[linicx]

Moving from one coast to the other is a culture shock. Just as moving from the North to the South is. So is moving from a larege coatal city to a city in the Midwest - unless you move to a city of size. The only city of size in the Midwest is Chicago.

I went to NE Oklahoma to visit and stayed 25 years.

Oklahoma is natural beauty. I is the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range and red earth. It is rolling hills, gated communities, sailboat races, fishing and hunting, botanical gardents, cardiac unts. awesome parks, upscale shopping and dining, cowboys, livestock, farmers, rodeos, powwow and tornadoes. It is The NATIVE STATE.

Oklama is unique. It is Native America in the finest sense. OKLAHOMA is a way of life that is unlike other states from the Nine Tribes in Miami to the Red River and from the Grand River Dam to Shamrock Texas. it is far more rural than urbane. It is more small town and enclave than Broadway and art galleries. It is fry bread and bbq. It is country music and the measured beat of the powwow drummers.

It is the history of its settlers. It is the history of the Trail of Tears. It is the history of elecrified rural Oklahoma. It is the history of the first land Deed between white man and red man when OKlahoma was still a territory. It is the history of the land rush and the first newspaper in the newly opened territory. It is the history of OKC that spawned the movie 1996 "Twister." It is Tornado Alley.

It is learning to do things on "Indian Time." It is trucks and guns and dogs and deer meat. It is about people who genuinely care. It is about many languages and different tribal ways. It is learning that words like "full blooded" and "costumes" and camera are offensive to some. It is learning that being invited into an Native American home is a privilege extended to few white men.

Oklahoma is about everyone having an equal place in the same society in a divided world. You don't find Trader Joe's or Costco in Oklahoma, Texas or Arkansas. You go to Lincoln, NE or St.Louis or Denver.

[Ecovlke]

Yes, the western part of the state is dryer and hotter. As for tornados, there are areas that seem to get hit more than others, but the whole state gets some very exciting storms in the spring/early summer. Big, boom-crash thunder storms. The nice thing is with our weather, we have some of the best warning systems in the nation. Plus, OU has a top meterological program and weather research station.

The northern part of the state is colder and gets more snow. Still, we don't get that much snow if you throw out this past winter as an outlier, hehe.

The panhandle is cold, dry and windy because there's not much to slow the fronts as the move in from the Rockies. Western OK, and Southwestern OK got quite a bit of snow back when I lived there as a kid. Lots of wind out that way, and not a lot of trees. The south and southeastern part of the state gets much more ice.

[silas777]

Originally Posted by linicx

Moving from one coast to the other is a culture shock. Just as moving from the North to the South is. So is moving from a larege coatal city to a city in the Midwest - unless you move to a city of size. The only city of size in the Midwest is Chicago.

I went to NE Oklahoma to visit and stayed 25 years.

Oklahoma is natural beauty. I is the foothills of the Ozark Mountain Range and red earth. It is rolling hills, gated communities, sailboat races, fishing and hunting, botanical gardents, cardiac unts. awesome parks, upscale shopping and dining, cowboys, livestock, farmers, rodeos, powwow and tornadoes. It is The NATIVE STATE.

Oklama is unique. It is Native America in the finest sense. OKLAHOMA is a way of life that is unlike other states from the Nine Tribes in Miami to the Red River and from the Grand River Dam to Shamrock Texas. it is far more rural than urbane. It is more small town and enclave than Broadway and art galleries. It is fry bread and bbq. It is country music and the measured beat of the powwow drummers.

It is the history of its settlers. It is the history of the Trail of Tears. It is the history of elecrified rural Oklahoma. It is the history of the first land Deed between white man and red man when OKlahoma was still a territory. It is the history of the land rush and the first newspaper in the newly opened territory. It is the history of OKC that spawned the movie 1996 "Twister." It is Tornado Alley.

It is learning to do things on "Indian Time." It is trucks and guns and dogs and deer meat. It is about people who genuinely care. It is about many languages and different tribal ways. It is learning that words like "full blooded" and "costumes" and camera are offensive to some. It is learning that being invited into an Native American home is a privilege extended to few white men.

Oklahoma is about everyone having an equal place in the same society in a divided world. You don't find Trader Joe's or Costco in Oklahoma, Texas or Arkansas. You go to Lincoln, NE or St.Louis or Denver.

Awesome post, thank you, you should work for the Oklahoma Tourism Bureau.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by linicx

I went to NE Oklahoma to visit and stayed 25 years.

And we are glad you stayed. Excellent post and it is good to see you posting on the okie forum, linicx. Quite a hiatus by some of our regulars. We do miss LadyRobyn as our Mod.

A lot of transplants don't realize the Oklahoma history also defines who we are today and that sets us apart culturally and economically.

My own tribal members only had 10 families living in houses in 1890 per the Indian agent on the Kiowa/Comanche/Apache reservation. The rest were still camping out NDN style, resisting the changes even the religion and language.

