[briansgi]

The book I mentioned, "The Burning" is all about the worse race riot in US history and black wall street. But this pretty much sums up the Greenwood district and it's history:

Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Jammie]

Tulsa Parks & Gardens: Parks & Gardens in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Is this what you may be looking for? Woodward Park is very beautiful and it's so well kept.The River Parks seem to be where people go to walk/jog.

Not an Okie so I can't give you much info since the only town on your list that I've been to is Tulsa. VERY friendly and polite people there though. The scenery in the Tulsa area and east of there is very pretty.

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by briansgi

The book I mentioned, "The Burning" is all about the worse race riot in US history and black wall street. But this pretty much sums up the Greenwood district and it's history:

Greenwood, Tulsa, Oklahoma - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The worst race riot? You mean it was even worse than Bull Connor's Birmingham, '68 Chicago, '68 Detroit, or Watts? Wow! I'll really need to check that book out. I hope Greenwood has fully recovered and more since then, b/c it looks like a neighborhood with A LOT of history and character.

Originally Posted by Jammie

Tulsa Parks & Gardens: Parks & Gardens in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Is this what you may be looking for? Woodward Park is very beautiful and it's so well kept.The River Parks seem to be where people go to walk/jog.

Not an Okie so I can't give you much info since the only town on your list that I've been to is Tulsa. VERY friendly and polite people there though. The scenery in the Tulsa area and east of there is very pretty.

River Parks looks like Louisville's Waterfront Park on steroids in that the area is actually several miles long!

Does OKC offer anything similar to and as extensive as Tulsa's park system?

[cobolt]

I'm not from OK but I can tell you that Tulsa would be my first pick. I think you'd tire from the college crowd in Stillwater after a while. Stillwater is a better visit from Tulsa than being your residence. OKC is okay, but to me Tulsa is more scenic, not as congested, etc. The people are the best. You will love OK people.

[briansgi]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

The worst race riot? You mean it was even worse than Bull Connor's Birmingham, '68 Chicago, '68 Detroit, or Watts? Wow! I'll really need to check that book out. I hope Greenwood has fully recovered and more since then, b/c it looks like a neighborhood with A LOT of history and character.


River Parks looks like Louisville's Waterfront Park on steroids in that the area is actually several miles long!

Does OKC offer anything similar to and as extensive as Tulsa's park system?

Over 30 square blocks were burnt to the ground. The "official" death toll was purposely kept way way low, as you could imagine from the horrible publicity this received. Honest estimates have the death toll to be over 3,000! The Greenwood district during this time was very wealthy, many many black millionaires lived there. Some of the most famous black doctors, surgeons, business men, etc., lived here at the time. There were even two black newspapers at the time, such a horrible episode in our nations history!

Many agree it was the worst race riot as well:

http://www.exodusnews.com/HISTORY/History007.htm
http://www.cnn.com/US/9908/03/tulsa.riots.probe/
http://crookedtimber.org/2005/02/19/...rst-race-riot/
http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev...00821017246094
http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/tulsa-race-riot-1921
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/414.html

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by cobolt

I'm not from OK but I can tell you that Tulsa would be my first pick. I think you'd tire from the college crowd in Stillwater after a while.

OKC is okay, but to me Tulsa is more scenic, not as congested, etc. The people are the best. You will love OK people.

OKC does appear to have much to offer in terms of arts, culture, and entertainment. Also, while looking at map, you apparently don't have to pay so many tolls while navigating the city like you do in Tulsa (what's up with all the tolls in Oklahoma?!!!)

But, I really like what Tulsa offers also in terms of art museums and culture (for instance, Public Radio Tulsa.) Not to mention the entertainment districts seem to lie within historic neighborhoods and not corporate developments like Bricktown. But, I'm just a piddly guy doin' some research.

When I move to any state I'd rather stick to a larger urban area. I attended college in Louisville, very vibrant for its size, and am now back in my po-dunk hometown. I have quickly re-realized that rural small town life isn't for me.

By the way, aren't you moving here to Kentucky soon?

Originally Posted by briansgi

Over 30 square blocks were burnt to the ground. The "official" death toll was purposely kept way way low, as you could imagine from the horrible publicity this received. Honest estimates have the death toll to be over 3,000! The Greenwood district during this time was very wealthy, many many black millionaires lived there. Some of the most famous black doctors, surgeons, business men, etc., lived here at the time. There were even two black newspapers at the time, such a horrible episode in our nations history!

30 square blocks...3,000 dead...

That's hard to fathom, considering Tulsa is much smaller than L.A., Chicago, or Detroit and didn't have the reputation for blatant Jim Crow-esque discrimination that Birmingham and Jackson had.

[Synopsis]

My choice would be Tulsa, mainly for the greenery and hills of the area. Coming from Kentucky the topography/terrain would be more like home, but that may not be important to you. The other thing I like about Tulsa is the architecture, it's fabulous. Not that OkC is without fantastic architecture, but Tulsa is an art deco city; one of few cities in the US with so much art deco. In fact, I think this Fall Tulsa is hosting some kind of art deco consortium from around the world.

My 2 cents..

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

OKC does appear to have much to offer in terms of arts, culture, and entertainment. Also, while looking at map, you apparently don't have to pay so many tolls while navigating the city like you do in Tulsa (what's up with all the tolls in Oklahoma?!!!)

But, I really like what Tulsa offers also in terms of art museums and culture (for instance, Public Radio Tulsa.) Not to mention the entertainment districts seem to lie within historic neighborhoods and not corporate developments like Bricktown. But, I'm just a piddly guy doin' some research.

When I move to any state I'd rather stick to a larger urban area. I attended college in Louisville, very vibrant for its size, and am now back in my po-dunk hometown. I have quickly re-realized that rural small town life isn't for me.

By the way, aren't you moving here to Kentucky soon?

30 square blocks...3,000 dead...

That's hard to fathom, considering Tulsa is much smaller than L.A., Chicago, or Detroit and didn't have the reputation for blatant Jim Crow-esque discrimination that Birmingham and Jackson had.

I don't think the toll roads are a big deal in Tulsa because for the most part, they don't affect you unless you're taking I-44 to/from OKC or to/From Springfield, MO and there are enough backroads and highways to avoid that junk if you know what you're doing. There's a toll to/from Stillwater and on to Claremore and a few others, but other than that, for Tulsa proper it's a non-issue.

I used to work in Tulsa and I really liked it. I didn't care for OKC, but it's a personal thing. Visit both. You've got nothing to lose. See how each feels to you.

To answer your question about moving to KY--it's on my list for possible relocation, as is Tulsa and Lexington (not my first choice), but my career field isn't really well represented in any of these areas (the Ville is my first choice) so I may have to resort to other tactics and locations. I'm trying to hammer that all out right now.

[happytown]

I love both cities but OKC has a much better metro and has more to do. Tulsa is very pretty, but holds on to its past enough to possibly destroy its future. Its really a toss up. Considering Norman is down the road, I would choose OKC and I truly have an open mind for both towns.

[Nameless]

I'm not sure if this matters to you. But, OKC will have the NBA this fall