Tulsa-Will I survive? (Oklahoma City, Davis, Howe: neighborhoods, living, restaurants)

[Highpointer]

Originally Posted by Austingirl

. . . Oral Roberts University has shut down, or is almost shut down, thus diminishing the religious fervor somewhat. . .

Where did you hear that Oral Roberts University has shut down, or is almost shut down? It seems like the university is still in business and is thriving.

[peladac]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

Well, I haven't lived in Tulsa since 1999 but have a TON of family and friends that live there still. I left Tulsa for alot of reasons, but have always had good memories of that town. Like this poster says, Tulsa is a city that is just big enough, but not too big. I've always said it is the perfect-sized city. I have nothing but good memories of Tulsa, and always will.
The only thing I don't miss is those hot summers!

They are hot, but after living in Louisiana for 15 years with high temps 9 months out of the year and HIGH humidity 12 months out of the year, I welcome the shorter summers and high heat sometimes humid, sometimes not.

You're right, Tulsa is the perfect-sized city.

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by peladac

They are hot, but after living in Louisiana for 15 years with high temps 9 months out of the year and HIGH humidity 12 months out of the year, I welcome the shorter summers and high heat sometimes humid, sometimes not.

You're right, Tulsa is the perfect-sized city.

Well, I've lived in south Texas before, so I'll give you that - no comparison in regards to heat. But still, T-Town gets plenty hot!

[Synopsis]

Yes, Tulsa can get hot. In fact, all the way up through that section of the US (i.e. Kansas City, St. Louis, Tulsa), it can get mighty hot in the summer. The difference between there and places further South like DFW and such is that it doesn't last quite as long and it gets a little respite from the heat now and then, even in the Summer. I live in DFW, and it pretty much stays hot here from June until late September until October. It's been hotter than he__ here the last few days, while I've noticed that up in Tulsa it's been quite a bit cooler. Eventually, that heat will make it up to the Tulsa area, but it won't be quite as bad and won't last quite as long. There's also not as much pavement in Tulsa so it doesn't stay quite as hot at night, although it can still be warm up there. Sometime, but not very often, you'll even get these heat waves where it will be hotter up there than down here, although that is the exception rather than the rule.

[jeffncandace]

I'll agree with ya it's not as bad as further south! Still to bad for me...IMHO. Still love T-Town though!

[Sendee]

Hi,
I just found this site and had to share my Tulsa experience. I grew up in Tulsa and then moved to Houston when I was 9. We moved back here when I was 16 and then I moved to Houston when I was 18. I have lived in a few states and a few "big" cities. To name a few of the bigger cities, Chicago, Atlanta, and of course Houston. I have also lived in smaller communities such as Abilene and Conroe, Tx., Rockford and Naperville, Ill. and Grayson, Ga.

I moved back to a burb of Tulsa three years ago from Atlanta. I have two children still at home, so I moved to the best area that I thought would benefit my children.

Tulsa should not even be considered on the same scale as large cities. That is one of its best attributes in my opinion. Yes, they have theater, music, wonderful museums, and beautiful country side. Two critically acclaimed museums may not be many by NY or LA standards, but it isn't bad for a city the size of Tulsa. On any given day they have wonderful exhibits to offer. The Tulsa Performing Arts Center attracts Broadway shows. Just to name a few that I have seen in the past couple of years is Lion king (spectacular) and Carmen. Chicago will be making another stop here this month. As for Opera I saw The marriage of Figaro last year, it has since become one of my favorites. A wonderful place to see a symphony on a regular basis is The Pace. They feature world renown guest conductors and performers all year round. I would put their Signature Symphony up against any other and I have seen more than a few of the others in my time.

For the younger generation there is Cherry Street and Peoria area. It is what I like to call the "Artsy Fartsy" area. My 23 year old son loves to hang there and in the gay clubs when he comes to town for a visit. Yes, he is gay and has never had any problems here.

There is religion and plenty of it. I don't happen to be a religious person, so that is not my cup of tea. I have friends that are religious and others that aren't. I have yet to be preached to by any of them.

Pssss...we do have Old Navy here and believe it or not it is a CHAIN STORE! I buy my 9 year old daughter and 6 year old son's clothes there! Great prices on Skorts and painter or carpenter pants and shorts!

As for Restaurants, we have it all. There is a great Greek Deli on 21st St. An Indian Restaurant on Harvard. There are two great Thai Restaurant that are pretty good in my opinion one is on 51st and the other is on 31st or 32nd. We have lots of ethnic cuisine mom and pop type places. From Soul to old world Mexican. We do have the old hum-drum chain places as well. I suppose they do just as good here as in any other city! I do have to say I love Mimi's Cafe for breakfast even if they are a chain. They have the best Breakfast Quiche in town if you ask me!

I don't know about others here in the Tulsa area, but I don't want to be compared to NY or LA. I love the smaller town living. I love going outside in my backyard and smelling the fresh air ( especially after breathing in the smog in Houston and Chicago) or sitting out on the deck watching the golfers playing a round, or as they look for their wayward ball in my back yard giving me a wave or a friendly how are you today. I have been in the hustle and bustle of multi-million people cities and given the choice I like the size and the offerings that Tulsa and its surrounding cities have to offer. If you want the style of NY or LA or even Chicago living then Tulsa is definitely not for you.

I would not trade my time living in the bigger cities because it has more than made me appreciate the smaller town living with some of the better big city benefits.

To say Tulsa has nothing to offer is a gross understatement in my opinion. As with any new place you visit you should go there with an open mind and truly try to seek out the places that work for you.

Good luck with your move. I hope you are happy wherever you decide to live because being happy is what life is all about.

Cindy

[Synopsis]

Great post Cindy. I,like you, find Tulsa to be very attractive for many of the same reasons. It's the right size, not to congested, and has most of the amenities of larger cities, and has somewhat of a smaller city appeal.

[Sendee]

Thanks Synopsis,
We do get our share of heat. I laugh though when people here say that it is humid. It does get humid, but after living in Houston for many years the humidity here is nothing compared to there! I do love that we usually get all four seasons here.

ORU is indeed alive and well. Anyone that follows College Basketball will agree. Scott Sutton is the mens basketball coach. There was even a rumor that Scott would step down so that his dad Eddie could finish his career there. It never happened and in my opinion that is a good thing!

I almost forgot to mention The University of Tulsa. It has been added to the elite list of Colleges along side Harvard, Yale, and Princeton for the third year now. That is something for Tulsa to be very proud of.

[jeffncandace]

Indeed, we all can agree Tulsa is great. I truly miss it and can't wait to go back and visit. I posted this before but again I truly feel Tulsa is the perfect sized city.

[Jammie]

Sendee, now you make me want go back for another vacation. That was a very nice post and I totally agree with everyone that Tulsa has so much going for it. We found it to be absolutely beautiful. We like nature and the Gardens and the architecture are something definitely worth seeing. If we ever are lucky enough to live there, I'm afraid it'll be hard to get me out of the Gardens. It was mid-Oct. and even the rose bushes were still in full bloom and just beautiful.

It's funny how our life experiences make us see things differently. We've always lived in the same area (small population) and to us~Tulsa is a HUGE city. We were just so impressed by the courtesy of the drivers there since we didn't know our way around at all for the first two days. There were no hand gestures or honking horns or anything. People even slow down to give you a chance to change lanes. That's also the way it is here, but we've been in other areas where the opposite is true.