[mukasa7]

My husband has orders to report to Fort Sill and I've reviewed all the threads on the area. They've all been very useful. However, I also need to find a new job and that complicates matters.

I am an Registered Nurse and I've applied for positions in OKC, Norman, and Lawton. We are trying to find that "middle ground" where we are both professionally fulfilled. Finding real estate isn't the issue but the WHERE is. We also have a teenager in high school, so education is a factor.

We keep going back to Chickasha. How is the commute between Chickasha and Fort Sill? Chickasha and OKC? What is the realistic commute time? Is there heavy traffic in the morning along that route?

We are coming from the Baltimore/DC metro area and I don't think traffic could be worse.

Does anyone have any new thoughts on the high school in Chickasha? I think if I worked in Lawton we would live in Elgin. Any thoughts on that high school?

I do have lots of questions but I'll start with the commuting issue first. Thanks!

[Synopsis]

The commute from Chickasha to (depending on what part of) Fort Sill will be anywhere from 35-40 minutes. I don't think traffic will be any issue at all, especially since you are coming from the Baltimore/DC area. In fact, there would be NO city in Oklahoma where traffic would be an issue with you and you won't be commuting within city limits at all; most of your drive will be countryside.

For distance questions and such, use Google Maps. It's a great resource.

As far as the schools in Chickasha, go to Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community.

I did a search on Chickasha schools and came up with the following. They don't appear to be too bad.

Greatschools.net Search: Chickasha

Good luck and thank your husband for his service and YOUR service as well. Military spouses contribute as much to the welfare of this nation as those who serve directly.

PS. I think Chickasha is probably a pretty safe choice. Small city, relatively low crime, and it does have a hospital (GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL). Their website is http://www.gradymem.org/

[Crosstimbers Okie]

Don't overlook Duncan. For schools it would be my choice.

from: lawton, ok to: duncan, ok - Google Maps

Visit Duncan Today! - the Duncan Convention & Visitors Bureau

[mukasa7]

Thanks for the input but Duncan a little too far. I would like to be closer to OKC.

[Bobby H]

Oklahoma City traffic can get pretty bad at times. However, it usually doesn't reach the sort of maddening scale you see in megacity metros like Washington, D.C./Baltimore or Dallas-Fort Worth not far from here.

Here's a driving example:

Last week I had to drive from Lawton to a business on the south side of Oklahoma City and be there by 8:30am. I left Lawton about 6:45am. The H.E. Bailey Turnpike has a 75mph speed limit -and I pushed it a little above the limit (keeping it below 80mph). Having a PikePass RFID windshield thingie saves some time; you breeze through toll gates. I listened to the KATT rock station and got traffic reports. I-44 was backed up south of the I-240 interchange and I-240 was backed up in both directions clear to I-35. I got on the H.E. Bailey turnpike extension and went through Norman instead. There was still one minor backup on I-35 near the palacial Moore Warren movie theater. I arrived at my destination at 8:20am.

It takes a little over an hour to drive from Lawton to Norman. Elgin to Norman is about 45 minutes. Chickasha to Norman is around 25 minutes. Oklahoma City covers quite a lot of area. You can add another half hour of driving if you're headed to a destination on the north side of OKC (where most of the big hospitals are located). And that's with relatively smooth traffic.

[j67bubba]

There are two hospitals in Lawton - Commanche County Memorial and Southwestern. Ft. Sill also has a Hospital.

My kids go to Elgin HS. They like it. They are just about finished with building a new High School.
I know alot of people are moving to Elgin because it is a small town and it is quite there plus there is alot of new housing areas going up there.

Like someone said, drive time to OKlahoma City is dependent on what part of the city you want to go to, it could be more or less than an hour.

[kbaarobinson]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

The commute from Chickasha to (depending on what part of) Fort Sill will be anywhere from 35-40 minutes. I don't think traffic will be any issue at all, especially since you are coming from the Baltimore/DC area. In fact, there would be NO city in Oklahoma where traffic would be an issue with you and you won't be commuting within city limits at all; most of your drive will be countryside.

For distance questions and such, use [URL="http://maps.google.com/"]Google Maps[/URL]. It's a great resource.

As far as the schools in Chickasha, go to [URL="http://www.greatschools.net"]Great Schools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community[/URL].

I did a search on Chickasha schools and came up with the following. They don't appear to be too bad.

[URL="http://www.greatschools.net/search/search.page?state=OK&q=Chickasha&type=school"]Greatschools.net Search: Chickasha[/URL]

Good luck and thank your husband for his service and YOUR service as well. Military spouses contribute as much to the welfare of this nation as those who serve directly.

PS. I think Chickasha is probably a pretty safe choice. Small city, relatively low crime, and it does have a hospital (GRADY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL). Their website is [url=http://www.gradymem.org/]Grady Memorial Hospital | Chickasha, Oklahoma[/url]

We are currently stationed at Fort Hood.We are PCS'ng to Fort Sill soon. We are both originally from Chickasha. We have decided to live in Elgin. I will be going to work in Chickasha because I have heard it is really difficult to get a job in Lawton. I worked as a Medical Assistant at Southern Plains Medical center for five years before my husband joined the military. There is also a clinic called Five Oaks Medical center. There are several home health care facilities in the area as well. The hospital has a bad rep but it is a good place to work. Five Oaks is owned by the hospital. I will be bringing my kids with me everyday to Chickasha to go to the High School. The High School is a great school, however, the middle school is not too great, mainly because it is overcrowded. Grand Avenue is the best elementary in my opinion. Crime is relatively low, especially compared to Lawton. There is no way I would put my kids in Lawton ISD. I have heard from my friends and family that methamphetamine use has gotten really bad. Mainly within the older adults that have lived there their whole lives, not with the student age population. Overall, I would recommend Chickasha to anyone.

[kbaarobinson]

Also, there are no clinics in Chickasha that take Tricare. Lawton/Fort Sill is the only place your kids can go to the doctor.

[SluggoF16]

Cache has an excellent school system as well. I have known of someone who flew at Sheppard AFB across the river and lived in Cache, 45 minutes total commute, so living in Burkburnett in TX could be an option. Walters and Geronimo are not too far away from Sill. Don't discount East Lawton (and Marlow), MacArthur is an excellent HS.

Gridlock in Lawton is 7 cars in front of you at the Cache Road and Sheridan light.

The medical field is always looking for professionals, but otherwise it seems hard to get a job in Lawton, not that there's high unemployment, but that there's not a lot of local turnover.

[StillwaterTownie]

I'm constantly amazed how so many people think it's impossible to live in the same city they work in. But then I'm highly biased in my thinking, since I have always lived in the same city I worked in.