Real Estate

Census estimates suggest that Oklahoma is experiencing strong in-migration and population growth above the U.S. level. The latest Census estimates suggest state population growth reached 1.2% in 2006 and 1.1% in 2007, compared to a national rate of 1.0% in both years.

Source: OSU Center for Applied Economic Research, Oklahoma Economic Outlook, August 2008

Oklahoma led the nation for home value appreciation in the second quarter of 2008 compared to the second quarter of 2007. Oklahoma home values rose 4.9 percent, while nationally home values fell 1.7 percent.

In-Migration to Oklahoma

Estimated # of People Who Have Moved to Oklahoma From Another State in the Past Year and their State of Origin:


Texas 28,327
California 8,947
Kansas 8,931
Arkansas 7,936
Missouri 6,099
Arizona 4,549
Florida 3,664
Louisiana 3,122
Colorado 2,656
New Mexico 2,560
Illinois 2,278
Maryland 2,272
Iowa 2,196
Washington 2,193
New York 2,165
Nebraska 2,162
Virginia 1,679
Georgia 1,547
Mississippi 1,524
Ohio 1,504
Tennessee 1,492
Nevada 1,402
Alaska 1,304
Minnesota 1,288
Michigan 1,264
Pennsylvania 1,016
Indiana 933
Kentucky 924
Hawaii 810
Oregon 716
Utah 670
Montana 657
North Carolina 625
Wyoming 546
New Jersey 517
Alabama 513
Massachusetts 479
Wisconsin 440
South Dakota 365
North Dakota 334
Puerto Rico 315
Connecticut 279
West Virginia 220
Idaho 183
South Carolina 178
New Hampshire 127
Delaware 11
District of Columbia 0
Maine 0
Rhode Island 0
Vermont 0


Source: Migration - U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey
Population - U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates, July 1, 2007 & July 1, 2006

It's interesting that the 2nd highest is California.

What is the Out-Migration?

I didn't see that research...I'll leave the negative to someone else.

It's interesting that the 2nd highest is California.

I found that interesting as well. We have two families on our street that have moved in from California just in the last 6 months.

It's interesting that the 2nd highest is California.

California is losing Whites not of Hispanic orgin (the government term - not my term) at record rates. A lot of people in Southern and Central California have Oklahoma roots. My grandparent moved to Califonia in the 40's, my parents moved there in 1971. Between 1992 and 1997 all of my family members in California returned to Oklahoma. I am actually surprised the number isn't higher.

Family members in California returned to Oklahoma. I am actually surprised the number isn't higher.

My mom was born in Texas, moved to OK, then to CA... I visited here a few times while growing up. We moved here about 6 years ago from Northern CA.

We have some family here that has lived here their entire lives... but we don't see them very much.

It is sort of interesting how we feel differently about certain things. I guess a lot of it is environment.

Here's an interesting link if anyone is interested...

Oklahoma Population and Components of Change (http://recenter.tamu.edu/data/pops/pops40.htm)

Since 2006, Oklahoma has experienced strong net in-migration.

I would, however, be interested to know the balance of migration between states, particularly Texas. My family is from here, but in 1987 my parents left Oklahoma as did several members of my family between 1987 and 1990, all to Texas. Lately, I've been surprised how many Texas tags I've seen cruising around Norman and OKC. Norman is to be expected since 25% of OU undergrads are from TX, but I wonder if more people from Texas are starting to move up here, or like Californians, are returning back to their roots?

My mom was born here, dad in wisconsin, and I was a army brat.
I travelled widely, Italy, the UK, Asia, Africa (Egypt).
Lived in a few US Cities: Boston,Chicago, Seattle.
Then the USMC, then travel to Granada, Lebanon, Panama,Japan*, Kuwait, Iraq, (the only place I wasn't getting shot at is designated by a -*-) based primarily in San Diego, (and GOD I miss it there), but my grandsons is here. So for now, its family first.
But I have another reason for being here. My boyfriend Stephen.

