My partner received an offer to be a professor at the University of Oklahoma. They invited us down for the weekend to take a look at the area. We met with a realtor, and we saw a fantastic redone Victorian in the Gatewood neighborhood on 21st street between Ellison and Douglas. I was curious to hear local's thoughts on the area. I know it's right next to the Asian District, Classen, and Mesta Park, and perhaps a bit spotty, but how is life there? Is it trending up or down? What is crime like? Nearby restaurants and amenities? Is it amenable to a 30-ish gay couple? What is the commute like in rush hour to Norman?

It was really a fantastic home, and it is listed on the Gatewood Neighborhood Association page as a historic place. I'd greatly appreciate any responses.

Gatewood is totally trending up. Great neighborhood. Nearby amenities and restaurants are awesome. It's near the gay district, plus the inner city is pretty cool with modern lifestyles anyways.

I would have no hesitation living there. I agree that it's trending up, although I've known people who've lived there for years.

What is the commute like in rush hour to Norman?

From that neighborhood, Norman is only 25 miles away and there isn't much traffic ever in the OKC area. Your commute time would be about 30 minutes.


And I agree with the other posts... That's a great location near all the cooler and interesting parts of town.

I'm sure you've already found that in OKC you can get a lot of house for your money.

And if you mean Oklahoma City University, not the University of Oklahoma, it's the best neighborhood you'll find adjacent to the campus.

In case you don't have it already, see http://www.gatewoodokc.com/. I drive through it from Classen on NW 16th regularly to see my son who lives much further west, but 16th is a convenient thoroughfare. The neighborhood has definitely improved (and continues to) over the past several years.

And if you mean Oklahoma City University, not the University of Oklahoma, it's the best neighborhood you'll find adjacent to the campus.

Perfect location for proximity to OCU. OU though would be a 20-30 min. commute depending on I-35 traffic. You might look at the older neighborhoods around campus in Norman as well and compare the two.

Thanks everyone, I did mean the University of Oklahoma, not Oklahoma City University.

It is a fair commute to Norman from Gatewood, but it really depends on what kind of commute you are used to. It is a bit against the tide, however, as there are more people coming from Norman to OKC than the reverse. The same would hold true in the evenings. I would guess a 30 min. commute from there, as you're relatively close to the Broadway Extension exits of 10th or 23rd.

Gatewood is trending up, but I wouldn't say it's quite up yet, if you catch my meaning. What price range are you looking at? If you like the older homes, I'd check out Mesta Park and Crown Heights. Particularly the later (homes between NW 36th and 50th, between Robinson and Western -- do NOT go on the Eastern side of Western). Gatewood, in my experience, is pretty spotty. One block is just fine, the next is much less than fine. You can usually tell this by looking the windows. If there are bars on 'em, it's a no-go. If no bars, you're good to go. If you don't care about particularly unique homes and just want to live in a decent suburb, Norman actually isn't a bad place to live. It's pretty progressive and is constantly rated as one of the nicer suburbs to live in. Further, you can find some historic homes near campus.

Depends on what you want really. Sounds to me you would be very comfortable in Gatewood, if you have decided to live in the city and want a historical neighborhood. Crown Heights is my favorite. If you are skilled and enjoy DIY projects, then there are several pockets of older homes scattered across inner north OKC you might consider. A good realtor should be able to provide a good overview.

I'd give Norman a hard look also. There are some very attractive neighborhoods near the university, pretty much between Berry Rd and Chautauqua Ave due west of campus. Lots of tree-lined streets with bicycle paths. Norman is considered Oklahoma's most progressive/liberal city, you & your partner would feel comfortable there also. Welcome!

How has nobody mentioned the Plaza District when they are asking about Gatewood? http://www.plazadistrict.org/

My partner received an offer to be a professor at the University of Oklahoma. They invited us down for the weekend to take a look at the area. We met with a realtor, and we saw a fantastic redone Victorian in the Gatewood neighborhood on 21st street between Ellison and Douglas. I was curious to hear local's thoughts on the area. I know it's right next to the Asian District, Classen, and Mesta Park, and perhaps a bit spotty, but how is life there? Is it trending up or down? What is crime like? Nearby restaurants and amenities? Is it amenable to a 30-ish gay couple? What is the commute like in rush hour to Norman?

It was really a fantastic home, and it is listed on the Gatewood Neighborhood Association page as a historic place. I'd greatly appreciate any responses.

It's a good, safe neighborhood. A lead singer of a local band lives in the area.

