No Entertainment Value

[Filthy]

So the has been new development in the Mid/Del area? Ted's. The Garage, McAlisters, Panera, Dicks Sporting Goods, Old Navy and many more have opened or are opening in the last 5 years.

Bravo. Those are really super nice top shelf organizations. Cookie Cutter chain restaurants, and bargain bin clothing stores are not what we are discussing here.

A 3rd world country? Seriously Mr drama queen.

I appreciate the name calling, but at the end of the day, yes...it is somewhat of an exaggeration. But it is still amazing to see how some people live, yet don't realize that they are living in such a fashion. I'm not sure of it is because of pride....or just a deliberate act of ignoring the signs and symptoms that everyone else is able to see.

Get out a little more, because you don't come across as the sharpest knife in drawer

Once again, I appreciate the feeble attempt to belittle me, but I am actually both well traveled, and well educated. So, your comments lack merit.


Its sad, that this thread has taken a turn in such a way, that the original topic cannot be discussed/debated without getting peoples feelings hurt.

[Stew]

How can one even pretend to take the high ground when they post, "Holy Crap...we're getting ready to go play the ghetto kids". So, exactly how does one get the designation ghetto kid? Is it the color of the uniform? The color of the shoe? Or perhaps the color of something else?

[Filthy]

How can one even pretend to take the high ground when they post, "Holy Crap...we're getting ready to go play the ghetto kids". So, exactly how does one get the designation ghetto kid? Is it the color of the uniform? The color of the shoe? Or perhaps the color of something else?

I'm not one to define, such a term. But, as I understood it then (You know...when I was a 17 year old kid in high school) It was typically used to describe a low income, impoverished, neglected, or otherwise disadvantaged area. If you are insinuating anything else, it would be wise to stop while you are ahead.

[Plutonic Panda]

How can one even pretend to take the high ground when they post, "Holy Crap...we're getting ready to go play the ghetto kids". So, exactly how does one get the designation ghetto kid? Is it the color of the uniform? The color of the shoe? Or perhaps the color of something else?

When I was middle school back in Dallas, we'd make fun of the black kids when we played Oak Cliff one time. Let me tell you, racist remarks were made and the n word was thrown out more than once. I'm not going to sit here and lie by saying I didn't participate in it. It was immature, but what the hay. It happened and I guarantee you we weren't the only kids doing it. I even had some black friends that joined in on it. Even if they were white, we'd still call them the ghetto savages of d town. Not exactly something I'm proud of doing, but it happened.

Like I said, MWC does NOT have a good reputation around the metro. They have a very cool shopping center that I go to from time to time close to Tinker.

I really think MWC has the potential to become a great town as Guthrie. There are places, and sorry if I offend anyone, that I don't think will be much of anything, namely Choctaw, but MWC is a place that can come back. They have a bunch of old homes that are cool and could be restored to become historic neighborhoods, an air force museum could be placed near Tinker that could feature and world class flying simulator of all different kinds of aircraft among other sorts. I-40 desperately needs a makeover in that area. The service roads are the worst problem and either need to be removed or changed to one way. A monument should also be erected over I-40 to let people know of Tinker's presence.

A change of leadership is need, imo. Like Guthrie, it pains me to see what it could be, but holy crap what a garbage can that town is. Guthrie has so many cool views of rolling hills, it's amazing.

[bchris02]

The first thing Midwest City should do, and this is realistic, is to demolish Heritage Park Mall along with the abandoned strip malls surrounding it and in their place, build a nice mixed-use development that includes not only retail and restaurants but a movie theater, Dave & Busters or something like it, and housing options.

[Stew]

The first thing Midwest City should do, and this is realistic, is to demolish Heritage Park Mall along with the abandoned strip malls surrounding it and in their place, build a nice mixed-use development that includes not only retail and restaurants but a movie theater, Dave & Busters or something like it, and housing options.

