Looking for a nice town to make it our home (Tulsa: credit, tornadoes)

[Synopsis]

The map below pretty much sums up the climate divisions in Oklahoma (1 being the coldest; 9 being the warmest). Oklahoma is a very diverse state, not only in regards to terrain, but also weather-wise. This is very much the same reason it's at the heart of tornado alley, because it's at the mid point of where the warm, humid air from the gulf meets the cold air coming down from the Rocky Mountains. So, to sum it up Jammie, yes Ardmore is warmer than the Grove area (it's in zone 8, Grove is in zone 3).

Looking at that map, I'd have to disagree a little bit though. I think it regularly gets colder in regions 4 and 5 than it does in much of region 3.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Yorkie_Mom

Ok, Come on Okies, we are waiting to hear from you all, I know some one would like to brag about their town and the good things about it. If you picked a place for nice scenery, nice weather, and a safe town, of around 20,000 or more what would you pick and why???? Need some answers. Thanks, Yorkie

we are trying to get answers as well. Right now we are retired and living in NM. Lots of positive things about NM, but lots of negatives as well. The most positive is certainly the weather, negatives, well, it depends on your views on life as a whole. For us it just isn't the answer plus we have family in TX, OK and AR. We are looking at Muskogee, had thought about Ardmore as well, but ruled it out. The biggest draw back we can see with Muskogee is the crime rate. It seems to be higher than other places in OK, but I really don't think there is much crime anywhere in the state. At least not compared to here. NMnita

[Jammie]

Nita, could I ask what made you rule out Ardmore? We've never been there so I really am curious. I do have to say that the Grove area is very pretty. It appears that there are some pretty expensive homes there, but they also have some very reasonable homes as well. I was shocked to see how low the taxes are on the homes there. But OK does have a state income tax so that may have something to do with it.

Synopsis, thank you so much for that map. I really want warmth, but don't want to forfeit beauty in order to get it. I really like the pics of the Arbuckles, but actually think I prefer the pics by Grove. Of course we had heard about it on another forum , but were really in shock that there was such a cool place there. We enjoyed Tulsa (just WAY too big for us) and liked our EAstern tour of the state, but when we got to Grove, we felt like we were on an island resort. Do you have any pics of ARdmore itself? Is it as cute as Grove?

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Nita, could I ask what made you rule out Ardmore? We've never been there so I really am curious. I do have to say that the Grove area is very pretty. It appears that there are some pretty expensive homes there, but they also have some very reasonable homes as well. I was shocked to see how low the taxes are on the homes there. But OK does have a state income tax so that may have something to do with it.

Synopsis, thank you so much for that map. I really want warmth, but don't want to forfeit beauty in order to get it. I really like the pics of the Arbuckles, but actually think I prefer the pics by Grove. Of course we had heard about it on another forum , but were really in shock that there was such a cool place there. We enjoyed Tulsa (just WAY too big for us) and liked our EAstern tour of the state, but when we got to Grove, we felt like we were on an island resort. Do you have any pics of ARdmore itself? Is it as cute as Grove?

Jammy, we ruled Ardmore out for two reasons: the main one is the location of our family. We have a son in the Dallas area and our daughter lives there as well, our granddaughter, her hubby and their new baby live in OKC, and our oldest granddaughter is, now, an official senior at the University of Ar. (her words when finals were over) We though Ardmore would be the perfect location until our daughter informed us when they retire (early) in about 5-7 more years they would move to Ar. Our oldest granddaughter will start an accellerated nursing program in Jan. She graduated 2 years ago for CSU. After she finishes school she has no idea where they will end up and the senior will stay in the Ar area. We decided Ardmore wouldn't be as convenient as some of the other places. Our second reason, I emailed the chamber of Commerce twice for Ardmore information and contacted a realtor. The chamber never answered and the realtor was to send information but did not. On the other hand we got so much stuff from Hot Springs Villiage Ar and Ft Smith that we decided to go that direction. Arkansas granddaughter thinks we should consentrate on Hot Springs Village and look into Muskogee over Ft Smith. We have learned the tax rate (overall) in Ar is one of the highest in the country. Now, back to Ardmore it is pretty and just the right size. We are looking for something with about 20-40,000 people, decent cost of living, rather conservative (not totally to the right) a hospital and a small town atmosphere. We are big sports fans (particularly football) so having University of OK, OSU and Arkansas to route for is icing on the cake. It is pretty hard to get excited about the University of NM. shame on me...

