I keep hearing this mentioned by others, but I've had the same thought. Everytime I travel outside the state via flight, and return to OKC, I always look out the window of my plane as we land, and think, "God, I'm at the end of the earth....at least I think I can see it from here." And then there's the fun trip ride home through the rough parts of SW OKC. Really, the area around our airport comfirms all stereotypes people have of OKC. You look out the window, see flat land with no trees, typically with herds of cattle on it, and you might be lucky to see the short skyline of downtown in the distance. The empty landscapes are dotted by farm animals, with a few oil rigs here and there. We have invested too much money in our airport to move it, but I do wish we could do something to improve the landscape around it.

What's even worse, is when you're waiting to board the plane at one of the major hubs. Most of the folks waiting with you have cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc. When I returned from LA awhile back, I even saw a guy with cowboy boots with the boots covering his boot cut jeans! And even better, the guy had for real spurs on his boots! Argh! Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes people have of OKC are indeed true, as much as we'd like to believe they're not.

What you accurately describe is just part of who we are and that part is OK by me, Patrick. Looking in the mirror isn't a bad experience if you don't mind, and instead embrace, what you see there. It's OK!

Very true, Doug.

I always think "what a wonderfully convenient and uncrowded airport" right after I think how glad I am to be home and able to breathe again.

A few weeks ago when seeing some family in Freeport, Texas, I had to depart from Houston Hobby Airport. I flew in at night but I flew out during the day. When driving to the airport I passed by miles and miles of crappy apartments, homeless people, and generally crushing poverty that is pretty common in southeast Houston. My flight was about to depart when one of those lovely Houston downpours began and basically sat on top of the airport for an hour. The airport went into chaos and my flight was delayed and had to make that airport home for 3 hours. During that time I have never seen so many dudes in wranglers and boots (and not even "going to town" boots, the muddy kind you wear on the farm) in my life. I also am pretty sure I heard english spoken less than 50 percent of the time. Needless to say I am not looking forward to flying to see my cousin in Lubbock next month.

To make a long story short, I think its kinda hard to judge a place on its airport surroundings because most airports are going to be in the middle of nowhere or in a sketchy part of town. Its also not really fair to judge the people you see in an airport, although it is true that alot of people in central and Western Oklahoma utilize WRA and they may think a good pair of boots and pressed jeans is "dressy" enough. IMO I think our airport is a beautiful facility and represents the city very well. I definitely agree about the surroundings though. They aren't the prettiest and could use some sprucing up. But then again most people aren't going to cut through the worst part of the south side, they will use the interstates or Meridian Avenue.

Sprawl encroachment near the airport is inevidable. Mustang has already spilled outside its boundaries, and once the last leg of the Kilpatrick is complete, that's the final swab across the petri dish.

Hmm, what do you suggest we do about it? Central Oklahoma is flat and the western Metro is mostly farms and ranchland with few trees. You want to see hills and trees fly into Tulsa.

Hmm, what do you suggest we do about it? Central Oklahoma is flat and the western Metro is mostly farms and ranchland with few trees. You want to see hills and trees fly into Tulsa.
Well, not necessarily. Don't you know that Oklahoma City, generally, was without trees in its infancy (aside from some scrub oaks / blackjacks here and there). The trees you see today in Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, etc., were all planted and grew and grew. Trees are absolutely doable ... they just take time to grow ... which they don't start doing until they are planted.

Having lived in four other states with the military, every time I flew back home and looked out the windows over my home state I first notice the dirt: that beautiful red clay ringing every lake and pond. I think Oklahoma is beautiful.

You see a cross section of society flying in to OKC, no less educated or sophisticated than the cross section of society you may fly with into NYC or LA. Probably a lot NICER people on that plane to Oklahoma, however.

My thoughts too julieriggs. So what if people hop on with cowboy hats....you don't think people do the same going to Texas?

Every time I get to Will Rogers, I think how much faster it is to get in and out. No traffic, always a parking space, less than 5 minutes total in security, only a couple minutes walk from there to the gate. It's really a great FAST airport.

No it's not big and lacks the ammeneties some of the larger airports have, but would you rather be Atlanta or O'Hare? NO WAY! Personally, I don't miss the fact that we lost the AA hub...too many freaking people!

