What Do You Think Of Tulsa? (Tahlequah, Jenks: RV park, rentals, homes)

[DocGSD]

Originally Posted by unscannable

brown recluse spiders hang out in dark and quiet places. you can read a FAQ on them, it is not a big deal. I have seen a few in my day, you just be careful and don't go digging through the back of your neglected attic through 5 year old boxes in the dark without a second thought. turn the light on, make some noise, check yourself, wouldnt hurt to wear gloves. and most importantly, do not freak out and act hyper. just brush the spider off and trap it in a jar (or squash it if you must, *sigh* big city people...).

Never seen a black widow, been here 30 years. On the other hand, one time we had a snake in our bathroom. But 99.9% of the snakes I've seen are beneficial, garden snakes, gopher snakes, stuff like that. Besides, we have lots of hospitals close by if you get bit. Thats a joke.

Ok to be serious though. I know of someone who worked downtown, got abducted in braod daylight and raped on lunch break. Someone at might high school was beaten to death by a lead pipe by her boyfriend in the TU dorms in the 1990s. I know plenty of women who get smacked around by their boyfriends, including some members of my family. Then there was the teenager who got raped on her way home from the 4th of july riverpark celebration, a few years ago, by the same nutjob who had been exposing himself to workers at local libraries for several months. Then there was the little girl who got abducted and raped and killed in midtown in the past year or two. Yes this stuff happens in many cities, tulsa may not be better or worse, but to pretend it doesnt happen in 'good areas' is just stupid. I know plenty of people who got in fights, and one kid at my high schools mom killed her dad at the front door with a pistol in the 1990s.

Now, is Tulsa any worse or better than other cities? You need to look at statistics. For example, this page: Safest and Most Dangerous U.S. Cities, 2007 — Infoplease.com, tulsa is not the worst, and its not the best. Broken Arrow -is- one of the top safest cities in the counttry, and it is a Tulsa suburb. so there ya go. Then again I knew of two people in broken arrow who were child molestors - one of them ran the skating rink and one was a boyscout and army soldier. And I used to every day drive by a broken arrow church whose administration covered up one of their ministers who was a child abuser. Again, do not pretend you can move to some utopia where bad things never happen.

Except maybe Canada. they have far far less crime than the US does. But bad things happen in Canada too.

If you want real statistics, look up some police sites. the tulsa police have a crime map that includes sexual assaults.

Here ya go, if you are too lazy to google yourself, this site
Moderator cut: link removed

says that Tulsa has 1.9 times higher than average rape rate for the nation. But that tells you nothing about individual neighborhoods.

You can look at a map of crime within tulsa at the tulsa police website:

Map Central

WEll..... you are just a bundle of joy...... my gosh man...... thats funny...

[unscannable]

welcome to reality. im not pulling incidents out of my butt, i am talking 1 or 2 degrees of separation from the people involved. tulsa is great but there is plenty of room for improvement.... step 1 is to have a little honesty about our faults.

[JameeLynn25]

Well, wow, thanks for all the honest info! Here in the Twin Cities those things happen too. I have visited Tulsa a few times and its very nice! I wasnt there long enough to experience the "bad things" that happen. We ate at On the border mexican restaurant and it was awesome. We also went to Woodland Hills mall (I think thats the name) and Jenks Aquarium. We also took a walk on Riverside during the day. This was last October it was almost 90 degrees out. Then we came back to Mn and it was 40 degrees at the airport :O(

[Jammie]

Hey Jamee, that's when we were down there. The closer we got to home, the colder it got. We changed from shorts and tank tops to jeans and jackets on our way back home. It is very nice down there, isn't it?

[JameeLynn25]

This list goes on about how wonderful Tulsa is. The weather is my #1 favorite for the area. Its perfect for me. Excellent food. In my personal expereince I have met some of the nicest people in Tulsa. Why are the people more friendlier there than Mn? Is it becasue its in the bible belt and Mn is far from it? Mn needs a lesson in "Southern Charm" We had people hold doors open at restaurants with a smile calling us mam and sir. Here in Mn. your lucky if someone doesnt slam the door in your face! Its everyone for themselves here. You will get ran off the road if your not a fast sneaky driver. Your best bet is to own a huge truck. You have a better chance of someone letting you merge into traffic. Oh and in the wintertime if your trying to get home during rush hour and there is a snowstorm, dont plan on being home for atleast 4-5 hours. My alternator died in my car and I was lucky to make it to the side of the road so I wouldnt block traffic. I was trying to be courteous to other drivers. Well I still got honked at and do you think anyone even bothered to stop and ask if I was ok or needed help? Nope!!! Its the thought that counts, ya know? Mn is overpriced in everything, taxes are through the roof, winters are bitter cold. If your car dies in the middle of winter you might as well consider yourself dead. The chances of someone stopping to help are one in a billion. Ok sorry, I got way of topic. Anyhow I am hoping one day to move to "greener pastures". Far away from Mn.

