Been here for a while, almost a decade, and lived all over the U.S. People are friendly, on the surface. Inside ppl are cold, the culture is cold. Other places I've lived people from work like to get together and hang out. Make friends, do things. Here, After work ppl return home and that's it, that's our experience. (side note, unless you drink or are into sports) Thoughts?

Now that you mention it... I was talking about this very thing with a friend from the east coast awhile back. I can’t say I had ever noticed, but my friend was saying this had been her experience here and it got me thinking. In hindsight, maybe?

I guess it depends on how far your sphere of influence runs. I know people who keep their influence circle small due to trust, relationship commonality, etc. But others are in places where lots of people gather (pre-Covid). There have been places in/around OKC where there were so many people gathered you wonder where everyone came from. I suppose it comes down to how far you want your sphere of influence to reach?

When I first read the original post my first, totally Homer, thought was how dare you!!! Oklahomans are the friendliest people in the universe! But after an hour or so reflecting. And thinking about the specific statement about sports and drinking I’m changing my opinion. For the most part most of my adult relationships with “friends” revolves around drinking or sports. Otherwise I pretty much go to work, come home, and go in the house. Repeat daily. There’s one neighbor I know well enough that I’ve been in their house, a couple others that we wave/ say hi. The rest I’m clueless about. Coworkers often talk about getting together but it never happens. Maybe there is something to this idea about us.

I guess it depends on how far your sphere of influence runs. I know people who keep their influence circle small due to trust, relationship commonality, etc. But others are in places where lots of people gather (pre-Covid). There have been places in/around OKC where there were so many people gathered you wonder where everyone came from. I suppose it comes down to how far you want your sphere of influence to reach?
I don’t want to speak for the OP but I don’t think gatherings are what he’s talking about. My wife and I, pre COVID, went to a ton of 70s, 80s, 90s bands concerts. We were around tens of thousands of people that we never saw before and will never see again. Not relationship material.

I agree mostly. Oklahoma doesn’t seem to be that much more friendly than other states. Lots of fake people in Oklahoma but then again so does Cali.

In California, we had a block party on the 4th of July and I was invited over by at least 9 different households (just did a quick count and I'm sure I'm forgetting some).

That hasn't happened once here, and I just had my 4th anniversary in my home.


When I was leaving to move back here, 4 people (that I can remember) came over, said goodbye and actually cried. I don't have anything like that sort of connection in my current neighborhood. You (and I up until recently) would have thought the exact opposite.

I think people are superficially friendly here but because most have lived in the area pretty much their whole lives, they have tons of family and friends and generally don't go out of their way to include others or even think about them much.


I will say, however, that when I go out (or used to - stupid pandemic) it's far, far easier here to meet new people and just start up a conversation. That almost never happened in L.A.

In other words, if you make a little effort people here tend to at least be friendly, even if it's only on the surface.

In California, we had a block party on the 4th of July and I was invited over by at least 9 different households (just did a quick count and I'm sure I'm forgetting some).

That hasn't happened once here, and I just had my 4th anniversary in my home.


When I was leaving to move back here, 4 people (that I can remember) came over, said goodbye and actually cried. I don't have anything like that sort of connection in my current neighborhood. You (and I up until recently) would have thought the exact opposite.

I think people are superficially friendly here but because most have lived in the area pretty much their whole lives, they have tons of family and friends and generally don't go out of their way to include others or even think about them much.


I will say, however, that when I go out (or used to - stupid pandemic) it's far, far easier here to meet new people and just start up a conversation. That almost never happened in L.A.

In other words, if you make a little effort people here tend to at least be friendly, even if it's only on the surface.

I also lived in California (Orange county) and had so many friends from many different backgrounds and ethnicities who we would connect and hang out in a park or go to a cafe. I know so many people here yet sit at home most of the time outside of work.

But it's also true, 'to have a friend you have to be a friend'. If you were to say you've invited 30 different people to your place, hosted them graciously, but they never returned the favor or hand of friendship then that's a different story. But if you're standing on the sidelines and wonder why no one is inviting you over - then maybe you need to start the friendship circle.

But it's also true, 'to have a friend you have to be a friend'. If you were to say you've invited 30 different people to your place, hosted them graciously, but they never returned the favor or hand of friendship then that's a different story. But if you're standing on the sidelines and wonder why no one is inviting you over - then maybe you need to start the friendship circle.And now I’m going to sound like I’m arguing both sides. There is merit to this point. My first wife was VERY outgoing. So much it bothered me at times. We lived on a street that had a couple other women with similar personalities. We had planned block parties every month and impromptu driveway cookouts more often than that. So its not like it can’t happen.

