Maybe popular isn't the right word but for lack of a better or less succinct word I'll say popular.

Here's what I mean. Back in the 50s OKC was larger by population than Phoenix, but now Phoenix is exploding and is a major league city with the NFL. I know their team sucks, but that's not my point. I've never been to Phoenix so maybe their growth isn't all good...enlighten me.

I read one poster on these boards saying that early in the 20th century OKC was on track to be the big city, cultural center of the Southwest instead of Dallas. Why? What happened? Did Dallas make a smart move that we did not to garner that title?

With the talk of the Sonics moving here it's hard not to compare ourselves to Seattle. They have a lot of very prosperous companies that call their metro home. Was it just luck or were they doing something that we weren't?

Now don't get me wrong, I have no desire for OKC to be a Dallas Jr. or Seattle II. I like OKC and its metro and I like who we are as a metro and state. I actually think that that could be a selling point of OKC. Always when you see list of best places to live or best quality of living, it's not the big cities on the list, it's the smaller, sleepy ones because they have big city living without all the congestion and drawbacks of a Chicago or New York. I think we should still be OKC not something we aren't like some "progressive" anything goes city. We should embrace who we are but be the best OKC we can.

So what can we do to be a big league city with a small town atmosphere? How do we get major corporations to call this home? And I mean serious stuff that could concievably be done. Not pie-in-the-sky stuff like building the world's tallest sky scraper or building a completely glassed in airport on piers in the middle of a huge lake.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

Drop some knowledge on me.

An educated work force?

Schools are extremely important at this point too. A larger city with its urban district is taken as it is...in a place like OKC where we aren't urban to the point of Dallas or somewhere, it's important that we find a way to improve OKCPS. So many of these companies would have employees that live in that school district, yet wouldnt feel comfortable sending their kids there. I don't really have a problem with the primary education in OKCPS, but the secondary education is horrible. They can't pay the teachers well enough to attract large enough numbers of really good teachers. There are a lot of good ones in the district, but they need more. The district has made great strides in the last 5 years, but they still have a long way to go. Plus, they need to get the parents more involved.

Which leads me to another point...family interaction and connection.

A city needs family ties. The parent/student realtionship spills over to ever facet of a child's life. If the parent is supportive and is there, then the child will do better in school and life. I think we can only make this happen with a better support from the community in service to young folks. Youth centers, activities, etc.....things to keep the kids occupied in their free time and out of trouble.

Though, I suppose these are sort of the general problems in any city. But I think you can trace most of Dallas and Houston's boom to oil. They hit it bigger and more broadly than we did because of the the laws of the time, so the bust didn't kill them like it did us. By that time, their economy had diversified enough to handle it....ours didn't. Imagine what OKC would be now if it weren't for the bust.

Bomber, while there are a lot of problems in OKC schools, probably the biggest one is tenure.

Schools need to be able to get rid of incompetent teachers.

What's wrong with being "progressive?" Actually, OKC is progressive. If we want to be a major league city, we need to be a little more "anything goes," or, by definition, we are excluding people who may want to live here.

Not everyone has a family of four, 1.2 dogs, a mortgage, and goes to church every Sunday. If that is our future, Amarillo here we come.

The fact is, we have a thriving arts scene, a rapidly improving dining scene, a decent music scene: these are all things young people look for when they want to live somewhere. Gay, straight, black, or white, we can offer something for everyone.

If you want to live on golf course and go to a megachurch: we have what you're looking for. If you're into art and live music: we have what you're looking for (mostly).

Nothing wrong with being progressive. In fact, the whole point of this website and things like MAPS in the first place are built around progressive concepts.

We all want progress. How that is defined person to person may differ. For some, it's beautification. For others, it's better urban planning and architecture. For still others, it's those things and more.

If we want to be a big-league city we are going to have to embrace what big cities offer: diversity and options. I think as a city we're moving in the right direction.