[Jammie]

Thank you for sharing that. So basically, your choice has more to do with the location of your family then then town itself. I could just kick myself since we were in southern OK. All we'd have had to do is travel west a ways to be at Ardmore. Just wonder if it wouldn't be hard to beat Grove though.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Nita, could I ask what made you rule out Ardmore? We've never been there so I really am curious. I do have to say that the Grove area is very pretty. It appears that there are some pretty expensive homes there, but they also have some very reasonable homes as well. I was shocked to see how low the taxes are on the homes there. But OK does have a state income tax so that may have something to do with it.

Synopsis, thank you so much for that map. I really want warmth, but don't want to forfeit beauty in order to get it. I really like the pics of the Arbuckles, but actually think I prefer the pics by Grove. Of course we had heard about it on another forum , but were really in shock that there was such a cool place there. We enjoyed Tulsa (just WAY too big for us) and liked our EAstern tour of the state, but when we got to Grove, we felt like we were on an island resort. Do you have any pics of Ardmore itself? Is it as cute as Grove?

Jammie, if I had to choose, it would be the Grove/Tahlequah area hands down. The Arbuckles are kind of nice but they are a very small range and Ardmore, although close to that area, just doesn't stand out much and is not hilly like Grove or Tahlequah.

I have nothing against Ardmore. If I had to pick a small town in South Central Oklahoma it would probably be Pauls Valley (North of the Arbuckles).

The area around Grove and Tahlequah in Eastern Oklahoma is very beautiful, as is the whole Eastern 1/3 of the state. That's just me though; I prefer lots of hills.

[buckeycowgirl]

Originally Posted by Yorkie_Mom

Hi, We have been searching the forums for what states would fit best as far as making our last move before we retire.
We have a child who is 12, two little Yorkies, my husband and myself. It is hard to find the right state and area when we have to live on a fixed income, Minnesota is getting too high and the cold and dampness is getting to the RA and Fibromyaliga.
We are trying to find a house for around $100,000 that is a three bedroom, with double garage. Nice neighborhoods and good schools. I have been looking in the Dewey, Bartlesville area, but the relocation page goes back to 2000 and is not updated.
If this is a nice area, please let us know, or if there are other areas that may be better. We plan on taking a long trip through Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas when our daughter gets done with school for the year, and these are some of the states we have been looking into.
If anyone can give us some advice as to what ideas they may have, that will help us decide, we would be very grateful. Thanks, Yorkie

Just wanted to tell you that Ada Oklahoma is a real nice town and might be somewhere you might want to check into.

[eddie gein]

Grove has more of a tourist town feel than Ardmore. Ardmore is a little bigger and has all that oil legacy that makes a big difference in terms of cultural types of things. Other advantages of Ardmore is that it is close to both Dallas and OKC and it is close to the Arbuckles, Lake Texoma and Lake Murray. Lake Murray is probably the prettiest lake in the state not located in the Eastern part of Oklahoma.

I would probably pick Ardmore over Grove because it is more of a city, has and is closer to more amenities. The recreational stuff is probably a wash.

Weather wise, Ardmore is probably going to be 3-5 degrees warmer in the winter than Grove. Grove probably gets a little more winter than Ardmore but not enough to matter.

I would say the major difference between the two towns is where they came from. Ardmore has been a prominant oil town for 90 years. Lots of old money there. Grove on the other hand was a post office and bait shop for most of it's existance and has become a resort community in the last 30 or so years.
Grove however is probably the only town in the state that is a first class resort town.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Grove has more of a tourist town feel than Ardmore. Ardmore is a little bigger and has all that oil legacy that makes a big difference in terms of cultural types of things. Other advantages of Ardmore is that it is close to both Dallas and OKC and it is close to the Arbuckles, Lake Texoma and Lake Murray. Lake Murray is probably the prettiest lake in the state not located in the Eastern part of Oklahoma.

I would probably pick Ardmore over Grove because it is more of a city, has and is closer to more amenities. The recreational stuff is probably a wash.

Weather wise, Ardmore is probably going to be 3-5 degrees warmer in the winter than Grove. Grove probably gets a little more winter than Ardmore but not enough to matter.

I would say the major difference between the two towns is where they came from. Ardmore has been a prominant oil town for 90 years. Lots of old money there. Grove on the other hand was a post office and bait shop for most of it's existance and has become a resort community in the last 30 or so years.
Grove however is probably the only town in the state that is a first class resort town.

Out of curiosity, I always thought Hot Springs was a resort town, I guess i am wrong about that. NMnita

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Out of curiosity, I always thought Hot Springs was a resort town, I guess i am wrong about that. NMnita

Why say NMnita? Hot Springs is in Arkansas.