I think OK is (slowly) starting to lose it's reputation as a place people don't want to live. Now if we could just fix the cursed weather.....

i've had some friends from dallas move here and i've seen a lot of okies that moved to dallas or cali and have moved back recently. i think it's awesome.

has anyone else seen a lot of texas and cali plates?

I know a lot of Texans that came here for college and never moved back.

I moved from Texas after college for a job and I came kicking and screaming. Now I'm building a house and plan to stay here for a while.

I have done both, from OKC to Dallas in 1991, back to OKC in 1993 and from OKC to Austin in 2003.

I know of quite a few Californians with Oklahoma roots who are close to retirement age who sold property that went up astronomically there and moved "back" to Oklahoma because of the value and family ties. My sister has next door neighbors who moved from California, the wife and I went to PC West together (I didn't know her though) and her husband was born and raised in California and they moved because of her family and the value of living in OKC.

I know of some in the Dallas area who have bought land on the Oklahoma side of the river because of value and as Dallas has grown north it is getting closer to the border. Some are looking at futures of living on the lake/land and being close enough to DFW to "commute" by tele-commuting/one day in the office type of arrangements.

I know a lot of Texans that came here for college and never moved back.

If my job interviews next week go as planned, you can add me to that list.

I've already picked out a few places I want to live if (fingers crossed) I get the job.

I didn't see that research...I'll leave the negative to someone else.
I'll look it up if I can locate a link to the file containing the data ... I've not found it after 30 minutes of looking. The Census website has always been hard for me to navigate.

Got a link?

I'm also curious about WHERE the migrants migrated TO, if that information is available.

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i281/chadgf/DSCN0977.jpg

I was brought up in California (San Diego), lived a good part of my adult life in South Carolina (Sumter), and I plan on moving to Oregon (either Coos Bay or Three Sisters) when I retire.

A little info here:

FAIR: County Factsheet: Oklahoma County, Oklahoma (http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_researchd086_sup&printer_friendly=1)

I'll look it up if I can locate a link to the file containing the data ... I've not found it after 30 minutes of looking. The Census website has always been hard for me to navigate.

Got a link?

I'm also curious about WHERE the migrants migrated TO, if that information is available.

My guess would be Texas, obviously, and maybe Colorado or California second. I know several people who have moved from Oklahoma to Colorado (I was almost one of them but decided to stay, at least for now).

I've continued to look in the US Census website in vain ... does anyone have any links for the 2006 American Community Survey ... I found the area, generally, but located no files relevant to this thread. I'm sure they are there somewhere.

I am with you jacodenn. I love Oregon. Isn't that Haystack rock by Cannon Beach?

lasomeday...you would be 100% correct.

I think OK is (slowly) starting to lose it's reputation as a place people don't want to live. Now if we could just fix the cursed weather.....

But all the "cool" people think this place is not "cool." I wonder why all these people move here if it sucks so much as some people say it does. Theyll say something like "well Oklahoma doesnt have any mountains or beaches" as if you need those to enjoy where you live at.

Very interesting stats nonetheless...

As Brad Henry said, we may not have the tallest mountains, but we have the prettiest...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/2518243884_124eaa3067_b.jpg
Wichita Mountains

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/61125536_cc37a38c4e_o.jpg
Ouachita Mountains

We have sandy beaches too.

I moved here from Denver, and never looked back. There is a far more suble beauty to Oklahoma than a lot of other states known for their natural beauty. And most of it is in the eastern half of the state. But, we don't have an ocean or mountains big enough for a lot of recreation or close enough to Oklahoma City to make day trips practical, so we just have to try harder. We need to make our city more attractive to people, to make up for the ocean and nearby mountains we're missing. If we've got higher in-migration than other states, clearly we're succeeding. But, we can't rest on our laurels; we have to continue to evolve and improve.

It's interesting that the 2nd highest is California.


I think alot of that has to do with the people who left Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Many of the people who left Oklahoma left behind their family roots and other family members. When I lived in SoCal it was amazing how many people there had family or had lived in Oklahoma before moving to California. Plus the cost of living is incredble there compared to OKlahoma.

