Moving to Tulsa from St. Louis - Where Should We Look for A Home? (Broken Arrow: section 8, leasing)

[StL2Tulsa]

I think we may be moving to Tulsa for a new job for my husband. I have traveled through Tulsa and have attended a conference there once, but I know absolutely nothing about it. We may have to move there in 2 months and I don't have a clue as to which areas to look into.

The more I read about Tulsa the more excited I am. I have read several threads with varying opinions, which would be expected for any city, but from what I read it looks like a great place to live.

We would like some advice as to where to focus our search, but everything is so subjective. Here is a little about us:

- If you are familiar with both Tulsa and St. Louis we currently live in South St. Louis County and have lived in and love Kirkwood and on The Hill/Clifton Heights Area.

- I am 44 years old, I am from St. Louis, but I have lived in Tampa and Santa Fe. I really loved Santa Fe, but it was a little isolated and very expensive.

- My husband is 53 (and more active than I am). He grew up in Brooklyn, he is well travelled loved NYC and has lived in Cleveland (didn't like it much), in Houston (he loved it), Anaheim (loved it) and he can take or leave St. Louis.

- We don't have kids (other than the furry 4-legged kind).

- We are considered political liberals from the perspective of most St. Louisans, but would probably be considered moderates if we lived on either coast.

- We like established inner suburbs which are peaceful, safe, green, lots of parks and locally owned, Mom and Pop stores and restaurants, but we are too old to live in whatever the "vibrant, young, hoppin', up and coming areas" (we may visit those areas).

- We absolutely don't want to live in an area where the houses are all brand new, no trees, all look alike and the only places to go are strip malls and franchise restaurants.

- We appreciate diversity on all levels and shy away from stodgy, stuffy, keep-up-with-the-Joneses neighborhoods.

- We would love to have a nice sized lot with mature trees and lots of elbow room.

- We love to meet all kinds of people when we go out, but we are the quiet neighbors who do not tend to socialize on our block or in our subdivision much.

- Husband's potential new employer is near I-44 and I-51. I work from home so accessibility to my husband's office and the airport (he travels a lot) is important.

- We are not very religious. We don't go to church and prefer to keep our religious thoughts and beliefs to ourselves and appreciate it when others do the same.

- We will be renting for the first year to give us time to get to know Tulsa and my husband's new job so we will be looking to rent a single family home for about $1,200/mo. That budget pulls up some nice looking homes on Craigslist, but I don't know if they are in good areas.

Okay, if you have read through all of that (thank you), please give us your thoughts about what parts of town we should focus on. Remember, we know nothing. I have heard people refer to "Midtown" and "North Tulsa" but that means nothing to us. Please specify a little more so we can find the areas on a map and do searches online.

One last thing: With a few very strange exceptions I just don't like country music or high school sports. Will I be horribly ostracized? And might there be a little blues bar tucked away somewhere?

Thanks so much for reading this whole thing, and thanks even more if you respond!

[sgrizzle]

Cherry Street and Downtown are the "hipper" areas. Brookside is probably more your speed. Brookside is Peoria from 31st to 46th, roughly. You should be able to find something in your price range pretty easy depending on the sq footage you want. Focus on 15th to 51st, Riverside to Harvard. The further west in that area the better as you will have access to Riverparks and Brookside.

[MrsSteel]

Great suggestions, sgrizzle.

The only thing I would add is that I would suggest that you not rent too close to the heart of Brookside (on Peoria between 31st & 41st). That area is very popular with 20-somethings on the weekends and parking often trickles down into the residential areas by a block or so. Just stay a block or 2 away from Peoria within that one mile and you should be fine. There are lots of great locally-owned restaurants there. The homes are well-established with nice trees. I'm sure there'll be something within your budget.

The same is true for the Cherry Street area (along 15th Street, roughly between Peoria & Lewis, although the bit between Peoria & Utica has the most small shops & restaurants). If you are considering that area, you'll probably want to stick to the south side of 15th Street. Lots of gorgeous homes to be found there & a nice little selection of locally owned shops & restaurants, including a small gourmet food shop and an Irish pub. The weekly farmers' market meets at 15th & Peoria, which is a real plus.

Not to worry - it's fine if you don't like country music. There are plenty of others like you. As for religion and church, you may encounter a person or two who will invite you to church, but don't take it personally. They aren't trying to "save your soul" or anything. For a lot of people, inviting someone to church is as benign as inviting someone over for dinner; it's just their way of being friendly and trying to make you feel welcome in your new town. So if someone invites you to church, just say, "How about we go out to dinner instead?" and you'll be fine.

[Goodpasture]

I like both the suggestions above. But I would also include a couple of other areas. I think the area around the Farm Shopping Center (51st and Sheridan) would be good. In fact, the area from south of 51st and Memorial to south of 51st and Lewis would fit most of what you are looking for. Some of the older Craftsman houses around Hillcrest and Saint Johns Hospitals would also be good.


