[dahill2424]

Hello all,

I am a recent college graduate from a small university in Wichita, KS and am looking to relocate to Oklahoma. After searching through the threads I have seen many things I like about the state. Now I am just looking to narrow down my potential places to end up in. I am a 22 year-old single male, who really enjoys a good sporting event. I am not a party animal, although I do enjoy experiencing the music/bar scene occassionally. I have a degree in Finance and have worked in the finance department of a hospital for the past year, but would not be opposed to working in a different industry. I come from a suburban community of about 6000 people and still hold many rural values, but would like to be able to live somewhere near work. My key requirements are:

1.) I want to be able to enjoy live sporting events in a good atmosphere.
2.) Cost to live. In Kansas housing and other costs are very low, and I would like to live somewhere that is similar.
3.) Job opportunities
4.) Singles in the area. I am a single male, and would appreciate to live somewhere that there are single females available.
5.) Community. Coming from a smaller community, I would like to live somewhere that has pride in their community and schools (friday night high school games, appreciation for the arts, etc.)

I would love to find somewhere in Oklahoma to call home. Any help you could throw my way would be appreciated. Thank you all so much!

[CDMOK]

Well, Norman is a great town for college sporting events. OU spirit abounds in the central-OK area, and if you're not going to the games then you just bypass Norman completely those nights because the entire city is packed with fans. Traffic is horrific.

Otherwise, we don't have any pro sports teams, but plenty of high school games. I went to Midwest City High School, which has a TON of school spirit. It's been around for 50 years or so, and most of the allumni still live around here. People of all ages go to the high school games, and it's a lot of fun.

I am not sure on the sense of community that you're looking for. Oklahoma in general is very community/church based, so if you are religious then you're bound to find a group of people you can experience that with. I am an atheist so I have never really enjoyed that side of OK, but I have a lot of close friends who are involved in their churches and it's not just a Sunday thing. It's like a family for them.

My neighborhood in MWC (Midwest City) did have a neighborhood watch/yearly blockparties but that ended a few years ago. I wouldn't be surprised to find others, though.

All that I have mentioned though are all suburbs of Oklahoma City. I have never lived outside of the OKC metro (Tulsa, Chickisha, Stillwater, Ada, etc) so I am not sure if other towns and suburbs would fit your needs.

As far as cost of living though, all of Oklahoma is fairly cheap. There are some new condos downtown that are fairly expensive but I would expect to pay between $300-$475 for a 1 bd apartment anywhere in the OKC/metro area.

I hope to move in about a year, but considering your wish-list for a new home, I think Oklahoma would fit you fairly well. Good luck!

[techienomad]

I say drive down and take a look. Reading comments and looking at suggestions doesn't compare to actually immersing yourself in various areas. That's the best suggestion I have as I'm fairly new to the state as well. Maybe a few 3 day weekends will give you a better idea of what's going on in OK. Good luck.

[debbie at bouontiful]

Both my daughters graduated from colleges one at OSU and the other at Ok Baptist University and both found wonderful jobs in Stillwater. Both their husbands found good jobs in that town and they all have sports card events which I think is expensive but not sure. One of my daughters best friend is the video guy for all of OSU games so their always busy with some sports event. What is your degree and type of work your looking for will make that decision. I personally prefer Stillwater to OKC. I live all the way on the other side of the OK map in Eastern OK.

[dahill2424]

I do plan to make a few long weekend trips into various parts of Oklahoma in the near future to try to get a better idea. I have long been a OU sports fan and would enjoy that atmosphere. Stillwater is a place I have never really thought about. What part of Oklahoma is it in? With it being a smaller community than the OKC/Tulsa areas, my only question is the job market, with all the OSU grads there. I have heard good things about the Tulsa area, especially Broken Arrow, but have never actually been there. I like OKC quite a bit, and with the NBA franchise coming in, that is a positive. I also enjoy the Bricktown area. I have been warned before that OKC has some areas that are somewhat crime-ridden, and that is a downside. Thank you all for the great posts!

