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hmm...I have never had any desire to visit that part of the state. I've been here almost 15 years...
There's nothing out there but farms and fields (in my mind at least.) There is a small desert called "Little Sahara" where people ride off road vehicles/toys in NW part of the state.
hmm...I have never had any desire to visit that part of the state. I've been here almost 15 years...
There's nothing out there but farms and fields (in my mind at least.) There is a small desert called "Little Sahara" where people ride off road vehicles/toys in NW part of the state.
That is really a shame.
Yes, there are farms, and prairie, and fields, and all kinds of scenery. You really ought to try it .....
That is cute....I'm not making fun of you honest... uh, but have you ever seen the weather station in Gage? Being in Northeastern OK our weather guys always mention Gage so I assumed it was big....then I went there and found out one woman ran it until it became automated (I guess) because she was out of a job and they didn't need anyone.
I understand that they did in fact have maybe 3 people at one time.
To OneDayAttaTime I grew up in Gage, Ok & you are so wrong. My father worked at that weather station & was also air traffic control station for airport and there was definitely more than 3 people employed there so I dont know where you got your information but it is wrong...
Can anyone give me information on what it's like living in Northwest Ok. What about weather?
Thanks.
OK, here goes on the basis of one visit driving from Elk City to Guyman.
It's flat. The local joke is that you can see your dog run away for three days. That's a personal choice as some people like the big sky country.
I was looking for a possible hobby farm. Wheat farming seems to be an abundant local crop. I was told by a real estate agent that the most productive land is spoken for and in the same family for generations.
You're really far from any sort of city convenience. Amarillo is probably the closest major metropolis. I know that may be a drawing point to many people but to some, like me, its a consideration.
I liked the area and I think the cost of living is somewhat less expensive than say the Tulsa area but for me the relative desolation was certainly factor. There are so many places in OK I liked better. As one poster put it, I'd have to have a good job opportunity to choose the panhandle over over places.
On the other hand I liked Elk City. It had a nice downtown and I can see it become a place of reasonable and sustainable growth.
You're coming from Maine to NW Oklahoma? Boy..are YOU in for a serious shock!
Seriously, I can't think of any other two places in America which are less similar. You're going from hilly, green and moist to flat, dusty and as dry as the proverbial popcorn fart. In the winter, snow falls in Maine...in the Panhandle, it blows sideways. There is nothing between you and the North Pole but a barbed wire fence and it blew down. In summer, Maine is pleasantly warm most days. In the Panhandle, it's hot enough to kill germs. In Maine, it rains in the Spring..in the Panhandle, it storms...violently and kicks up a cloud of dust on the way in. I'll bet that in Maine, you've never seen it rain mud, but you will out there. The terrain is so monotonously flat that suicide is a better option that looking at it for one more day. The only trees you'll find were either planted as a wind-break, or growing naturally along stream beds...of which there are few. Down in the stream-bed washouts, you can pretend you're looking at hills, but you're really just in a gully.
On the plus side, people are friendly, open and welcoming, about the exact opposite of the taciturn, suspicious New England woods rat. Instead of lobstermen speaking a strange language, you'll be around cowboys speaking a strange language, most of which will be Spanish. Instead of beautifully tilled potato fields, you'll be neck deep in endless, horizon-wide fields of wheat. And those feed lots! Man, nothing smells better! And, after you've caught a whif of the hide truck leaving the packing plant, you may never eat beef again. LOL
If you've gotten used to fishing as a pastime in Maine, get ready to either drive a long distance to find water or prepare yourself for catching Brim out of a muddy stock pond or snagging Catfish in the shallow waters of what passes for rivers in NW Oklahoma. It ain't nearly the same, but it ain't bad. If you're a hunter, downsize your expectations. There ain't nothing out there as easy to hit as a Moose (which is like hunting a parked car) and if you do manage to kill one those little deer, it won't dress out more than about 40 lbs of useable meat. Hunting deer or Pronghorn in the Panhandle is like hunting very fast little dogs. You'd better be quick and good at long shots, because that's all you'll get.
Learn to think in long distances because nothing is close in NW Oklahoma. For instance, unless you're moving to Guymon or Woodward, the only two towns of any size out there, (both of which have barely 10,000 hardy souls), just a trip to the store is an all day adventure. In the wintertime, it can be a life threatening adventure because it may be 80 degrees when you leave home for that 5 hour trip to Walmart, but below zero with 6 ft snow drifts in the road before you get back. Or, it may not be. Sometimes, it's actually closer and more convenient to drive over into another state to shop in Liberal, KS or Dumas or Dalhart, TX. Even then, there won't be a wide selection of most anything but ranch supplies. If you find you want to do some serious shopping, get ready for an overnight trip to Amarillo or Oklahoma City, unless you're really good at staying up all night to get back.
Night life: There ain't none. Don't expect to go to a night club if you want to go out. There's nothing but beer joints. Not dance halls or neighborhood bars or anything fancy like that....just beer joints and you'll notice the difference immediately. And, don't expect high plains drifters to be as congenial when they're drunk as you're used to. These are hard people, who live hard lives, and they'll hurt you when they've been drinking. If you frequent those places often enough, you'll learn to detect the signs of who you should leave alone. Of course, you may have a few knuckle-bumps as a reminder, but you'll learn.
