Moving to OKC from Japan (Oklahoma City, Norman: 2014, apartments, rental) - City-Data Forum

kevin-san · 11-13-2007, 08:58 PM

Hi, my name is Kevin. I have a friend who is about to move to OKC from Japan to attend OCCC. I am trying to help her find an apartment/room mate in the city. She isn't really familar with the city. I came to this forum to see if I could get some advice in helping her find a place to live while she goes to school.

If you could give me some advice on finding a nice neighborhood for her to live in that isn't far out of the city. She doesn't have a car, so commuting from out of town isn't an option for her.

Here are some things I'd like advice on

-nice/decent neighborhoods within OKC
-affordability of apartments in good neighborhoods
-access to public transportation
-neighborhoods to avoid i.e high crime, drugs, etc.
-proximity of neighborhoods to Oklahoma City Community College
-Asian district/neighborhood with markets and shops

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Synopsis · 11-14-2007, 08:19 AM

I think our resident OkC expert, Happytown would be the best to answer your questions. HT, the bat phone is ringing!

Good luck with your friend's move Kevin.

happytown · 11-15-2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin-san

Hi, my name is Kevin. I have a friend who is about to move to OKC from Japan to attend OCCC. I am trying to help her find an apartment/room mate in the city. She isn't really familar with the city. I came to this forum to see if I could get some advice in helping her find a place to live while she goes to school.

If you could give me some advice on finding a nice neighborhood for her to live in that isn't far out of the city. She doesn't have a car, so commuting from out of town isn't an option for her.

Here are some things I'd like advice on

-nice/decent neighborhoods within OKC
-affordability of apartments in good neighborhoods
-access to public transportation
-neighborhoods to avoid i.e high crime, drugs, etc.
-proximity of neighborhoods to Oklahoma City Community College
-Asian district/neighborhood with markets and shops

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

I am not too familiar with that particular area in OKC since it is on the southside. OKC is spread out so I have a better understanding of my stomping grounds which is basically the northside. You will be close to the airport and will feel pretty far away from the downtown area. I have seen the campus from the highway...Looks nice. I wish I could post some links for apartments near by but for some reason I am not able to. If I can later I will try. Good luck....Im sure someone with a better knowledge of the southside OKC will come along.

peggydavis · 11-15-2007, 11:03 AM

Here is a list of apartments near OCCC. If your friend has no car, she should live right next to the school in my opinion. You can do a Google map search for OCCC Oklahoma City, then in the search for business box type in apartments.

Meadow Cliff Apartments - more info »
7507 S Ross Ave # 8, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 685-5660 - 0.3 mi NE

Ashley Park Apartments - more info »
2600 W I 240 Service Rd, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 682-1483 - 0.4 mi N

Hillcrest Green Apartments - more info »
3317 SW 74th St, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 682-2622 - 0.4 mi NW

Pickwick Place Apartments - more info »
2759 W I 240 Service Rd, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 681-5507 -

- 0.4 mi N
Category: Apartment Finding & Rental Service

Cambridge Landing Apartments - more info »
8800 S Drexel Ave, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 682-9087 -

- 0.7 mi SW

Legacy Crossing Apartments - more info »
3131 SW 89th St, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 717-0594 -

- 0.8 mi S

Cinnamon Square Apartments - more info »
6624 S May Ave, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 681-5505 - 0.7 mi N

Hunt Apartments - more info »
3016 SW 89th St, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 691-4585 - 2 reviews - 0.8 mi S

Briar Glen Apartments - more info »
6219 S Independence Ave, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 682-3121 - 2 reviews - 1.2 mi NW
Category: Apartment Finding & Rental Service

Potomac House Apartments - more info »
2830 SW 59th St, Oklahoma City, OK
(405) 681-7424 - 1.2 mi N

kevin-san · 11-15-2007, 01:14 PM

Thank you guys for the help.

Can anyone tell me about the public transportation in the city? Is it reliable enough for my friend to use it to get to and from school?

I'd also like to know about the area of south OKC around OCCC. Is it a safe neighborhood? Can anyone tell me about crime?

Happytown. Can you tell me about good neighborhoods in north OKC? Is it possible to rely on public transportation to go from north OKC to OCCC? My biggest concern is that she live in a safe neighborhood. I'd also like to know if there is an Asian district in the city that has grocery stores and shops?

Thank you again for the help.

Synopsis · 11-15-2007, 01:55 PM

Public transportation won't be anything near what your friend has come to expect in Japan, but there are probably no areas in the entire country that match up with Japan's superior mass transit system. OkC does have mass transit, in buses and trolleys, but your friend will need to plan accordingly, such as living near a bus line. The buses don't run as frequently as they do in ultra large cities on the East Coast. But I think OkC is going to have a much better mass transit system (even light rail) in the coming years.

Below is a link to the metro transit website. From there, you'll have to navigate to the appropriate map.

Welcome to www.gometro.org

Here's a link to the map of the metro area.

metromap_05.pdf - pdf2html (broken link)

peggydavis · 11-15-2007, 04:49 PM

Good links, Synopsis.

The mass trans in OKC is pitiful, truthfully. The routes that stop at OCCC are 12 and 82. I wouldn't recommend a young lady new and alone live in the areas along those routes. I could live in those areas, though.

I checked Crime Tracker on newsok.com and found that 250 crimes were recorded within .75 mile of OCCC. That is high.

I don't mean to be nosy, but wouldn't your friend be better off to go to a school that has a dormitory for students to live in? There are many large and small universities in Oklahoma that would offer a safer experience. If I might ask, why does she want to go to OCCC?

OKC has an Asian District centered at NW 23rd and Classen. I would say it is mostly Thai and Vietnamese. There is a large grocery and many shops in the area. My daughter cooks Korean and Japanese food. There used to be a store on SE 29th that carried more items for Koreans and Japanese. I will ask her about it.

steenveld · 11-15-2007, 09:06 PM

Public transportation is as good as none. The southside is supposed to be pretty rough. get that girl a car or life will just be miserable.

Amazonchix · 11-15-2007, 10:28 PM

The apts that are close to OCCC that I have seen from the highway aren't ones I would put a single female in...especially new to this country. I echo everyone else regarding our transit system being less than ideal. If there isn't a specific reason she is looking at OCCC, I too suggest many of our state colleges. That way she can live on campus and have all her needs within her reach. UCO (Edmond, OK) has a large Asian student body, as does OU (Norman, OK). SOSU (Durant, OK) is our closest state school to Texas, as it is only 20 minutes fro the Texas border. Not sure if she would want to be close to you. We do have an Asian District in OKC, maybe you can contact someone within that community for some direction. Hope this helps.

_redbird_ · 11-16-2007, 07:09 AM

Has your friend considered UCO in Edmond? My co-worker is married to a Japanese and met her there. I wonder which school has more international students.