Totally agree about the mall. If I was emperor of Midwest City (or any metro suburb) I would follow OKC's lead and initiate a sales tax hike dedicated to capital improvements. It's hard to argue with the success of MAPS. And of course the first capital improvement would be nuking that mall. Addition by subtraction.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I can see where Filthy is coming from. I grew up in Moore, and when going out as a teen, we never even considered MWC as a place to go...So that's how it was always in my head. Even after I moved to Virginia, California, Colorado, and eventually back to OK.

When I moved back to OK, I moved close to Moore, and again...Never even gave MWC a thought...That was the ghetto.

Then I got married, and the best bang-for-the buck place, that met our needs and wants, was in Choctaw. So that's where we live. That left MWC as the place to go to do most of our shopping. I braced myself for what I was going to have to tolera....Hey waittaminute...IS THAT JERSEY MIKE'S?!?!

In the last 5 years or so, I've had nary an issue with anything in Midwest City. People are friendly, shopping is...Well...Shopping. Most of my needs as a suburbanite slob are easily met by the businesses in the area. I don't have a clue about gangs or other problems of that sort, because I've never seen even a hint of any of that. Just regular folks going about their day.

I don't expect the next Red Prime to go in next door to McAlister's, or a second Warren Theatre to be built next to Sears. But I can't really find anything to complain about, as far as MWC goes.

[Mel]

Maybe there will be a much needed boost there since Tinker is getting more Boeing jobs. Investors can get over their fears about Tinker getting shut down. Way overdue to construct more entertainment for the younger Military and Civilian employee's and their families. Keep the Tax dollars home.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Oh...I should also say that I agree with the premise of the thread. There isn't jack sh*t to do in MWC. And I'm in my 40's lol.

[RadicalModerate]

Back in The Day, (that would be in the early '70s) I lived at a mobile home park in Crutcho--not technically MWC, yet close enough. Later I lived in Rolling Oaks Apts., just down the street (Air Depot) from Crutcho (I nicknamed the place Rolling Roach Apts. and this was back in the pre-gansta era). After that, I did a couple of years in a rent house, with my ex-wife of many, many years, down in the old part of MWC, just north of 29th Street, and just off of Air Depot (immediately north of the old Hideaway Club). In my personal opinion, MWC began its decline, entertainment-wise, when they closed the Sooner Twin Drive-In. Still . . . there was that theater in the strip mall just north of Heritage Park Mall (in its pre-mausoleum days) and Pelican's is still one of my favorite restaurants (about once or twice a year). I can't think of a single reason to go to MWC except for some event at Oscar Rose (or whatever it's been rebranded). The restrooms in there are extra spiffy.

I guess I agree with the original premise of this thread as well.
Still,MWC has a nice library complex . . . =)
Right in back of the Cop Shop.

Oh! I forgot to add: Del City makes MWC look like Gaillardia.
And The Oasis in that entire section of Sprawlburg, OKC is Smith Village.
I did some work for the Former Mayor of Smith Village.
He was very entertaining. From Cincinnati. In the Pest Control Industry.

He let me build an entire addition onto his house to provide a home for his elderly parents who (or is that whom? what?) he was importing from back in Ohio. They were surrounded by Del/Midwest City for about a month and started walking back to Ohio with all of their possessions. They were probably miffed about the lack of cinnamon in the local version of spaghetti.

But I digress . . .
I guess the real question here is why and when The Atkinson Cartel lost their vision . . . metaphorically . . . image and entertainment-wise . . .

[bombermwc]

Drake - yeah i'm going to take it personal because that's where i grew up. If you played football at MCHS' field, then yes you went to the oldest and most depressed part of MWC. Congratulations for making a snap judgement from your 100 yard view of the area. Did you also miss the massive economic development going on around that same area? In fact, i think you made my very point for me about how misinformed the population of OKC is.

Do you have any reason to go to Yukon or Mustang? There's even LESS to do there than in MWC. If you judged Mustang on going to their football field, you should have similar views compared to MWC. And if you're basing your opinions off of your jr high and high school self, then i see no point in even discussing it.

