Living near TU (Tulsa, Jenks, Peoria: rentals, crime, houses)

[CuriousInFlorida]

My wife and I will be moving out to Tulsa this summer as I will be starting at the University of Tulsa for the fall. We are planning to rent for a while when we get out there so we can determine what area we want to buy in (so far we are thinking Jenks, but not sure yet).

Anyways, I have been thinking that maybe we should rent right around the university when we first get out to Tulsa. But I have some questions about the area around TU.

- What is this area like in general?

- Is this considered a nice and safe part of town to live?

- I currently live very near a large, state university and the noise is horrible as students leave the bars. Is it similar near TU? I don't remember seeing many bars around campus so I'm thinking it might not be as bad. Are house parties pretty common though around the university?

- Are most of the houses pretty decent around the school? Would there be houses that would be nice for a newly married professor and his wife or is this area pretty much exclusively students?

- Is there much to do within walking distance? I know Cherry Street isn't too far away, but how far is it from the campus area down to shops, restaurants, etc?

- What should we expect to pay per month in rent for a cute little house (2 or 3 bedroom) that is in very nice condition (not run down by college students)?

I think coming from Florida and learning the city it might be kind of nice to start off near where I will be working. It would be especially nice to be close if it is another rough winter because neither of us are used to driving in the snow or ice so being able to walk a couple blocks to work might be nice. We will likely be moving 15-20+ minutes away from town when we buy, so this might be our only chance to be closer to downtown and the trendy areas.

Any thoughts?

[Goodpasture]

Okie1962 lives in that area, and he loves it.

If I were to move back into town, I would look in the area south and southwest of TU......somewhere between 11th and Harvard and 15th and Peoria (Cherry Street area)

[swake]

The Florence Park area is what you are looking for, rentals might be a little hard to find but it's a great area and a bit too expensive for too many students. Florence Park is south of 15th about half a mile south of the TU campus. I would guess rent there to be just over 1k or so a month for a house.

[SouthXSW]

Florence Park is nice but more expensive, and not as many rentals. You might look at Renaissance which is the neighborhood just north of Florence Park and adjacent to TU to the south between Lewis and Harvard, 11th to 15th. Cherry Street is the closest shopping/dining 'district' to TU on 15th between Peoria and Utica, just over a mile from campus to the southwest. 11th has a variety of businesses and restaurants but it's more concentrated on 15th, and the part of 15th by Renaissance is known for its thrift stores and other unique businesses, and an awesome bakery (Merritt's). There is also a large grocery store (Reasor's) at 15th & Lewis really close to the neighborhood. Terrace Drive is the neighborhood west of Renaissance between Lewis and Utica, 11th to 13th, is also worth looking at and is halfway between TU and Cherry Street next to Hillcrest Hospital.

The area west of campus has more crime but it is not that bad, and Renaissance is pretty safe overall. There are quite a few rentals in that neighborhood so you should be able to find something that suits you there or further west in Terrace Drive.

[okie1962]

I love it here! giggle....