Answer to "Why Do You Still Live in Oklahoma?" (Edmond: find a job, schools)

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by Atlguy39

I moved here recently and have asked people the same question. The weather is terrible and the divorce rate is high here. The culture is to get married and have kids right after graduating from high school/college. I don't get the culture here at all. Its tough for a single guy moving in. While people are friendly, its hard to break into their clicks because they all have the same lifelong friends and don't seem to feel a need for new ones. Its very strange to me. But I moved from a city where nobody who lived there was from there. I hope I can eventually like it here because I work fro a great company and would hate to give that up because I have no personal life and therefore have to move elsewhere.

I hear ya. I moved here from Charlotte which is also very transient and culturally progressive. It's been very difficult adjusting to OKC, and these storms have made it even worse. I have lived in this part of the country before, having lived in Little Rock from 2007-2009 and Ft Smith before that, but during my time in North Carolina I became accustomed to the transient culture and pretty much forgot about many of the reasons I moved to the east coast. Like you though, I have a great job here and I probably couldn't find anything as good as this if I moved to another city. I wish I could make OKC work for me as I've moved more than my share of times since graduation and starting over is a pain, but unless I want the married with a house full of kids lifestyle and soon, I don't see myself being happy here so my plan is to stay at my job now long enough to build a resume and then move on.

All of that said, I can completely understand why people stay in Oklahoma and why it is a great fit for many. If I had a wife and school-age kids, I would probably be singing a different tune.

[Keeper]

Really? Of course I lived in OKC many years ago but I never found it hard to meet people but then we lived in an apt. We use to go out every weekend and met lots of great people. Every place has its bad in weather or other natural disasters. I too have lived in other places and they all have their good and bad. I have family that in OK too.

I live in a tornado prone area and I can tell you I will take a hurricane anytime over a tornado although tornadoes do happen in hurricanes.

Okies are great people.. My heart goes out to you all during this time

[Dale Cooper]

I heard a good response to the thread question:

Oklahoma has 3 interstates. I-35 runs north/south. I-40 runs east/west. I-44 runs diagonal. If you have to ask, pick one and start driving.

[okcpulse]

I'll take a tornado over a hurricane. Why? Because after Hurricane Ike, we went more than a week without power (in August, mind you). And for miles, there is little or no resources. We had to stock up in our evacuee city because where I lived Conroe there was no gas, no food, nothing. I was required to report back to work the Monday after he Hurricane, so I didn't have a choice. While the power was eventually restored and things got back to normal, I remember thinking to myself "tornadoes are violent, but even if my home was hit, just a half mile down the road there is food, water and air conditioning." Ike put Houston completely out of service. Forget Hurricanes.

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by bchris02

I hear ya. I moved here from Charlotte which is also very transient and culturally progressive. It's been very difficult adjusting to OKC, and these storms have made it even worse. I have lived in this part of the country before, having lived in Little Rock from 2007-2009 and Ft Smith before that, but during my time in North Carolina I became accustomed to the transient culture and pretty much forgot about many of the reasons I moved to the east coast. Like you though, I have a great job here and I probably couldn't find anything as good as this if I moved to another city. I wish I could make OKC work for me as I've moved more than my share of times since graduation and starting over is a pain, but unless I want the married with a house full of kids lifestyle and soon, I don't see myself being happy here so my plan is to stay at my job now long enough to build a resume and then move on.

All of that said, I can completely understand why people stay in Oklahoma and why it is a great fit for many. If I had a wife and school-age kids, I would probably be singing a different tune.

I don't see myself being happy in Houston so I am looking in OKC for work. The atrocious commutes, lack of rest and lack of time with family is catching up with me. Plus, I was born and raised in Edmond. All my friends and family are there. It's a win win for both myself and my wife, who loves it there as well. It's where we met. Lots of good times.

[Atlguy39]

Originally Posted by bchris02

I hear ya. I moved here from Charlotte which is also very transient and culturally progressive. It's been very difficult adjusting to OKC, and these storms have made it even worse. I have lived in this part of the country before, having lived in Little Rock from 2007-2009 and Ft Smith before that, but during my time in North Carolina I became accustomed to the transient culture and pretty much forgot about many of the reasons I moved to the east coast. Like you though, I have a great job here and I probably couldn't find anything as good as this if I moved to another city. I wish I could make OKC work for me as I've moved more than my share of times since graduation and starting over is a pain, but unless I want the married with a house full of kids lifestyle and soon, I don't see myself being happy here so my plan is to stay at my job now long enough to build a resume and then move on.

All of that said, I can completely understand why people stay in Oklahoma and why it is a great fit for many. If I had a wife and school-age kids, I would probably be singing a different tune.

If I was married, it would be totally different. Although I'd still miss the mountains, professional sports, and weather of Atlanta. I don't miss the traffic or pollution, but despite that, I'd rather be there. I wouldn't have moved unless I absolutely had to, but I honestly didn't think it would be this bad. I thought as a single "city guy" with some culture, there'd be plenty of Oklahoma women to choose from. Not so. Not that I think I'm God's gift to women, but I do have a lot going for me. There just aren't any single women 30-40 here without kids, as I said before. If they do exist, there's a good reason they haven't been married. Anyway, disappointing is the only word I have for it.

[bchris02]

Originally Posted by okcpulse

I don't see myself being happy in Houston so I am looking in OKC for work. The atrocious commutes, lack of rest and lack of time with family is catching up with me. Plus, I was born and raised in Edmond. All my friends and family are there. It's a win win for both myself and my wife, who loves it there as well. It's where we met. Lots of good times.

Yeah different cities are perfect fits for different people. Houston is one of my personal favorite cities. I will say I do like Edmond pretty well. It is the closest I've found in Oklahoma to the transient atmosphere and upscale/polished feel that I am used to.

[tsmw47]

Atlguy39 it is the same in many places, if you have lived your entire life in one place you already have a set of friends and often don't have a need for new ones. Best bet is look for groups to join where you find a common interest and cultivate friendships there. Good luck and don't give up!

[linicx]

Hurricane and tornado are essentially the same thing. The difference is where it forms. Hurricane forms at sea whereas the tornado forms on land. Tornadoes have a history of where it formed, the track it left, physical size, how long it was on the ground and damage. The weather station at Norman has the information. If 10 tornadoes followed the same basic path/track do not move into established path. Live outside of the path 20-30 miles. If it moves NE live SE or Northwest. It is better to drive an extra half hour than be dead.

Many of the OKC storms move out of SW Texas and move NE. Tornadoes can hook and turn.. look at Joplin. The straight line winds that follow can be just as damaging. It is an odd experience to miss a direct hit from a tornado and find the limb from a mature tree in your bedroom. It happened to me. It was my first introduction to Tornado Alley. It not a good location to live; I moved SE 30 miles and was never bothered again. Maybe I was just lucky. I was very happy in tornado alley for nearly 30 years.

[ZonaZoo]

Living in Tornado Alley is not for the faint of heart.