I think they did a good job on modernizing and updated WWWA. It really needed it and helps the image and "perception that people have of OKC. However, I have to agree that landscaping and planting of trees (thousands for that matter) would do wonders for the topography and terrain of the city. Right now, outsiders who travel into the airport may view the city in a negative connation as flat and ugly.As I have mentioned in other threads, image and perception are very important to OKC and helps in determing the outsiders views of the city.

I agree that our new airport is absolutely beautiful. I really like the native stone mixed in with modern elements. So, I have all but praise for the building itself. I just wish that we could better landscape Meridian Avenue coming in and out of the airport, and possibly airport road. I'd love to see more trees, especially larger, fast growing trees like cypress, pines, etc.

I keep hearing this mentioned by others, but I've had the same thought. Everytime I travel outside the state via flight, and return to OKC, I always look out the window of my plane as we land, and think, "God, I'm at the end of the earth....at least I think I can see it from here." And then there's the fun trip ride home through the rough parts of SW OKC. Really, the area around our airport comfirms all stereotypes people have of OKC. You look out the window, see flat land with no trees, typically with herds of cattle on it, and you might be lucky to see the short skyline of downtown in the distance. The empty landscapes are dotted by farm animals, with a few oil rigs here and there. We have invested too much money in our airport to move it, but I do wish we could do something to improve the landscape around it.

What's even worse, is when you're waiting to board the plane at one of the major hubs. Most of the folks waiting with you have cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc. When I returned from LA awhile back, I even saw a guy with cowboy boots with the boots covering his boot cut jeans! And even better, the guy had for real spurs on his boots! Argh! Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes people have of OKC are indeed true, as much as we'd like to believe they're not.

Then don't dare step more than 20 feet from Atlanta Hartsfield. For some reason people of means don't want to live on the flight path of jet aircraft. However, poor people tend to flock there. Go figure. Show me one airport in the 'nice' part of town (other than Jacksonville and Orlando).

However, I do think WRWA would have been better if they had built the new terminal on the south side of the airport instead of spending all the money rebuilding the old one. It would have been a clean slate to work from.

As for passengers, it might be your airline. I normally fly Delta out of Atlanta but once I took Airtran to save $20. I won't make that mistake again. Nothing wrong with Airtran but the crowd it attracts is on the unrefined side. It is basically a step up from Greyhound.

Have flown in/out of numerous airports; only Hawaii has superior ones! ;)

As for the clientele and their clothing, give me those cowboy boots and jeans ANY day over tank tops, short-shorts (sorry guys, but most of the gals wearing them are those who shouldn't), flip-flops (which ought to banned from planes; can't make emergency exits w/those things), and similar wear suitable only for the pool or the gym.

We are who we are in Oklahoma; it could be MUCH worse! And yes, the folks are nice at WRWA.

Yes, the way in/out of the airport could be improved by landscaping and better roads! But of all the out-of-towners we've ever had come in through our airport, not a single person complained about the look of the land. In fact several thought it pretty nice that we had oil wells, cattle, wheat, and the "land that seems to go forever to the horizon"."

I guess it's each to his/her own.

While I will admit our airport area is not the Taj Mahal of airports. I have been to much worse. In most cities, the airport is surrounded by all the seedy parts of town most people would not admit exist.

One thing I think we need to lose in Oklahoma is the self conscious mentality so many people have about our state. They expect the state to be a paradise to outside visitors. What everyone needs to realize is that every state and city has it's eyesores. Oklahomans are the only ones who take the time to obsess about it.

NY has it's trash everywhere. LA has it's smog. Houston has nasty humity. New Orleans is just plain gross in some areas. (Note: I visted Pre Katrina) However, N O is one of the funnest places in the world. The food is some of the best in the world.

Well, not necessarily. Don't you know that Oklahoma City, generally, was without trees in its infancy (aside from some scrub oaks / blackjacks here and there). The trees you see today in Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, etc., were all planted and grew and grew. Trees are absolutely doable ... they just take time to grow ... which they don't start doing until they are planted.. . .and nothing could "picture" this more pointedly than the pics of the Canal in the Oklahoman (Sunday, I believe) when it first opened and then today!!

When we lived in Dallas, my husband hated going to DFW for the traffic to get there, the long security lines, very inconvenient to drive in and around and terminals that had no end. We didn't mind flying out of Love field, but the traffic could still be a mess and security could take a while and yes there are some very sketchy areas around there.

My husband loves flying out of WWWA! It's easy in, short security lines, and not miles of terminals to traverse. We recently flew to Houston landing at Hobby and you betcha, that airport is surrounded by the hood. Made our "hood" around WWWA seem tame.