I believe one of the problems is direct airline flights. As we get more of those, it's easier to attract businesses. It's a pain in the neck to have to connect through Dallas, Chicago or even quiet airports like Memphis. It would be nice to be a hub.

Education on every level is the key to a great city. The best cities, not necessarily the biggest, have the most educated people per capita.

Phoenix became "popular" with the advent of central air-conditioning and the exodus of people from California. This is as per my son-in-law who lives in Scottdale.

OKC and Dallas were on par with each other until American Airlines made Love Field a hub, and the Johnson/MacNamara machine funneled all those defense dollars to Texas. Having Don Meredith as QB didn't hurt either. As per my observations.

My second observation is actually Yogi Berra's priceless quip "The place is so popular, nobody goes there anymore." This weekend I heard of a couple of artists who moved their gallery and loft from San Francisco to the square in Enid America. Go figure...

I was just, 5 minutes ago, sitting in our lunch room here in St. Louis. The talk turned to bridges (the tragedy in Minneapolis) and then to rivers. I remarked that Oklahoma City had canals and a new river taxi service and everybody around the table broke into laughter. One of them said "I'm sure Oklahoma City is very nice, but an artificially built river in the middle of a prairie...give me a break." Another said "new cities, like Oklahoma City, have a blank slate to build whatever they want. It might be planned beautifully, but isn't that kind of boring?"

Perception is key, marketing the hell out of OKC is key. We can do all the right things but if nobody knows it, we are never going to be a "popular" city. It does not matter how much we "expatriates" talk up OKC, people who have never been there are only going to believe what is re-inforced again and again in the news, on TV, in popular culture. A permanent professional team will be a start...anything that is not related to oil, tornadoes, cowboys or college football would be a start.

OKC also has to have plentiful job opportunities for college graduates who are not in the oil industry. Beg, borrow, steal, or, more appropriately incubate, opportunities in finance, medical research, biotech, marketing, anything that gives people an opportunity. Bring college grads in for interviews at these types of companies and the city will sell itself.

Interesting comments stlokc, and I think this is precisely the perception some people have of Oklahoma City and other "new" cities. But what do Dallas and Phoenix have that is less boring? I went to the Fiesta Bowl last January, and decided I'd experience urban Phoenix by staying downtown rather than in Scottsdale or Glendale. I asked for a list of restaurants at the hotel desk when we got in. We had trouble finding one open late evening. Downtown was one of the most boring I'd ever been in. And yet, if you ask the average man on the street, who's never visited, about Phoenix, I bet their perception of it is far better than that of OKC, which has a downtown I'd much rather spend time in. It's size, it's professional teams, etc that gives people a more favorable impression, even if they've never visited.

It might be planned beautifully, but isn't that kind of boring?

That guy is spot on.

Betts,
I have been to Phoenix and I agree with you.

For what it's worth, the people I was eating lunch with would say exactly the same thing about Dallas or Houston that they did about OKC. They don't know any better. But you're never going to be able to please everybody. In St. Louis, they put a premium on history and old, densely packed urban neighborhoods and it will be very hard to replicate that in Oklahoma or Texas or Arizona.

I'm not that familiar with Phoenix's economy, but if they are growing that fast, they must have jobs in abundance. That really is a key. Grow jobs and grow quality of life (it was said before and I agree, be progressive and open to everybody, and do lots more of what OKC is already doing) and then market your successes like crazy. It's a lot easier said than done, but I think other cities were doing it for 30 or 40 years while OKC rested on its laurels. There is no other reason why Dallas, Texas should have leapfrogged us except they just wanted it more.

That guy is spot on.

Yeah he was.

Ive only lived in okc for a little over a year now and this is what ive found so far.

-People here like their suburbs and dont like to leave them.
-All shopping areas must be directly off the interstate or a toll road, preferably with texas turn arounds.
-There is very little well kept up historic areas because the general trend here is to build a much bigger house as far out in edmond as you can get it. Or go south to norman and do the same thing.
-Its completely normal to drive 25-40 miles each way to work. Just as long as you dont actually have to live in okc.
-Its completely fine to shut down a large retail store because a mall is considered 'ghetto' and locate it 3 miles down the road in a suburb.

