Interesting article I found on another website from the Texas Tribune:

Census Data Shows Migration Patterns in Texas (http://http://www.texastribune.org/texas-counties-and-demographics/census/census-data-show-migration-patterns-texas/)


Of all the states, neighboring Oklahoma received more Texans than it lost, followed by Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon.

I know this is pretty old (this article was published in May 2011, the census will update 2011 data in the spring) but as a former Texans myself this actually matches up with what I have seen. I know at least 3 people from my high school that are now living in OKC and another in Tulsa. My sister, who works in Dallas, is also giving serious consideration to relocating here.

The question is, is this a statisical blip, or is something going on in the two states that may indicate the long standing "brain drain" south of the Red River has stopped or even reversing?

I assume Texans are mainly moving to the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas, rather than merely overflowing across the Red River from the always booming Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Hopefully, this will suggest to Oklahoma Republicans at the State Capitol that it's not necessary to be like Texas to live with Texas next to ya.

I've noticed that just by looking at the noted increase in the number of "Hook 'Em" Horns car decals and t-shirts or other UT clothing seen about town over the past 5-7 years. To be honest, I believe many, if not most, are here because of energy jobs. Lots of good opportunities for UT Engineering grads at Devon, Chesapeake and even Sandridge. This is purely conjecture on my part, but I would be interested to see where each of the Big 3's graduates come from. I would bet quite a few from south of the River.

I was initially shocked as anyone to hear this, but looking at the Census Bureau website (http://www.census.gov/hhes/migration/data/acs/state-to-state.html) I found that it was true not just last year, but for five out of the last years by their estimates - so probably not a "statistical blip." Summing up from 2005 to 2010, the total migration from OK to TX was about 154,000, and from TX to OK it was about 175,000.

That being said, anecdotal evidence about an uptick in UT gear seen around OKC just sounds silly. There has always been and probably always will be a lot of population transfer between the states, both through migration and visitation. FWIW, I remember seeing lots of Texas college gear, license plates, etc., growing up in OKC.

As to the statistic, there are probably many factors at play, probably by far the largest being jobs since OK and TX have a lot of overlap economically through the oil and gas industry.

You also need to consider the increased quality of life and more vibrant downtown...I'll get back to this in just a second.

I have a few friends who came to OKC via college. OU offers many good degrees in a wide range of subjects. It has a very large catchment area. These students essentially live in OKC for a few years or longer during college. Might make a few visits back home every year or during the summer. They graduated and ended up liking it here and staying here...due to the quality of life.

Currently a Texan. Here's hoping for a move to OKC within the next 5 years.

You also need to consider the increased quality of life and more vibrant downtown...I'll get back to this in just a second.

I have a few friends who came to OKC via college. OU offers many good degrees in a wide range of subjects. It has a very large catchment area. These students essentially live in OKC for a few years or longer during college. Might make a few visits back home every year or during the summer. They graduated and ended up liking it here and staying here...due to the quality of life.

I agree that OKC appeals to many people and particularly Texans because of its slower pace and value versus the big Texas cities. But OKC's economy is a much more critical factor in its growth than a "vibrant" downtown will ever be. Local oil and gas companies are (for now) growing and hiring, and it's bringing experienced workers and fresh college graduates alike to OKC. No doubt a lot of that talent is being sourced from Texas. Especially in today's economy people go where the jobs are, and they are the main reason people are coming to OKC.

I have a few friends who came to OKC via college. OU offers many good degrees in a wide range of subjects. It has a very large catchment area. These students essentially live in OKC for a few years or longer during college. Might make a few visits back home every year or during the summer. They graduated and ended up liking it here and staying here...due to the quality of life.

Yep, that would be my situation. OU recruits VERY aggressively from DFW, Houston, and even Austin. To be frank I was actually hesitant at the thought of staying in this area, more out of homesickness, when I graduated. But both of the job offers I received when I graduated were here, and I already have deep family ties to this area. So the rest is history.

Its important to note that since 2005, unemployment has been lower, sometimes significantly lower, in OK than in TX. Plus one cannot discount the flow of Hispanic immigrants who first settled in TX but have come to OK due to the availability of jobs in construction and agriculture. I know that SE OK has become very popular with retirees from DFW looking for nature or some open space, especially since the Hill Country in TX is now outrageously priced.

The vibrancy of the energy business being a boost to OK is pretty ironic. Between the late 1990's and mid 2000's the energy industry was probably a drag on growth. Off the top of my head, Haliburton in Duncan, Citgo in Tulsa, Phillips in Bartlesville, Noble in Ardmore, and Kerr McGee in OKC all moved major ops Houston.

As a Realtor, I can attest to helping more clients move here from TX than the reverse. Of course, this is just my experience over the past several years, not a statistical study.

This is good...but honestly, I would like to see those numbers far more disparate.

154/3,792 = 4.1%
175/25,675 = 0.7%

It would be good to see those percentages in the coming decade or so closer to 3.5% and 1% respectively.

I would prefer Oklahoma emigrants to diversify the places they're moving so that when they come back (either to visit or permanently) they bring more diverse ideas back to the city.

Now we just need their companies to start moving back/and to Oklahoma!

Off the top of my head, Haliburton in Duncan, Citgo in Tulsa, Phillips in Bartlesville, Noble in Ardmore, and Kerr McGee in OKC all moved major ops Houston.

Kerr McGee was bought by Anadarko Petroleum and relocated the remaining employees there. If I remember correctly, Kerr McGee's staff had dwindled before they were purchased.

Kerr McGee was bought by Anadarko Petroleum and relocated the remaining employees there. If I remember correctly, Kerr McGee's staff had dwindled before they were purchased.

Their CEO had been shopping them around for years before the sale. He had moved a lot of operations....accounting etc to Houston. He also contracted a lot of third party companies to do services for them. So it was obvious he just wanted to sell out and get his money. He could care less about the company or OKC.

I know that SE OK has become very popular with retirees from DFW looking for nature or some open space, especially since the Hill Country in TX is now outrageously priced.
I know quite a few in the DFW area who have bought lake property on the Oklahoma side of Texoma, Lake Murray and the Lake of the Arbuckles for precisely that reason and the additional expense of property taxes in Texas. I know the south shore of Travis jumped a bunch in the almost 9 years in Austin, that is why we were looking at the north shore of Travis before moving to Colorado.

There are also a great many former Okies currently living in Texas (and other places) who would love the chance to come back. Now, the Oklahoma economy and job market is actually making that possible. All the news and rumors emanating from this forum are exciting. But, Oklahoma does have decades of lost time to make up.