With gas prices what they are, I would look at some Norman neighborhoods, too.

Mid, you mean west of Western.

Casey, probably because south of NW 16th is very sketchy and north of 16th is Gatewood, at least the nicer areas.

^ yes.

There are $200,000 homes in Gatewood, very comparable to what you'd find in Mesta Park or Crown Heights...but perhaps a little more down to earth.

My aunt worked in the Financial Aid office at OU and when she lived in Bethany (a bit further away, just off NW 39th a couple blocks north of the Nazarene college/university) it typically took her 45 min to an hour to get through morning rush hour traffic.

I'd have to say that Gatewood would be a "buy". It is already a lovely neighborhood, very cool houses and very convenient location. It will only improve with more retail and dining opening in the Plaza in the coming years. I have several friends who live in that neighborhood, and I regularly ride my bike through it on my way to midtown/downtown. Like any inner city neighborhood, you don't have to go far to find poverty and crime, but it feels very safe and is really quite beautiful.

You could also check out the neighborhoods of Shepard and Cleveland.

It's a good, safe neighborhood. A lead singer of a local band lives in the area.

You could probably say "The lead singer of an internationally known band" instead. I believe he owns an entire block.

between Robinson and Western -- do NOT go on the Eastern side of Western).

Even though you meant the western side of the Western/Classen strip, I don't think this is accurate. For instance, there's Putnam Heights which is a very nice neighborhood. There's also the "38th Street Promenade" which is a stretch of houses that has been spiffed-up.

Also, Gatewood is immediately west of Western/Classen. Gatewood is an interesting neighborhood because it spans a whole mile and is made up of many disparate parts. There's the Classen-fronting part, where OKCMover is looking at, which is similar to Mesta Park in nature. Then there's the Penn-fronting part, which is still sort of trending and might have a few blocks that are still a little sketchy. Then there's the middle portion, which is probably the most iconic part of Gatewood--especially with Carey Place, one of the coolest streets in OKC. The middle portion, where the streets shift to a more linear n/s grid, has some very nice homes and it also features one of OKC's better Catholic churches. So in this regard, I'd say it greatly resembles a nice, historic Midwestern neighborhood in the middle of a totally sun-belt city.

But I would recommend Norman more. If you're looking for something more socially liberal and "tolerant" it's Norman. Truly one of the U.S.'s more awesome college towns, I can't believe you're looking further than OKC. If the problem is that you would prefer a city with 580,000 over a city with "only" 120,000, I'd say population counts aren't everything. Norman has a really cool vibe, which I actually miss a lot wherever I go. Even though I'm living in Europe now, when I look back at home and the good things that I miss, I often think of Norman--rather than downtown, the "Westmoore" area I grew up in, etc. It makes much more since, if you guys are looking for a mature urban environment and actually care about commute length, for you to look at Norman. Block by block, it is the best urban environment in Central Oklahoma. You've got booming Downtown Norman, the trendy Campus Corner district, the beautiful OU campus, great neighborhoods like Chautauqua and as far as shopping or culture, the only thing OKC has that Norman doesn't is the Thunder. And skyscrapers.

Thanks for all the great responses, everyone. We actually haven't settled on whether to accept the offer yet, as it is great for my partner's career, but I would be starting from scratch. I am an attorney and would have to take the bar exam again, as well as leave a secure job at a mid-sized Denver law firm for possible unemployment (and no domestic partner health benefits).

We looked at both Norman and Oklahoma City. I guess I've always tended to live in the urban parts of the central city, so it is a bit of an adjustment to think that Norman might actually be a better place to live than Oklahoma City. Perhaps it is.

Denver is really a great place to live, walkable, educated populace, great outdoors opportunties, etc. Can anyone convince me that Oklahoma is worth it?

Like any big decision you gotta weigh the plusses and minuses then flip a coin. :tiphat:

Thanks for all the great responses, everyone. We actually haven't settled on whether to accept the offer yet, as it is great for my partner's career, but I would be starting from scratch. I am an attorney and would have to take the bar exam again, as well as leave a secure job at a mid-sized Denver law firm for possible unemployment (and no domestic partner health benefits).

We looked at both Norman and Oklahoma City. I guess I've always tended to live in the urban parts of the central city, so it is a bit of an adjustment to think that Norman might actually be a better place to live than Oklahoma City. Perhaps it is.

Denver is really a great place to live, walkable, educated populace, great outdoors opportunties, etc. Can anyone convince me that Oklahoma is worth it?