Its just can seem like a very generic city, with very generic people.

To me, nothing really represents OKC that i couldnt very easily find in any other town.

I traveled to STL in the early 90's frequently. My impression of the city then was that it was awfully poor and run down and kind of depressing. I guess I felt like it was kind of an old place that was not really keeping up and that the problems were proving insurmountable to the leadership. Certainly was not very business friendly as I recall. Rather eastern culture I thought. From what's written here there must have been a pretty good turn around?

Phoenix has mountains and luxury desert spas. That helps a bit. I agree also with the "faux planned" concept. We don't want that. We want sensible urban planning and some zoning to enforce beautification, but we don't want a sterile, Disneyland (think Las Colinas, Texas) feel.

We need to be a little more wide open to attract all kinds of people to our city. People used to say the same stuff about Austin, Texas.

If people like it, they will tell others to visit or move here and we will grow.

Think of all those people who were transferred here for the FAA. A lot of them were in NYC and decided not to come; for those who did come, many of them will like it and spread the news about how nice it is.

One of the best comments I heard from a transplant was how, as she put it, difficult it is to make friends here. She has been here for three years.

One reason is that OKCians tend to keep to themselves, or their already established cliques, and because we are so automobile driven and suburban in many ways, it is hard for people to connect with each other unless they go to a big church.

I was in NYC two weeks ago and San Fran a month ago and it is amazing to be in a city in which so many people get along and cross paths with each other on a daily basis.

One reason is that OKCians tend to keep to themselves, or their already established cliques, and because we are so automobile driven and suburban in many ways, it is hard for people to connect with each other unless they go to a big church.
.

My previous job right out of school was working as a contractor for a eng. firm at tinker. People who i worked with either lived in yukon, edmond, hefner area, moore, or norman. Thats it, not a single person actually lived remotely close to another and as soon as we left work that was it. No hanging out on the weekends or even having our paths cross outside of work. Even my new company is like that but with south okc area and the smaller towns that surround it.

People just seem very detachted from each other here - No sense of community at all

Flinty Sooner,
Your remark is just about as accurate as the remark that Oklahoma City is boring because it so well planned. There are elements of truth to both remarks, which is why they sting, but again, it's perception.

St. Louis is a very old city. It appears run down in parts because it was very big and densely packed before the advent of the automobile and has suffered a tremendous amount of "white flight." Certain neighborhoods have been rejuvenated beautifully and are perfect examples of exactly the right type of urban renewal. Other neighborhoods look like war zones. There is a lot of money here because there are 8 Fortune 500 companies and 20 Fortune 1000 companies and they spread their money to generations of family members and countless cultural institutions. St. Louis is definitely worth a visit if you haven't been here since the early 1990's.

As much as I love St. Louis, it's probably not a model for OKC because it's origins, age, character are so different. And, in certain aspects, OKC is heads-and-tails the better city. In others, it's definitely not.

Actually at the time I was living in Kansas City and then later in Dallas. I felt like OKC was kind of similar to St. Louis in being overwhelmed by problems at the time. I was surprised when I returned here that MAPS had actually produced results.

I couldn't help but notice the comment about "eastern culture" and how that somehow is not business friendly.

Jeez, NYC is the capital of our entire economic system. There are more Fortune 500s in a handful of blocks there than in Dallas and Houston put together.

Been to DC-NoVa? Non business-friendly? What about Jersey and the big companies headquartered there, or Boston, and all of the massive bio-tech companies?

This "sun belt is business 'friendly' and East Coast is not" meme is way overplayed. We might cut our taxes and create all manner of incentives in our desperation to lure companies here, but the corporate infrastructure on both coasts is HUGE already.

