[yella09]

Chickasha is very small and has a very small hospital. I would go with McAlester, my husband and I just moved here because he got a job in healthcare here. They have some of the top of the line equipment here, digital, which is just now getting started in Houston where we came from, and it's been here for 15 years. I love McAlester, my husband has been here a year and I just moved here last month, but every time I visited him I loved it even more. Don't worry about what people say about the prison or the meth labs or any of that stuff. You live your life the way you want and makes no difference if those things are even apparent in this town, unless you plan on going to prison or building a meth lab. The town is what you make it. Its beautiful here set among the 'tater' hills, beautiful sunrise and sets and the people are so friendly. Yes some have bad days, don't we all. Very courteous and kind and I love the small town feel, like eveyone knows their neighbor. There is everything you need here and if there isn't there is always online shopping or a drive to OKC or Tulsa. Just my opinion as eveyone else put theirs in. I am really enjoying it here, I'm officially an Okie, I changed the license plates and got my Drivers License last week!!

[HeatherDawn]

I'd pick Chickasha over McAlester and I'd pick McAlester over Muskogee but I wouldn't pick any of the three if I had choices like Grove.

[Howest2008]

I would pick Grove because it's the top Resort area in Oklahoma...and I will leave some Links at a later date I don't have enought time to do it today. i would live in Tahlequah or Bartlesville before Muskegee..GOOD Real Estate Shopping.....

[that_one]

Originally Posted by gnight

I'm in my 30s with kids and will be moving to Oklahoma due to job changes. I have several options and it really depends on my choice and what area/town would be the best to live and raise my kids.

My choices are Grove, McAlester, Muskogee, as well as the Fort Smith/Van Buren, Arkansas areas.

Do you guys have any opinions of the best places to live.

Grove looks nice but I've lived in larger towns and tend to be spoiled to having numerous restaurats to choose from and my wife likes "the mall" and the shopping without having to drive an hour each way.

Muskogee is more the size of town I thought I would go to but I hear that the town leaves a lot to be desired although it does have a mall, restaurants, and is closer to Tulsa.

I don't know much about McAlester at all except it has the Federal Penn.

Any input or thoughts would be great. Just from what we've heard, the Grove area and the Van Buren, AR area tend to be what we're leaning toward but we really don't know.

Thanks a ton.

McAlester does not have a Federal Penn, its only a STATE Penn!!!

[debbie at bouontiful]

Originally Posted by that_one

McAlester does not have a Federal Penn, its only a STATE Penn!!!

What ever that PENN is it is ugly and I hate it. I live about 10 miles west of McAlester in the country. Picking I would pick Grove.

[linicx]

Call it what you want but blame the national broadcaster who did an hour show on Big Mac. It seems the prisoners went into the 23 hour lockdown after there was a riot and the Warden and some of this staff was brutally murdered. It was a holy mess. There is also a medium level facility where prisoners leave to work and are given furlough on weekends. These are prisoners who are due to be released.

I am reasonably certain of this as I talked to a prisoner every weekend for a couple of years. The prison tales were fascinating. I would not aspire to be an inmate at Big Mac nor live in McAlester.

To eash his own.

Originally Posted by Crosstimbers Okie

That's pure hypebole. OSP is no larger or more brutal than any other high security prison, state or federal. And, just like any prison of just about any security level, it does have inmates who are locked down 23 hours a day for various misconducts or because they have proven themselves to be unmanagable any other way.

[debbie at bouontiful]

The minimum security prisoners do all the road clean up and I live way out in the country and it upsets me to see them walking the roads looking for trash because I know they're checking out the place.

If you get away from McAlester as I have and live very rural. I have over a few hundred acres of pure fun. Run cattle but mostly it is for fun. You can't afford it something where else. The cost of living or I should say buying land seems much cheaper here and it is beautiful. Not McAlester but the countryside is beautiful.

I can't believe McAlester had the choice of a College or Prison many years ago and chose a prison.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Originally Posted by linicx

Call it what you want but blame the national broadcaster who did an hour show on Big Mac. It seems the prisoners went into the 23 hour lockdown after there was a riot and the Warden and some of this staff was brutally murdered. It was a holy mess. There is also a medium level facility where prisoners leave to work and are given furlough on weekends. These are prisoners who are due to be released.

I am reasonably certain of this as I talked to a prisoner every weekend for a couple of years. The prison tales were fascinating. I would not aspire to be an inmate at Big Mac nor live in McAlester.

To eash his own.

No staff were murdered, brutally or otherwise. Three inmates were murdered. And that was the deadliest riot in Oklahoma prison history. More people died this week on Oklahoma roadways than that.

No inmates got out to threaten the community.

Apparently it's not so bad. You don't mind talking to an inmate there. What are you going to go when he shown up at your door? Most inmates come equipped with legs. They don't have to stay in McAlester when released.

I'll be happy to live in McAlester when I retire... If I ever retire.

[debbie at bouontiful]

I will say that it is cheaper to live in this area than anyplace I've lived before. We (husband's job) lived in Los Angleses, Utah, Kentucky and a few times in IL. This is the cheapest property taxes I've ever paid. Of course you don't spend much on entertainment because it doesn't have any. Which is alright with me because we just love living in the country and having land with cattle means more than a mall to us.

[boomermagic]

Originally Posted by gnight

Except for all of the prison talk, you guys have provided some good info.

I'll definitely check out the Grove area as it seems to have some things that towns its size usually don't have. Its proximity to Jopin, Tulsa, and Fayetteville seems like a bonus too although it's not ideal to drive an hour to go "shopping" or eat at some nice restaurants. They are also building a very nice brand new hospital which is a huge bonus.

I think I'll cross McAlester off the list. It doesn't seem to be a popular place and it really isn't as close to Tulsa.

Muskogee seems to be the outlier. It's a better size city but the crime is a bit of a turnoff for a smaller city. It is a nice distance from Tulsa though.

I have a friend from Pryor who seems to like it so I'll look there too. Unsure what the job market is there though. The Northwest Arkansas area was initially an option but job-wise and distance from family make it a less viable option (although I agree it's a great area)

I am a small town guy having been born and raised in Wilburton {30 Miles from McAlester} The state prison has never given anyone I know a problem my sister teaches school and lives in McAlester McAlester is a fine city..