Radical - there's a lot to that. The current Atkinsons are a shadow of WPBill. They can't develop to save their life..just look at all the flops North Star has come up with. Uptown is a joke in terms of what they finised with in so-called phase III, which actually LOST them tenants. Copper Creek on 240 didn't happen. And now those things are going in elsewhere...like the Neighborhood Market they were supposed to have in it. They have no vision and i personally feel are too comfy in the trust. At the same time, Atkinson came in when the place was a field of grass and could get land super cheap. With Tinker opening, he had a major advantage to boom the place, which it did. The oil bust caused a major hiccup in MWC and like a lot of placed, Edmond-flight sucked away a lot of potential buyers. But lets be clear to the skeptics, you have not seen a population decrease in MWC...ever. You have not seen an economic decrease in MWC either. It's a fiscally stronger city than it's ever been with the amount of tax revenue coming in.

MWC needs a movie theater back and other things to DO for sure though! If only we could doze Heritage and get the city to spur some entertainment development. It would be great to see incentives on that to get something going because it would be a win for the city for the returned tax money. Just dont do any of the ad-valorum bull crap like Home Depot.

[adaniel]

This is an interesting read.

As someone who grew up in a military household and moved around a lot as a kid, MWC is pretty much in line with most army/air force towns. The highly transient nature of the military can make nearby towns seem a bit rough. And there are indeed a lot of rough rental properties, especially on the North Side between NE 23rd and 10th Street (I just learned this area is called Murder 1...yikes) With that in mind, I do think MWC suffers from an unfair reputation. At the end of the day its a blue collar suburb that isn't much different than other similar towns in Central OK. People from Moore and Yukon talking down on MWC reminds me of the time I met people from Indiana and Nebraska making fun of Oklahoma....I'm just like, "do you really think where you come from is so special?" Please show me a suburb around here outside of Norman that is a mecca for fun and entertainment.

If I had to place a bet on a suburb in this area, I would pick (in this order) Norman, Edmond, then MWC. It's proximity to a major employment center will always give the city a good level of stability in its tax base, whereas places like Moore and Yukon are bedroom towns and highly susceptible to decline.

JMO, and I hope nobody takes offense to this, but I would put MWC far and above Del City. In fact MWC probably suffers due to its proximity to DC, NEOKC, and Spencer, which have all earned their reputation. With that in mind, outside of the rougher areas, Eastern Oklahoma County is very diverse and has a fairly large black middle class. Probably the largest in this state.

One other thing about this area. It has TREES! Seriously, if I was looking for land for a new home and on a budget, I'm heading to Eastern MWC/Choctaw vincinity. Its really quite pretty in certain areas. Given this, the Choctaw Schools, and the access to Tinker, I'm a bit surprised that this area has not grown as much.

If I were in charge of MWC, I would start getting serious about cleaning up blight on the Northside, maybe look into a MAPs style public works program, and let everything else work itself out. It has the bones to be a really nice town.

[jerrywall]

Is it a simple case of proximity? Edmond, doesn't have (decent) movie theaters either. If I was building a north side high end theater, I'd put it on the border, near quail springs or something. But not in Edmond itself. I can get from my house in Edmond to the Harkins in Bricktown in about 10 minutes on a good day, or similar time to Quail Springs AMC. From MWC you've got Bricktown that is as close, or Moore, which feeds from OKC and Norman.

[tfvc.org]

~15 years ago my friend lived off of 44th and Sooner, and I took my A+ / Net+ training at MidDel votech. I never had an issue with that area. I still go into that area often when I go with my friend to eat or when she takes her kids to the barber. To me Mid-del isn't really that bad, but then again, when I lived in Denver I had friends I visited in the day and night in 5 points, and lived for a while in South St Pete and ventured into East Tampa a few times. Never had a problem with anyone.