The South used to be agricultural, poor and rural. That cities like Atlanta and Dallas have grown is great, but they still do not trump the coastal cities for GDP output.

My humble 10 cents worth on Dallas. I feel that the Dallas explosion of growth to a world class city coincided with the assasination of Pres. Kennedy. The city got nationwide and worldwide publicity, free. Sure, no one wants that kind of pub, but the old saying that goes "any publicity is better than no publicity" applies to Dallas. I'm not saying that was the sole reason, but a major factor.

Great point, Sooner8693. The same thing happened in OKC with the bombing. Like it or not, all of that publicity was good for our city.

I lived in OKC nearly 5 years before relocating back to Florida. I will say that I absolutely loved the time I spent in the state. I did however, feel like my career became stagnant while living in the state. I took a job doing just about the same thing here in Florida that I was doing in Oklahoma..working for a private company in IT. First of all, in Oklahoma, I worked with far less educated people. I'd say the percent of college educated people at my workplace in Oklahoma was about 40%, and that’s probably over-estimating. Secondly, pay. Yes, Oklahoma is a cheaper place to live (well, only if you don't include downtown OKC) but the salaries are 15-20% less than can be made in other states. I received nearly a 30% pay raise upon taking my new job. Thirdly, State income tax in Oklahoma took nearly 250 dollars out of my paycheck every month. That’s quite a big hunk and I have yet to figure out where that money went. It defiantly wasn’t being used to repair roads (or bridges for that matter NewsOK: In Oklahoma: We are worst in the nation (http://newsok.com/article/3097777/)) Change is a gradual process though, and it will take time before these types of changes can be implemented and take affect. I do think Oklahoma needs to do a better job of keeping college graduates in-state. Just about everyone I knew who went to college in state left for Texas or another state after they graduated. Maybe some sort of incentive can be offered...

Actually at the time I was living in Kansas City and then later in Dallas. I felt like OKC was kind of similar to St. Louis in being overwhelmed by problems at the time. I was surprised when I returned here that MAPS had actually produced results.

I've actually never thought of it in those terms, but you do make a good point. St. Louis had a generation of terrible leadership which is one reason it went downhill for a while. It is stronger now.

As far as "Eastern" culture, it can be good or bad, in my opinion. From what I am told by countless people I know that live on the east coast, many of them transplated Oklahomans, the reality is that people there tend to be far better educated and also tend to work very hard for longer hours. They innovate and they produce. At the same time, it can be hard to break in to the business world without the right pedigree and there is a hell of a lot more competition for everything. So take that for what it's worth.

Oh yes I wasn't making a value judgment about eastern culture. I was surprised that the cultures (loosely defined) of St. Louis, Kansas City, and Dallas were so different. Before I lived in each place I had assumed they would be more similar to Oklahoma City.

But I found Kansas City to "feel" more Midwestern and St. Louis more Eastern. It also surprised to find more ethnic influences in each city. For instance in Kansas City I was surprised by the strong Sicilian influence. That was just not something I was very aware of in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City still seems more integrated to me as does Dallas.

Dallas felt more at home to me. Except it seemed just really, really fast paced. But the fast pace was kind of attractive, exhilarating even, especially at first.

The attraction to Dallas certainly and to a lesser extent to Kansas City and St. Louis was work.

Beyond that though I think that feeling of being home or making a home has a lot to do with feeling safe and happy and find fulfillment.

I understand what you're saying now, Flinty. STL has always had a large Jewish population, and it was a gateway to the West, although it was definitely more East Coast in influence.

You are right about OKC being more integrated. In fact, few cities compare to OKC when it comes to its racial integration, IMO. This is a good thing.

Look up the road at Tulsa: very segregated city. This, in my view, has had something to do with its crime problem.

Dallas is definitely segregated, but not as much as Tulsa, or, gasp, Austin. In Austin, everything East of I-35 is black and hispanic, and west of I-35 almost entirely white.