Coming home to OKC recently I was delighted to see a culturally diverse mix of people on my flight...and all very friendly too! Let's shake this inferiority complex and start looking at the reality of how great our people are...regardless of how they dress.

From people I know from all over, the ones who've actually visited the Oklahoma / Texas area have nothing but good things to say, especially about the people. Compared to many so-called 'hip' places, I'll take our culture in a heartbeat, hands-down, going-away, every-time. I'm proud to be one generation removed from ranching, farming and our Cowboy heritage. Down here in Texas, they have much the same heritage, difference is they are are proud of it and embrace it, most Oklahomans do as well. I refuse to believe any area is really stereotyped by their lowest denominator. Our area of the country is not without its warts, but I'll take ours any day over others.

Show me one airport in the 'nice' part of town (other than Jacksonville and Orlando).

All over the country. They're in good parts of town, bad parts of town and in between. But Jax and Orlando don't have a corner on having airports in the "nice part of town."

DFW

Houston Intercontinental

Kansas City International (newer additions going in where nothing used to exist - it was in the middle of nowhere for years).

Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport (practically surrounded by nice neighborhoods)

San Francisco (San Mateo/San Bruno)

LAX (Culver City and El Segundo aren't exactly ghettos!)

Des Moines International

Portland (OR) International - one of the nicest airports in the world. Nice area.

It's been a while since I've been to some of the above, but all of those IIRC are in upper-middle to upper income areas.

You said "show me one" and I just showed you eight! And those are just off the top off my head.

I've never thought that visitors would think negatively of OKC arriving at our airport and driving out.

This thread is dumb. Also San Diego is in nice part of town

You said "show me one" and I just showed you eight! And those are just off the top off my head.

Thanks for the list Mike. I stand corrected.

This thread is dumb. Also San Diego is in nice part of town

So move on to another thread..... There is many more to read besides this one.

Minneapolis/St Paul is in a nice suburb too. Mall of America is 5 min away.

I agree with most posters. Airport is fine, but fix up Meridian/Airport Rd. Kinda dumpy

thread is as thread does

The area around Salt Lake City's airport isn't too shabby

The only thing that is easy to change is the landscaping between the airport and Airport Road.

Wasn't there a recent large-scale effort to plant a ton of trees along that corridor? It just takes time for them to fill in.

This thread is dumb.

Many or most people get an impression of someplace in the first few minutes that they arrive. So first impressions are very important in the way visitors perceive OKC. I remember a story not to long ago about a company that was thinking of relocating here and when the CEO/owner flew in with his family one of his children mentioned all the trash along meridian ave. Hardly a good first impression.

While I think our airport is great (though small and not many ammenities) I wanted to echo most of the posters in saying all the area surrounding the airport needs is a little tlc. More landscaping along meridian, better groundskeeping by both the airport and the city, and a nice large hotel on or near the ariport property would be great. Plant lots of trees, pick up the trash and the first impression will be made. Then its up to us to clinch the deal with our awesome down home attitudes and friendly people.

Im not worried in the least about people thinking this is a country/cowboy town. Its part of our history, and our heritage and many people find it appealing. We're not NYC or Chicago and we shouldn't try to be.

I remember the same story, however from what I remember, it was all the trash on the side of the highway, not Meridian Ave. Our airport is fine, we have people flying to our office daily and I have never once heard a complaint about our airport, etc. Now I do agree that we could beautify the corridors leading to the airport, Meridian (in which part of it) was recently beautified as Pete mentioned, however most of the trees have just not matured. They were donated by Express. Ever been to Atlanta Hatsfield (our nations busiest airport)? Not exactly any better than driving in/out of ours and yet not too many Atlantans are worried about it, nor are they worried about thier cities "image."

They did change out the lights, updated signage, and planted trees (and installed irrigation lines to water them). You DON'T want fast growing treet in Oklahoma though. They are more prone to snapping...ie ice or high winds. Slow grow trees like Elm or Oak do better here. They take 30 years to really be filled out, but they stand the test of time....they also intrude into the road/pipes. It's a give/take.

I would like to see Meridian repaved though. Between Airport Rd. and 54th is horrible. It's the first/last thing people see and it's a bad road. And I still have yet to figure out why they shifted the road at the bridge instead of building where it was...or grading the curve better. It's really weird now...and what's up with that weird random single temporary light on the side of the road that never went away?