I will say this. Norman is as good as Boulder, minus the mountains. However, OKC is obviously not as urban as Denver. Sounds like it depends how good it is for your partner's career, because for you, keep in mind this is Oklahoma we're talking about. No offense to any other fellow Okies in this thread, but as much as OKC needs new interesting people, it doesn't need people who move here and dislike it. Be warned that you would be part of an urban pioneering class. That can be incredibly exciting, especially when you get involved in the community, but it also leaves a lot (and I mean a LOT) to be desired sometimes. Both real things, services, infrastructure things, and ideological things..

Thanks for all the great responses, everyone. We actually haven't settled on whether to accept the offer yet, as it is great for my partner's career, but I would be starting from scratch. I am an attorney and would have to take the bar exam again, as well as leave a secure job at a mid-sized Denver law firm for possible unemployment (and no domestic partner health benefits).

We looked at both Norman and Oklahoma City. I guess I've always tended to live in the urban parts of the central city, so it is a bit of an adjustment to think that Norman might actually be a better place to live than Oklahoma City. Perhaps it is.

Denver is really a great place to live, walkable, educated populace, great outdoors opportunties, etc. Can anyone convince me that Oklahoma is worth it? Sounds like maybe you are having second thoughts? It would be a tough call to make considering in some ways you are having to make compromises and a quality of life change. OKC has improved in many areas, in others, ????. I used to be really down on OKC but when I come to visit, my perception is slowly changing about my hometown. It really has alot of potential as a good city, however it is going to be up to the "residents" what type of city OKC is to become.

Thanks for all the great responses, everyone. We actually haven't settled on whether to accept the offer yet, as it is great for my partner's career, but I would be starting from scratch. I am an attorney and would have to take the bar exam again, as well as leave a secure job at a mid-sized Denver law firm for possible unemployment (and no domestic partner health benefits).

We looked at both Norman and Oklahoma City. I guess I've always tended to live in the urban parts of the central city, so it is a bit of an adjustment to think that Norman might actually be a better place to live than Oklahoma City. Perhaps it is.

Denver is really a great place to live, walkable, educated populace, great outdoors opportunties, etc. Can anyone convince me that Oklahoma is worth it?
Not sayin' that you are, but your question, particularly in the sequence of both of your questions, makes me wonder if you might be funnin' with us, just a bit. As I recall, it was only a couple of months ago that this forum was trolled by a similar entrée asking for advice from locals about a place to live. To your question, you may like it here, you may not, some like the Nuggets, some like the Thunder. That will be yours to decide. But as far as Norman is concerned, you shouldn't believe everything that Spartan has to say. Boulder has Norman beat hands down.

Incidentally, adding to my puzzlement, I'm pretty sure that Oklahoma and Colorado have reciprocity concerning licenses to practice law. See http://attorneys.uslegal.com/licensing-of-attorneys/reciprocity/ ... although I've not checked with the OBA to be sure, but I would suppose that you would have done so. On edit, see this page at our state bar's web page: http://www.thebarexam.com/oklahoma.htm ... I'm leaning more the way I first suggested.

But as far as Norman is concerned, you shouldn't believe everything that Spartan has to say. Boulder has Norman beat hands down.

BOOOMMER!!! lol

I am not "funning with you." Reciprocity only applies if you have been practicing for 5 of the last 7 years. I have only been a member of the Bar for two years, and thus cannot enter the Bar by motion. I still have to take the Bar exam, including the Multistate Bar and the Oklahoma Essay Exam. I am legitimately torn, and trying to find out as much information as I can about Oklahoma in general, and this neighborhood in particular. I've spent a total of two days in Oklahoma looking around, and I am trying to get info from locals. I apologize if I came off differently.

I lived in Denver for awhile, great place. I may actually move back one of these days. Gatewood, for comparison, would be similar to the Clayton and Skyland neighborhoods in NE Denver. Close to some nicer inner neighborhoods east of downtown and also close to some bad neighborhoods in the same area, with the neighborhood itself having better streets than others with close proximity to downtown.

I am not "funning with you." Reciprocity only applies if you have been practicing for 5 of the last 7 years. I have only been a member of the Bar for two years, and thus cannot enter the Bar by motion. I still have to take the Bar exam, including the Multistate Bar and the Oklahoma Essay Exam. I am legitimately torn, and trying to find out as much information as I can about Oklahoma in general, and this neighborhood in particular. I've spent a total of two days in Oklahoma looking around, and I am trying to get info from locals. I apologize if I came off differently.