OKC and Dallas were on par with each other until American Airlines made Love Field a hub, and the Johnson/MacNamara machine funneled all those defense dollars to Texas. Having Don Meredith as QB didn't hurt either. As per my observations.

I would have to think that Dallas surpassed OKC before this, otherwise they wouldn't have had Don Meredith as the QB of an NFL team whereas OKC had and still has no NFL team.


To me, nothing really represents OKC that i couldnt very easily find in any other town.

Exactly! We need to be thinking of things to make the OKC metro original and different instead of pining after restaurants and attractions like Dave & Busters, et. al. that so many other cities already have.

I see nothing wrong with Oklahoma City continuing to try to attract national chains: Dave and Buster's, Ruth Chris, Neiman-Marcus, bring them on. Just because a city has chains does not mean they have to be defined by them. In fact, the right chains can be "legitimizers" in the eyes of the country at large. Every city, including the most interesting ones like San Fran, Boston, New Orleans, etc. have chains.

But just don't let the commodified places overwhelm the local places. A lot of people in OKC (or anywhere else) settle for eating at the same 10 chains or shopping at the same six stores because they are lazy or don't know anything else or they just don't care.

To me, what is interesting is to have local places you can't find anywhere else...they could be hidden or famous, but just unique...I love the Seattle Public Market, but also the little used-paperback bookstore in an alley in the West End of St. Louis that sells only mystery books.

The thing is: one can't plan for this kind of thing to happen. You can't have a special district, newly built, specifically for unique culture. It has to happen organically or it misses the point. I think OKC has to support the places they have, develop a mindset that encourages risk-taking and locally owned places and they will come.

Great points, STL. Someone recently said we should boycott chains. While a bit extreme, we SHOULD make an effort to find the unique and out-of-the-way in our city, as most here do, and patronize places that are good.

Sometimes, these places actually suck, despite their uniqueness, but chains out the wazoo and dreadful, bland strip malls, zap our energy, homogenize our city, and, more to the point, destroy our souls.

We have a lot of uniqueness in OKC to celebrate: some great ethnic restaurants, interesting neighborhoods, etc. And then we have places like Memorial! God help us! (I kid, I kid).

There are many things that can make our city unique and popular. As mentioned, chains are good and can be worked out in a unique way depending on if they have distincive architecture on the outside or what not. I think if we have a light rail system here in the future, it could bring alot of city pride that we have such a thing. Also it would help if our city would market itself more.

To keep away from many parts of our city that looks the same as many cities in the US, OKC should do something like placing statues, sculptures along NW expressway or even Classen blvd.

Quality of life is the name of the list IMO.

But to some, a big lawn in the burbs, SUV, Wal Mart on the corner, wide roads and a gigantic fundamentalist church within five miles is their dream come true . . . OKC has that in spades. A much smaller segment of our population is looking for better and more abundant art and culture, a pedestrian friendly urban environment, excellence in design and greater tolerance of diversity . . . . in comparatively short supply around here. Joe Six-Pack wants cheap 3.2 beer, plenty of paved parking and half price tickets to game . . . . certainly enough to go around.

Suggesting that Oklahoma City is not segregated or that there aren't obvious lines between rich and poor, black and white, Hispanic and white, Asian and white is simply not being honest. But the same can be said for any city with a large enough population to contain identifiable rich, poor, black, Hispanic, Asian and white populations.

But the question was "what makes a city popular (to visit and to live in)?" Here are my top ten basic ingredients.

A public spirited, well educated, relatively affluent middle class.
Efficient and honest local government.
Low crime rates.
Decent climate.
Well maintained public parks and other public lands.
A variety of unique attractions and events.
Well maintained neighborhoods and private property.
Above average design of the built environment.
Above average, easily accessible and affordable educational and health care facilities.
Good food.
Efficient transportation system.
150 to 200 years of patiently and thoughtfully developing and sustaining the above.

The list seems to have grown to twelve in the writing.

