[bettyechols]

I am looking for information on both Texas and Oklahoma in any area that you wish to tell me about.....thanks...

[yellowsnow]

Texas has beaches and no state income tax. And a few less tornadoes but there is an occasional hurricane that brings some nasty weather. I actually like both places but I would probably pick Texas.

[Rubi3]

I'm interested in why you want the comparisons, Betty. How about filling in the information so readers have a clue as to the whys and the wherefores.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by bettyechols

I am looking for information on both Texas and Oklahoma in any area that you wish to tell me about.....thanks...

Very similar culturally.

Sans my own narcissist self, I've found Okies to be less pretentious in general.

Plus, the Sooners are about a 1000x better than the Longhorns in football. (That's an understatement.)

[linicx]

Oklahoma is the state that is home to more federally recognize Native American tribes than any other state. Politically it tends to vole Republican in national elections whilst local elections may be entirely different. While it claims to be predominately Christian there are many other religious groups that find a home here. Education: K-12 public, religious, homeschool, 2-yr. community college, 4-yr. college and 4-yr. university. I assume on the four year level these schools offer masters and doctorates.

From I-40 west of Tulsa, to the SE Missouri/NW Arkansas border on I-44/I-71, the state is very leafy and green with rolling hills, cliffs, deep, rivers, large lakes, and mountainous terrain, as it is the western most edge of the 50,000 acre Ozark Mountain Range. Tulsa is the largest city in the eastern half of the state.

From 1-40 west of Tulsa, through OKC to Shamrock Texas, the land is very different from the red earth, to the pumpjack, to flat land barren of large forests. OKC- the state capital, OU and OSU have a home here in western Oklahoma.

If you are retired, or considering it, Grove on Grand Lake is consistently ranked as a #4 or $5 retirement area in America. If you like to fish, hunt, camp, hike, and explore it is a great place to live. You can sail, canoe, kayak, and power boat too. If you work at home, or ir you are self-employeed it is a good place to live. If you have children it is a good place to live as it has doctors, EMT, life-flight service, a very descent small hospital, and okay schools.

Grove is self contained in that it has police and fire, ambulance, K-8 schools. Also new HS, community college and library, and movie-plex. You'll find national and local restaurants, national and local stores, rental stores, hardware stores, pizza, ice cream. camping, lake cruises, Family Y, and 1200 miles of lake shore to investigate. Housing stock ranges from apartments and small houses to gated communities and million dollar homes. If you enjoy nature and the peace and quiet that comes with it, you will feel right at home.

However if you need to work away from home then you should be looking at Tulsa or OKC. Grove is isolated in that it is 50 miles from Joplin, MO and 100 miles from Tulsa. If you are a Civil War historian, Grove is right on the edge of the Cartage, Pea Ridge, Wilson Creek battlefield triangle. The last troops to step down after the war ended was commanded by Gen. Stand Wattie, a Native American, who is buried near Grove. If you like the bustle of big cities you will feel at home at Tulsa. I never lived there, but I enjoyed it when I spend time there and I can attest to the quality of doctors and hospitals.

I also spent a fair amount of time in Texas with friends who lived in Dallas County,. I think Texas FTM are awesome. For me Texas is too big, too desolate, too sandy, too hot, and too barren. There is also a lot of fracking and oil drilling in state.

[eddie gein]

I actually live in both at various times of the year. This week I'm in Oklahoma. Last week I was in Texas.

As has been stated, Texas doesn't have state income tax but their property taxes are significantly higher. And while the climate can vary some in parts of Oklahoma, the climate in Texas can vary drastically depending on where you are.

Oklahoma is much smaller in population and in size. Texas mega state status gives it a bit of a different feel than Oklahoma in some ways. Although the people in Oklahoma are similar to Texans in most parts of the state (not all) the fact that Oklahoma has only about 4 million people gives it a feel like Iowa or Kansas or Arkansas in many ways. Just a closer knit feeling than a large state has.

On the other hand, in Texas you have all that Texas pride mentality which really doesn't exist in Oklahoma. While Texans do a lot of chest thumping about how great Texas is, Oklahomans generally are humble and don't think Oklahoma is the greatest place in the world, but that it is pretty nice and holds it's own in the pantheon of states.

If you like megalopolises, then Texas is your place. If you like mid sized cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa are probably best suited for you.

If you like cities in the 100-250 K range then it's Texas.

Small towns, Texas probably has more nicer small towns than Oklahoma but Oklahoma has the advantages if you are looking for traditional small towns that are close to the big cities. Just about everything within 40 miles of the big cities in Texas has now been swallowed up by suburbia, while Oklahoma still has some exurbs that maintain their small town character.