Well, Gatewood is a great neighborhood, and definitely on the up and up (possibly one of the best real estate investments that we could presently identify without a crystal ball), but I wouldn't pin all of your Oklahoma hopes in that one neighborhood.

I am not "funning with you." Reciprocity only applies if you have been practicing for 5 of the last 7 years. I have only been a member of the Bar for two years, and thus cannot enter the Bar by motion. I still have to take the Bar exam, including the Multistate Bar and the Oklahoma Essay Exam. I am legitimately torn, and trying to find out as much information as I can about Oklahoma in general, and this neighborhood in particular. I've spent a total of two days in Oklahoma looking around, and I am trying to get info from locals. I apologize if I came off differently.
Ok. Just checking. Glad my hunch was wrong.

But, I couldn't begin to persuade you that YOU will like it here unless I have an inkling about what you like since different people like different things. I'll list a few that come to mind.

As you can probably tell from many different posters in this forum, most of us take a great deal of pride in our city. Coming from Denver, though, you don't need me or anyone else to tell you that you will be leaving your mountains behind. There are some areas of the state that have very lovely topography but for the most part Oklahoma City isn't one of them ... the northeastern part of the city/county is more hilly and contains more native vegetation than the western and southern parts. Most of Oklahoma City is pretty much flatland and most of the trees here, including those in the older neighborhoods like mine (Mesta Park) are not native but were planted by our ancestors. I don't doubt that Denver is much more cosmopolitan than Oklahoma City, either, even though Okc has made great strides during the past 20 or so years. And, to be sure, Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City, is in the main a religiously conservative place to be. Sometimes, it reaches the point of embarrassment if not shame, such as can come from the likes of Rep. Sally Kern, a legislator from the western part of the city who has made national news a few times for some of her insanely idiotic remarks. A couple of years ago, she said that homosexuals posed a greater threat to this country than the radical Muslims do. I was pleasantly surprised that the republican controlled state house of representatives publicly admonished her last week for a fresh batch of remarks she made during debate on affirmative action, this time impugning the work ethic of blacks and women. That said, there are more than enough people who aren't like her for you to be comfortable if you are a liberal, be you a homosexual or heterosexual liberal and I mean that intellectually, socially, religiously, and politically. I'm pretty sure that my own state legislative representative, Al McAffrey, a democrat, is the only openly gay member of our legislature.

On a happier note, if you like day sailing, Lake Hefner (http://www.okc.gov/lakes/hefner.html) is great for that since it has good winds, usually from the south. There are also good bike and walking/running trails around the lake, as is also true with Lake Overholser (http://www.okc.gov/lakes/overholser.html), on the far west side of town, it being more pastoral. If you like watching (or participating in) kayak, etc., Olympic level racing competition, you'll find plenty of that along the Oklahoma River (http://www.okc.gov/maps/river/index.html) and the city has some wonderful facilities for that in the Boathouse District (http://boathousedistrict.org/) and more will be coming shortly, including a Whitewater project that will be built as part of the recently passed MAPS 3 ... here is a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orfvuLZWODE&feature=player_embedded#at=55) of the Charlotte facility that Okc's may emulate. The "Oklahoma River" is a piece of the North Canadian River that was renamed during Okc's 1st MAPS projects, between Meridian and Eastern/Martin Luther King. An excellent Native American Cultural Center (http://www.aiccm.org/) is in the process of being constructed on the south side of the river near Eastern/Martin Luther King, and parts of it are presently open but it has much more development before it will be done. If you like museums, we have two that are particularly nice, one being the downtown Oklahoma City Museum of Art (http://www.okcmoa.com/) and the other being in the northeast part of town, the Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (http://www.nationalcowboymuseum.org/). Our Civic Center Music Hall (http://www.okcciviccenter.com/) is an excellent facility that hosts our local symphony, touring plays, and other such things. I assume that you know about the Bricktown entertainment district (http://bricktownokc.com/), immediately east of the central business district. We have a great zoo (http://www.okczoo.com/) in the northeast part of town next to which is Remington Park (http://www.remingtonpark.com/home.aspx) ... a place to watch horse racing and play its gaming devices. I've not been there lately so I don't know whether its gaming includes only slots or includes cards as well. One of the few vices that I've managed to avoid is gambling for pleasure. It just doesn't interest me although it does have a strong following in the state. Of course, we are proud of our NBA basketball team, the Oklahoma City Thunder (http://www.nba.com/thunder/), and we have very rabid fans here. Although we don't have major league baseball or hockey teams, we do have a AAA baseball team, the Oklahoma City Redhawks (http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t238) (farm club of the Houston Astros) (the stadium is in Bricktown) and a similar level hockey team, the Oklahoma City Barons (http://www.okcbarons.com/), AHL farm club of the Edmonton Oilers, which plays in the Cox Convention Center downtown ... I can't be more specific since I'm not a fan of either sport. If you like nature parks, the city has a very nice one called Martin Nature Park (http://www.okc.gov/parks/martin_park/index.html) in far northwest Oklahoma City. The nearly completed renovation of the downtown Myriad Gardens is another plus for the city. Go here to see some fresh videos (http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=23724&p=427178#post427178) by one of our forum members about that. These are the things that pop up at first blush.

