I'm just starting to look into Tulsa area for possible family re-lo from CA (Broken Arrow: appointed)

[ImmerLernen]

We are a family of 4 -- middle-aged mom & dad and two young teens. We're from SoCal, but DH and I both hail from a Midwest background. We're tired (worn out, really) from the crowds, traffic, politics and general craziness of the Los Angeles area.

We tend to be homebodies, but we do like to get out and explore, attend local events, that sort of thing...if not for the traffic and crowds. Mostly, we want opportunities for our kids as they move into first part-time jobs, young adulthood and college. We will be working from home and/or retiring, so we're not tied to a specific job location. We want to be in a good school district mostly to support property values.

For now, I'm curious to hear some pros and cons of daily living in the Tulsa suburbs. From the reading I've done so far, it sounds like Jenks, Owasso, Broken Arrow and Bixby are nice areas. Since I'm just getting started in my research, I'm open to any/all info and commentary. Thanks!

[eddie gein]

Those seem to be the places to go in the Tulsa area. Bixby is really booming. Another southside town that is on the verge is Glenpool. On the north side of Tulsa Collinsville and Skiatook still have a small town feel and good schools.

Tulsa seems like it would be a good spot. To me the only real major drawback to Tulsa is that there isn't a traditional four year public school in town.

[ImmerLernen]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Those seem to be the places to go in the Tulsa area. Bixby is really booming. Another southside town that is on the verge is Glenpool. On the north side of Tulsa Collinsville and Skiatook still have a small town feel and good schools.

Tulsa seems like it would be a good spot. To me the only real major drawback to Tulsa is that there isn't a traditional four year public school in town.

Thanks for the reply!

"Booming" can be both good and bad. Do you mean Bixby is being built-out? In what way(s)?

One concern I have with the Tulsa area's growth is how well thought-out the planning is. I'd be disappointed, for example, if I purchased a home in a neighborhood with larger lots, only to have it be surrounded by new high density neighborhoods, especially if the roads and infrastructure weren't being updated to handle the extra traffic/congestion.

Do you mean there is no 4-year college/university?

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by ImmerLernen

Thanks for the reply!

"Booming" can be both good and bad. Do you mean Bixby is being built-out? In what way(s)?

One concern I have with the Tulsa area's growth is how well thought-out the planning is. I'd be disappointed, for example, if I purchased a home in a neighborhood with larger lots, only to have it be surrounded by new high density neighborhoods, especially if the roads and infrastructure weren't being updated to handle the extra traffic/congestion.

Do you mean there is no 4-year college/university?

Yes, Bixby is the town where a lot of the new growth is among the south side suburbs.

IMO, Oklahoma does suburbs fairly well relative to your concerns other than at times the roads don't keep up with the growth of an area. But usually they get them widened at some point.

And yes, I meant public University. There are two private universities and some branch campuses of state universities and a community college but no state university.

Tulsa area is highly underrated IMO for quality of life. Obviously there are some limitations but they have a lot going on there for a place of it's size. OKC, KCMO, St. Louis, Dallas and maybe Wichita can fill in the blanks. Also, NW Arkansas is getting things as they have the population, the money and Arkansas' flagship school. So it is starting to get events and things these days that are available to Tulsa residents.

[StillwaterTownie]

On a recent March show of House Hunters on HGTV a Tulsa couple was featured. Of the three homes, they settled on the suburban one, 10 minutes from downtown Tulsa, with a nice view. The wooded view from the master bedroom balcony wasn't of downtown Tulsa as they would have liked, but they loved it anyway. The two story home cost $238,000, 3bed, 2 1/2 baths, 2425 sq. ft. The suburban city was not named.