Thinking of moving to beautiful Oklahoma

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dennishoddy

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My wife & I are damn Yankees, moved here for family in ‘84.
Perfect definition of a damned Yankee. Brought your carpet bag and stayed. :laugh6:
Don't know if you heard the old joke, a Yankee comes to the south to visit, a damned yankee brings a carpet bag and stays.
Welcome to Okla and the glowing report.
 

96A1

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Well, we got 3 inches of snow overnight in my part of South Dakota. High of 30 today. Getting a little tired of it now!

I’m sure we’ll get one more snow in April. Then hopefully by May be done with it, have two nice weeks and then it goes 85 /85 (temp/humidity).

I want some 50 degree weather! Haven’t grilled in 6 months! Sick of this below freezing junk! :(
 

Capm_Spaulding

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I’m not reading through all 9 pages so I’m probably repeating a lot but I’m around your age, a little younger, and have been here my entire life so I’ll chime in with my very subjective opinion too. I am fairly critical of most things, but I do try to be fair-ish. Also our neighbors are retirees from one of the Dakotas, and they love it here.

Consider Central Oklahoma as the “best” overall area of Oklahoma. Too far west and it’s no man’s land, too far East and it’s no tooth land. Tulsa vs OKC is always a big toss up for first timers. Tulsa has higher highs, also lower lows and there’s not much around Tulsa whereas OKC has many more suburbs and is quicker to get to many places like Dallas etc. Tulsa and OKC are about 1.5 hours from one another but vastly different worlds, my vote 10/10 times is OKC.

Consider: Edmond, Piedmont, Yukon, Mustang. They are suburbs of OKC, but offer rural living on the outskirts as well. Oklahoma is NOT known for its education, but these areas have largely high rated school, specifically Edmond/Piedmont. Edmond is regarded by most as the hoity-toity town of OK, it is where the majority of sports players and celebs live. That said, it has also been voted as the 11th safest city in the US by the FBI and was Money’s 35th best place in the US to live overall. I’ve been in Edmond for 20 of my years and won’t ever move unless it’s to another state. For best bang for your buck I’d recommend just north of Edmond city proper in Logan County. You could have an Edmond, OKC, Piedmont, or Guthrie address and still basically be in Edmond. Just make sure you’re still in Edmond school districts.

Avoid: Moore, Midwest city, Del City, Bethany, most of Oklahoma City. Boomers will tell you Bethany and Midwest city are still great, but that hasn’t been the case in 40-50 years. They have SOME nice areas, but it’s really largely not. Check the crime map for a more objective opinion.

Weather is temperamental, the most temperamental in the US in fact. You’ll experience all seasons, sometimes in the same week or day. That is except summer where it is just damn hot and humid. Your 90 degree wish is roughly where things stay most of the summer, but it’s often humid enough to make it feel 100. 50 degrees is a little ambitious for winter as well, but winter is shorter and milder here in comparison. It USUALLY doesn’t get under 50 during the day til January-Feb and trails off around March. We usually get 3-5 episodes of ice and snow per winter, and it can be as early as October and late as April. It usually lasts less then 2-3 days with a few exceptions. No matter the time of year, the one thing you can always count on is wind and allergies. It is ALWAYS windy here, and it can be a real pain sometimes. Welcome to prairie life.

Yes tornados suck, no it doesn’t interfere with your day to day. It doesn’t even break my top 10 list of cons to Oklahoma. Just keep an eye on the forecast daily from late April to early June, mostly for hail chances, and buy a house with a shelter. Also, avoid Moore, that town is a storm magnet, that’s why housing is so cheap there, DON’T FALL FOR IT unless you want a $7000 annual homeowners insurance bill. A lot of those houses were replaced in the last 10-20 years.

Amenities are great and growing around OKC. We are in a great renaissance around here and it shows no signs of slowing down thankfully. A stark contrast to even 15 or so years ago.

Food is similar, while I can’t speak on Cajun food, there are a LOT of great places around OKC, from hole in the wall joints to $200 a plate meals. While it may not be NYC, you are set for food here.

Jobs as a tradesman may be harder to find as there are a lot of DIYers in this part of the US. I know a few handyman type workers and sometimes they do fine, but other times they struggle. This alone is why I would vouch to stay close to OKC. The further out you go, the more limited your opportunities.

Can’t speak to Church, but there’s a LOT of them. On every corner literally in some places.

I’ve been all over the world, and if I had the money I would probably move somewhere more balanced weather wise and with less allergens and mosquitos, but for the low cost of living and elbow room you get here, it’s hard to say I’m unhappy staying. You could do a lot worse than moving here.
 
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V98

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Hi there, I'm new here! I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to hit "register". I feel safe asking about this here because I assume most of you are conservative like I am and won't throw shade at me for being one. We all know what that feels like.

My wife and I (34 & 33, no kids) have been thinking about making a move to Oklahoma. We are wanting to move south because we are just plum tired of the long winters in South Dakota/Minnesota, and I have a permanent knee injury that I have to keep safe and off the ice. If it happens again, I'll probably never walk correctly again. Because of this I generally take the winters off so I don't have to be outside at all from December-April, and that's not healthy either.