And now I’m going to sound like I’m arguing both sides. There is merit to this point. My first wife was VERY outgoing. So much it bothered me at times. We lived on a street that had a couple other women with similar personalities. We had planned block parties every month and impromptu driveway cookouts more often than that. So its not like it can’t happen.

I've extended a lunch meetup with a couple of posters on OKCTALK -even the administrator. Of course not everyone can accept -and that's okay too. At least I took the first step!

I’ve lived here all my life. And it is easier to strike up a conversation with a stranger here than in other places. For instance when your standing in line waiting to enter somewhere, or something like that. I wouldn’t call us fake. I would say guarded, or reserved. I will say that with the influx of folks from out of state over the last 20 - 25 years, and as they have brought in their own cultures and attitudes from where they are from, people as a whole have become less friendly.

I can say that in all my working life, I’ve never liked hanging out with people I work with after work. I’ve done special occasions with coworkers, but I would never make a regular thing of it.

I've extended a lunch meetup with a couple of posters on OKCTALK -even the administrator. Of course not everyone can accept -and that's okay too. At least I took the first step!
Post COVID I would accept!

Perhaps it’s a cultural thing. Without an interest in sports, drinking or church (btw) we’re left out of any topic type conversation interests.

I think a lot of it is driven by the housing stock. If you live in the suburbs, it’s very easy to pull into the garage and avoid interactions with the Neighbors.

Now, I think some of this could start to change if we see more developments like Wheeler, but it feels like we’re a long way from that point.

Perhaps it’s a cultural thing. Without an interest in sports, drinking or church (btw) we’re left out of any topic type conversation interests.
Not being into church here can be a real drag.

Post COVID I would accept!

Sounds great to me! Side note: there used to be OKCTalk meetups at one point. If those resume then those who need more connection should take advantage of the meetup events.

One big difference here as opposed to big cities in particular is that virtually everyone here is married (or at the very least coupled off) and with kids and ultimately grandkids. And if someone divorces, they move very quickly towards the next serious relationship/marriage.

They are very involved in their immediate and extended family and all the social interactions seem to be about kids in one way or another.

I don't have children and in California even if people did, they had one or two max and for the most part, they only spent the younger years really focused on their kids and even then, not nearly like people are here.

As a young family, we have one child who is about to turn 2, we can attest to the change in our friend circle. Before having a kid we were invited out pretty much weekly, if not a couple of times a week. But since having a kid we only ever get invited to the church stuff by other families. Life here seems to be centered around sports, be it OU/OSU or little league sports, if you are not into one, you better be going to church if you want to talk to adults. My team at work has had a number of happy hour meets, all at different times, but they never feel genuine to me and I only have one coworker, be it he works in another department, that I meet up with outside of work, and that is usually to go to Energy FC matches.

Like Pete said, I am from OK and my Wife is too, be it from Weatherford and not OKC. So we haven't lived in another state to get a taste of what the differences are. I do agree that it seems easier to start conversations with random people here than when we have traveled to other states.

We had some new neighbors move in across our street from GA, they have started playing cornhole in their driveway every few nights. I think if more of us would move our outside time to the front yard then we would meet more neighbors and have a better sense of community.

Sounds great to me! Side note: there used to be OKCTalk meetups at one point. If those resume then those who need more connection should take advantage of the meetup events.

The couple of those meet ups I knew about I was in different degrees of not able to walk so I felt like I had to pass. That’s not an issue now.

Sounds great to me! Side note: there used to be OKCTalk meetups at one point. If those resume then those who need more connection should take advantage of the meetup events.

The last one I remember seeing was when slaughters hall was around.

Milwaukee's colder than here, both in climate and cliques, we *hated* it there, but we were "outsiders". All the points upthread are valid - we don't have kids, and are on our first marriage (25+ years), which is very much a minority here in OKC (and OK), we don't go to church or care about sports, so we just don't have many friends. We also were away for 15 years or so, and don't have continuity with people we knew from here (wife is from Indiana via NC, so she's never had a history here). I also worked after school from 13 years old and through college, so didn't have much time for making friends in college (also lived in an apt, went to CSU (now UCO), so didn't have the "college life"). Another thing is the sprawl of OKC (similar to Chicagoland, where we also lived) - if everybody you work with drives 20-30 minutes from all points of the compass and has kids, nobody's going to want to do things after work.