I'm a retired lawyer and would be happy to visit with you most any time. I'll send you a PM in case you are interested.

Good luck on finding answers to your questions.

It's really not fair just to compare Boulder to Norman or Denver to Oklahoma City without taking into consideration cost of living. And there is a huge difference.

It's hard to equate housing from city to city but Coldwell Banker does an annual index that compares a 4-bed, 2-bath upper middle class home in every market in the U.S. This is much more meaningful than average or median home prices, as it attempts to keep things at least somewhat apples to apples.

Using that index, Denver is DOUBLE the cost of OKC and Boulder is FOUR TIMES the cost of Norman.

And everything else is cheaper in OKC as well: gas, restaurants, movies, etc.


OKC is a an up-and-coming city that is just starting to realize it's immense potential. In most ways, it doesn't compare well to much-bigger Denver, but there are tremendous cost savings, ease of doing most everything due to low traffic and being a smaller city, and the people are incredibly nice and friendly.


See the CB Index here:

http://hlr.coldwellbanker.com/

I moved here from Denver, albeit quite a while ago. Oklahoma City is definitely different. If you're a skier, hiker, kayaker, you'll not be happy here. If those are not your primary preferences for entertainment/leisure time activity, this is a nice place to live. OKC right now is about where Denver was when I left, in terms of downtown development, mass transit, etc. I take that back, the Denver bus system even then was far superior to the one here. Cost of living here is great. When it's not beastly hot in July and August, the weather here is better. It's not as dry, there is far less smog and the people are incredibly friendly. The city is improving dramatically, but you've got to be someone who enjoys the process, rather than someone who wants it already done. As I said earlier, I would not hesitate to buy a house in Gatewook. I love moving to neighborhoods on their way up, and while Gatewood has always had a core of respectability, it and the Plaza district are definitely improving, I think. 23rd St. is doing the same, which is nice. Norman resembles Boulder very little, except that they both have universities.

Just wanted to update everyone that helped out. We decided to put an offer on the house, and it was accepted. We had the home inspection yesterday.

Well, then! Welcome to the neighborhood.

Welcome to Oklahoma.

Welcome! I think you'll actually be very pleasantly surprised by OKC.

Conrgrats! Welcome to the neighborhood. We (The Plaza District) have started a new neighborhood group "Gatewood Neighbors"...it isn't the official neighborhood association, but its a bunch of 20-late 30s who are planning social events for Plaza and the neighborhood. Email me kristen@plazadistrict.org if you' like to join our invite list!

Still think you should still visit Norman. It's an artful progressive inclusive town, probably not as cool as Boulder. Love Denver myself.

I get caught up some times. o_O Congrats! I can't wait until I'm old enough to live on the inner-northside. Love that area!

I'd give Norman a hard look also. There are some very attractive neighborhoods near the university, pretty much between Berry Rd and Chautauqua Ave due west of campus. Lots of tree-lined streets with bicycle paths. Norman is considered Oklahoma's most progressive/liberal city, you & your partner would feel comfortable there also. Welcome!

Yeah, go by there and take a look at OU's awesome looking new school of architecture building. It beats OSU's all too heck, even though it has recently been remodeled and built on to.

With gas prices what they are, I would look at some Norman neighborhoods, too.

Maybe a good number of OU professors and staff live and commute from Oklahoma City because they look down upon Norman in disdain as a decent place to live. Stillwater is very, very much like that with a lot of OSU faculty who live and commute from Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

What's wrong with Norman?

Yeah, go by there and take a look at OU's awesome looking new school of architecture building. It beats OSU's all too heck, even though it has recently been remodeled and built on to.

That's the funniest thing I've read all day.

Welcome to OKC! If you need some tips on outdoor activites, let me know. You'd be surprised how much there is to do in 1-2 hours drive.