question? (Oklahoma City, Norman, Edmond: relocation, real estate, tornadoes)

[Cali_Okie_Girl]

Moderator cut: off topicim Britney im 15, i currently live in Norman Oklahoma with my grandparents. I use to live in Greensburg Kansas and i lost my parents in the F-5 tornado I was just wondering...what is there to do in Norman Ok..i have lived here since May but i havent gotten around to explore it. I know theres the college but what eles is there? Also have any F-5 tornadoes or any other tornadoes been recorded in Norman? I really thank you for the responses.

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by Cali_Okie_Girl

hey im new to this board..im Britney im 15, i currently live in Norman Oklahoma with my grandparents. I use to live in Greensburg Kansas and i lost my parents in the F-5 tornado I was just wondering...what is there to do in Norman Ok..i have lived here since May but i havent gotten around to explore it. I know theres the college but what eles is there? Also have any F-5 tornadoes or any other tornadoes been recorded in Norman? I really thank you for the responses.

Hi Britney, just wanted to let you know that I'm SO sorry for your loss. You're in my prayers.

Norman, Oklahoma (OK) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

There is only one of your questions that I can answer and it's provided in the link above. Norman did have a Category 5 back in 1999. Just keep scrolling until you're past the weather graphs and it tells you about tornadic activity.

[peggydavis]

Hi Jammie, Did you have a good Thanksgiving? In 1999 the tornado did not go into Norman. 15 miles away is a long way when we are talking about a tornado. It was close enough to sound the sirens but Norman has never had any tornado activity to speak of. I think that is why Norman has so many beautiful trees.

Hey Britney. I am so sorry too. That was a really terrible tornado. My daughter goes to school at OU but I don't know what high school kids do in Norman.

[Nameless]

I'm 17 so you'd think I could think of a ton of stuff to do, lol. But from what I've noticed every teenager here is just like ones in a small town like you're from. We just hang out and waste time pretty much. But Oklahoma City/Norman is huge, there's tons to do.

[ogre]

Originally Posted by peggydavis

Hi Jammie, Did you have a good Thanksgiving? In 1999 the tornado did not go into Norman. 15 miles away is a long way when we are talking about a tornado. It was close enough to sound the sirens but Norman has never had any tornado activity to speak of. I think that is why Norman has so many beautiful trees.

Hey Britney. I am so sorry too. That was a really terrible tornado. My daughter goes to school at OU but I don't know what high school kids do in Norman.

Hi Britney. I'm very sorry to hear about your situation. Thank God you have had family to turn to, but I know this is hard, and I wish you the best.

That link to City-Data's info on Norman, which Jammie provided, showed an F-5 about 15 miles away from Norman. I've checked out City-Data's info on a lot of towns, and just because they list a tornado does not mean that the town in question was hit. City-Data's info for all towns, except places where tornadoes are almost unheard of, like west of the Rockies, includes info on whatever the last two major tornadoes were that were anywhere near the town in question, even if it was 50 miles away. It looks as if the F-5 in '99 was the one that hit Moore, which is north of Norman. Here is a link to the NOAA records on tornadoes for the vicinity of Norman.

NCDC Storm Events-Select State

According to this, there were a couple of small F-0's in Norman as part of the same storm that hit Moore. Though it's possible that any place could be hit, that does not mean it will be. Moore seems to be in a bad spot. It has a significant history of tornadoes. On the other hand, as the NOAA info shows, historically there has been very little tornado activity in the vicinity of Norman.

As for what there is to do in Norman, in your original post you don't say what you like to do, but here are some possibilities:

Here is a link to the Norman Parks & Rec department, where you can find info on city-sponsored recreation and youth sports:

http://www.ci.norman.ok.us/parks/default.htm

Here is a link to a page from the local Convention and Visitors' Bureau, which links you to info on activities and attractions in the local area.

Norman Convention & Visitors Bureau Welcomes You to Norman, Oklahoma (broken link)

The attractions listed include a small local zoo, and Lake Thunderbird State Park, which I understand is just east of Norman, and has a large lake for water recreation of various sorts, as well as wooded areas with hiking and biking trails. I don't know whether museums interest you. I know they didn't interest me so much when I was 15, but your interests might be different from mine at that age, so you might also be interested in an art museum and a natural history museum, both on the campus of OU, and both listed on the left on this webpage. On the right side of the page are links to activities in OKC, such as a major zoo, an art museum, a science museum, and a downtown shopping and restaurant area called Bricktown, in case you and your grandparents have a chance to make a trip up to OKC.

A suggestion I can make for finding out about basic recreation available locally is to check out yellowpages.com. I entered three search items there for Norman--"theater," "bowling," and "miniature golf"--and I found that Norman has several bowling alleys, a family recreation center with mini-golf and batting cages and the like, and two multiplex movie theaters as well as an historic old place called the Sooner Theatre, where they have a variety of entertainment, including plays, concerts, and some movies.

I hope this gives you some ideas, and again, I wish you the best. Take care.:

[Cali_Okie_Girl]

Thank you so much for all your responses, im sorry i didnt get back to you sooner. I was out of town...i was in cali visiting with family. I've looked through all the links and i've found things to look forward to doing. I'm espically looking forward to Bricktown. My aunt and uncle are going to take me and my 2 sisters and my 2 brothers there. And my aunt is taking my little sister to the oklahoma zoo. We also might go to the Rose Rock museum, it looks intresting. I want to go to the city and hang out there and explore OK, near by neighborhoods, Moore, Edmond, Mustang, El Reno, Luther, Tuttle, and Mcloud maybe. I just want to say thanks so much for this info!

[peggydavis]

You are welcome, CaliOkieGirl. Hope you have some fun!

[jessaka]

ya really need to check out the city of Guthrie since you like historic towns. fun shopping there too.

[Cali_Okie_Girl]

kool...maybe i'll go there this weekend, just wondering how far is it from Norman? by the way my aunt Catlin took my little sis Deborah to the Oklahoma Zoo, SHE LOVED IT! she can't stop talking about it! My brother Braison (my twin) met 2 new friends! Evan and Matthew, there really nice boys. They have taken him around Norman and should him the hang out places and everything! My other brother Anthony who is 4 is also doing good. He loves the near by park! My other sister Madeline has joined a baby class i forgot what its called, but my grandma takes her (by the way shes only 7 months almost 8) its like a mommy and me class or something And me, i think im ok, im just trying to move on with my life but its really hard...im just trying to look forward to all the good stuff, you know Bricktown, exploring the diff OK towns, the city, rose rock muesum, just so much to look forward to. Thank you so much for giving me these ideas! You really helped me and my family!

[Synopsis]

I think that the OkC zoo is one of the best in the nation (perhaps 2nd or 3rd), and that's not just my opinion. It has been that way for decades.