Consequently, this thread is not just answering the FAQ of does OK have jobs and housing available, we also have a different identity.

All newbies need to understand we are more than oil wells, rural farmland, and city jobs, we are vastly different from other states.

Moderator cut: snip

[silas777]

Originally Posted by Ecovlke

Yes, the western part of the state is dryer and hotter. As for tornados, there are areas that seem to get hit more than others, but the whole state gets some very exciting storms in the spring/early summer. Big, boom-crash thunder storms. The nice thing is with our weather, we have some of the best warning systems in the nation. Plus, OU has a top meterological program and weather research station.

The northern part of the state is colder and gets more snow. Still, we don't get that much snow if you throw out this past winter as an outlier, hehe.

The panhandle is cold, dry and windy because there's not much to slow the fronts as the move in from the Rockies. Western OK, and Southwestern OK got quite a bit of snow back when I lived there as a kid. Lots of wind out that way, and not a lot of trees. The south and southeastern part of the state gets much more ice.

So do many homes have basements in OK, I read somewhere that in Missouri I believe, they couldn't build basements because of the rock . I am sure most people get used to the Tornadoes threat after a while. Don't mind snow or cold......it is the 40 degrees and raining dampness here that gets very old. I remember staying in clinton one night and driving to Amarillo , it was a frigid cold wind blowing there. thanks again for the info.

[_redbird_]

Here you go, silas, some good info for you!

//www.city-data.com/forum/oklah...ost-homes.html

Although I don't understand why we don't have basements in the rural areas, but we have cellars.

[Ecovlke]

LOL oops Redbird..........I have a 1,300 sq/ft basement. A lot of the houses in the area where I live have basements. I've seen lots of older houses with basements. Mine is dry.

As a kid in Elk City our house had a basement; that's one. Most of the houses I've lived in have had basements, but these have all been very old houses.

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by Ecovlke

LOL oops Redbird..........I have a 1,300 sq/ft basement. A lot of the houses in the area where I live have basements. I've seen lots of older houses with basements. Mine is dry.

As a kid in Elk City our house had a basement; that's one. Most of the houses I've lived in have had basements, but these have all been very old houses.

I could make a humorous comment and say most trailers don't have basements! D'oh!

That is off-topic okie humor. I love those older homes.

[linicx]

Basements are subjective. In some areas the expense to excavate hardpan, lime and rock is astronomical. When I lived in Missiouri I had a basement and lived a few miles from underground caverns used for storage.. Some basements are dry some are not. Most wet basements do not have a proper drainage system such as a French Drain below the foundation of the house - or it may be old and blocked by debris and tree roots. I just replaced two that were filled with dirt and debris. A willow tree has a very deep root system that can destroy an otherwise very good drainage sysgem. Septic fields and French Drain systems can be destroyed by a young healthy Weeping Willow tree in short order. .

Tornaoes generally form in fields when the weather conditions are right. Traditionally most OK tornadoes in Tornado Alley forom around the Red River and move from the SW to the NE. OKC and Tulsa are targets because of location. Tornadoes move in a path of least resistence. In this case it is usually 1-40 to I-44. At the MO border it usually splits and moves thru Joplin and toward Lake of tte Ozarks, or into Neosho and toward Springfield. There are execeptions. Some tornaodoes go into Kansas around Pittsburg, of follow I-44 east. Pierce City was nearly flattened a few years ago.

I lived on Grand Lake in NEOK on Dillar Cove. I never saw a tornado, partly because of location (SE of the lake) and partly because the area is surrounded by high hills, seperated by a large body of water, but I was in two tornadoes in Missouri in areas that were flat an unprotected by high hills or large bodies of water. .

A tornadoe does not JUMP over high hills or high cliffs, but it can jump over low hills. It does not jump over a body of water that is mile wide. Tornadoes generally follow a path of least resistence which is usually is fields and four line roads void of houses and trees on either side. OKC and Tulsa are built out on both sides of a busy Interstate route.

Coming from WA, I suspect the NW Tulsa area would be more like what you are accustome to - minus the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound - but slower paced and perhaps on a smaller scale. Tulsa is considered the art center of OK. I like Tulsa very much. It is a tree city and a green city. It is has awesome shopping and some very good restaurants. Check out Miss Jackson's and Petty's Grocery in Utica Square; it is upscale and it located right next to the Jewish synagog. Tulsans like to read, thus you can find several very good bookstores and newspapers from around the world. If you like malls, Tulsa has two, plus Utica Square which is much like a small, but walkable, outdoor mall.

The Tulsa World, KC Start and the Daily OKlahoman are all well written newspapers. Sadly most of the small regional papers have been gobbled up by vendors who promote advertising rather than journalism and local news. It is not uniquie to Oklahoama - it is nationwide.

[linicx]

I agree.

Originally Posted by silas777

Awesome post, thank you, you should work for the Oklahoma Tourism Bureau.