Ding Ding Ding..... we finally have a winner. Ridiculous cost of living, over-inflated housing markets, forever urban sprawl and crazy traffic are finally making people wake up and see that Oklahoma isn't a bad place after all and people here leave closer to there means than say Houston, Phoenix or So.Cal.

I moved here from Denver, and never looked back. There is a far more suble beauty to Oklahoma than a lot of other states known for their natural beauty. And most of it is in the eastern half of the state. But, we don't have an ocean or mountains big enough for a lot of recreation or close enough to Oklahoma City to make day trips practical, so we just have to try harder. We need to make our city more attractive to people, to make up for the ocean and nearby mountains we're missing. If we've got higher in-migration than other states, clearly we're succeeding. But, we can't rest on our laurels; we have to continue to evolve and improve.

Wichita Mtns. are 1.5 hours from OKC, very easy day trip for great hiking, bouldering, or climbing. The Arbuckle Mtns. are about an hour south of OKC and have places for hiking and also the waterfalls. The Ouachita's and Ozarks are a little far though, you probably need to plan on camping for a night or staying at a hotel if you venture that way due to the 3-4 hour drive. Compared to other cities in the central and southern U.S. OKC is actually pretty close to several mountain areas, and not that far from the "real" mountains of Colorado/New Mexico (about a 8-10 hour drive depending on where you're going).

Also the sand beaches at Lake Eufaula are pretty nice, probably better than what you'll find in Galveston without the jellyfish/sharks and only a 2 hour drive from OKC. Two of the largest lakes in the region are within 2 hours drive from OKC: Eufaula and Texoma.

Luke,

Thanks for sharing the pic of the Ouachita Mountains. I have never seen them before. Are they in SE Oklahoma?

oops...just saw the reply from BG...must have been on the other page.

Jacodenn, the Ouchitas are in SE Oklahoma. They are lovely. Where are you from that you didn't already know that? My personal favorite, however, are the Wichita mountains. Not as full of gorgeous trees but great for hiking. And closer to OKC.

Wichita Mtns. are 1.5 hours from OKC, very easy day trip for great hiking, bouldering, or climbing. The Arbuckle Mtns. are about an hour south of OKC and have places for hiking and also the waterfalls. The Ouachita's and Ozarks are a little far though, you probably need to plan on camping for a night or staying at a hotel if you venture that way due to the 3-4 hour drive. Compared to other cities in the central and southern U.S. OKC is actually pretty close to several mountain areas, and not that far from the "real" mountains of Colorado/New Mexico (about a 8-10 hour drive depending on where you're going).

Also the sand beaches at Lake Eufaula are pretty nice, probably better than what you'll find in Galveston without the jellyfish/sharks and only a 2 hour drive from OKC. Two of the largest lakes in the region are within 2 hours drive from OKC: Eufaula and Texoma.

The Wichita and Ouchita mountains are lovely, but if you've moved here from Colorado, they're pretty much hills. Not a lot of skiing there. Perhaps we should promote them more to visitors, however. And, I have a boat at Texoma, and I've been to Eufala. They're not the ocean, and they never will be. I don't think we'd fool too many people. Texoma's a really nice sailing lake, however. Maybe Aubrey's resort will make it more of a destination for people in Oklahoma.

Ding Ding Ding..... we finally have a winner. Ridiculous cost of living, over-inflated housing markets, forever urban sprawl and crazy traffic are finally making people wake up and see that Oklahoma isn't a bad place after all and people here leave closer to there means than say Houston, Phoenix or So.Cal.

What about jobs though?

Wichita Mtns. are 1.5 hours from OKC, very easy day trip for great hiking, bouldering, or climbing. The Arbuckle Mtns. are about an hour south of OKC and have places for hiking and also the waterfalls. The Ouachita's and Ozarks are a little far though, you probably need to plan on camping for a night or staying at a hotel if you venture that way due to the 3-4 hour drive. Compared to other cities in the central and southern U.S. OKC is actually pretty close to several mountain areas, and not that far from the "real" mountains of Colorado/New Mexico (about a 8-10 hour drive depending on where you're going).

