Inhospitable
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7/31/2008
I have a lot of good things to say about OKC, but none of them justify moving there or wanting to stay there. My post is a little dated. I left in 2005. I have lived a lot of places (IL, MI, WI, SC, GA, NC, MO, OK) Oklahoma City is the least friendly place that I have ever lived. I can distinctly remember my first day of work; I came in and said "Hi how are you doing." To everyone that I encountered and no one said anything back. It wasn't just work. My neighbors were the same, and it was the more typical response to general friendliness to have someone just not respond. If you think that it was me, I have never had this happen anywhere else that I have lived or worked. My friends all ended up being transplants from IN, SD, OH or somewhere else. There just seemed to be a general meanness to the place. It isn't just the people. It is just inhospitable country, few trees, red clay dirt. There is a reason that it was one of the last states that the Europeans took over. Lots of wagon trains past and very few stopped. The summers are HOT (that can be a plus or minus depending on your tastes).
Positives: There are some good local places to eat, Teds (before it franchised) was worth the wait. There is a lot of potential, Bricktown is promissing (I don't know if Deep Deuce ever really florished), art museum, the Asian community inbetween OKC Univ. and the Med center. The highway system is pretty good. You can get from one part of town to another fairly easily. If you like sports talk radio (which is often terrible), the Sports Animal is the best regional sports radio station that I have ever encountered (especially Al and Steely).
Negatives: The public school system, partly systemic (Oklahoma doesn't pay teachers anything and lets anyone with a BA teach) there is a reason there are so many big private schools in OKC. (Norman on the other hand has very good school, especially for autistic children. Moore and Edmond are national average to slightly better.) The lack of hospitality. There isn't a lot to do, but things seemed to be moving in the right direction (sonics?). If it snows 1/4 of an inch than everything that I said about the highways is meaningless. Ditto for ice which is more common. Lots of Mega churches (they are country clubs), lots of divorce, lots of teen pregnancy.
This was my experience for what it is worth.
Bp | Pontiac, IL