Sorry To Break This To All Of You Oklahoma City Oklahoma Haters..... But OKC Is One Of AMERICA'S TOP TEN BOOM CITIES (Tulsa: how much, theater)

[okie1962]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

Good post and I agree with all of it. Oklahoma has actually turned me into the liberal that I am today. The conservatism here is just beyond "stupid." Many right-leaning people in other parts of the country have a difficult time understanding how right-wing Oklahoma actually is. It has also made me very angry towards Christianity, specifically the Baptist variety. People have a strange idea of what "freedom" is here. This is the state where lawmakers love the phrase "freedom is not doing what you want to do but doing what you ought to do." i.e., whatever the Baptists tell you to do.

I also agree about OKC being very ugly. You get used to it after you are here for a while, but when first moving here from the east coast, one of the top things that stands out is how desolate everything is. In terms of education, I have no doubt the state government is intentionally trying to sabotage the public school system. They want parents to send their kids to private fundamental Baptist schools. School vouchers are probably the most popular form of education reform here for this reason.

The worst decision I ever made in my life was moving back to OKC and I hope to one day be able to get out. To be fair, Oklahoma City itself isn't near as bad as the state as a whole, but it's just not large enough to pull enough weight to counter the rural interests in the state legislature.



All the lawmakers have to do is wave the Bible and most Oklahomans will forget all about all the damage they are doing to the state.

I totally agree with your post, it's like you were reading my mind. I would move out of this crap hole in a New York minute if I could. The funny thing is, I used to love this place, but the religious nut jobs who now govern over us has made it miserable for me. It's simple to get in power here. Wrap yourself in the flag, run a a republican, say you hate Obama, have a gun on your hip and convince everyone Jeeesus told you to run. It's hard to believe there are enough shallow people who buy this crap, and vote these clowns in.

Speaking of putting these religious nut jobs in power, here is some fun reading.

State lawmaker investigated after teenage boy found in his hotel room, DA says - Tulsa World: Homepagelatest

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by okie1962

Speaking of putting these religious nut jobs in power, here is some fun reading.

State lawmaker investigated after teenage boy found in his hotel room, DA says - Tulsa World: Homepagelatest

LOL, back in 2012, Sen. Shortey was the vacant headed loon who tried to advance a bill to outlaw aborted fetuses in food, even though he knew of no Oklahoma food production company doing such a thing. It never made it out of committee. It was surely one of the weirdest solutions ever concocted at the state capitol looking for a problem. But that's poor governing for you. What a pity that he got reelected in 2014.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

I also agree about OKC being very ugly. You get used to it after you are here for a while, but when first moving here from the east coast, one of the top things that stands out is how desolate everything is.

Again, much like the criticisms of the weather here, this is overstated. For starters, OKC is on the edge of the plains. The plains are naturally not a very green area. But trees will grow here and as KanyeMo stated, some areas have done a good job with landscaping and some have not.

I would say the south side supports your argument. Very Amarillo looking. However, places like Heritage Hills, Nichol's Hills and Mesta Park are really green. The areas of OKC that are in the cross timbers look very much like northwest Arkansas without the higher points. Nothing like the plains. And I think that makes OKC kind of interesting. Another thing about OKC is that there is a mix of green and sky that is not available in places that are more forested. This is particularly tree when you get to a high point in the crosstimber areas. It's like a green carpet under the sky.

But I get your point. When I lived in the desert southwest and would come back to OKC, it seemed very green. When I lived in North Florida, I would come back to OKC and it would seem somewhat stunted and scraggly green and the trees that seemed towering when I lived in the desert seemed very short.


And as far as desolation I am going to assume that you would consider the entire great plains as being "desolate".

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Again, much like the criticisms of the weather here, this is overstated. For starters, OKC is on the edge of the plains. The plains are naturally not a very green area. But trees will grow here and as KanyeMo stated, some areas have done a good job with landscaping and some have not.

I would say the south side supports your argument. Very Amarillo looking. However, places like Heritage Hills, Nichol's Hills and Mesta Park are really green. The areas of OKC that are in the cross timbers look very much like northwest Arkansas without the higher points. Nothing like the plains. And I think that makes OKC kind of interesting. Another thing about OKC is that there is a mix of green and sky that is not available in places that are more forested. This is particularly tree when you get to a high point in the crosstimber areas. It's like a green carpet under the sky.

But I get your point. When I lived in the desert southwest and would come back to OKC, it seemed very green. When I lived in North Florida, I would come back to OKC and it would seem somewhat stunted and scraggly green and the trees that seemed towering when I lived in the desert seemed very short.