I recently came back to OKC from Los Angeles and overheard a conversation behind me upon landing between two passengers who commented that Will Rogers was a "World" airport. When we pulled up to the gate one of them stated that the rest of the airport must be "on the other side" (of what, I don't know) but their point was if this is a "World" airport, wouldn't there be more to it? Will Rogers is a nice modern facility but among airports, (with only 17 gates) it isn't too relevant as far as traffic goes. Giving it a name that connotes something far larger in scale than what it actually is, is sort of cheesy. It would be more appropriate and honest to call it---maybe a "municipal" airport. What about Will Rogers Airport? Then people wouldn't have unreasonable expectations when they actually experience it. Plus, the airport shuttle vans that say "Giddyap" provide excellent service but come on, talk about reinforcing negative stereotypes.

If people are complaining about the trash then maybe some local clubs should 'adopt-a-highway' and pick that trash up off and around it. This way we won't have to worry about our city employees doing this and our city tax dollars may be applied elsewhere.

Wishful thinking. If they had the desire to do that, they would be already.

My excellent customer experience returning to Oklahoma City last night:

1) Almost-direct vectoring to RWY 17L by OKC Approach NE sector - no wide swings as with busier, more congested airspaces. The pilot made a close-in turn to final and landed in straight-down-the-runway winds thanks to a well-engineered runway layout, as compared with airports hemmed in by development that guarantee tricky and unpleasant crosswind landings.
2) We were 20 minutes early, but there was no waiting for a gate as with busier hub airports.
3) The attentive gate agent had the jetway ready to dock with the aircraft, unlike the 10-minute wait at ORD earlier in the day.
4) My walk from the gate to the airport exit was less than five minutes, as compared with five-plus minutes walking just through ORD's Terminal G.
5) Because I didn't check luggage, I was picked up on the empty upstairs driveway instead of the gridlocked downstairs drive.

Gang, commercial travel doesn't get any better than that these days.

Regarding the airport name, virtually every airport in the U.S. has "international" in it's title, even such places as Des Moines, Albuquerque, Jaskson, MS and Tulsa.

One exception is Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.

LAX is right by Inglewood which is the hood. LAX is one of the most unimpressive airports I have ever been to. It is congested and needs remodleing. I like the fact I can get to Will Rogers in about 15 minutes with few of the hassles I experience in other cities. I like Oklahoma's wide open spaces and cowboy culture. It represents freedom to me. I do not want it to be like other places. I do not judge people and places "by their level of sophistication". Western culture is no less valid than New York, San Franciso, Los Angeles, Miami, etc. It is all a matter of subjective taste. Rich europeans pay lots of money to drive cars or motorcycles on Route 66 and stay on Oklahoma dude ranches. Will Rogers and Oklahoma City are fine with me.

Bigray in Ok

Will Rogers Airport is fine by me, also. But, I do think that the comment made by Hondo1 about "World" airport make perfect sense. In that word, the airport assumes an air of unmerited pretension which does not serve it well, and it would do no harm to lose the word.

When and if a flight either arrives from or leaves OKC to somewhere outside the United States, like even to Mexico or Canada, much less cities that "world" connotes like London or Bejing, then, sure, "World" as an airport description would be just fine. Glad to have it.

The description does not fit today.

Unique names are not bad, and that is what OKC has. People get confused on what airport names mean and what is available for them to use. Sure just about everyone could use Municipal, Regional, or International. International, for those not aware, can be used by any airport that has customs landing rights - which OKC does, by appointment only. That is why you see cities from Atlanta to Tulsa to Quad Cities, IL with the name Int'l in their name. Of course you also have a lot of cities that don't use anything and it is just the city and "airport" following...or a name and "airport". Now some of the more unique airport names for the US...

Reference: United States Airports - by Name (http://www.airportcodes.us/us-airports-by-name.htm)

World - Unique to OKC only from what I can find.
City - Unique to Detroit City Airport only (downtown, no longer used for commercial flights).
Metropolitan - Detroit (the main airport that we all use)
Field - Dallas Love, Cincinnati Lunken, Topeka, and a few others.
Air Terminal - Fresno
Executive - Henderson (NV), and a couple others.
Memorial - Jefferson City (MO), Bridgeport (CT), and others.
Express - Toledo (OH)
Mid-Continent - Wichita

Personally, I don't mind being among cities that have non-cookie cutter names.

