Hi Holter,

Welcome! As you become familiar with these boards, you'll soon find out that there are many and many varied opinions here on where the "best" place to live is.

Some believe that the ONLY place to live is the downtown or urban core area. Others are just fine with the suburbs, thank you very much.

The bottom line is you and what you and your wife are looking for.

If you want to be in the middle of substantial growth, within walking, biking, or scooter distance to the urban hub - lots of restaurants and entertainment options, but not so much retail or other essential services, then downtown/Mid-Town is a great option.

There are very affordable apartments downtown that would give you a taste and feel for the urban life, and then you could, when the time is right, settle into a brand new condo, townhome downtown. If "older" is more your flavor, there are some wonderful "comeback" neighborhoods not far from the Mid-Town/Downtown area. Many have lots of "fixer-upper" homes, but these are largely homes with lots of charm and character. There are also some very elegant and stately historic districts in the same area, so much depends upon your budget.

If it's the suburbs you seek, then any of those you mentioned are nice. They vary in terms of the price per square foot you're going to pay, but in general, the housing buck stretches pretty far in OKC and its environs, especially compared to other states.

I would suggest putting a priority list together of what you are looking for.

- Good schools for kids (?)
- Commute to and from work.
- Close to retail/shopping/convenience services (dry cleaners, etc)
- Close to entertainment / restaurants/ movies, etc.
- Prefer a yard, suburban-style home with garage in a neighborhood, etc.
- Prefer a more eclectic, fun vibe in an urban setting.

You also might consider any potential commute. If you'll be working downtown, you might want to keep gas prices in mind. If, however, you'll be working outside of the downtown area, it may be more convenient for you to find a place closer to where you'll be working.

In general, OKC is a great place to live, and you'll be coming here at a time when we're really starting to spread our wings, so that's very exciting.

While square footage-wise, the city is spread far apart, the highway system is pretty good, so it generally takes less than 20 minutes to get ANYWHERE, and I do mean ANYWHERE in the City, even in traffic (unless there's a wreck on one of our major highways, then be prepared to sit awhile.)

Public transportation, however, is ABYSMAL, so you certainly might want to factor that into your decision making.