Texas has the overall edge in scenery but per acre Oklahoma wins in a walk. To get to some of the nice scenery in Texas you may have to drive hours and hours. For instance, you can get to the Big Bend in Texas from OKC in just about the same amount of time that somebody from Houston can get there. However, most people in OKC don't go there because there are nicer spots in New Mexico and Colorado than that part of Texas.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

I actually live in both at various times of the year. This week I'm in Oklahoma. Last week I was in Texas.

As has been stated, Texas doesn't have state income tax but their property taxes are significantly higher. And while the climate can vary some in parts of Oklahoma, the climate in Texas can vary drastically depending on where you are.

Oklahoma is much smaller in population and in size. Texas mega state status gives it a bit of a different feel than Oklahoma in some ways. Although the people in Oklahoma are similar to Texans in most parts of the state (not all) the fact that Oklahoma has only about 4 million people gives it a feel like Iowa or Kansas or Arkansas in many ways. Just a closer knit feeling than a large state has.

On the other hand, in Texas you have all that Texas pride mentality which really doesn't exist in Oklahoma. While Texans do a lot of chest thumping about how great Texas is, Oklahomans generally are humble and don't think Oklahoma is the greatest place in the world, but that it is pretty nice and holds it's own in the pantheon of states.

If you like megalopolises, then Texas is your place. If you like mid sized cities, Oklahoma City and Tulsa are probably best suited for you.

If you like cities in the 100-250 K range then it's Texas.

Small towns, Texas probably has more nicer small towns than Oklahoma but Oklahoma has the advantages if you are looking for traditional small towns that are close to the big cities. Just about everything within 40 miles of the big cities in Texas has now been swallowed up by suburbia, while Oklahoma still has some exurbs that maintain their small town character.

Texas has the overall edge in scenery but per acre Oklahoma wins in a walk. To get to some of the nice scenery in Texas you may have to drive hours and hours. For instance, you can get to the Big Bend in Texas from OKC in just about the same amount of time that somebody from Houston can get there. However, most people in OKC don't go there because there are nicer spots in New Mexico and Colorado than that part of Texas.

Yep.

To the bold, a very good point which many miss or underestimate.

[#1soonerfan]

My story. Grew up in TX before moving to OK for college and about 5 years afterward before returning to TX about 2 months ago.

Definitely agree about the scenery. Sorry Texans, but I've never been impressed by the landscape here, with the exception of the Trans Pecos/Big Bend area. Think about it this way, Texans flood into OK to see the Wichitas, Arbuckles, Beaver's Bend, etc. OK has better lakes as well. TX does have the Gulf Coast, but we are not talking about the Riviera here.

TX has 3, increasingly 4 huge metro areas that offer a lot, and a lot of very nice small towns. However, if you prefer something in between (say 750K-2 million) you are a bit out of luck. Austin is the closest you'll get to something like that but they are going to ramp past 2 million any day now. OKC and Tulsa fill that niche nicely. I did enjoy the bigger community feel in these places while still being large enough to have big city conveniences. For better or worse though, they will never reach the size of any TX mega city in our lifetimes so if someone is itching for a big city experience you won't find it in OK.

Tax wise if you are property poor cash rich than TX is better; property rich cash poor OK is better. I find the lack of income tax in TX to be a bit overrated. Trust me the states will get their money no matter what. Property taxes are about triple in TX vs OK and there's lots of fees here and there that love to pop up. Also, OK has always had a lot of toll roads but they are fairly reasonable. TX on the other hand is putting up toll roads and managed lanes at a dizzying pace. And they are not cheap either.

Both states' economies are doing very well due to high energy prices, but there is a certain level of dynamism in TX than is lacking in OK. Should oil prices crash (and they have in the past) both states would be hurt but TX would probably be *okay* whereas I fear OK would be on its knees. Ultimately I think this is probably what tips most people towards TX but given OK's low cost of living you can do very well in both states, and a lot of people are.

IMO I prefer OK but I do like TX. Both states have their pluses and minuses, but quite a few overlap. Whether you prefer one or the other will probably come down to only a few specific reasons.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by linicx

From 1-40 west of Tulsa, through OKC to Shamrock Texas, the land is very different from the red earth, to the pumpjack, to flat land barren of large forests. OKC- the state capital, OU and OSU have a home here in western Oklahoma.

But OSU is in north central Oklahoma, not western Oklahoma. Most people would think of OKC and OU as being in central Oklahoma, not western Oklahoma. And I don't know what pumpjack is.

[JoninATX]

My point of view is that both states are very nice. Oklahoma with it's mountainous areas in the southeast region to the prairie in the central part of the state and semi arid and canyons in the west. Now Texas is a totally different animal, seeing how vast the state is. Now if you are perfering a big metro between 2-3 million with some scenery to it, then Austin, or San Antonio would be a good fit. In a day you can travel in the hill country, as well as travel to the beach since both are a 2-3 hrs destination. If you choose Oklahoma then I preferably choose either OKC or Tulsa.