One day in the winter, you'll look up and notice the northern or northwestern sky has turned a deep, dark, impenetrable blue and you'll say, "What the hell is that?" That, my Yankee friend, is a Blue Norther and you won't have to wonder when it hits. In the Spring or Summer, you may notice the same thing, but it's not a Blue Norther then: it's a tornado-bearing super cell and you're already underneath it. Run for cover!
Overall, you're in for a complete change; physically, emotionally, enviornmentally, culturally. Nothing will be familiar to you, but you'll make it alright if you adapt well and learn fast. If not, you'll find yourself among the many thousands who couldn't take it out there and who skulked away with their tails between their legs.
But, there's no shame in that. The Panhandle ain't for everyone.
One can do Oklahoma a lot better by settling within an hour of the Oklahoma City or Tulsa metro areas. People should avoid living in far northwestern Oklahoma and especially the panhandle unless you grew up there and so can better appreciate the area.
You're coming from Maine to NW Oklahoma? Boy..are YOU in for a serious shock!
Seriously, I can't think of any other two places in America which are less similar. You're going from hilly, green and moist to flat, dusty and as dry as the proverbial popcorn fart. In the winter, snow falls in Maine...in the Panhandle, it blows sideways. There is nothing between you and the North Pole but a barbed wire fence and it blew down. In summer, Maine is pleasantly warm most days. In the Panhandle, it's hot enough to kill germs. In Maine, it rains in the Spring..in the Panhandle, it storms...violently and kicks up a cloud of dust on the way in. I'll bet that in Maine, you've never seen it rain mud, but you will out there. The terrain is so monotonously flat that suicide is a better option that looking at it for one more day. The only trees you'll find were either planted as a wind-break, or growing naturally along stream beds...of which there are few. Down in the stream-bed washouts, you can pretend you're looking at hills, but you're really just in a gully.
On the plus side, people are friendly, open and welcoming, about the exact opposite of the taciturn, suspicious New England woods rat. Instead of lobstermen speaking a strange language, you'll be around cowboys speaking a strange language, most of which will be Spanish. Instead of beautifully tilled potato fields, you'll be neck deep in endless, horizon-wide fields of wheat. And those feed lots! Man, nothing smells better! And, after you've caught a whif of the hide truck leaving the packing plant, you may never eat beef again. LOL
If you've gotten used to fishing as a pastime in Maine, get ready to either drive a long distance to find water or prepare yourself for catching Brim out of a muddy stock pond or snagging Catfish in the shallow waters of what passes for rivers in NW Oklahoma. It ain't nearly the same, but it ain't bad. If you're a hunter, downsize your expectations. There ain't nothing out there as easy to hit as a Moose (which is like hunting a parked car) and if you do manage to kill one those little deer, it won't dress out more than about 40 lbs of useable meat. Hunting deer or Pronghorn in the Panhandle is like hunting very fast little dogs. You'd better be quick and good at long shots, because that's all you'll get.
Learn to think in long distances because nothing is close in NW Oklahoma. For instance, unless you're moving to Guymon or Woodward, the only two towns of any size out there, (both of which have barely 10,000 hardy souls), just a trip to the store is an all day adventure. In the wintertime, it can be a life threatening adventure because it may be 80 degrees when you leave home for that 5 hour trip to Walmart, but below zero with 6 ft snow drifts in the road before you get back. Or, it may not be. Sometimes, it's actually closer and more convenient to drive over into another state to shop in Liberal, KS or Dumas or Dalhart, TX. Even then, there won't be a wide selection of most anything but ranch supplies. If you find you want to do some serious shopping, get ready for an overnight trip to Amarillo or Oklahoma City, unless you're really good at staying up all night to get back.
Night life: There ain't none. Don't expect to go to a night club if you want to go out. There's nothing but beer joints. Not dance halls or neighborhood bars or anything fancy like that....just beer joints and you'll notice the difference immediately. And, don't expect high plains drifters to be as congenial when they're drunk as you're used to. These are hard people, who live hard lives, and they'll hurt you when they've been drinking. If you frequent those places often enough, you'll learn to detect the signs of who you should leave alone. Of course, you may have a few knuckle-bumps as a reminder, but you'll learn.
One day in the winter, you'll look up and notice the northern or northwestern sky has turned a deep, dark, impenetrable blue and you'll say, "What the hell is that?" That, my Yankee friend, is a Blue Norther and you won't have to wonder when it hits. In the Spring or Summer, you may notice the same thing, but it's not a Blue Norther then: it's a tornado-bearing super cell and you're already underneath it. Run for cover!
Overall, you're in for a complete change; physically, emotionally, enviornmentally, culturally. Nothing will be familiar to you, but you'll make it alright if you adapt well and learn fast. If not, you'll find yourself among the many thousands who couldn't take it out there and who skulked away with their tails between their legs.
But, there's no shame in that. The Panhandle ain't for everyone.
Looking on the brighter side, a precious few of the bigger towns in NW Oklahoma, rather than drying up and blowing away are doing a fairly good job of thriving, namely Woodward and Guymon. If one can both live and work in one of them, the town can be like a cocoon from the desolation of the area since a hospital, Wal-Mart, and McDonald's, etc., are just a short drive or walk away.
Its obvious to me that you dont know what you are talking about. I was raised & lived at Gage for many years & it is NOTHING like you describe!!!
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