[mmonroe]

CrimeMapping.com - National Map

[bombermwc]

adaniel, you hit a major sore spot in MWC. North of 10th is OCPS, Star Spencer high....one of the lowest scorings schools in OCPS. It's amazing what a trip across a street can make. It's a major chicken-egg situation of what caused the AMAZINGLY RAPID downfall of that area. In the 70s/80s, a number of people built very nice homes there, only to learn they were on the wrong side of the line. Had it stayed in Mid-Del, I feel like the area would never have fallen like it has. And the city has put so little effort into that area, it's quite sad. I would agree that SOMETHING needs to happen. I just don't know what can be done.

I should note that Star Spencer High is actually in Spencer. MWC jogs around Spencer limits. And I believe was severely neglected by Maps for Kids.

[JesStang]

Look no further than some people in this thread, saying that Carl Albert is the "good" school district to be in. WTF..I mean REALLY? REALLY? So, yes...some areas of the city might seem ok to you...but for others, driving around that same area, it might seem like a 3rd World Country. And that makes some people uncomfortable. Get over it.

I don't get it...? Carl Albert is a great school and it doesn't take a lot of googling to figure that out. There's a reason people call it the prep school of MWC. It's not uncommon to see new BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus in the student parking lot.
There are very good neighborhoods in MWC. I definitely think Del City brings MWC down since they always get lumped together. Hell, I grew up in MWC and work there now (Tinker actually, close enough) and I would pass right by the 7-11 on Scott St. to go a little further to the Shell on Air Depot for a potty break.

[TaoMaas]

Its hard to have a leg to stand upon, in making such a statement...since I've never been there. But I'm confident in my assessment.

Sorry, but this is the height of arrogance and stupidity. LOL

[Wambo36]

Some of you are taking this way too personal.

Well, let's see. You basically described MWC as such a hell hole that if faced with the choice of having to stop there for a rest room break for yourself or your family, you'd probably just sh!t yourselves and keep driving. Yeah, nothing there to take personal.

Look no further than some people in this thread, saying that Carl Albert is the "good" school district to be in. WTF..I mean REALLY? REALLY?

I'd really like to hear your reasoning for this statement. An A+ rating puts it in pretty good academic standing and no one can argue with what they've done in athletics. By what standard are you judging them?

[td25er]

Where MMonroe lived is OKC, and a rather rough part of it that continues to frustrate Del City residents because OKC wont police it properly. And that's about as far into a night/day comparison to MWC as you can get...they simply are nothing alike.

I grew up in MWC, both near Goodyear and then later over near Bowling Green, so I've lived in rough and very comfortable parts of MWC. I walked around both neighborhoods as a kid and played and had a great time. All the junk I hear being said here is just that. You won't stop to let your kid go to the bathroom.....are you kidding me? That's the kind of stuck-up Edmonite holier than thou bullcrap I hate. It just shows you know absolutely NOTHING about MWC other than the inaccurate bullhonkey you've been fed. You'd probably be surprised to know about how many neighborhoods have brand new million + dollar homes in them, or how many of those already exist in MWC. But I'm sure you're family is too good to be subjected to us poor people that grew up in EOC....because money is the thing that should be the end-all comparison anyway.

In fact, MWC is one of the strongest economies in the state. It's a top 10 in the list of the largest cities in the state by population. It has one of the best non-major city economic development groups working for it. You don't think 29th happened because of private developers do you? And what about the positive impact 29th had on the rest of the city?

Now, I'm not saying it's the same place it was 20 years ago when I was a kid. But it's never been the hell-hole people try to make it out to be. I personally made the decision to choose a house in the Moore district when I got married. That was a conscious decision based on what I thought things would be like 20 years later when my children were in high school. That 40 year gap leaves a lot of time for changes. Yes, socio-economically, things are trending down....like anywhere that's been around for any length of time. Heck, John Marshall was "the place to be" at one time and it was even in the sticks at one time. That's the trend of development...especially in OKC where it goes out with no interest to re-develop the innards. But come on....if after 35+ years, you've never even been there?

