Would you consider OKC to be one of the most Pro-family cities in the US? (Oklahoma City: best city, 2013)

[WPDAWG11]

I have lived here for many years but have also lived in many other states and I would say this city as a whole is the best city I have ever lived in for its family oriented atmosphere. Conservative enough to keep out the riff raff but not so much that we have a ton of westboro baptist church types running around. Thoughts..

[Guineas]

Are you serious? OKC has the third highest divorce rate of 50 largest cities in America and the ninth highest crime rate in the country. Nothing has really changed since the 1980s.

It just goes to show, anyone can be a hypocrite.

http://m.news9.com/story.aspx?story=...7&catId=112032
Oklahoma City's Divorce Rate Ranked Among Worst In Nation | News OK

[dvxhd]

I guess it depends on your interpretation of "family oriented." I believe Oklahoma hovers near the bottom in education. A number of states that are traditionally more liberal (which you implied are riffraff) have higher educational levels. I won't go into the details, but higher levels are a good long-term investment for the city and state. Just compare Mississippi to New York, and see which one has a higher concentration of businesses and high-paying salaries. If you don't like your children exposed to other cultures and don't want them to be more worldly, if you're more concerned with lower taxes than higher quality of life, if you want your children brought up in a place where conformity and societal norms are strongly encouraged... then yes, Oklahoma City is very family oriented.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by WPDAWG11

I have lived here for many years but have also lived in many other states and I would say this city as a whole is the best city I have ever lived in for its family oriented atmosphere. Conservative enough to keep out the riff raff but not so much that we have a ton of westboro baptist church types running around. Thoughts..

But aren't there still homeless people and alcohics in some parts of Oklahoma City pestering people in the streets for money and not always taking NO for an answer? I guess, though, if you carefully know how do it, you can set up your lifestyle in Oklahoma City for it to be family friendly.

[johnspecial]

The thing I like about living in Oklahoma the most is the high concentration of Churches per square mile. When I see the crosses, I know people are concerned with traditional family values.

I like living in the Bible Belt.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by johnspecial

The thing I like about living in Oklahoma the most is the high concentration of Churches per square mile. When I see the crosses, I know people are concerned with traditional family values.

I like living in the Bible Belt.

But do you have no shame for the casinos, lotteries and tattoo parlors in the state? There may be more places to buy a lottery ticket than there are churches. That's just for starters. Also do you have no shame that Oklahoma City has one of the largest gay hotels in America? That a Tulsa Baptist preacher would go sneak down there looking for sex is one of the biggest shames I ever heard of.

[MOKAN]

I think that family values are very strong in Oklahoma as a whole. Pretty much all of the people I've run across down there are all about their families. People there are very family oriented. I have relatives there, have lived in 2 different places in the state, and spent a lot of time in several other places within the state. Also, it's interesting that so many famous country singers come from Oklahoma and I like how they stay true to their roots, rather than abandoning their home. Many have homes there and are still connected to the people they grew up around and have known all their lives. I admire that. I was pleased to see how the people dealt with the tornado outbreak in OKC last year. I definitely think there's something special about Oklahoma. I wish I had grown up in a place like that.

[WPDAWG11]

Originally Posted by dvxhd

I guess it depends on your interpretation of "family oriented." I believe Oklahoma hovers near the bottom in education. A number of states that are traditionally more liberal (which you implied are riffraff) have higher educational levels. I won't go into the details, but higher levels are a good long-term investment for the city and state. Just compare Mississippi to New York, and see which one has a higher concentration of businesses and high-paying salaries. If you don't like your children exposed to other cultures and don't want them to be more worldly, if you're more concerned with lower taxes than higher quality of life, if you want your children brought up in a place where conformity and societal norms are strongly encouraged... then yes, Oklahoma City is very family oriented.

Well you can keep your New york where all they want to do is tear down the traditional nuclear family. That place is disgusting and you couldn't pay me to live there again.

[Griffis]

Originally Posted by WPDAWG11

Well you can keep your New york where all they want to do is tear down the traditional nuclear family...

Did you miss this part?

Originally Posted by Guineas

Are you serious? OKC has the third highest divorce rate of 50 largest cities in America and the ninth highest crime rate in the country.

Doing a fine job of tearing down the "traditional nuclear family" right here with no outside help. Couple the extremely high divorce rates with the level of unplanned teen pregnancies and cases of abuse and neglect, as well as the fact that Oklahoma is #1 in the nation for prescription drug abuse and not far behind in meth manufacture/use and it begins to look less and less idyllic.

Don't get me wrong--I love Oklahoma and am glad to be living here again. The violent crime is mostly concentrated in specific parts of the two metros and the problems the state has with things like divorce and drug use are epidemic in the entire nation. It's not just an "Okie thing" by any stretch.

I'd also like to point out that with regards to politics, religion and culture in general, Oklahoma is far more diverse than most people think. It's the same too with the state's topography, geography and scenery. It's far more varied and beautiful than a person would think if they were just traveling through on I-40 or I-35.

[dvxhd]

Originally Posted by WPDAWG11

Well you can keep your New york where all they want to do is tear down the traditional nuclear family. That place is disgusting and you couldn't pay me to live there again.

Gladly. And because I'm starting the process to move there, I'll also keep the higher salary that would make me better off even when you factor in the market rate for my career and cost of living, I'll keep the economy that is more than 8x larger in that city than in all of Oklahoma, I'll keep the amenities and options that I couldn't explore in full in three life times, I'll keep the higher education ranking and higher educational attainment levels, I'll keep the aesthetics of the city... and well, I'll keep everything else it has Oklahoma City doesn't.

Also, the divorce rate in New York is lower than in Oklahoma. They're also harder to file and are far more expensive. That's not only a deterrent from divorce, but also encouraging people to think carefully before marrying. Part of why Oklahoma's rate is so high is because people here are in a rush to marry young. Maybe you should actually research before making those claims:

Divorce Rate By State: How Does Your State Stack Up?