Tulsa-Will I survive? (Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks: fit in, houses, find a job)

[sallybell]

Hi, we are relocating for the umpteenth time and looks like Tulsa is the next spot. I have visited, and while I think the city has some beauty, I am worried about the religious aspects and the conservative nature of the city. I am not religious at all, and definitely not conservative. We were looking at possibly moving to the midtown area in an historic home. I am late 30's and no kids and scared to death I will not fit in. Is this a "good" area to consider living or do I have it all wrong? I am worried about the seeming lack of non-chain restaurants and dealing with a redneck mentality. We lived in the midwest several years ago and I was amazed about how the religious preaching even took place in the workplace. There were prayer meetings etc. during the day! Am I going to confront this in Tulsa? What about job opps for a college degreed individual?

[Synopsis]

Although it is true there are many churches and religious organizations based in Tulsa, it's not a hub of conservatism and religious zealouts from what I can gather. It's a very up and coming city with alot of improvements and big urban revitalization going on. Regarding the lack of "non-chain" restaraunts, I'm not sure where you got this bit of misinformation, but there are probably more chain restaraunts per-capita in Tulsa than just about anywhere in the U.S. Why? Because of its' central location and demographics, it's deemed as one of those "Average American Cities." If you really want to learn more about Tulsa, from many of the natives, go to www.tulsanow.org and then click on "public forum." There are usually a lot of very helpful individuals on that forum. In my opinion, Tulsa is a great city with a lot to offer. Regarding employment, it's not as hot of an employment bed as some of the larger cities like Dallas or Houston, but there are some decent jobs there; unemployment is low at around 4% I believe. Best of luck to ya!

PS. If my family and I weren't so entrenched in the DFW area, I'd move up to Tulsa in a heartbeat. The cost of living is relatively cheap, and they don't have the massive traffic problems that exist in the DFW area.

Also, for a neat clip of the recent centennial celebration in downtown Tulsa, check this out (below). It's best viewed in "full screen" mode by right clicking on the video itself and selecting full screen from the pop up menu.

http://www.kotv.com/e-clips/?id=3985 (broken link)

[sallybell]

Thanks for your post, but if you re-read I dislike chain restaurants immensely. I am a foodie who loves Indian, Thai, Korean, Dim-Sum, anything ethnic and anything home-made. I am definitely not a "middle america" sort of person.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by sallybell

Thanks for your post, but if you re-read I dislike chain restaurants immensely. I am a foodie who loves Indian, Thai, Korean, Dim-Sum, anything ethnic and anything home-made. I am definitely not a "middle america" sort of person.

Sorry for misreading your post Sallybell. There are lots of great restaurants in Tulsa that aren't franchised. Just about any type of food you'd want; Indian, Thai, Lebanese, etc. I'm not sure about Dim-Sum, because I haven't been to Tulsa lately. If you'll go to Yahoo Local and type in thai restaurant and Tulsa, Ok, it should give you a list of the different Thai Restaurants. Also, the tulsanow.org public forum should be a good source. Post a new topic in the chat forum about restaurants and you should get several responses on ethnic restaurants in the area. My wife and I went there a few months back and had some of the best Indian food we've ever had (can't for the life of me remember the name of the place though). My wife is Asian, and from Seattle and she thought it was the best as well.

[sallybell]

Does anyone else live in Tulsa that can shed some light on the political and social climate of the city? And about the midtown area? Is this a safe area to live in?

Thanks....

[BigOkie]

I do live here and I've always considered northeast Oklahoma a little more liberal than the rest of the state. It seems the closer you are to Texas, the more conservative you tend to be. The rural areas are usually pretty conservative as well.

I wouldn't worry too much about feeling 'out of place'; I'm a late 30s libertarian who's divorced with no children and caring for my Mother at the moment, as well as working.

All towns have their nutjobs. If you do decide to move here, don't worry about people trying to ram their religious beliefs down your throat. I've never had that happen to me, save for the occasional Jehovah's Witness member who canvases neighborhoods about once or twice a year. Just be polite to them, tell them your not interested and they move on. Usually they do this during the week during business hours, so if you are lucky enough to find a job with bankers' hours, you're likely to miss it.

I lived in Houston for three years in my early to mid twenties; while I liked the cosmopolitan feel, when I divorced, I spent another year there and decided to move back home. I'm glad I did. I hated the traffic, although the people in Houston were as nice as most of the people in Tulsa.

