Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm a native Oklahoman and I don't even like OKC that much. Don't get me wrong, it has improved vastly over the last 25 years, but still, it's just ugly IMO. Between the three, Tulsa comes out way on top for me. Then OKC. Little Rock has way too much crime.
Tulsa's downtown has a huge parking crater and it's riverfront is very underutilized. There are current efforts to improve this but I wouldn't really consider that a strong point for Tulsa. Little Rock capitalizes on it's "river city" location much better.
Tulsa's strong point is it's cultural vibrancy and liberalism (by Oklahoma standards), cool districts, and its first-ring historic neighborhoods surrounding downtown. OKC is improving in this area but it still has a ways to go to catch up. I don't think there is any city in the country that destroyed as much of its historic urban core as OKC. As a result, there probably isn't another city in North America that is as bland and characterless as OKC. I would personally only prefer to live in Oklahoma City over small town America. OKC has by far the least impressive skyline of these three cities.
The elephant in the room in Tulsa is it's economy. It's one of the few cities that is actually losing population.
Little Rock has cool urban districts, a vibrant, progressive feel, a better riverfront than Tulsa, is even greener and hillier, and has less of a parking crater. However, it's a smaller market and it feels like it. It also suffers from the lingering perception that it's a dangerous place to live (this was true in the 90s and isn't today). If you don't care about pro sports, Little Rock really offers the best of both worlds in my opinion. It's just small. I think Little Rock would be a very desirable place to be if it were a little bit larger.
This is a terrible take.
I have lived in Arkansas (Conway) for 5+ before. My wife is from central Arkansas. I have also lived in Philly, Dallas and OKC. Have spent ample time in the three cities being compared. She would tell you over and over that OKC is amazing. Scene her family is looking to move here because it’s so much more vibrant than LR.
To be honest, there is no comparison. OKC is in the middle of a 20 year population boom and has just finished a street car system and is in the beginning stages of metro rail transit system. They are also already planning on expanding the street cars to help with downtown congestion due to inner city population growth.
Everything you say about LR is nice, but it’s delusional. Their river market district is bland and boring. The best thing they have is a piano bar that also has a dance club in the basement. The city is just now getting Canes chicken for crying out loud.
Look, I get you don’t like living in OKC. I don’t know your past, where you went to school, etc but I’m willing to bet you’re from Arkansas and a hog fan that misses your state. Not all things are sports, and I could be off on my assessment if you, but you wouldn’t tell me if I nailed it on the head.
With OKC it is so ever changing with districts, condos and businesses downtown. When I was a kid I wanted to leave here so fast— and I did. That said, OKC is one of the top 10 places for millennials to live and start their life/business. OKC is working to make sure that keeps happening with new ideas, districts and mass tamransit ideas. That’s why I laughed at your “Tulsa is more liberal” statement.
USA Today did a story on reverse grapes of wrath a few years ago. It was about the mass exudes of Californians to Texas and Oklahoma. Most specifically, to Dallas, OKC and Austin. That trend has caused marijuana to become a medical drug and most feel it will be legal in next 3-5 years. Being that OKC has most population, it led the way with that vote.
Tulsa county voted in newly appointed republican governor Kevin Stitt, along with rural OK. The aoOC metro was the ones voting for the democratic side— at least percentage wise.
I digress.
OKC bar scene is blowing up. OKC has become known as a hotspot for local brewers and the breweries industry is so hot that they are building breweries with boutiques, hotel and restaurants in an all in one type of setting.
Midtown, Bricktown, Deep Deuce, Uptown, CBD, Film Row, Automibe Alley, Paseo, Plaza District, Classen Curve and Campus Corner give the OKC metro so many options for entertainment, live music and sports.
The real question is, why is this even a discussion?
I'm a native Oklahoman and I don't even like OKC that much. Don't get me wrong, it has improved vastly over the last 25 years, but still, it's just ugly IMO. Between the three, Tulsa comes out way on top for me. Then OKC. Little Rock has way too much crime.
You’re basing your judgment off of where the cities are at and amountbof trees? If that’s your reason, you’re way off on what a city is. Dallas isn’t exactly pretty, but it’s a better city than Houston when it comes to culture and vibe for younger generation.
Where do you live? East side of state? If so, that side hangs their hats on trees and hills. Economy and growth says OKC is superior.
Have you been to Little Rock recently? I don't think anybody is saying that it's a bustling metropolis or anything. However, being that it's off the beaten path it's very underrated and it offers more than people think it does. It fights at the top end of it's tier and is working its way into the tier with Tulsa and OKC. Two things that are especially impressive about Little Rock is the natural beauty and the variety of things to do for a city its size. As far as nightlife, because of Arkansas' lax liquor laws in areas that are wet, many bars/clubs in Little Rock stay open until 5am.
There is dry counties in Arkansas still. LR benefits because Faulkner’s county is dry and it right next to LR with Conway, etc. Lax my butt.
Last edited by Coov23; 03-10-2019 at 11:42 PM..
Reason: Spelling
OKC shopping is completely dominated by Wal-Mart and Sam's Club. There's no Costco and there are only a few decent non-Wal-Mart grocery stores in the metro and they are mostly on the suburban fringes. There's still no full-sized downtown grocery store and not even a downtown pharmacy i.e. CVS. There are no modern, upscale mixed-use lifestyle centers in OKC either (there have been some proposed but they all are held-up indefinitely by NIMBYs). Even places like Little Rock and Wichita have better retail than OKC, which is still stuck in the 1980s strip mall era.
