[Ireva]

Hi! Newbie here, so bear with me.

When I googled "moving from CA to OK", most of the helpful results were from these forums, so I figured I'd just cut out the middle man and get an account here myself!

I'm from the Paso Robles, CA area. It used to be a decent place to live, but not as much now, especially with the drought and extremely high cost of living. My husband and I would like to raise our toddler in a simpler place - with friendlier people - where we can maybe afford to buy a house someday. We would start out renting for the first year or so though. We've pretty much settled on Oklahoma because I remember visiting my grandparents there often when I was little, and I always wanted to move there. So yeah, in the back of my mind I'm kind of shouting, "Finally! Woo!"

I came up with Broken Arrow because it's near my grandparents in Tahlequah, but seems like it would have more job opportunities for my husband (he currently works for a telecommunications contractor doing aerial repair work, but he's willing to adapt so that we can get out of California).

Do we have any other reverse-dust-bowl migrants? Want to tell me about something that was difficult for you to get used to when you moved here? Any advice on the best neighborhoods to rent in? It's been years since I've been in the area. Thanks!

[flyingcat2k]

There are some reverse-dust-bowl'ers here but not a lot. I think the OK legislature is trying to do anything in its power to repulse people, including their own constituents.

You probably will not recognize BA from your childhood. There really isn't much rural area between Tulsa and BA anymore and BA is getting more retail so daily trips to Tulsa (71st) aren't necessary. The character of town is strictly suburban though and friendly enough. They have grown the little downtown area and spruced it up. My big knock on living in BA is that it is a city of 100k people with one high school. My kids wouldn't do well there but plenty of students are just fine with that size.

As far as rentals go, I don't know of a bad complex in BA. The bad ones seem to all be in Tulsa.

[Ireva]

Thanks for your input! Yeah, I figured it had changed a bit.

I would love to live in a suburban area. I looked at some of the cute little rental houses in BA online and fell in love with so many! Especially for the price...wow. We pay $1400 monthly right now for a 2 bedroom (not sure of the square footage, think it's around 750) and share a parking area with the complex next to us, which is known as "the place where all the drug dealers live". Not the best place to raise a family.

That's one crowded high school. Yikes.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Ireva

Thanks for your input! Yeah, I figured it had changed a bit.

I would love to live in a suburban area. I looked at some of the cute little rental houses in BA online and fell in love with so many! Especially for the price...wow. We pay $1400 monthly right now for a 2 bedroom (not sure of the square footage, think it's around 750) and share a parking area with the complex next to us, which is known as "the place where all the drug dealers live". Not the best place to raise a family.

That's one crowded high school. Yikes.

Broken Arrow HS is the largest school in the state. And while BA is a nice place it is pretty much an elite suburb of Tulsa. If you want a slightly more down to earth environment and a smaller suburb you might want to look at the next town out (Coweta).

[Griffis]

Other burbs are Jenks and Bixby (to the South) but they have gotten a bit gentrified over the last several years, so housing may be pricey.

Owasso, to the North, is nice and has a more rural feel (to me, anyway.)

And yes, BA has some nice things to offer, but it's essentially SE Tulsa at this point.

Good luck on your move and welcome! Keep us posted on your progress...

[Ireva]

Thanks everyone!

We're also considering living in Tahlequah or one of the surrounding towns. I'm trying to have an open mind so that we can find somewhere safe and affordable. All in all, this is really exciting for me! I'll definitely keep everyone posted! Glad I found this forum.

Thus far, the plan is to drive there and stay with my grandparents for a little bit until we find a rental, and a job for the hubby. Sidenote - is it stupid to just sell all our furniture and buy used/cheap replacements after we get there? I hate the idea of having to rent a truck or hire movers. We'd like to just pack up our car and head out.

[Rubi3]

There was a time I would have sold everything and just packed the car and headed out, so if you want to do that, why not? My granddaughter lives in Tahlequah. She absolutely loves it. She grew up in Oklahoma City and went to Tahlequah for college and has never been interested in leaving. I don't think she's ever felt unsafe, whether she lives in town or more in the country.

So much is said about how expensive it is in CA, you can probably buy used furniture for less than it would be in CA.

[linicx]

Tahlequah is in eastern OK; the scenery is beautiful. Most of the large ISP are in Tulsa or OKC. AT&T is in OKC. OK is a unique state. What you won't find is Trader Joes, and perhaps not Whole Foods or Costco. Some of it is in KC, but all are in St, Louis.

[swake]

Tulsa has two Whole Foods stores, Costco is being built on the far south side and Trader Joes is going to locate in the Brookside area.

[Ireva]

Yeah I remember Tahlequah being pretty amazing, but also really small. I can deal with small towns as long as my husband is able to get a job there - he seems pretty confident about it so I guess I'm worrying for the both of us. Lol.

That's exciting about Trader Joe's! Oh and we don't have any Whole Foods stores around here. Aren't they supposed to be pretty pricey?