[wmudderman]

We are heading to Fort Sill in a few months and I have concerns. I have 3 children and I have been warned of all the Gang problems in the area. It's a good 8-12 month wait to get onto post and I was just wondering if there is a town in the area that has not been affected by gangs. I see that towns within an okay distance to Fort Sill include Rush Springs, Marlow, Sterling, Walters, Elgin, Fletcher, Geronimo, Cache, Comanche, and Apache. Are any of these places safe for Family's to live in?

[in_the_gloaming]

Originally Posted by wmudderman

We are heading to Fort Sill in a few months and I have concerns. I have 3 children and I have been warned of all the Gang problems in the area. It's a good 8-12 month wait to get onto post and I was just wondering if there is a town in the area that has not been affected by gangs. I see that towns within an okay distance to Fort Sill include Rush Springs, Marlow, Sterling, Walters, Elgin, Fletcher, Geronimo, Cache, Comanche, and Apache. Are any of these places safe for Family's to live in?

Why don't you contact the Lawton Chamber of Commerce or Lawton Realty if you can? I used to live there many years ago and it has changed since I lived there. I can't comment on your conscerns off hand because I don't know enough current info. The last time I was there was almost three years ago..., August 2005. Also, I don't know if it will help, but you might contact the Lawton Police Department and go from there. I don't know if the Lawton PD will comment or not, but at any rate, its worth a try.

Rush Springs is too far away, if you're commuting, but; it is a nice town. Consider the price of gas. A friend of mine owned a car dealership there.

Elgin is also nice and its very convenient! N. E. of Lawton, going towards Fletcher.

Cache is to the west and is nice.

Marlow is like Rush Springs...,

Walters is just down the road from Geronimo. South of Lawton.

Where I lived in Lawton, we didn't have gang problems. But, that's some time ago.

[wmudderman]

Thank you for the advice. I will give that a try. We are only looking to rent until we can get on post. For the time we are off post though, I want to know that the place we live will be safe for my Children.

[LadyRobyn]

I would recommend Duncan... it is a bit of a drive, but not a difficult one. My hubby drove back and forth to Lawton for a year until he found work here in town.

Have you been to the base yet? (Ft. Sill) I've got quite a few pictures posted here from Duncan and a few from the base as well.

The new housing on base is really Nice! You can compare the Lawton crime stats to Duncan (or any of the other towns you are considering) by going to their Police Dept. website.

Lawton Police Information Page


Duncan Police Information Page

If you'd like any info about Duncan just give a shout.

[wmudderman]

Is anyone familiar with Anadarko? Do they have Gang problems there?

[peggydavis]

I would say Cache or Duncan are the nicest places.

[PatoLiza]

Originally Posted by wmudderman

We are heading to Fort Sill in a few months and I have concerns. I have 3 children and I have been warned of all the Gang problems in the area. It's a good 8-12 month wait to get onto post and I was just wondering if there is a town in the area that has not been affected by gangs. I see that towns within an okay distance to Fort Sill include Rush Springs, Marlow, Sterling, Walters, Elgin, Fletcher, Geronimo, Cache, Comanche, and Apache. Are any of these places safe for Family's to live in?

Hello there! I have posted similar concerns you have a while ago. My husband is due to report to Ft. Sill by 1 August 2008. We had been to Ft. Sill area twice already to scout for safe places. Prior to our first trip, I posted my concerns/questions on this forum and they all have been very helpful. Our commander to be and other future colleague had mentioned that it will take at least 12 months to get post housing. However, post residents will go to a not so desirable school district. According to a friend, a former NCO mentioned that his son went to MacArthur H.S. when they rented a house in the area while waiting for post housing. The son did great at MHS. When they finally got their post housing, he had to transfer to another school district and got problems with some gangs in that school.

We have gone to Elgin and Cache and read that the School District there is great. Might not have extra extra school curricular activites or electives (like string orchestra) but the school is smaller. The community is smaller as well. We are looking at Cache School District since it's a bit closer to Cameron University and it's not that far to the business district in Lawton. We will be back again end of May to scout some more and finalize our house hunting trip.

Good luck to you and your family. Who knows we might meet on post.

[Jadeswan]

I have lived in the Rush Springs area since I was ten---except for a couple of years-and am familiar with most of the towns you mentioned. My husband was stationed at Fort Sill when we met and I agree that the Lawton/Fort Sill area is not an ideal place for raising children. Any of the smaller towns around here are going to be pretty safe. Elgin would probably be best for driving distance to Fort Sill and is a safe, friendly town.

I agree with the posters who recommended Duncan. It is more of a drive but it is, in my opinion, the safest, friendliest larger town in this area. Marlow is a nice, pretty little town as well.

[KathyLK]

Hi! This is my first time posting and I have a lot of questions, but I will not bombard ya'll with all of them. I have read a lot of postings about Lawton and have learned quite a bit. You all are very helpful...so nice!

It looks like we may be moving to the Lawton area and have been told that the city is growing...that it is listed as one of Forbe's Top 100 places to do business. I also have heard a lot about gangs and that you have to watch where you go. I lived in OKC and now Edmond, so I will admit, I'm nervous about not being able to go to the mall in the evening or even out to eat. Is it really THAT bad? And if so, is anything being done by law enforcement or are they just basically throwing up their hands? I don't know if people are just trying to scare me or if they are being honest.

[peggydavis]

Hi KathyLK, and welcome to the forum.

I am not an expert on Lawton, but I think people are just being honest. As you know, OKC has some areas that are rougher that you wouldn't want to wander about by yourself at night. I am always especially alert when I go to any large mall in OKC area, because the parking lots are dangerous for women, day or night. I think it is the same way all over the country.

Lawton has some problems too, being a military town with large numbers of young men. I would take other posters advice and live in Cache, Elgin, or another nice town around Lawton.