Oklahoma City vs Washington DC? Would I be able to survive in OKC??? (living, best)
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Oklahoma City vs Washington DC? Would I be able to survive in OKC???
Okay, a potential move to OKC is becoming more and more possible in the next year. Both my spouse and I have job opportunities there. The economy is good and the cost of living is really low.
I am originally from urban Kansas City, MO, but I have also lived in metro St Louis and now live near Washington DC. We want to get back to the midwest eventually to be near family and to get out from under the high cost of living out here. We love living out here, but it's just not a long term thing for us.
We make twice as much out here and are treated as so by the IRS etc, but we can't afford half of what we could in the Midwest. We won't qualify for any school loans for our kids, we are in a high tax bracket, yet a decent home costs upwards of $600,000. So we can move back to the midwest, get into a lower tax bracket and have a much nicer home for half the cost, new cars etc and have plenty left over to travel and entertain ourselves.
The only problem is we always wanted to either return to KC or go to another large, more urban midwestern city like St Louis or Minneapolis or possibly out west to Denver. KC is only 9 hours to the Rockies and 4 to St Louis and 8 to Chicago. St Louis is close to all kinds of major cities out east. Denver and Colorado simply offer everything we want right there with a great airport for everything else. Out here in DC, we have mountians (sort of) oceans, and big cities everywhere that we visit almost weekly.
But I'll be honest. OKC is probably one of the last metros of over 1 million I would choose to live in if I had such a choice and living in a metro of under 2 million is not something I look forward too. Even Kansas City truly dwarfs OKC when it comes to having things to do in the metro such as pro sports, arts, culture, amusement parks, museums etc, not to mention urban KC just feels more like a big city. KC and OKC don't really compare. The topography of OKC (flat, lack of trees etc) is depressing and the extreme weather in OKC seems worse than even most other midwestern cities. I don't care about college sports at all and I know OK gets into that. Honestly the best things about OKC to me is that it's 3 hours from Dallas, 5 hours from KC, 7 hours from St Louis and 11 long hours from Denver, plus it will put us back in the middle between the coasts. DC to west coast flights suck big time. But does OKC even have a well connected airport or will I have to connect all the time?
I have been to every large city in this country multiple times over so I know what's out there, but I honestly don't know if I would be totally miserable in OKC or if I would adapt and learn to enjoy it for what it offers. I know the city is growing, I know downtown has been improved. I'm really not trying to bash OKC. These are just my opinions and because I have never actually lived there, I'm actually kind of hoping my opinions are way off base because it may come down to OKC or staying in DC and as much as we enjoy this area, I'm not sure we want to stay forever.
Thoughts? Anybody that has lived in or live in OKC that have similar interests? I need some reasons to get excited about this potential move.
Oklahoma City vs Washington DC? Would I be able to survive in OKC???
Okay, a potential move to OKC is becoming more and more possible in the next year. Both my spouse and I have job opportunities there. The economy is good and the cost of living is really low.
I am originally from urban Kansas City, MO, but I have also lived in metro St Louis and now live near Washington DC. We want to get back to the midwest eventually to be near family and to get out from under the high cost of living out here. We love living out here, but it's just not a long term thing for us.
We make twice as much out here and are treated as so by the IRS etc, but we can't afford half of what we could in the Midwest. We won't qualify for any school loans for our kids, we are in a high tax bracket, yet a decent home costs upwards of $600,000. So we can move back to the midwest, get into a lower tax bracket and have a much nicer home for half the cost, new cars etc and have plenty left over to travel and entertain ourselves.
The only problem is we always wanted to either return to KC or go to another large, more urban midwestern city like St Louis or Minneapolis or possibly out west to Denver. KC is only 9 hours to the Rockies and 4 to St Louis and 8 to Chicago. St Louis is close to all kinds of major cities out east. Denver and Colorado simply offer everything we want right there with a great airport for everything else. Out here in DC, we have mountians (sort of) oceans, and big cities everywhere that we visit almost weekly.
But I'll be honest. OKC is probably one of the last metros of over 1 million I would choose to live in if I had such a choice and living in a metro of under 2 million is not something I look forward too. Even Kansas City truly dwarfs OKC when it comes to having things to do in the metro such as pro sports, arts, culture, amusement parks, museums etc, not to mention urban KC just feels more like a big city. KC and OKC don't really compare. The topography of OKC (flat, lack of trees etc) is depressing and the extreme weather in OKC seems worse than even most other midwestern cities. I don't care about college sports at all and I know OK gets into that. Honestly the best things about OKC to me is that it's 3 hours from Dallas, 5 hours from KC, 7 hours from St Louis and 11 long hours from Denver, plus it will put us back in the middle between the coasts. DC to west coast flights suck big time. But does OKC even have a well connected airport or will I have to connect all the time?
I have been to every large city in this country multiple times over so I know what's out there, but I honestly don't know if I would be totally miserable in OKC or if I would adapt and learn to enjoy it for what it offers. I know the city is growing, I know downtown has been improved. I'm really not trying to bash OKC. These are just my opinions and because I have never actually lived there, I'm actually kind of hoping my opinions are way off base because it may come down to OKC or staying in DC and as much as we enjoy this area, I'm not sure we want to stay forever.
Thoughts? Anybody that has lived in or live in OKC that have similar interests? I need some reasons to get excited about this potential move.
Are you applying the term "Midwest" and "Midwestern" in terms of Oklahoma's geography/topographical traits?