ODG, completely agree with most of what you have said. I do disagree somewhat in that I'd have to say OKC is somewhat more diverse than other peer cities. As you mentioned, we're big enough to have all those demographics, yes each have their respective "part" of the city, however at any given day or time you will see all groups mingling at various locations. A sporting event, Wal-Mart, a restaurant, etc, as well as other groups visiting or "in" another groups "respective district". Some peer cities (some bigger than OKC) you won't find a certain group intermingling with another group. I think this is something OKC has done well with and is only improving as time goes along.

Second thing I somewhat disagree with you although non-relevant is that most of the megachurches are evangelical, not fundamentalist.

Are people really saying that OKC metro has no sense of community?

First of all, you must have not been here in 1995. That aside, I feel like we have an excellent network of communities. People are friendly here. Good schools, good neighborhoods (urban and suburban depending on flavor of choice) and lots of social mixing (deep running and new). In my experience.

Are people really saying that OKC metro has no sense of community?

First of all, you must have not been here in 1995. That aside, I feel like we have an excellent network of communities. People are friendly here. Good schools, good neighborhoods (urban and suburban depending on flavor of choice) and lots of social mixing (deep running and new). In my experience.


I feel no sense of community here. No sense of a city-wide self-perception of identity like San Diego had...Or like Denver had. Neither city had any one thing that made residents take pride about where they lived...But it was there. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist here, but it's few people and not the majority that feel it.

I lived here until 1990, then moved away until around 2001...And the only thing that had changed was that now there were more places to eat and Bricktown looked like Denver's LoDo and Austin's Riverwalk had a wee little baby with a birthmark on it's ass that looked a lot like a Bass Pro.

Bricktown just seems to me like it's trying too hard to be something that it can't even identify.

I feel no sense of community here. No sense of a city-wide self-perception of identity like San Diego had...Or like Denver had. Neither city had any one thing that made residents take pride about where they lived...But it was there. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist here, but it's few people and not the majority that feel it.

I lived here until 1990, then moved away until around 2001...And the only thing that had changed was that now there were more places to eat and Bricktown looked like Denver's LoDo and Austin's Riverwalk had a wee little baby with a birthmark on it's ass that looked a lot like a Bass Pro.

Bricktown just seems to me like it's trying too hard to be something that it can't even identify.

You're right. Oklahoma and OKC have a problem with taking pride in ourselves and our community. We're learning but we still have a ways to go.

It seems our residents are always used to being left out or being the red headed stepchild or little brother. I grew up with that mentality. It's just non-verbally taught. When I would visit other states as a teenager I would always try to aviod telling others I was from OK or I would tell them and then make a derisive comment about my state.

I remember some years ago seeing a cover of an issue of Texas Monthly with a picture of planet earth in space and the entire landmass on the earth was in the shape of Texas. The thing is, to them it's not a joke. That's really how Texans are and as annoying as that may be to some people, you've gotta hand it to them for their pride in their state and towns and cities.

When GM closed, I spoke to a woman who thought it was Oklahoma's fault that the plant was closing because of a stupid mistake OKC or OK had made. I educated her that it was GM's poor leadership that had caused the closing of not only that plant but many across the nation. We have to get rid of that mentality that it's always our fault.

Oklahoma needs to be proud and we need something to be proud of.

I would argue that, in fact, we have made leaps and bounds toward this in recent years. There are a lot of proud Oklahoma City residents these days. Perception here is a' changin.

I too agree with CuatrodeMayo. Pride has had a complete overhaul in the last decade. Either a person has moved here recently (either transplant or former native) or a person just doesn't care to get too involved and take much pride. But I can tell a HUGEEEEEEEE difference in people's perception of our great city. Heck, look at all the former Okies who are now out of staters who post on this website. Look at the Oklahoma State Pride they have now.

I too, grew up like traxx, where you didn't tell anyone where you're from or if you did you went along with their stereotypes and derogatory jokes. In fact, after highschool, I was the first one to move out of state (Atlanta area) with no plans to return. Now, I take pride and defend my hometown. Changing the world's perspective of a place takes years and decades. We are already making a noise and it is being noticed in the national and global media. The Hornets did alot of positive for our community. Sometimes we're our own biggest critic!!

