Young couple moving to Tulsa (Owasso, Woodward: apartments, insurance, lofts)

[DM4077]

My husband and I are planning on moving to Tulsa in May. We are currently living in Salt Lake City. We are originally from the Tulsa area. We are looking to move into the city. We are wondering were the best place in Tulsa is for a young professional couple? My husband is an engineer and I work in education. I am particularly interested in the Midtown Tulsa. Anyone have any advice about houses, neighborhoods, community feel of the Midtown area?

[swake]

Originally Posted by DM4077

My husband and I are planning on moving to Tulsa in May. We are currently living in Salt Lake City. We are originally from the Tulsa area. We are looking to move into the city. We are wondering were the best place in Tulsa is for a young professional couple? My husband is an engineer and I work in education. I am particularly interested in the Midtown Tulsa. Anyone have any advice about houses, neighborhoods, community feel of the Midtown area?

Midtown is a great area, peoples decision on where they want to live in midtown is most often related to how much they want to spend. Often younger people want to be in midtown closer to downtown, Cherry Street or Brookside.

[SouthXSW]

I would look at the Cherry Street/Swan Lake/Yorktown area. Lots of young professionals and walking distance to restaurants, coffee shops, gym at St John, shopping at Utica Square, Woodward Park, and within a mile of downtown and the river. There is a mix of houses, apartments, lofts and condos from 14th to 21st, Peoria to Lewis. It is also still affordable unlike other neighborhoods in midtown like Maple Ridge and Brookside.

[opsec]

Midtown is awesome. Generally speaking don't go north of 11th Street, and some would say 15th as things change. Those areas are building up, but haven't quite gotten there yet.

Do you have kids? If so, look at the school districts. Generally speaking TPS isn't the best; however, there are a few magnet schools in the area that are EXCELLENT. Edison for instance is highly ranked in the nation. Many people in that area end up sending their kids to private schools.

[SouthXSW]

Lee and Eliot are good elementary schools in midtown and draw from neighborhoods south of downtown to Brookside to Utica Square and Cherry Street, basically the heart of midtown. Edison MS and HS are also good schools in midtown. They are some of the best TPS schools along with the magnets (Booker T Washington, Carver, Eisenhower, etc.)

Lots of midtown people also send their kids to private schools like Monte Cassino, Marquette, Cascia Hall and Bishop Kelley (all Catholic).

Also check out the Riverview neighborhood. It's by the river, just south of downtown, and still close to Cherry Street and Brookside. It's an interesting mix of young and old people, single family homes and high rise apartment towers. Denver goes right through it south of the downtown loop north of 21st and west of thr Maple Ridge neighborhood.

[Wyllyam]

Ok, a quick redirection here...'cause some folks actually DON'T have kids! *gasp* (Yeah, I know, I'm not one of them either LOL).
I must admit, I'm very jealous of your opportunity, as my children love the Owasso district so I have to stay, and I'm a city kid that misses all the cool stuff Midtown offers. Neat little downtown stores opening up as well, so I say go for it.

[travlr2010]

Downtown and surrounding areas now have some very interesting lofts and condos as well.

Midtown near Cherry Street and Brookside offer several condo options that have the added benefit of being close to shopping and dining options.

Hope this helps.

[Okiegirlfriend]

Check out the FEMA floodmap. There are places in Tulsa that flood during heavy rains and you wouldn't want to live in one of those areas.

[swake]

Originally Posted by Okiegirlfriend

Check out the FEMA floodmap. There are places in Tulsa that flood during heavy rains and you wouldn't want to live in one of those areas.

You keep posting this over and over on every thread. It's always decent advice but you are way over doing it. Tulsa had two bad floods in the 1980s and since Tulsa has spent billions to control flooding. The area flood control system is a national model today and I don't think there has been any flooding more than street flooding in the city of Tulsa for more than 20 years.

[flyingcat2k]

Originally Posted by swake

You keep posting this over and over on every thread. It's always decent advice but you are way over doing it. Tulsa had two bad floods in the 1980s and since Tulsa has spent billions to control flooding. The area flood control system is a national model today and I don't think there has been any flooding more than street flooding in the city of Tulsa for more than 20 years.

Not defending the hype-er but she does have one solitary point. If you buy in the flood plains, which were set in the 1980's, you'll be required to buy flood insurance for the mortgage. It really is no longer needed unless Keystone Dam overflows which is unlikely but still possible. If you think that will never happen, just ask people in Bismarck, ND.

It is overdone but it is better to have it rather than not. It's not a terrible circumstance but people need to account for it when they are looking at homes.