The best areas in the area to live in are south and south east. South Tulsa is upscale. Since you have no children currently, if you live in the Tulsa Public School district, you'll pay less on property tax if you purchase a home. While the other districts that have been mentioned (Union, Jenks, Owasso) are good school systems, there's a reason for that. Their property taxes are typically twice the taxes you'd pay in Tulsa. To put it in perspective, I live what would be considered MidTown East. I have a property that is appraised at about $100,000 and I pay $560 in property taxes. That same property in Jenks or Broken Arrow would garner you about $1000 in property taxes. It's all in what you are looking for.

Good luck.

[sooner_jenn]

Hi,

I grew up in OK, lived in Tulsa for a few years of my adult life, but have lived in a couple of bigger cities for the last 7 years (my husband has the same issue with being transferred).
I loved Tulsa. From what I remember you might want to look in the Utica square area. Lots of historic homes and nice walking neighborhoods.
People are very friendly, but there is also some culture there too. There is a Ballet company, Art museum, and such.
I had a friend who had moved from Chicago and went from saying she would give anything to go back, to saying she never wanted to leave Tulsa after a few months.
It is such an easy town to get around in, you can get anywhere in 30 minutes. It is also a much lower cost of living than most of the country.

Just like any city it has its own character. You will not think you are in NYC, but if you come with an open mind you will find it is a nice place to live.
It is a big enough city that you will find people with similar interests.

Good Luck!!

[Austingirl]

I may be relocating to Tulsa as well, and we are looking in the Midtown area. You and I share many of the same concerns! We are in a Historic District home in Austin, TX, and I love the laid back, funky feel of Austin. I actually lived in Tulsa briefly 15 years ago when they were still in a recession, and it appears to have improved somewhat.
My husband and I are TOTAL Foodies, and HATE chain restaurants, so I feel your pain. We live 4 minutes from the headquarters of Whole Foods and their Flagship store, and 5 minutes from Central Market, a huge gourmet market. I don't even bother cooking anymore. We have almost no chain restaurants until you get to the 'burbs. I'm sure there are a few good haunts in Tulsa that we will just have to frequent more often.
As far as the religious stuff, it is there, but you just have to be yourself and you will find your people. We are not church goers either, so it may take a little longer to meet people who drink margaritas without closing the curtains. (Just kidding - it's not Salt Lake City!) Oral Robert University has shut down, or is almost shut down, thus diminishing the religious fervor somewhat.
I am personally going to "find my people" through the "Tulsa Now" group. They sound like a young, energetic, forward-thinking group who are trying to make cool changes to the social, cultural, and economic status of the City.
I think it is hard for Tulsa and OKC to be so close (100 miles), and both excel economically. They have both built new Convention Centers (Tulsa's is amazingly cool actually, famous architect, just Google it), and are having a tough time filling them.
As far as safety in the Midtown area, safety depends on where you are. The historic homes are AMAZING!!! They go on for miles! Don't know your price range, but we are looking at a home that would cost at least $2 mil in Austin and it is $750K. Very safe area. Check Peoria, Lewis, 21st, 31st area.
Good Luck! BTW, I am 43 with a 6 and 9 year old.

[Pisces1975]

Tulsa is a beautiful and sophisticated mid-sized city. It may not have all the frills and thrills of Dallas or Chicago, but for a city of 380,000 it has a lot to offer. I lived there in the late 90s and fell in love with the place. The city itself very green and somewhat hilly with lots of parks and trees. If you appreciate beautiful architecture, then you'll love Tulsa. The city contains one of the best preserved collections of art deco in the whole USA. It's also home to world famous art museums (the Philbrook and Gilcrease) and is rich in cultural activities: ballet, opera, theatre, live music, festivals (Tulsa's Oktoberfest is ranked as one of the top five of its kind.)

Sure, Tulsa is in the bible-belt. And yes, it has it's share of bible-belt influences. But I don't think it's really much worse from than Dallas or any of the other large cities in the region. I never felt repressed there -- and I'm a gay, libertarian, agnostic. Living in Tulsa, I found that most of the conservative-types live south of I-44. So if you want to stay away from those types, just stay north of I-44. It's the most interesting part of the city anyway. It's where you'll find the good coffeehouses, bars, Thai restaurants and places where you can get a $50 haircut -- just like in any other big city.

[Synopsis]

Spot on Pisces1975! Great post.