You want to know why Edmond has a MUCH better reputation than MWC?

Bachelor's Degree or higher age 25+:
Edmond-50.7%
MWC-20.2%

Crime index (neighborhoodscout.com)
MWC-5 out of 100. 100 is safest Midwest City crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout
Edmond-38 Edmond crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout


Crime rate (city-data.com) using 2012 data
Edmond-137.0 per 100,000 http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...-Oklahoma.html
MWC-469.2 per 100,000 http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime...-Oklahoma.html

National Average-301.1
Del City-516.5
Moore-246.8

[BBatesokc]

I remember when my son went to MWCHS - A majority of the school's students qualified for free college via 'Oklahoma's Promise' - however, very few parents ever bothered to enroll their kids in it according to the school counselor. FREE COLLEGE folks! How do you pass that up? When our son graduated they were reminding kids at the graduation that by simply graduating from a Mid-Del school they were already qualified for free college at Rose State.

[ylouder]

I can see where Filthy is coming from. I grew up in Moore, and when going out as a teen, we never even considered MWC as a place to go...So that's how it was always in my head. Even after I moved to Virginia, California, Colorado, and eventually back to OK.

When I moved back to OK, I moved close to Moore, and again...Never even gave MWC a thought...That was the ghetto.

Then I got married, and the best bang-for-the buck place, that met our needs and wants, was in Choctaw. So that's where we live. That left MWC as the place to go to do most of our shopping. I braced myself for what I was going to have to tolera....Hey waittaminute...IS THAT JERSEY MIKE'S?!?!

In the last 5 years or so, I've had nary an issue with anything in Midwest City. People are friendly, shopping is...Well...Shopping. Most of my needs as a suburbanite slob are easily met by the businesses in the area. I don't have a clue about gangs or other problems of that sort, because I've never seen even a hint of any of that. Just regular folks going about their day.

I don't expect the next Red Prime to go in next door to McAlister's, or a second Warren Theatre to be built next to Sears. But I can't really find anything to complain about, as far as MWC goes.

We live in rural Choctaw after living in Moore, NW OKC, and most recently edmond. I would choose to shop at the shopping center across from tinker any day of the week.Its easy to get in and out and I have little need for higher end stores, if I need something special I'll order it online and save the headache and hassle.

My own personal experience is that people on the northern part of okc were on average ruder and more self involved than in moore or out east. I'll take some people not wanting to stop here to use the bathroom as a compliment.

[bombermwc]

You want to know why Edmond has a MUCH better reputation than MWC?

Bachelor's Degree or higher age 25+:
Edmond-50.7%
MWC-20.2%

Crime index (neighborhoodscout.com)
MWC-5 out of 100. 100 is safest Midwest City crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout
Edmond-38 Edmond crime rates and statistics - NeighborhoodScout


Crime rate (city-data.com) using 2012 data
Edmond-137.0 per 100,000 Crime rate in Edmond, Oklahoma (OK): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers statistics
MWC-469.2 per 100,000 Crime rate in Midwest City, Oklahoma (OK): murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts, auto thefts, arson, law enforcement employees, police officers statistics

National Average-301.1
Del City-516.5
Moore-246.8

Hey there Mr Highhorse. You know Edmond Santa Fe has more students on free/reduced lunches than MCHS? Edmond is also pretty heavily known for petty crime, which doesn't get reported the same. We can make statistics look as good/bad as we want.

There is no way you could pay me to live in Edmond and subject my children to the type of environment that exists there. And speaking with people that did grow up there, a LOT of them feel the same way. It's not exactly the amazing place Edmonites think it is. It's a bunch of over done strip malls, chain restaurants, and neuvo riche bullcrap.

[Richard at Remax]

Well I grew up in Edmond and still live and work here. What kind of environment and I subjecting myself and my future kids to?

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Snotty attitudes towards all that don't live there?