Also the sand beaches at Lake Eufaula are pretty nice, probably better than what you'll find in Galveston without the jellyfish/sharks and only a 2 hour drive from OKC. Two of the largest lakes in the region are within 2 hours drive from OKC: Eufaula and Texoma.
Heh ... I liked what you said until the last paragraph. Are you comparing, favorably, LAKE EUFAULA to the Gulf Coast??? Tell me it ain't so, Joe! :dizzy:

Love my city and my state as much as I do, neither has anything to match the incessant undulating surf of the south Texas beaches ... my favorite is the Port Aransas end of North Padre Island. We DO have lots of good stuff here, but we ain't got no surf, jellyfish infested or not. Besides that, Lake Eufaula is hardly anything to brag about, IMO ... unless one is fond of dirt-red water. Ft. Cobb, south of El Reno, is much nicer, as are most lakes in the eastern part of the state. For that matter, so is Lake Texhoma.

We're really good, but Lake Eufaula isn't anything to be bragging about, IMO.

The Wichita and Ouchita mountains are lovely, but if you've moved here from Colorado, they're pretty much hills.

Hey now. I was just in Colorado a month ago and the front range -- with the exception of Pike's Peak -- does not look much taller in vertical lift from, say, Rich Mountain or Kiamichi Mountain. The Ouachita Mountains are not hills, they are mountains. Now the Arbuckles on the other hand.....

The Ouachita Trail is amazing. Total wilderness for over 150 miles.

The Ouchitas offer little in the way of bouldering, but they do offer vertical lifts of over 2,500 feet or more. That's taller than anything else between the Rockies and the Appalachians.

Too bad they couldn't build something like this in the Ouchitas.
Ski Dubai - Booking online ski lessons and tickets to Dubai ski dome (http://www.skidubai.com/)

Hey now. I was just in Colorado a month ago and the front range -- with the exception of Pike's Peak -- does not look much taller in vertical lift from, say, Rich Mountain or Kiamichi Mountain. The Ouachita Mountains are not hills, they are mountains. Now the Arbuckles on the other hand.....

The Ouachita Trail is amazing. Total wilderness for over 150 miles.

I beg to differ. Me and some friends usually go to Colorado twice a year, once in the summer to go camping and hiking , then again in the winter to go skiing. This summer we took Mohawk lake trail PHOTO GALLERY FIFTEEN: CONTINENTAL FALLS - LOWER MOHAWK LAKE - WINDY RIDGE. (http://www.lightrainproductions.com/PhotoGalleryFifteen.htm) (inserted a link, in case anyone wants to go. not my pics) up Quandry Peak just south of Breckenridge. Awesome. I dont remember what the vertical lift was on that trail, but I'd bet its much larger than anything in Oklahoma. Really nice trails near Lake Vallecito in sw Colorado too.

Ive never been on the Oauchita Trail....sad since Ive lived here almost all my life and love hiking/camping. Maybe this fall if I get a chance Ill try to get down there. Ill bet it beautiful this time of year. Maybe do some trout fishing too. To try to tie this into the thread though I dont think many people move here for the mountains.........BTW great pics Luke

A little more info on the OT (Ouachita Trail).
Someone said its over 150 miles, which is true, but it is actually just over 220 miles going into Arkansas. A 3-4 week hike.
And while it certainly is beautiful this time of year, or any for that matter, it does cross public lands. So for those willing to venture away from the Talimena Scenic Drive on foot, its probably a good idea to wear some safety orange while hiking during hunting seasons.
Also, this area has a stable population of about 500 black bears, so any camping here should be done with precautions such as storing food and trash in a bear bag.
Also, there is a big equestrian presence here, so consider going on horseback with a guide. Otherwise, watch carefully where you step.
There are plenty of other trails in the area too, and I would urge every Okie to spend some time there.
USDA Forest Service - Ouachita National Forest (http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita/)

Rich Mountain and the surrounding mountains in Southeast Oklahoma have vertical footage (from valley to peak) ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 feet. Pikes Peak has vertical footage of 7,500 feet, only 3 to 4 times taller than the Ouachitas.