OK City (and Oklahoma in general) is much more a mixture of Southern/Western culture and/or Southwestern/Southern ......so culturally you would have some overt differences that what you would have to get used to compared to Kansas City or St. Louis. You won't hear Okies referring to Oklahoma as part of the Midwest. OK City/Tulsa share more in common with Fort Worth than cities to the North in the Midwest.
With all that you know and dislike about OK City without even visiting sounds like you would be much better off taking a job in Kansas City/Denver or staying in DC. Best of luck.
I spent last weekend in Oklahoma City and in my opinion its one of the most underated city in the United States. Bricktown was loads of fun. There are so many bars, clubs, and places to eat there. There were street preformers, people going on dates, people going on girls/guys nights, people drunk, people sober, people dressed preppy, people covered in tattoos. The people there were super friendly as well. There are some nice outlets for the arts and of course they have the Thunder (which in my opinion is the team of the future in the NBA). There are some really great neighborhoods with some nice houses (not cookie cutter) too.
I actually think its a really cool place for being where it is. Its a lot more fun than Wichita or Tulsa in my opinion. Having spent time in Oklahoma City and Kansas City, they seem relatively compareable as far as things to do since there is more to do outdoors within an easy drive of OKC.
Since you are married with kids, it is likely that you will be involved in the same family oriented activities as you would in DC. These include Little League, school sponsored stuff, movies, etc. Granted, if it is attitude and culture you are worried about with your kids, that's something else to look into since OKC and DC are night and day with that. OKC doesn't have the political and cultural institutions like in DC.
I imagine you won't be going out to bars and clubs and fancy restaurants all the time.
Before moving to Texas I spent many years in OKC and still return on a regular basis. OKC and KC are much more similar than you suggest; the big adjustment would be coming from DC. If you get desperate for a "big city" fix then Dallas is less than 3 hours away, but I would think someone so enamored with KC could easily warm up to OKC.
Obviously you will give up some amenities. OKC is far behind the curve with retail and restaurants and the nightlife is abysmal (Bricktown is a joke), although things are steadily improving; in particular the areas near the Chesapeake HQ and just north/northeast of the CBD (Midtown, Deep Deuce, Paseo, etc.) are improving rapidly. The arts scene in OKC is better than you might expect.
What makes OKC a good place to live is the incredibly low cost of living and the laid-back lifestyle. Homes in nice areas in good school districts can be had for a steal, and commuting in OKC is a breeze. It may not be the most exciting place in the country but being able to get so much for your money is worth a lot, IMO.
One thing that might excite you about OKC is the Devon Tower. This is an 850-foot-tall skyscraper currently under construction, slated to be completed in 2012. This building will be significantly taller than any building in Kansas City, St. Louis, or Denver. I know you like urban things and skyscrapers. This would be something to hang your hat on if you lived in OKC.
There is also the Thunder NBA team. They have a good following because they are the only pro sports team in OKC. They have some great young players like Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. That team is capable of doing great things in the next 10-15 years and they will definitely put OKC on the map.
I have also heard good things about the Bricktown area as far as being an active nightlife and entertainment district in the city's core.
Only you can decide if you would feel comfortable living there. I think I personally would feel uncomfortable there because of the conservative political and social culture in the state of Oklahoma. The climate is also quite hot and it is in the bulls-eye of Tornado Alley. Other than those factors though, I actually think OKC is a decent place.
Well, first off, I completely disagree that OKC and KC are alike at all. Other than being in flyover country and KC being spread out, they are not the same. KC has a lot of big city assets that OKC doesn’t have. More pro sports, higher end museums, a 400 million dollar arts center is about to open. KC’s Plaza district is larger and more active than Downtown OKC, while KC has several urban districts including the wildly popular P&L nightclub district which is a considerable step up from Bricktown. KC has a major theme park and two major water parks, union station, crown center etc. KC has 2.1 million people too (2.4 if you include Lawrence and St Joe region both only 20 minutes from metro). That is nearly twice the size of OKC. The same can be said about Minneapolis, St Louis, Denver etc. I may have kids, but we still do all the pro sports, museums, zoos, amusement parks etc. KC has a very built up and big city type urban core that is far more than just the downtown area. OKC just isn’t like that.
I’m just being a realist here and I’m basically wondering if I can make it in a AAA type town. I have always thought I couldn’t live in anything much smaller than KC (maybe Milwaukee or something), but I think I could. I think you can live well in OKC and just travel the country from there while taking advantage of what OKC does offer. But I was curious to know if there were any other people out there that have make such a move and how they adapted.
Move back to KC Grid....you think KC is bad when it comes to people sporting their KU or Mizzou college gear, OKC is much worse imo. Sooner flags and sweatshirts everywhere you go. Plus you can't catch a MLB or NFL game in OKC unless you drive to Dallas.
Any question you need to open up with as "can I survive" ...is probably a bad decision. You obviously have your qualms about the place, and therefore if it isn't up to your standards, you are already on the look out for them... Not a good combination.
My advice would be to stay in DC for now with your current job/life until you get exactly what you want.
Move back to KC Grid....you think KC is bad when it comes to people sporting their KU or Mizzou college gear, OKC is much worse imo. Sooner flags and sweatshirts everywhere you go. Plus you can't catch a MLB or NFL game in OKC unless you drive to Dallas.
KC is not in the cards right now. The economy there (for what I do and what my wife does) is just terrible.
Trust me, I know how OKC and Oklahama in general is when it comes to college sports. I think living in OKC would be similar to living on the KS side of KC and never crossing over into Missouri which would drive me nuts .
My wife doesn't like OKC either for the same reasons I don't, but we might consider it in another year or so if the economy doesn't improve in places like KC, StL, Denver etc.
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