[#1soonerfan]

Its just my personal opinion, but between OU and the OKC ________'s NBA team coming in you'd fit in quite nicely if your looking for sports. I know they're about to complete a mass renovation to the Ford Center, but even when the Hornets were there that place was always rockin. So I could only image what it will be like when OKC has a permanent NBA team. If your coming down here in the fall, I would seriously urge you to attend an OU game. Tickets aren't cheap or easy to come by, but the games and atmosphere are ALWAYS a blast. (PM me if your interested and I can see if I can find you a ticket.) As far as jobs are concerned, you really can't go wrong anywhere in the state with energy prices as high as they are, although recently in Tulsa a major employer (SemGroup) just imploded so you would be having to compete with all of those people for jobs. Anywhere in Oklahoma has a pretty strong sense of community. Somebody suggested that getting involved in a church would be a good idea, but if religion is not your thing there are a multitude of things to get involved in. I think the key is just to get involved in something. As far as the singles scene is concerned, I can personally say that the ladies here are beautiful. Just stay out of the small towns b/c all the girls there are married.

Crime in OKC is no more an issue than any other city with 500K+ people, but if your worried you may want to try a surrounding suburb. Both Norman and Edmond have sizable college populations, stuff to do, are cheap, and are within commuting distance of OKC for jobs and entertainment.

As far as Stillwater is concerned (not to show my OU bias) its just not my cup of tea. I know a lot of people that go to OSU and they love the school but get out of the heck outta there when they graduate because there is such a lack of things to do that don't involve the school. I've also heard its not the easiest town to fit into if your not OSU alum or at least know someone from OSU. But who knows? You should still visit it and see if you like it. I also wouldn't rule out Tulsa. It has less as far as sports are concerned but its still a vibrant, pretty city.

As a word of advice, I would find the city your going to live in then get a PO Box in that community so you can have an in-state address. I've hear from several people that having an in-state address on a resume is much better as far as getting interviews is concerned.

Hope this helps!

[StillwaterTownie]

Stillwater is in north central Oklahoma and an hour's drive northeast of the middle part of Oklahoma, or in other words Oklahoma City. I've lived here for decades and this strange notion that to fit in you have to be an OSU alum or know someone from OSU is a new one on me. But it sounds like to me a number of people still can't grasp that Stillwater is more than about OSU. In fact, Stillwater is actually a blue collar college town as a drive up N. Perkins Rd. can prove.

Friday night games will have a nicer place to play in next year when Stillwater High School's new stadium will be finished. Stillwater has been needing a stadium befitting of a 6A school for a long time.

One way Stillwater appreciates the arts is to have the Stillwater Arts and Heritage Festival held at Couch Park every April. There's a blues music festival in September. Stillwater's night time scene is centered on the strip and not far away there's Eskimo Joe's, world famous for their toothy, smiley Eskimo with dog logo. So sometimes there's enough to do in Stillwater to take up much of a day or night. If they ever get started on the new 12 screen movie theater that should help bring more first run movies to town.

Anyway, I'd say the most in places to move to in Oklahoma is Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Stillwater and Norman.

Cost of living is also low in Oklahoma.

[Oildog]

Stillwater seems like a nice town. Its relatively inexpensive to live, has about 40,000 peolple, it has 3 or 4 major employers, & a Big 12 University. Its only 2-2.5 hrs from Wichita, so it would be easy to come down and check out for a couple days.

[TU 'cane]

Norman or Oklahoma City would be the best for you I think. OU's sports and then the NBA now. And OKC hosts some nice little music venues. Then there's always Bricktown that's a nice little getaway. Tulsa is just as crime ridden as OKC, give or take a little in some areas but Tulsa's future is so uncertain, it can be pretty unbalanced throughout anytime. One month the economy is rockin and unemployment rates are low, this month we lost jobs and the unemployment rate jumped up. So I personally would go with OKC.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by Oildog

Stillwater seems like a nice town. Its relatively inexpensive to live, has about 40,000 peolple, it has 3 or 4 major employers, & a Big 12 University. Its only 2-2.5 hrs from Wichita, so it would be easy to come down and check out for a couple days.

It's population is up to 47,000 now.