Will Rogers Airport is fine by me, also. But, I do think that the comment made by Hondo1 about "World" airport make perfect sense. In that word, the airport assumes an air of unmerited pretension which does not serve it well, and it would do no harm to lose the word.

When and if a flight either arrives from or leaves OKC to somewhere outside the United States, like even to Mexico or Canada, much less cities that "world" connotes like London or Bejing, then, sure, "World" as an airport description would be just fine. Glad to have it.

The description does not fit today.

Nor does the "International" tag really fit for many many airports that proudly use it.

I keep hearing this mentioned by others, but I've had the same thought. Everytime I travel outside the state via flight, and return to OKC, I always look out the window of my plane as we land, and think, "God, I'm at the end of the earth....at least I think I can see it from here." And then there's the fun trip ride home through the rough parts of SW OKC. Really, the area around our airport comfirms all stereotypes people have of OKC. You look out the window, see flat land with no trees, typically with herds of cattle on it, and you might be lucky to see the short skyline of downtown in the distance. The empty landscapes are dotted by farm animals, with a few oil rigs here and there. We have invested too much money in our airport to move it, but I do wish we could do something to improve the landscape around it.

What's even worse, is when you're waiting to board the plane at one of the major hubs. Most of the folks waiting with you have cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc. When I returned from LA awhile back, I even saw a guy with cowboy boots with the boots covering his boot cut jeans! And even better, the guy had for real spurs on his boots! Argh! Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes people have of OKC are indeed true, as much as we'd like to believe they're not.

typically, the adjacent land surrounding most airports is not of the highest real estate value. No one wants to reside next to an airport. OKC's seems more pronounced due to the overall lack of commerce in the city compared to other more economically affluent metropolises.

I recently came back to OKC from Los Angeles and overheard a conversation behind me upon landing between two passengers who commented that Will Rogers was a "World" airport. When we pulled up to the gate one of them stated that the rest of the airport must be "on the other side" (of what, I don't know) but their point was if this is a "World" airport, wouldn't there be more to it? Will Rogers is a nice modern facility but among airports, (with only 17 gates) it isn't too relevant as far as traffic goes. Giving it a name that connotes something far larger in scale than what it actually is, is sort of cheesy. It would be more appropriate and honest to call it---maybe a "municipal" airport. What about Will Rogers Airport? Then people wouldn't have unreasonable expectations when they actually experience it. Plus, the airport shuttle vans that say "Giddyap" provide excellent service but come on, talk about reinforcing negative stereotypes.

I have also hated the name of our our airport. Seems like they just slapped "world" onto it cause it also begins with a "w". We lack short of being an "international" airport, need more carriers to qualify for that stature.

We want to being prominance to our facility, but sometimes thats an earned title.

Calling it Will Rogers Memorial Airport pays tribute to our favorite native son, but no one wants to hear the word memorial when your 30,000 feet above ground.

imho, will rogers regional airport would be a better title.

I could get anywhere in the world from Will Rogers World Airport....sure I may have change planes but I have had to do that a few times out of DFW as well. That still doesn't belie the fact that I went to Tokyo or the Bahamas out of there.

We lack short of being an "international" airport, need more carriers to qualify for that stature.

If you refer back to my post...no we don't need anything else. If they wish to have Int'l in the name, everything is in place already to allow that. Number of carriers means nothing for usage of that name.

It's just a name. And people always forget O'Hare died in a plane crash too.

I agree the name "world" is a bit awkward when it comes to our airport but I love the logo with Will Rogers roping the world.

Lets' just name it "Place Where Airplanes Land in OKC". That might be more accurate and original.

This thread is dumb. Also San Diego is in nice part of town

I have to agree. I land in OKC and think about how wonderful it is not to be crowded to death. I fly at least once a month as a passenger and I've never saw spurs. If I did, I'd be appreciative of the various cultures in our state, whether some people accept them or not (cough) Patrick, the thread starter (cough).

The only thing that is easy to change is the landscaping between the airport and Airport Road.

Wasn't there a recent large-scale effort to plant a ton of trees along that corridor? It just takes time for them to fill in.

That's really all I'm asking for in this thread! :)

While I think our airport is great (though small and not many ammenities) I wanted to echo most of the posters in saying all the area surrounding the airport needs is a little tlc. More landscaping along meridian, better groundskeeping by both the airport and the city, and a nice large hotel on or near the ariport property would be great. Plant lots of trees, pick up the trash and the first impression will be made. Then its up to us to clinch the deal with our awesome down home attitudes and friendly people.