Funny thing, this area of Oklahoma boasts the worlds tallest hill.
Cavanal Hill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavanal_Hill)

East Coast Okie,

I have lived most of my life in California and South Carolina in close proximity to two of the most beautiful "mountain" ranges in the Country. Still, I didn't see all of them, nor do I know where some of the more scenic spots might be. But I do know where some of the most spectacular scenery may be found in and around Mt. Baldy.

As a temporary resident of Oklahoma, I do hope to see more of the landscape before heading to Oregon in 10 years or so.

I, too, would encourage everyone to go visit this beautiful and remote area of the state. Peckerwood Knob, Oklahoma Cabins in Eastern Oklahoma, in the Kiamichi Mountains. (http://www.peckerwoodknob.com) has 2 awesome cabins right on top of a mountain. For only driving 3 hours, it completely throws you for a loop if you've never been there because you're constantly thinking, "This is Oklahoma?" Growing up in Washington state and spending a whole summer in Colorado Springs, I got used to seeing "steep grade" warning signs and beautiful mountains. To see those same signs driving through Southeastern Oklahoma along with Oklahoma's beautiful mountains was delightfully disorienting.

:)

As I mentioned, Pike's Peak is MUCH taller. And I was talking about the front range. No biggie. The Ouachitas are a special place, particularly about the last week of October to the first week of November: beautiful foliage.

I've been to Beavers Bend area a couple of times, once two years ago we stayed at these cabins. index cabin (http://www.brokenbowlakecabins.com/) Great place for family reunions. I would highly recomend them to anyone who needs some peace and quiet.
I've only been there in the summer though. I'll bet the foilage along the river is beautiful this time of year...especially in the morning fog.

Great... Now I want to go camping!!!



Too bad they couldn't build something like this in the Ouchitas.
Ski Dubai - Booking online ski lessons and tickets to Dubai ski dome (http://www.skidubai.com/)

Thanks alot. I haven't gotten anything done this morning because I've been checking ski Dubai out Can you imagine what the AC bill is for that resort :dizzy:
Off subject but check out these pics of dubai (esp the cranes)

http://kareemabduljabbar.com/blog/dubai.html

Yeah 15% of the world's cranes are in Dubai. They are using all of the oil money we are giving them to make it a world class place for everything.

The economy of Dubai is not based on oil.

True, we are no Colorado, but Colorado is arguably one of the richest states for recreation. Our outdoor recreation opportunities here are vastly underused, underrated, and overlooked. And just as good as anything in non-coastal Texas.

Thanks alot. I haven't gotten anything done this morning because I've been checking ski Dubai out Can you imagine what the AC bill is for that resort :dizzy:

The Travel Channel had a one hour program on it a few weeks ago. The cooling bill is not as high as you might think.

As CuatrodeMayo pointed out, the Dubai economy is no longer driven by oil. It is now banking, tourism, and corporate headquarters. You can thank their 0% corporate tax rate for that. Of course, there is one downside. 80% of the people in Dubai are not from there.

Geeze, talk about getting off topic.

dbl post sorry...edited

I'm also curious about WHERE the migrants migrated TO, if that information is available.

Anyone ever find out information on the "out-migration" from Oklahoma? I'm sure Texas leads the pack, but I'd love to see if the outflow of brain power/college grads has shrunk in recent years. It use to seem like moving to Dallas was some kind of post grad requirement for Oklahomas graduates.


Geeze, talk about getting off topic.

LOL....my bad. Sorry Tex, I realized it was getting off topic and took my discussion to a more appropriate thread. While rereading the thread today I had to laugh at the progression/evolution that the thread had taken