I too agree with CuatrodeMayo. Pride has had a complete overhaul in the last decade. Either a person has moved here recently (either transplant or former native) or a person just doesn't care to get too involved and take much pride. But I can tell a HUGEEEEEEEE difference in people's perception of our great city. Heck, look at all the former Okies who are now out of staters who post on this website. Look at the Oklahoma State Pride they have now.

I too, grew up like traxx, where you didn't tell anyone where you're from or if you did you went along with their stereotypes and derogatory jokes. In fact, after highschool, I was the first one to move out of state (Atlanta area) with no plans to return. Now, I take pride and defend my hometown. Changing the world's perspective of a place takes years and decades. We are already making a noise and it is being noticed in the national and global media. The Hornets did alot of positive for our community. Sometimes we're our own biggest critic!!

I walked out the door 5 days after I graduated high school and didn't come back except to visit once every couple of years for more than a decade...It hasn't changed THAT much.

I come to this website, and I see people taking interest in OKC, and taking pride in it as well. I'm on that bandwagon with you guys. But when I walk around the flesh world...It's just not really there.

I do agree that it's getting better, and I talk to people that seem to know more about what's going around town more often than I used to. And like you point out, it takes a lot of time...Hopefully we'll land something major like the Sonics. As much as I hate basketball, that one thing would do wonders for this city.

Entertainment
Sense of pride
Low tax structure
Good education system
Job Opportunities for college grads
Work Force for specialized industries
Responisble government
Beautification strategies that actually get implemented in a short period of time


Basically it comes down to a willingness of the city to bend sometimes when it comes to things like MAPS (not all of them will have the wild success that the first one did but if we get 70% of them to be as successful then our city will grow very quickly) and also a willingness of the state and local governments to think outside of the traditional "I've got to get re-elected so I need to think small and act big" boxes.

This city IS ripe for success and it shows everywhere; from Lake Hefner to the Oklahoma River. It's time we take a sincere pride in EVERY PART of this city and not just our own neighborhoods.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but it's US that can be the good will ambassadors to our own colleagues and neighbors and help educate them on where this city is headed.

I agree that we OKCitians are taking way more pride in our city than we used to. I also was adamant that I wanted to move right out of college. And when I did I found out that OKC is a pretty good place to live. My husband took me kicking and screaming last year until I screamed so loud he couldn't take it any more and we moved back. I am very excited about the future of this city and think it will only get better. We all have a great opportunity right now to change the face of this city like never before with the Core to Shore project. I think this a great chance for us to tell our civic leaders that we need great public spaces that foster a sense of community. I'm thinking a signature space that people can identify as being unique to OKC. That is what attracts me to other cities when I visit. That is what I think makes a city "popular".

What makes a city popular? Unique attractions. The Sonics will a lot. I think we have come a long way, but there is much more to go. IMO, in the C2S park part, maybe we should do something cool like an area similar to the Roman Forum, a gathering place, or something with statues of oklahomans, arches, waterfalls, fountains, etc, etc...and then people in Rome and around the world look at us and they actually see OKC getting global exposure, and we just keep rollin from there!! We need to think big.

What makes a city popular? Unique attractions. The Sonics will a lot. I think we have come a long way, but there is much more to go. IMO, in the C2S park part, maybe we should do something cool like an area similar to the Roman Forum, a gathering place, or something with statues of oklahomans, arches, waterfalls, fountains, etc, etc...and then people in Rome and around the world look at us and they actually see OKC getting global exposure, and we just keep rollin from there!! We need to think big.

I agree with that idea. In my business and through out my life, despite still being rather young, people have always laughed about me being from Oklahoma. We have nothing that calls out the younger generations.

