Suburbs of Tulsa? (Broken Arrow, Bartlesville, Owasso: fit in, sales, insurance)

[Carolinemoveswhere?]

Hi all (or is that, ya'll?) I have posted several times in the last year about moving to Oklahoma. Thank you so much for your patience....

Here I go again... We have about narrowed things down to the Tulsa area, based on topography and other things. And, we were thinking that Jenks would be at the top of our list. But, then I was speaking to someone (my childs classmate's mom), and they apparently lived in the Tulsa area when her older kids were younger. She still has friends there and travels frequently to visit and attend special events. She told me that Jenks was nice, but that Bixby was the place to be. She said the teachers still pray with the kids, as well as the high school football team, that your kids don't have to be star athletes to actually get playing time, that they can still get into top notch universities, that you can still get a bit of property and a nice house for cheap. She said Jenks was getting too big and the schools were huge.

As our kids are in early elementary school, schools are hugely important to us. We don't want them to feel lost in the shuffle, but still want them be prepared for college. Right now they are in Christian private school and we LOVE it. Honestly, that is about the only thing keeping one foot here. The school is small (300 in elementary), well thought of in the community, a great basketball and football program. (we've even got some bball players playing pro now) But, they have a great leadership team, which makes academics a huge priority. Biblical based teaching that is awesome (my 2nd grader knows more about the old testament than I do now)

We are not "Bible thumpers" in the least and would fit in with the overall "live and let live" Oklahoma mentality. (Hey, I went to my first gay wedding just two weekends ago ) But, do take our religion seriously, so a big church would be great.

But, then another friend who lives in Bartlesville said that if we move to Bixby, better buy good flood insurance. Well, I'm not too keen on living where it floods all the time!!! And, he said that people tell him Bixby used to be nice but that it's not so much anymore. Plus, is Bixby super country?

I'm going to be really honest here, and I hope no one gets mad....We are middle to upper middle class and would like to live near similar folks. My husband and I are both well educated. We want to hang out with our WASPy friends on the weekends and talk about little Susie's ballet lessons and little Johnie's baseball team. We want to talk politics over glasses of merlot. But, we want the kids to experience raising animals and gardening, too. My husband wants to putt around on his lawn tractor and sit back with a glass of tea and pride himself on a job well done. We want to take forever at the grocery store because we run into so many people we know. I hope all this doesn't sound totally stupid. I guess I feel the need to apologize for my little "dreams" as I was raised very blue collar and have worked liked the dickens to get to where I am. But, I hate feeling exhausted all the time and want to get to a simpler life.

So, what do you think of the Tulsa suburbs for our family?

[tuindecisive]

I am horrified that Bixby teachers are praying in class. That's scary.

I have witnessed a flood or two in Bixby, but it might be limited to certain neighborhoods, I have no idea.

You sound Jenks-y to me.

[Carolinemoveswhere?]

I appreciate your response. I didn't mean to "horrify" you! I certainly don't mean to inflame with my comments. Moving is such a huge issue, I thought it best to give an overview on the priorities for our family.

[Goodpasture]

Bixby is an up and coming suburb of Tulsa. It has long been noted as the "garden spot" of Oklahoma. The reason for that are the alluvial plains adjoining the Arkansas River, and yes I have seen times when residents would get a motel room 3 miles from their home because the roads are flooded. It should be noted that the flood plains are well documented and any house you look at can be located on the FEMA mapping service (free) so you can evaluate the potential risk for flooding. I might add, that there are lots of hills and semi-mountains in the area which NEVER get flooded.

Insofar as Christian Schools, you will find few cities with more excellent Christian Schools than Tulsa. Whether it is Metro Christian, Casia Hall, Holland Hall, Victory, Eastwood Baptist, or one of the many many others, you will find your options here are second to none.

In MOST public schools there is no religious discrimination. Most teachers are Christian, and most are willing to pray with their students (at least the prayer around the flag). You will also find teachers VERY resistant to proselytizing. You want to pray, pray. You want to evangelize, that is different. Christian clubs in public school have the same standing as the debate clubs, the chess club, or the toastmasters club.

If your child is one of the top football or basketball players in the nation, Jenks, Union, or Broken Arrow is for you. They each get close to a thousand kids out for the football team. Kids that don't make the first cut would play both sides of the ball in any decent school. But there are a dozen or more smaller schools (and some not so small) in the meto area that welcome athletes. Not just the Christian Schools, but the Independent Districts of Catoosa, Coweta, Inola, Owasso, Collinsville, Skiatook, Mannford, Berryhill, Glenpool, Sand Springs, Claremore, to name just a few offer student athletes an opportunity to play and an honest shot at a championship. The Tulsa area has two or three nationally ranked (academically) schools. They also have a couple of nationally ranked football teams. The opportunities are almost unlimited. My son was a national contender in the VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) Comptition in Residential Plumbing (he won the state championship) when he was a senior in HS a few years ago. There IS a school in the area that will fit your childs needs and wants.

I am an appraiser (I maintain a Realtors membership and a sales license, but am too cantankerous and honest to make a living selling houses), so I keep up with trends and the economy. If I can be of assistance, let me know. I am glad to help out where I can.

[BAGuy]

Bixby is a nice community. There are some really good things happening in that part of town. You can live there and still have the convenience of being close to Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks, etc...

[Annemieke Roell]

Originally Posted by Carolinemoveswhere?

I'm going to be really honest here, and I hope no one gets mad....We are middle to upper middle class and would like to live near similar folks. My husband and I are both well educated. We want to hang out with our WASPy friends on the weekends and talk about little Susie's ballet lessons and little Johnie's baseball team. We want to talk politics over glasses of merlot. But, we want the kids to experience raising animals and gardening, too. My husband wants to putt around on his lawn tractor and sit back with a glass of tea and pride himself on a job well done. We want to take forever at the grocery store because we run into so many people we know. I hope all this doesn't sound totally stupid. I guess I feel the need to apologize for my little "dreams" as I was raised very blue collar and have worked liked the dickens to get to where I am. But, I hate feeling exhausted all the time and want to get to a simpler life.

So, what do you think of the Tulsa suburbs for our family?

I think either coast would be a much better fit for you than Oklahoma.

[okie in tx]

I think Owasso may be a good fit for you.

[georgeious]

i am not "horrified" by your religion being important to you, nor do i think you sound like a bible thumper, but i am also horrified that teachers would pray in class with students at a public school. yeesh.

i agree that there are some fantastic christian schools here, most with the added bonus of a small number of students. i would never send to child to the jenks school system, but that's admittedly just a personal bias. too large and too snobbish for my tastes.

[Carolinemoveswhere?]

Thank you for your honest responses. Reading my post again, I guess I did sound a little "coastal." Thanks for calling me on it! It's a bit of a challenge to characterize yourself in a few lines in an online posting! (by the way, I tried to rep a few, but was told I needed to spread it around a little more....humph!) It's funny, too, my dream was to live in San Francisco. Then, I had kids and started paying taxes.... boy have I changed in the last 15 years!

I hope to get more responses.

[HemiCuda]

Claremore is another good place. It is just NE of Tulsa. Look at your messages. I posted a direct message to you. Thanks
Cuda