Exactly.

This thread is dumb. Also San Diego is in nice part of town


It's a serious topic, I've heard a lot of people bring up lately. That's why I thought I'd bring it up. What I'd like to see most is the Meridian and airport road corridors improved.

Back in the day, there was actually talk of making Wiley Post the primary airport for the city. Fast forward 50 years, I think that might have been a better idea. The landscape isn't much different, but the part of town is better.

Not by much, but it'd look a whole lot different if it was our main airport.

I keep hearing this mentioned by others, but I've had the same thought. Everytime I travel outside the state via flight, and return to OKC, I always look out the window of my plane as we land, and think, "God, I'm at the end of the earth....at least I think I can see it from here." And then there's the fun trip ride home through the rough parts of SW OKC. Really, the area around our airport comfirms all stereotypes people have of OKC. You look out the window, see flat land with no trees, typically with herds of cattle on it, and you might be lucky to see the short skyline of downtown in the distance. The empty landscapes are dotted by farm animals, with a few oil rigs here and there. We have invested too much money in our airport to move it, but I do wish we could do something to improve the landscape around it.

What's even worse, is when you're waiting to board the plane at one of the major hubs. Most of the folks waiting with you have cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc. When I returned from LA awhile back, I even saw a guy with cowboy boots with the boots covering his boot cut jeans! And even better, the guy had for real spurs on his boots! Argh! Unfortunately, some of the stereotypes people have of OKC are indeed true, as much as we'd like to believe they're not.



That's really all I'm asking for in this thread! :)


I think, Patrick, a lot of people took some offense to the notion that you were seeming to complain about "folks waiting" that have "cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc." along with other references about the lifestyle of some Oklahomans. Frankly, if you want people to not stereotype Oklahoma, you should probably be the first one to stop.

If you're asking for comments regarding the landscaping of Meridian Avenue, then that's something people can probably agree on. Concluding with a stab at our culture within the state is kind of a low blow.

I love our airport. The (fairly) recent renovations adding stone and such look really nice, and it's pretty much never busy. I can go to my gate, sit and chill without the crazy busy hectic feel of a lot of larger airports like O'Hare or even Denver.

And coming in from outside? Flat land? Cattle? You betcha. I was born here, and grew up here, and that's Oklahoma. There's only something wrong with flat land if you say there's something wrong with flat land!

As far as people wearing cowboy boots....so?

YouTube - The Big Bang Theory Klingon Boggle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HPFRYVJ63A)

Lets' just name it "Place Where Airplanes Land in OKC". That might be more accurate and original.

It may confuse some people with the other airport called: "place where toy hobbyist planes land in okc" (bka wiley post)

I think, Patrick, a lot of people took some offense to the notion that you were seeming to complain about "folks waiting" that have "cowboy hats, cowboy boots, etc." along with other references about the lifestyle of some Oklahomans. Frankly, if you want people to not stereotype Oklahoma, you should probably be the first one to stop.

My opinion doesn't change on this. This just reinforces the stereotype that more educated people on the coasts have that Oklahomans are a bunch of backward, cowboy, redneck hicks. We need to shed this image, and move into the 21st century and become the renaissance city we're striving to be. When I'm in New York, LA, or wherever, and tell people I'm from Oklahoma, people look at me and ask me what teepee I live in, or how many cows I have on my ranch, or what color my barn is. The only way to shed the stereotype is to shed the lifestyle and truly become a 21st century city and state.

why do we even need a airport at all if we're such a backwater place. just turn it into a stagecoach station and be done with it.

And coming in from outside? Flat land? Cattle? You betcha. I was born here, and grew up here, and that's Oklahoma. There's only something wrong with flat land if you say there's something wrong with flat land!

With sarcasm......."And I don't want to change, and I want the rest of the nation to continue to look down upon me as uneducated redneck hicks. We've always been a backwards state. I grew up here. That's the way it is. Rows of trailor parks. Teepees and barns. That's Oklahoma."



As far as people wearing cowboy boots....so?

It reinforces the low-class stereotype much of the rest of the nation has of us. Just go outside this region, to any major modern metropolitan area and you'll understand.

If we want to truly be taken serious as a modern, 21st century city, we're going to have to shed the stereotype by shedding the backwards lifestyle and the redneck image. Otherwise, we'll continue to be the laughingstock of more sophisticated, modern, 21st century America.