Moving from Salt Lake City, UT to Tulsa...maybe... (Owasso: rent, buying)

[udowado]

So, I'm looking at purchasing a freight franchise in the Tulsa area and I'm trying to get a feel for what to expect from the city. I've basically been in UT my whole life and I love it but opportunity outweighs my loyalty to staying here for life. I have traveled around the states (CA, CO, TX, LA, IN, MO) to visit family and vacation and I've lived out of the country in Japan and Israel so I'm not oposed to new places but I'm trying to get a feel for Tulsa and the size and "speed" of the city. From the blogs I've read it seems like Tulsa's downtown and the city in general are kind of "sleepy" and its got me a little nervous about the economic strength of the area and I'm looking to get some feedback - especially from someone who is very familiar with the SLC market and Tulsa. We've been extremely succesful in the Utah market and it looks like the cities are similar in size but you never know. I do plan on flying out there in the near future but we've got a few places (including nearby OKC) that we have in mind. We might even consider buying both the Tulsa and OKC markets.

Right now, its just my wife, our dog and I that will be moving to Tulsa and we will probably rent for 6 months-1 year while we get a feel for the area so if you any suggestions for places to look at then I'm open to suggestions. Anything under $900 would be good. Hopefully that's enough to get into something nice and safe. I love sports and I'm an avid rock cyclist. (I just bought a Pinarello Paris FP and I'm in love!) So if there are any cyclists out there then I'd love to know some more about local rides, etc. My wife and I love to eat in non-chain restraunts as well- is there a good variety in downtown Tulsa? Let me know! Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions! There are probably enough questions in here to justify a couple of forums but we'll give this a shot for now. Any quality feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[BigOkie]

Originally Posted by udowado

So, I'm looking at purchasing a freight franchise in the Tulsa area and I'm trying to get a feel for what to expect from the city. I've basically been in UT my whole life and I love it but opportunity outweighs my loyalty to staying here for life. I have traveled around the states (CA, CO, TX, LA, IN, MO) to visit family and vacation and I've lived out of the country in Japan and Israel so I'm not oposed to new places but I'm trying to get a feel for Tulsa and the size and "speed" of the city. From the blogs I've read it seems like Tulsa's downtown and the city in general are kind of "sleepy" and its got me a little nervous about the economic strength of the area and I'm looking to get some feedback - especially from someone who is very familiar with the SLC market and Tulsa. We've been extremely succesful in the Utah market and it looks like the cities are similar in size but you never know. I do plan on flying out there in the near future but we've got a few places (including nearby OKC) that we have in mind. We might even consider buying both the Tulsa and OKC markets.

Right now, its just my wife, our dog and I that will be moving to Tulsa and we will probably rent for 6 months-1 year while we get a feel for the area so if you any suggestions for places to look at then I'm open to suggestions. Anything under $900 would be good. Hopefully that's enough to get into something nice and safe. I love sports and I'm an avid rock cyclist. (I just bought a Pinarello Paris FP and I'm in love!) So if there are any cyclists out there then I'd love to know some more about local rides, etc. My wife and I love to eat in non-chain restraunts as well- is there a good variety in downtown Tulsa? Let me know! Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions! There are probably enough questions in here to justify a couple of forums but we'll give this a shot for now. Any quality feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Another poster put this up in another post; I feel it should be made a sticky.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/3761423-post36.html

[udowado]

I think that's a great reference for the city and a good comparison of OKC and Tulsa. I had read that earlier when I was doing research and it actually helped me to narrow it down to Tulsa. I'm wondering if there's someone out there that is familiar with the Salt Lake and Tulsa markets that could compare and contrast as well...that could be extremely helpful for me to be able to get a feel for things.

So, as an outsider looking in I just get a sense that downtown is "sleepy". Is that warranted? It's just what I gather from blogs/posts on other sites that I've read. Not that SLC is this bustling megatropolis but downtown is fairly lively and with new developments has really started to grow. Any thoughts on any of this?

Also, as a side note, any road cyclist that want to chime in on the rides around town that would be appreciated! Thanks!