You make a good point here. South OKC is a lot more "barren" than north OKC, with the exception of far NW OKC, which looks a lot like the southside. The urban core and Edmond are all quite green. Like you say though, coming from the east coast, the trees seem short and scraggly. People coming from the desert have the opposite perception of OKC, usually perceiving it as being very green.

Originally Posted by eddie gein

And as far as desolation I am going to assume that you would consider the entire great plains as being "desolate".

For the most part, yes. There are a few crown jewels though in the region, like Turner Falls and the Wichita Mountains. I haven't been there but I have heard great things about Palo Duro Canyon outside of Amarillo. Most of the Great Plains though are lacking the beauty of the more forested areas farther east or are lacking the beauty of the desert.

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

LOL, back in 2012, Sen. Shortey was the vacant headed loon who tried to advance a bill to outlaw aborted fetuses in food, even though he knew of no Oklahoma food production company doing such a thing. It never made it out of committee. It was surely one of the weirdest solutions ever concocted at the state capitol looking for a problem. But that's poor governing for you. What a pity that he got reelected in 2014.

When I heard about this, I knew, without looking, that this senator belonged to the Party of Jesus(TM). It's ironic that the ones promoting family values and pious living are most of the time the ones caught in those kind of scandals.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by bawac34618

You make a good point here. South OKC is a lot more "barren" than north OKC, with the exception of far NW OKC, which looks a lot like the southside. The urban core and Edmond are all quite green. Like you say though, coming from the east coast, the trees seem short and scraggly. People coming from the desert have the opposite perception of OKC, usually perceiving it as being very green.



For the most part, yes. There are a few crown jewels though in the region, like Turner Falls and the Wichita Mountains. I haven't been there but I have heard great things about Palo Duro Canyon outside of Amarillo. Most of the Great Plains though are lacking the beauty of the more forested areas farther east or are lacking the beauty of the desert.

Palo Duro is worth checking out if you are heading west on I-40. I won't argue with the idea that the plains seem "desolate" but one thing that the great plains does have compared to points west is a verdant agricultural piece that makes it seem less desolate than many parts of the desert. For instance if you drive through the wheatland of Oklahoma right now it is a carpet of green. After harvest, in the heat of the summer it seems more desolate when it is plowed up red dirt.

I do think one thing you notice when you come from points east though is how short the trees are in OKC. After you've been here a while, you lose that perception until you get back in the forest.

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

I do think one thing you notice when you come from points east though is how short the trees are in OKC. After you've been here a while, you lose that perception until you get back in the forest.

I agree with this. Even the larger trees here are short compared to the East. A lot of people in OKC perceive the trees in Tulsa or Ft Smith to be very large, but they are short compared to the ones in Memphis. I've traveled on I-40 numerous times and going westward from Memphis, the trees gradually get shorter until disappearing around the Oklahoma/Texas PH border. I believe the annual summer drought contributes to the shorter trees. From the Mississippi River eastward, it becomes a lot less common to go for extended periods of time without rainfall in July and August, which results in much larger trees.

[PsychDoc]

The grass in the north and east coast is also much greener. The grass in Oklahoma is brown most of the year. I live in central Ohio (Columbus metro area) and the grass is very green for about nine months out of the year. The trees are definitely more dense and taller than in OKC. Here's a google street view of a typical street in my town (Upper Arlington):


https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0438...7i13312!8i6656

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by PsychDoc

The grass in the north and east coast is also much greener. The grass in Oklahoma is brown most of the year. I live in central Ohio (Columbus metro area) and the grass is very green for about nine months out of the year. The trees are definitely more dense and taller than in OKC. Here's a google street view of a typical street in my town (Upper Arlington):


https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0438...7i13312!8i6656

The grass is very green in Oklahoma from about Mid April through Mid to late October provided there is enough rain. I've seen it brown in July and August if there are droughts and watering bans though.

I would bet the trees turn green much sooner in Oklahoma than they do in Ohio and hold their leaves longer as well. Oklahoma starts greening in early March and is greened out by mid April almost every year. Leaves change in late October to early November and leaves are off the trees by December.

[KayneMo]

Originally Posted by PsychDoc

The grass in the north and east coast is also much greener. The grass in Oklahoma is brown most of the year. I live in central Ohio (Columbus metro area) and the grass is very green for about nine months out of the year. The trees are definitely more dense and taller than in OKC. Here's a google street view of a typical street in my town (Upper Arlington):

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0438...7i13312!8i6656

OKC has plenty of beautiful streets like that as well, not nearly as barren and desolate like you have said.:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4902...2!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4835...2!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5089...2!8i6656?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.5037...2!8i6656?hl=en

There's even some trees south of the river, though not as much as north of the river:
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.4394...2!8i6656?hl=en