Family move to OKC - Edmond or inner-city OKC? (Oklahoma City: apartment complex, foreclosure)

[AntDewi2009]

My family (wife + 2 kids) are on the verge of making the move to OKC. Up for debate is whether we dive into the suburb of Edmond (with a Stillwater commute for one of us) or do something more daring and attempt to live within OKC. We enjoy many aspects of urban living (walking to amenities, culture, vibe), but the parental genes kick in and we find ourselves drawn to greener communes with proven schools.

Is it possible to live as a young family in inner-city OKC (Bricktown, Deep Deuce?)? And Edmond seems to have a great reputation for good schools and green parks, but will we find ourselves driving out of Edmond each weekend in chase of things to do?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

[StillwaterTownie]

There is probably only apartment complex living in the Bricktown area, if that is acceptable.

23rd St. in OKC is a cool urban neighborhood someone else may know more about.

Driving out of Edmond for other things to do would be just a short drive away, since so many major attractions in OKC are nearby.

[eddie gein]

There are some condo projects downtown and some near north side neighborhoods that are good, but your commute to Stillwater is going to be 70-75 minutes from OKC. From the east side of Edmond it will be 50-55 minutes. If you are going to do OKC you are also probably going to need to go with private schools for children. I would go with Edmond and I might also consider Guthrie as it has some amenities and is closer to Stillwater and still not that far from OKC.

To me, there really isn't anything in OKC that is worth living really close to if somebody has to commute all the way to Stillwater. Other than if you were heavily involved in crew and needed to be a the river all the time I can't think of a single thing in OKC that is not easily accessible from Edmond (15-20 minutes non rush hour). The only exception is that the airport is a bit further from there.

[AntDewi2009]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

There are some condo projects downtown and some near north side neighborhoods that are good, but your commute to Stillwater is going to be 70-75 minutes from OKC. From the east side of Edmond it will be 50-55 minutes. If you are going to do OKC you are also probably going to need to go with private schools for children. I would go with Edmond and I might also consider Guthrie as it has some amenities and is closer to Stillwater and still not that far from OKC.

To me, there really isn't anything in OKC that is worth living really close to if somebody has to commute all the way to Stillwater. Other than if you were heavily involved in crew and needed to be a the river all the time I can't think of a single thing in OKC that is not easily accessible from Edmond (15-20 minutes non rush hour). The only exception is that the airport is a bit further from there.

Many thanks for this! We suspected so, but it's really helpful to have your perspective. And we can only tell via Google at this stage, but is Guthrie more interesting than Edmond?

[StillwaterTownie]

Of course, Edmond is much bigger and better than Guthrie. Guthrie only stands out for having a downtown with store buildings styled like they looked like many decades ago.

[Zachj7]

I would steer clear of Guthrie. Lower income, lot of hard drug use, schools not so great. There are some weird things that happen in Logan county. The land is cheap out there though. You got kids now, time to send them to good schools. Edmond is the way to go if you need good schools yet absolutely need to be near the "big" city. Try living on east side of Edmond, close to one of the I-35 entrances. Edmond street traffic is rather annoying during rush hour FYI. Schools are top notch and you are a quick easy trip into downtown OKC. If you come from a urban area, you will realize that OKC lacks urbanity. They are continually trying to improve this and have come a long way. 23rd street, Bricktown are up and coming. I see you are from Cardiff and if this is the first time living in the USA, it will be a huge adjustment. Oklahoma City is extremely car orient, even more so than most cities this size. Lots of people will drive a huge pick up truck. There is an extreme lack of public transportation however they are improving in this area. Overall though, OKC and Edmond is a good place for a family.

I wouldn't totally discount living in Stillwater either, unless one is working in OKC.

[flyingcat2k]

Only move to OKC if you are going to put the kids in private or charter schools. The PS system is terrible and it will take a few more years of good leadership to start to turn it around. Edmond is probably going to be the better choice.

You may want to consider doing what the stock traders are doing and watch foreclosure rates and rental vacancies in the OKC metro area. They are watching the reports to try to see advance layoff or RIF actions in the oil industry, particularly "swanky" Bricktown. A fed rate hike will surely take down Sandridge in a few months and they'll go Chapter 7. Chesapeake may or may not survive but if they go BK, they will likely go Chapter 11 and come out in some form or fashion. Likely won't have the nice campus or possibly not even be in OKC anymore. Once those two go out and Devon comes down a peg, those OKC areas will be much more affordable. Edmond will get hit too but not as badly as they have better schools and UCO nearby.

[Cora72]

I agree! I moved here one week ago and wanted to live downtown but if you want good schools Edmond really is the best area for that. I am city slicker myself and find Edmond very boring but refuse to live in an area with bad schools. And when I say bad some got a rating of 1 out of 10.

[prerunner1982]

I traveled from Edmond to Stillwater daily for school for awhile and it is a 45 min drive from east Edmond (I-35 to Hwy 52), closer to an hour if you want to take a scenic route (Route 66 to Hwy 177).

Edmond is a nice place with a couple of nice parks, Arcadia lake and Hefner lake are nearby. Travelling to OKC from Edmond to do things is a quick trip.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by prerunner1982

I traveled from Edmond to Stillwater daily for school for awhile and it is a 45 min drive from east Edmond (I-35 to Hwy 52), closer to an hour if you want to take a scenic route (Route 66 to Hwy 177).
-35
Edmond is a nice place with a couple of nice parks, Arcadia lake and Hefner lake are nearby. Travelling to OKC from Edmond to do things is a quick trip.

You mean highway 51, not 52. Another route to take to Stillwater is Highway 33 off I-35 to Highway 177. It's a little faster for people living in east and south Stillwater.