Except for distance, you might enjoy Indian Springs in Broken Arrow, although with the Creek Nation Turnpike it isn't as remote as it once was.

Now that I think about it, if I were an urbanite that area around Houston and Galveston south of the Broken Arrow Expressway, north and east of the river, and north of the 23rd street bridge would be my first choice.

[midtowntulsa]

A little additional info (ie price range, square footage, lot size, etc) would help point you to the area that best fits your needs. Some of the areas mentioned above are going to be more expensive and some are going to be less expensive.

Good luck and welcome to Oklahoma!

[DogLover99]

I will always, always, always, recommend anything on Lake Keystone!

I'm constantly amazed how little utilized the lake is, but it affords you a fabulous opportunity for lakefront living at an economical price. My brother lives in St. Louis (Clayton) and is amazed at our home!

Check any realtor's website for waterfront/Lake Keystone. You'll be close to town but away from crowds and congestion. It's something we love, so I try to remind others!

Good luck with your move!

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by DogLover99

I will always, always, always, recommend anything on Lake Keystone!

I agree.....btw, where are you on Keystone? I live up off House creek on the Cimarron side..........

[StL2Tulsa]

I saw the first response, but for some reason didn't get notice of the other ones. Sorry it took me so long to update.

We are moving. In fact, my husband starts work on June 1st! Obviously, he will be stuck in a hotel for the first week or so, but we need to find some place a.s.a.p. The sooner the better!

At minimum we need 3 BDRs (I work from home and need a work space) 1 1/2 - 2 baths, 2 car garage and preferably a fenced yard. We would like to pay $1,000/mo or less, but we can comfortably afford up to $1,200/mo.

We like elbow room so a large lot is a big plus!

Since we don't have kids we aren't concerned about school district. I have been told that Midtown, Union or Tulsa school district is where we should be looking. Keystone Lake sounds like it would be worth the extra drive.

I have found some interesting places on Craigslist, but the rentals we have been interested in seem to rent out before we can get down there. Is there another place we should be looking for listings?

Thanks for all your help!

[Synopsis]

Try the Tulsa World classifieds at the link below..

Tulsa World: Rental Classifieds

There are about 20 properties available currently under the "General Unfurnished" category for houses.

Use the addresses in the classifieds in conjunction with Google Maps to get a better idea of the locations.

Good luck!

[Goodpasture]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/tulsa...al-home-2.html

That thread is close to what you are asking. Quoting myself,

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

Ok, let me see if I can be of a bit more assistance.

First of all, lets talk a little reality as to what is and isn't available and why........

Remember Tulsa has a HUGE economy right now. As the former "Oil Capital of the World" we still have a large oil based industrial sector. With oil hitting $135 a barrel a lot of those stripper wills are being reworked and a lot of the oil industry support company executives are coming back. Further, about 30 years ago Williams Pipeline contractors began putting glass fiber in their pipeline ditches and now Tulsa is a hub of one of the most extensive glass fiber networks in the country. In the 80's, when oil was under $0 a barrel, Tulsa began diversifying it's economic base. Companies like Hilti made it their western hemisphere headquarters. The Port of Catoosa ships billions of tons of goods down to the Mississippi. In short, we have a very strong diversified economy with multiple strengths. Unemployment is LESS than 3%. I recall taking a college class in economics where we were told that under 6% unemployment was impossible.....we are at less than half that.

All this means the demand for housing is tremendous, with even lesser quality places going for a pretty high price. I just checked Bryan Properties (they handle a lot of Section 8 and lower end houses) web site ( Bryan Properties, Inc. - Home Sales, Rentals and Property Management - Tulsa, OK )and the cheapest house they have is $425, and it is a rough rough neighborhood. The did have a pretty decent stand alone one in a decent neighborhood for $850. Their duplex at 1053 N NARCISSUS, Broken Arrow OK, at $750 is near Rhema Bible College and is just off the Broken Arrow Expressway, so it would put you within 15 minutes of Hillcrest (Hillcrest is also accessible from the BA Expressway). It is also half a mile from a super wal-mart and about 3 miles from restaurant row on 71st between Memorial and Garnet.

You might check the following websites, there may be some other places that may work for you. If you find one that trips your trigger, ask me about it and I will try to fill you in on the pros and cons of the area.

Invest Tulsa by Properties* Plus, Inc
MGMAX, Inc. - New Home Builders in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Savage Leasing (These guys are in the Hillcrest area)
Properties Plus, Inc
Property Management for Tulsa, OK and the Metro Area

There may be one or two with no rentals available. If so, call them anyway. They may be having one come available by the time you need one.

The lower end of prices won't interest you, but if you google vicki berg (I think it is vickiberg.com) you will find some more upscale housing. btw, if I can be of specific assistance, let me know.