. Is that still the case?

Not much different from most other cities in the sense that there are good parts and there are rough parts. The far east and far west sides of Lawton are pretty nice with the far west side being newer. The far west side has the Super Wal Mart, which we referred to as the "rich people" Wal Mart and Target was being built when I left in March 2013.

The center of town isn't a place I'd like to live, I wouldn't want to live south of Gore Blvd., either for that matter.

The area south of Lee is definitely a dump, not to bad mouth it or anything but it is what it is. Lawton has a small airport but most flights go to Dallas to fly to other airports. Your other option is a 1.25 hour drive to the OKC airport.

I lived in Lawton for 1.5 years from August '09-August '10 and September '12-March '13 and I liked it there. Cost of living is low. Yes, it might be a small town to some people but I don't think there's anything missing there that you'd really need unless you were into higher end retail. During the time I was gone, they had built up a few more things in town such as Harbor Freight and other retail stores and small restaurants.

Military personnel would probably notice the big changes at Ft. Sill. I won't go into those unless you're military as it probably wouldn't interest you.

[okie1962]

I was in Lawton a few months ago and was surprised how much nicer it looked, compared to when I was there about 15 years ago. Lawton has really come a long way in the last 10 to 15 years.


Here is a picture I took from Mount Scott while I was there, it was very cloudy and overcast but still look pretty that day.
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[bigboyz06]

Originally Posted by Griffis

^^^ This.

The Wildlife Refuge is quite beautiful, and large. Wild bison and all kinds of other critters along with the various foliage...a lot of it resembles parts of the Desert Southwest. Some of it, to me, even looks like African savanna.

The view from the top of Mt. Scott is incredible.

You should remember, though, that the Wichita Mountains are ancient. They have been eroded greatly. This is nothing like the Rockies. You're not going to see majestic peaks at dizzying heights with the air so thin it takes your oxygen.

Also, if you are a drinker, they don't allow alcohol in. I mean, there's not a checkpoint or anything, but there are rangers. Probably no problem if you have sealed beer or spirits in your vehicle, but from what I understand, they are pretty serious about imbibing while in the refuge.



I think Lawton has bounced back some. Back when I was in college nearby in the late 80s-early 90s it was considered rough. There were a zillion shady pawn shops from all the military personnel coming and going. When I went there back then it seemed pretty ghetto-tastic in a lot of places.

Nowadays it seems much more pleasant and safe. I don't know why this is. I was there recently with my family, spent a couple nights in a hotel and traversed the refuge and mountains a lot. There are many nice neighborhoods. The main drags through town on the highways with the little strip malls and all the fast food places and such is nothing to write home about, but the town does have some character in my opinion. Seems pleasant enough.

I don't mean to pry, but may I ask why you are inquiring about Lawton? Are you considering moving there or something?

I heard there is a wild herd of longhorns there as well.

[SluggoF16]

And, as mentioned, bison. I work immediately adjacent to the Refuge.

Army-Guy mentioned also that Lawton is cleaning itself up. It's not Nichols Hills but it's coming along, new stores and storefronts, improved infrastructure, and decent rents. Also, the airport, which has several flights a day to DFW, is sometimes cheaper than flying out of OKC or DFW, with much lower parking fees than DFW.

[bigboyz06]

Cool.

[Merrily Gather]

My husband had an interview in Lawton recently and really loved the place, but he said there was a bad smell in the air of the town. He didn't want to be rude by asking what it was while he was there but does anyone know what that was?

Where we used to live there was a town that had a sugar beet factory that produced a bad smell throughout the year. Is it something like this that people have to learn to live with or is it a temporary problem and will go away?