Thinking of moving to beautiful Oklahoma

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cowzrul

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You might be happy in one of the suburbs like Mustang or Bethany, right around OKC. Decent schools if you plan to have kids, lots of dog parks and shopping close by. And the cost of living in both of those towns is pretty low. Tulsa has more blue-minded folk (think Austin in the 90s) and more snow, so I'd duck Tulsa entirely if I were in your shoes.

Stay away from Midwest City and Del City, both are dumps, and anything on the northeast side.
To each their own. I don't care for Bethany. Comparing Midwest City to Del City just shows you know nothing about the east side of OKC.

I was born in Minnesota and lived half my childhood in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Watertown and Humboldt. After I retired from the Marine Corps I decided to live in Midwest City/Choctaw. Couldn't be happier.
 

Aries

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For most of Oklahoma, your winter time goals are reasonable expectations... not a lot of snow, usually gone within a day or two, but we're probably more likely to get a little ice than snow. Wintertime highs in the 50's are not unusual at all, but anywhere in this state? A 90 degree high in July or August is a REALLY nice day...

You might take a look at Muskogee. Third largest town in OK, so it's not huge, but not tiny. I'm not sure you'll find any cajun food there. Anywhere in the state, you can throw a rock any direction and hit a tex-mex place though. It's about 10 hours from New Orleans, but you can't get closer than about 7 hours.

Man, if tornados are any less frequent than they've ever been, I haven't really noticed it. Every spring is an adventure. But people who only know what they HEAR about OK usually have an exaggerated sense of how bad tornado season is. Obviously they can be devastating, but most of them don't touch ground, and most of those that do are not in populated areas. As someone said above though, they love Moore!

From what you've described about your "likes", Oklahoma would be for you as it is for most of us... not perfect, but mostly positive. Hope you take a look and like what you see!
 

96A1

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To each their own. I don't care for Bethany. Comparing Midwest City to Del City just shows you know nothing about the east side of OKC.

I was born in Minnesota and lived half my childhood in Sioux Falls, Pierre, Watertown and Humboldt. After I retired from the Marine Corps I decided to live in Midwest City/Choctaw. Couldn't be happier.

Born and raised in Watertown, baptized at 9th Ave Methodist, went to both Cornerstone and Four Square and graduated from Castlewood High School. Been in SF for about 5 years now. I'm glad to find another SD native!
 

Okie4570

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Which side of SD are your from? The east side of Oklahoma is humid and little to no wind, the west side is always windy, sometimes crazy windy and the humidity stays fairly low in the spring and summer when it matters. I don't care much for humidity or crowds so I'll always live west of I35 and north of I40.
 

Chaparral

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OKC and Tulsa are not too bad on traffic except during the rush hours. I grew up in one of the largest cities in US, I know bad traffic. Bad here is a good day in la. Cajun food is only truly found in South Louisiana There are places here but it is not the same. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin are all horrible with traffic and liberal agenda issues. Fort Worth, Waco, Temple still feel a bit like Texas. Tyler is lovely and has really bad issues with traffic. There are towns all over there which might fit the bill. Land will be generally cheaper in Oklahoma. Winters a bit more, summers not as hot and humid. Lots of lakes and public land to visit in Oklahoma. I44 seems to attract tornadoes. it is about a mile a minute to get to the big city. If you travel with Wife you could just go all over the country. There are lots of rv opportunities and several forums dedicated to the lifestyle.
 

Poke78

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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.

It seems the traveling medical specialist is a growing thing as your story is not a new one to me. I would, however, give you some cautionary guidance as I know of a marriage that failed when confronted with the career "rocks and shoals" where one spouse is living their best life and the other is along for the ride. I certainly am not saying this is inevitable with this career model, just that reality can bite when you least expect it. I experienced it with long absences working an out-of-town construction gig when my kids were young. We survived it and are about to hit 45-years of being married.

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.
You've obviously looked into the weather and other posters have provided insights & web resources for further info. I'd add that about once per decade, OK will see a snow event that will make you think MN, only nobody has a snowblower and the local authorities are overwhelmed due to little equipment. This is sometimes exacerbated by an ice/freezing rain event to kick things off with a really slippery underlayment. This is when you learn the "Braum's scale" for winter weather preparation. And OK is definitely the place for "humongous rolling thunderstorms and tornadoes."

Amenities: as most have mentioned, your search should look for either a medium-sized town with most of your requirements or a safe suburb of a metro area that allows for easy access to all the amenities. If you strongly need to check all the blocks plus maximize career opportunities for your wife, I'd say the OKC metro suburbs should be high on the list. Before we moved to Tulsa, we raised our kids in the Mustang/Yukon area and would not have a bit of a problem with returning there. I mention career opportunities for your wife and would point you to the OU Research Park development near the State Capitol for potential employment in her field.

Food: good Cajun is available near a local gun store/range in OKC, as already mentioned. Lots of other geographic cuisines and cultures to explore, too.

Church: you seem to have a good understanding of what you need. Lots of smaller congregations of various flavors are ready for you. Personally, I'm not a fan of the mega-churches so they're automatically off my list.
 

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