[BigOkie]

Originally Posted by udowado

I think that's a great reference for the city and a good comparison of OKC and Tulsa. I had read that earlier when I was doing research and it actually helped me to narrow it down to Tulsa. I'm wondering if there's someone out there that is familiar with the Salt Lake and Tulsa markets that could compare and contrast as well...that could be extremely helpful for me to be able to get a feel for things.

So, as an outsider looking in I just get a sense that downtown is "sleepy". Is that warranted? It's just what I gather from blogs/posts on other sites that I've read. Not that SLC is this bustling megatropolis but downtown is fairly lively and with new developments has really started to grow. Any thoughts on any of this?

Also, as a side note, any road cyclist that want to chime in on the rides around town that would be appreciated! Thanks!

Kind of the same. The arena and other things are starting to liven up downtown enough to make the area attractive to new business owners. A lot of new restaurants are going up in a hurry there.

[Chickrae]

Good luck in your move. I moved from Layton, UT to the Tulsa area 11 months ago and love it. Don't have any advice on where to live, what the market is like etc but I know you will like Oklahoma.

[Chickrae]

I don't know about Tulsa being "sleepy". It's doesn't have the hustle and bustle of Salt Lake but its a city that is easy to get around in and there is always something to do.

[udowado]

Good to hear some insight from a fellow Utahn...I grew up in Park City and I love the mountains. I've been searching all over Tulsa on Google maps Terrain function looking for some elevation changes but is there any significant hills/bumps around town. Something I could actually ride my road bike up and break a sweat on? If not, how far would I have to drive to see a mountain when I experience mountain withdrawals? I realize that it's not going to be anything like the wasatch front but I'm hoping that there are some hill/mountains within an hour or so of town...
Also, are there any great pictures of any of those hills or from the tops of the hills looking towards the city? (Assuming any of the hills are close enough to the city)

[BigOkie]

Originally Posted by udowado

Good to hear some insight from a fellow Utahn...I grew up in Park City and I love the mountains. I've been searching all over Tulsa on Google maps Terrain function looking for some elevation changes but is there any significant hills/bumps around town. Something I could actually ride my road bike up and break a sweat on? If not, how far would I have to drive to see a mountain when I experience mountain withdrawals? I realize that it's not going to be anything like the wasatch front but I'm hoping that there are some hill/mountains within an hour or so of town...
Also, are there any great pictures of any of those hills or from the tops of the hills looking towards the city? (Assuming any of the hills are close enough to the city)

Understand that Oklahoma is not a mountain state. With that being said, if you want changing terrain, for Oklahoma, Tulsa is your place.

Turkey Mountain has serious biking trails; it's a favorite among the local bikers.

Here are a few pictures via a Flickr Search:

Flickr: Search

[Chickrae]

Originally Posted by udowado

Good to hear some insight from a fellow Utahn...I grew up in Park City and I love the mountains. I've been searching all over Tulsa on Google maps Terrain function looking for some elevation changes but is there any significant hills/bumps around town. Something I could actually ride my road bike up and break a sweat on? If not, how far would I have to drive to see a mountain when I experience mountain withdrawals? I realize that it's not going to be anything like the wasatch front but I'm hoping that there are some hill/mountains within an hour or so of town...
Also, are there any great pictures of any of those hills or from the tops of the hills looking towards the city? (Assuming any of the hills are close enough to the city)

Thats the thing I miss the very most here....where are those beautiful Wasatch Mountains...and Park City nothing more gorgeous. I miss that SNOW too. I am direction impaired here without the mountains, I could always find my way around becausse I knew those mountains were east. Thank goodness for my Gps. I ride my bike to work and I live and work in Owasso which is north of Tulsa. It's a bit hilly on my way to work but I haven't really seen any Mountains to speak of since we went to Branson (ozark mountains there) Maybe someone from Tulsa will know. I am still too new to the area I think.

[Okiegirlfriend]

There was a song a few years ago about the Tulsa Mountains....when John Erling was on the radio.