I have friends from across the nation, but there is nothing for them to do around here unless they want to go to the clubs in Bricktown. Look at S.A., TX, the Riverwalk, it's HUGE, and it's more than just clubs and dining, we need to attract stuff for the younger generations to enjoy, and when the younger generations do come, that is when the city will grow. You can attract all of the mid/late aged people you want, but in turn, that will not cause the city to grow. You have to have the younger population here for further generations to occur.

We need something that screams out class. The idea of the gathering place you suggested Nixon is great. Instead of the typical statues of the Oklahoma's the people already know about, why not do something unique, a few statues of President's and State officials. Sure we have Will Rogers, but everyone knows about him, and it's nothing "striking" when they see a statue of him, or statues of buffalo. The area around the fountain in Bricktown would be great to put up some statues, not only of the State, but statues of the Nation, that would draw attention.

We need more of a diverse art district too. Art galleries, light galleries, etc, in B.T. would help out. There is the Paso district, but it's getting to the point of being ran down and doesn't have the best up keep, definitely not the attention it needs anyways.

There are great area's on NW Expressway that can be used for so much more than they are, around Lake Hefner, and some area's on the south side. It seems every time you see something new being built, it's a strip mall or some sort of dining area. We are lacking activities. That goes along with the "community" feeling. When we start having more attractions to bring people out of their houses, where they actually want to visit more frequently and socialize, we will then get more of that feeling, and then the word of mouth beings.

Then there is the employment factor. Once people do get turned onto the fact that OKC is nice, we have to also think what kind of employment opportunities do we have to offer to someone in a professional manner. There aren't in turn a whole lot of selections. Well paying jobs and a diverse selection of them are very greatly needed for the attraction. Why would you move somewhere making 30k less with the relative same price of living, with less to offer you? Once we have more of the well paying job opportunities, people will have the income to also support being out and socializing. Most people won't go to B.T. because of the price. $9 almost to watch a movie, when you can go to M.L.K. and watch the same one for $5.50. Even the Sonic downtown is more expensive. People just don't simply have the income to support that kind of lifestyle except for a few "splurges" a month on payday. Thus, it draws the gangs in, it's a relative empty area at times, and they think they can take it over and do what they please with it.

The public schools do need work, to ensure to people that if/when they do move here, their families to come will get a quality education, diverse, and have opportunities in the area with the secondary school systems. It all plays hand in hand, but we first need what it takes to support new people, before we should work on the attractions. If they can not work and support themselves and families,and have nothing to offer for their families, then they won't even humor the idea, and the attractions would be pointless.

You know, I've never understood why Bricktown doesn't incorporate some more historical lore in the place. I mean look at the Riverwalk, one of the nice things about it is being able to walk into a very old hotel and see unique historical stuff on the first floor and read about it, walk around the canal and see things that have been in the area for hundreds of years, and so on.

I didn't know this until recently, but some of the old W.H. Stewart buildings on Sheridan have been there since statehood. One was a US Cavalry liverly station. When you go further west on Sheridan and get into the downtown area, at the turn of the century most of that location was made up of saloons and brothels. :) None still stand, and perhaps the city is squeamish about referring that part of its past, but why not play up the whole western town main street thing? I'm glad that the Native American Museum is being built because I think this is exactly the type of thing the city needs... I just hope that someone someday realizes that they could bring some more character into Bricktown and it would go a long way to making the city feel more unique.

There is the Paso district, but it's getting to the point of being ran down and doesn't have the best up keep, definitely not the attention it needs anyways.


I completely disagree. The Paseo is on a HUGE upswing. There have been two very successful restaurant openings and the gallery walks are better attended and more fun than ever. They had their biggest year ever at the annual Paseo Festival as well.

The Paseo is not squeaky clean, and if it were, it would not be interesting. It seems to be one of the few organically cool neighborhoods in the city right now and it's doing just fine.

Also, I've heard rumors that a supercool retail/housing project is in the planning stages for the Paseo. There's a lot happening there right now.