[Mattie Jo]

Jamee, I don't think that the Bible belt has anything to do with the friendliness. Somehow it just happened. I think it was just a way of life, how they grew up.

Even in CA there were some towns that were more friendly than others, but in Oklahoma it seems to be the entire State. Now I have run into a few people that were not so friendly, but you will find that anywhere.

Wonder if anyone has done a sociological study on the subject? I remember reading once that colder climates have colder people living in them, and so the further south you go the friendlier the people. But I am not so sure about that since I once lived in Florida.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by jessaka

Jamee, I don't think that the Bible belt has anything to do with the friendliness. Somehow it just happened. I think it was just a way of life, how they grew up.

Even in CA there were some towns that were more friendly than others, but in Oklahoma it seems to be the entire State. Now I have run into a few people that were not so friendly, but you will find that anywhere.

Wonder if anyone has done a sociological study on the subject? I remember reading once that colder climates have colder people living in them, and so the further south you go the friendlier the people. But I am not so sure about that since I once lived in Florida.

I think it has more to do with upbringing than anything. Religion plays a role, but more than anything it's just a simpler mentality to work, live (and let live), and be good to others. A sense of community still exists in many towns in Oklahoma, and to some degree in the larger cities.

[JameeLynn25]

Originally Posted by jessaka

Jamee, I don't think that the Bible belt has anything to do with the friendliness. Somehow it just happened. I think it was just a way of life, how they grew up.

Even in CA there were some towns that were more friendly than others, but in Oklahoma it seems to be the entire State. Now I have run into a few people that were not so friendly, but you will find that anywhere.

Wonder if anyone has done a sociological study on the subject? I remember reading once that colder climates have colder people living in them, and so the further south you go the friendlier the people. But I am not so sure about that since I once lived in Florida.

Great point! Yes I have noticed the further south you go it seems the friendlier people are indeed. I am from northern Mn. and I know growing up I wasnt raised religious, nor were any of my friends or neighbors. I am glad as I got older I was able to associate myself with the church and change. When we visited Ok. I felt very peaceful about the area and felt like I fit in more. I also felt that way while visiting Little Rock. People look at me funny when I tell them my experiences there. I know not everyone is "wonderful" in the south, however its seems the majority of them live there. You mentioned you lived in Fl. how was that for you? I am going to Tampa in 2 weeks to visit a friend. I have never been there before. Did you not like it?

[JameeLynn25]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

I think it has more to do with upbringing than anything. Religion plays a role, but more than anything it's just a simpler mentality to work, live (and let live), and be good to others. A sense of community still exists in many towns in Oklahoma, and to some degree in the larger cities.

I think religion has a huge part in it! I was just telling Jessaka that growing up in Northern Mn. I wasnt brought up religious nor were any of my friends. That may say alot for peoples behavior, indeed. I wish Oklahomas mentality would rub off on some of the northern states

[peggydavis]

Jessaka, I would like to see a sociological study on that subject too. I have wondered about why Oklahomans are so friendly for quite some time. When my family first moved here, my parents, who were from MN and SD in the upper midwest, were alarmed and suspicious by the friendly and helpful people they encountered. We finally got used to it, and now I find myself acting the same way!

My theory is that the Native American Indian culture has had a unique effect on the character of Oklahoma. Many whites were living among the Indians after the removals from the south. The two halves of our state had to get married for statehood. The tribal members I have known have very strong principles about right and wrong, and they live their lives accordingly. After the lands were allotted, the tribal members did not live on reservations apart from white people, everyone lived together. So, the non-tribal people of Oklahoma experienced an acculturation to the tribal ways. Just my 2c.

I'm quoting this article I found on the internet. I'm not saying I agree with everything the guy says, or that white people live up to the qualities he is talking about. It just reminds me of the kind values many of us in Oklahoma aspire to have.

NATIVE PEOPLES AND THE LEFT [Hunter Gray] Posted 7/8/02


"And again, there is another unchanging dimension: that mountain of Native commitment -- of all Native people, whoever and wherever -- to a cohesive family and clan, to one's tribal nation [essentially one big family] and to its inherent sovereignty and self-determination; and to the critical values so deeply rooted in the tribal cultures: strongly religious, a pervasive identification with the whole Creation, no coincidence or happen-chance in the Universe, an essentially communalistic view of land use, democracy, egalitarianism, classlessness. And all of this is in the context of the fundamental principle of tribal [mutual] responsibility: i.e., the society has an obligation to the individual and the individual has an obligation to the society; if these conflict, the position of the society prevails -- but there are certain clearly defined areas of individual and family autonomy into which the society -- the tribe -- cannot intrude."