great place but state in a time warp
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8/20/2006
I've lived in the OKC area for 3 years and I'm wandering whether the move here was worth it (lived in TX for 4 yrs; Tulsa before that). First the good. Living costs and housing are low, easy to get around. Unfortunately no hills. Downtown showing signs of life. The BAD, it is one of the dirtiest cities I ever seen. Trash can be seen along the highways and some streets. Speaking of roads and highways it is one of the worst in the nation. Job market SUCKS; a few companies like GM, and Dayton tires have laid off workers, and some like kerr-magee are leaving the state. Not a good place if you are under 40 and single. And no culture what so ever. Mass transit isn't good. Oh, but it gets better. The state income tax rate is 6.25%. The tax system in this state is so BAD that even the poor and the retired are taxed to death. If you are buying a car, be prepared to pay $800 or more dollars to get your tag. Toll roads are all over the state. Sales taxes in OKC is around 8.375% which includes food and groceries. Homeowners insurance rates are the 3rd highest in the nation. If you have kids, be prepared to help them with the moving because sooner or later they will be moving to another state to search for better opportunities. The lack of jobs is one reason why young people (including myself) are leaving this state for places like TX. This is one reason why this state is such a BACKWARD place. If you still going to move here, HAVE A JOB OFFER IN HAND.
james | Norman, OK