Is Lawton a good city to live at? (Oklahoma City, Norman: home, crime)

[Mopac1980]

Is Lawton a good city to live at and are there alot of things to do while in Lawton? Also what is the crime level like in Lawton?

[StillwaterTownie]

Why center on Lawton?

[Mopac1980]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

Why center on Lawton?

I was just asking, it seems to be a really good size town, unfortunately I do hear that alot of trains don't go by there.

[happytown]

I have heard good and bad. I will say Lawton is one of the larger cities in Oklahoma. So it might be a good investment, because of the growth. You will probably have to hear from long time residents from Lawton. This will allow you to get a correct opinion. good luck

[Kid Duncan]

Lawton is either the third or fourth largest city in Oklahoma, in a contest with Norman, from year to year. The community depends a great deal on Fort Sill. Without the army base, Lawton would probably be just another agricultural community suffering through the drought.

That said, Lawton has a lot going for it. As the largest city in its part of the state, Lawton draws a lot of business from the surrounding communities. I've been to activities as widely ranging as orchestral performances and Willie Nelson concerts.

Lawton is at the base of the Wichita Mountains. Nothing like the Rockies, but there are some winding roads and scenic locations, along with buffalo, longhorn cattle, elk and prairie dogs. There's a lot of history in Lawton, too. Some say Frank and Jesse James hid a bunch of stolen gold in the area; others deny it.

Because Fort Sill is an artillery training facility, it's a rare day when explosions in the distance are not heard. The vibrations sometimes can be felt from as far away as Duncan.

Occasionally you'll hear about problems with gangs, or gang wannabes, but that happens in every larger community. There also seems to be a bunch of meth traffic in the area, probably because it's so easy to set up a lab out in the rural areas. Lawton is on I-44, between Oklahoma City to the northeast and Wichita Falls, Texas, and Shepard Air Force Base to the southwest, so it's probably safe to say there's some drug traffic running through the region as well.

Don't let this frighten you away, though. There's more than 100,000 people who call Lawton home.