Again, this is false. No Costco in LR. There is one opening in OKC. REI is opening in OKC. There is more Sprouts, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s in OKC metro than LR could sniff at. I spend 30% of my year in LR metro. You can pull the wool over others, but my in-laws live there so I go back and look for that stuff.
I also want to add that this whole “OKC lacks in shopping and retail” is a purely made up because bwaca just leaves out so much.
Go to OKCtalk.com. There you will find a ton of stuff. OKC just took headquarters and hug paying Finance tech company from ATL and North Cal lost 7k + Boeing employees to OKC.
Businesses aren’t moving their employees from those areas without a nice metro and things to do.
A quick search of Chisholm Creek in OKC, Classen Curve, Nichols Hills shopping area, Scissortail Park in OKC, 27 story Omni going up in OKC, automobile alley and Midtown explosion of retail, bars and restaurants and more.
Chisholm Creek would Bwaca look so uninformed. There’s a Costco there! Gasp!
Finally, some more facts to completely dismantle bawac’s BS. Out of the cities in this thread, OKC leads in nearly every category (except the natural beauty ones). It is growing faster, stronger, and better than Tulsa or LR. It is adding better restaurants, bars, breweries, local shops, regional/national stores, transit options, amenities and quality of life improvements. OKC has seen nearly 2 decades of sustained growth that have brought in entertainment districts, new stadiums, an NBA team, massive parks, a street car system, revitalized historic districts, expanded bus options, an Olympic-grade white water rafting and rowing facility that the national teams train at, booming industry in aerospace, healthcare, biotech, and technology. It is one of the best metros to start a business in. It is attracting companies from across the nation to relocate and be a part of an exiting new city with low cost of living and high quality of life. It will continue to grow and improve with countless projects lined up through 2021. There will be a new convention center, 70 acre downtown park, renovated 1930’s skyscraper into apartments, hotel, restaurants and shopping (all connected to the new streetcar). It will open the National Indian Heritage Museum in 2021 just east of downtown.
And all of this is before the upcoming MAPS 4 vote which should add some combination of: a new soccer stadium to lure MLS, an aquarium along the riverfront, an expansion of the already largest entertainment district in the state (including extending the canal throughout it), expansion of the streetcar system, city-wide beautification with trees and street landscaping, endowments to fund programs to deal with mental health, education and criminal justice, and more. It should total around $1 billion in public investments altogether.
Like Coov mentioned, nearly everything mentioned about OKC previously is absolutely false. It’s an opinion about the city by someone who loves to hate it. It doesn’t reflect the city at all by today’s standards. When people mention Tulsa is more liberal and artistic, I automatically know they aren’t being objective, or have never been to OKC. Tulsa has the best museum and music venue currently. But that’s where that comparison stops. OKC has more quality music venues overall, a bunch of great museums and counting and is the only city in the state of OK to vote blue in the most recent elections (local and national). Tulsa is more of a red city, the numbers don’t lie. Throw Norman into the OKC metro and it gets even more blue and progressive-minded.
Finally, some more facts to completely dismantle bawac’s BS. Out of the cities in this thread, OKC leads in nearly every category (except the natural beauty ones). It is growing faster, stronger, and better than Tulsa or LR. It is adding better restaurants, bars, breweries, local shops, regional/national stores, transit options, amenities and quality of life improvements. OKC has seen nearly 2 decades of sustained growth that have brought in entertainment districts, new stadiums, an NBA team, massive parks, a street car system, revitalized historic districts, expanded bus options, an Olympic-grade white water rafting and rowing facility that the national teams train at, booming industry in aerospace, healthcare, biotech, and technology. It is one of the best metros to start a business in. It is attracting companies from across the nation to relocate and be a part of an exiting new city with low cost of living and high quality of life. It will continue to grow and improve with countless projects lined up through 2021. There will be a new convention center, 70 acre downtown park, renovated 1930’s skyscraper into apartments, hotel, restaurants and shopping (all connected to the new streetcar). It will open the National Indian Heritage Museum in 2021 just east of downtown.
And all of this is before the upcoming MAPS 4 vote which should add some combination of: a new soccer stadium to lure MLS, an aquarium along the riverfront, an expansion of the already largest entertainment district in the state (including extending the canal throughout it), expansion of the streetcar system, city-wide beautification with trees and street landscaping, endowments to fund programs to deal with mental health, education and criminal justice, and more. It should total around $1 billion in public investments altogether.
Like Coov mentioned, nearly everything mentioned about OKC previously is absolutely false. It’s an opinion about the city by someone who loves to hate it. It doesn’t reflect the city at all by today’s standards. When people mention Tulsa is more liberal and artistic, I automatically know they aren’t being objective, or have never been to OKC. Tulsa has the best museum and music venue currently. But that’s where that comparison stops. OKC has more quality music venues overall, a bunch of great museums and counting and is the only city in the state of OK to vote blue in the most recent elections (local and national). Tulsa is more of a red city, the numbers don’t lie. Throw Norman into the OKC metro and it gets even more blue and progressive-minded.
OKC is in a higher tier than these other smallish towns. OKC is the clear winner here.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