Oklahoma was considered because you guys are the reddest state in the nation and we are all about that. We thought about Texas but all of the conservative radio hosts and talk shows seem to feel Texas is going down the shitter (no offense to Texans here).

If there are other states that would fit us better, feel free to recommend them as well. I just feel with legislation the way that it is, some other bordering states would be pretty frightening in the coming months/years if the right people don't get in and do some ass kicking.

So you're probably wondering what we do. My wife is a medical lab scientist and she just got hired on as a traveler and will start in June. Which means we'll be selling our house, purchasing an RV, and hitting the road to various camp sites where there is a contract available to take (these change weekly so it's really nothing you can predict). We are also thinking of locking in a new house while interest rates are still low (but not for long, thanks Joe) yet we don't want to jump the gun and just throw a dart hoping for the best.

Work-wise, I'm a chameleon and practically do whatever I can via trade skills or playing shows (musician) to earn money. I'll pretty much work anywhere and as hard as I need to so that's no issue.

I've never explored Oklahoma much, but there's a few things that may or may not make a difference as far as geographical location.

Weather : For snow, if we get it, ideally I'd like to see it gone the same day or the next. Never more than a half inch at a time either (I realize the weather is unpredictable and there are exceptions, but as a rule this would be nice). We like exciting weather like humongous rolling thunderstorms and tornadoes. Obviously it's different when it hits your house and I'm not going to make light of that at all. I've never actually seen a tornado though, only on video (I'm sure that will change if we make the move). Would like it to be in the 50s during the winter months, and hopefully not more than 90 in the summer months (maybe I'm being ridiculous here).

Amenities : Love shopping. Both of us. However we like our space, too. I don't want to be on congested roadways or cities that have grown far beyond what they can handle. Bloat is what I call it. Would like an area that I can find my mechanic, doctor, grocery store, firing range, guitar shop, and taphouse without much fuss getting there. Would prefer a low crime area (doesn't everyone? well not San Franciscans). Are Oklahomans good drivers? (Do they crowd up both lanes on the highway like Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas does or do they use the left lane for passing like one should?)

Food : I will say we absolutely love Cajun food, it's a food group practically, and we realize we'll still be a far bit away from real Cajun but at least it can be accomplished on a weekend off (5-6 hr trip). I'd like some good stuff locally though. We can cook, but some nights we're just bushed and want a good meal. We have some okay places in South Dakota but it's pretty bland to be honest. The same supreme nachos from the local sports bar gets old after having it twice in one month.

Church : well it hasn't been in our life for awhile but I really need to get back into a congregation with my Christian brothers and sisters. Denomination doesn't particularly matter as long as it's the Bible being taught and not some limp noodle pastor who wants to just spread good vibes. I don't mind being uncomfortable at church from a sermon. I don't want to hear things like my sin is okay. I know it's not. I'm pretty jaded on people too but hopefully there's some pretty straight shooting Oklahomans who have been through the ringer a time or two and are worth trusting in. I'd like an area that isn't too cliquey but is accepting and face-value.


We could do a big city but we'd have to live on the outskirts in a suburb. I like my space too and am well aware of the Great Reset and what the hell is happening to our world. Being safe on your own land is a good idea, though even having just a little space would be okay. I'd like to be within 10-20 minutes of the nearest town/city with a Wal-Mart or grocery store and at be within 90 minutes or so of some great shopping whether that be Dallas or OKC or Tulsa. This isn't set in stone but just so there's a guideline.


If you read through all this, thank you, and I look forward to your responses. Thanks for having me in your community and I'm looking forward to having some great discussions about guns and reloading and plinking!
The most beautiful thing about Oklahoma is the people. The people here are incredible.

I’m a native Texan that moved to Oklahoma in 1990. I’m married to a native Oklahoma gal.

Though my family still lives in Texas I’ll never leave Oklahoma.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking we’re conservative. Oklahoma is the definition of libertarian. Live and let live!

That’s why we’ll legalize pot and rabidly protect the second amendment. People think we’re backward, we’re not, we’re ahead of the curve! By the way, I don’t use pot, never have, never will.

God Bless Oklahoma! Live and let live in peace and prosperity!
 

crrcboatz

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Again SERIOUSLY consider Northeast Oklahoma. You will not regret it.The prettiest part of Oklahoma and has ALL the things you need Lakes lakes lakes lakes. Trees trees trees trees Tulsa has everything OKC can provide along with 500000 people too Come visit both areas OKC and NE Okla and see for yourself
 

kirk1978

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Weather is all over the place, can hit a church, grocery store, and the pot shop on every other block!! Most of the people are great, just don't judge us all from the posts on here....some real wackos on here.
 

yukonjack

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30 mph winds today. Nice break from the 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph all week long. 34 degrees this morning with 87 forecasted high this afternoon.

But the air quality sucks here in central Oklahoma. The blowing dust, smoke from the fires to the south and the pollens in the air makes it unbearable for quite a few folks.
 

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