We do get together for the Neighbors Night Out and have met lots of the people in our neighborhood (Venice), which is way better than when we lived way up north and knew only our immediate next-door neighbor. But most of them are 20 years older than we are or 20 years younger than us (with kids), so not much happening there. Oh, and I don't like my co-workers well enough to do anything with them except maybe a lunch. :)

I guess it depends on your circles and what you do. I'm not overly friendly with my neighbors (a trait I inherited from my father) but my entire adult life I've been involved in so many things that I've never felt like I didn't have a large community of folks I regularly interact with. Between my running club, the biker community, the local fandom communities (which are very active), and all of the groups and orgs we got involved with because of our kids (scouts, band, football, etc). Of course, that may be a lot of it right there. A lot of folks are social through their kids activities and so those without kids might have less opportunities to be social that don't involve alcohol and sports.

As for coworkers, I picked up a habit in my 20's not to socialize or develop personal relationships with coworkers. If it's a work event, that's fine, but I've never been to a coworkers house or at a personal event.

have grown up in rural oklahoma and moving to the OKC area, and say there certainly is a difference in friendliness. in Rural towns, it was basically a block party. we have friends over for dinner or were at a friends family table for dinner most nights, and there were two to three families at each, and it always changed who was there. certainly don't see that in OKC or surrounding towns. So i concur with the Urban and sub-urban population being this way. i haven't lived in Rural OK now since 2005, so can't really speak as to if it has changed or not anymore.

I'm still a very friendly person all the time, and i know it has made some look at me weird. but it's just how i was raised. I remember when we hosted University of Cincinnati for football... O'Connells was going to host a party for their alumni who came, and this was that weird time where the old OC was still open and the new OC was about to open. well the party was for being kind of a soft opening for the New OC on campus corner. the bus that brought most of the Alumni from Cincinnati dropped them off at the old OC and drove away. So i just said, well everyone who can walk about half a mile, follow me!!! and lead the whole group on a tour of campus that ended at the Campus Corner for their party! they were even nice enough to invite me in to their private event and refused to let me pay for anything. it was a great evening, and i have even gone to Cincinnati and met up with a few of them since!

have grown up in rural oklahoma and moving to the OKC area, and say there certainly is a difference in friendliness. in Rural towns, it was basically a block party. we have friends over for dinner or were at a friends family table for dinner most nights, and there were two to three families at each, and it always changed who was there. certainly don't see that in OKC or surrounding towns. So i concur with the Urban and sub-urban population being this way. i haven't lived in Rural OK now since 2005, so can't really speak as to if it has changed or not anymore.

I'm still a very friendly person all the time, and i know it has made some look at me weird. but it's just how i was raised. I remember when we hosted University of Cincinnati for football... O'Connells was going to host a party for their alumni who came, and this was that weird time where the old OC was still open and the new OC was about to open. well the party was for being kind of a soft opening for the New OC on campus corner. the bus that brought most of the Alumni from Cincinnati dropped them off at the old OC and drove away. So i just said, well everyone who can walk about half a mile, follow me!!! and lead the whole group on a tour of campus that ended at the Campus Corner for their party! they were even nice enough to invite me in to their private event and refused to let me pay for anything. it was a great evening, and i have even gone to Cincinnati and met up with a few of them since!

I had a similar experience when Notre Dame came to OU. Ended up making a bunch of friends that invited me up for the game in Southbend the following year and that I still talk to occasionally now. Gotta love college football.

I haven't lived in OKC as an adult, so its hard for me to advise. I did, however, move to St. Louis when I was 22 - which is a city that has a reputation of being "cold" and "cliquey" with attitudes much as have been described here. Not a lot of transients, a lot of people who have lived there all their lives with their friendship circles well-established, etc.

Here's what I would say. As adults, we have to be proactive. Friendships don't just happen. I am blessed to have many friends in St. Louis but the way I did it was by being the instigator and by looking for things that interested me. I joined my college alumni association and they host parties and volunteer opportunities and I became a leader in the group. I volunteered on political campaigns. I joined the "Young Friends" groups associated with the art museum and the zoo and served on boards. So my advice would be to pick charitable causes that interest you or seek out groups with which you have something in common. (Do you run? Do you bike? Do you do woodworking? Do you like comic books? Do you love old black and white movies?) OKC has almost 1.5 million people and although I haven't researched it, I am nearly positive that there are hundreds of groups that you could join to meet people.

But, it's not just going to happen. And, with respect, these things don't always correlate to neighborhoods unless your neighborhood is really proactive or it happens by accident. When I was single, my neighborhood in STL was full of people in their 20s and we party-hopped all the time. Now that I'm married and in more of a "mixed age" neighborhood, people are busy with their own lives ... I barely know my neighbors. But that's not anybody's fault really.

I haven't lived in OKC as an adult, so its hard for me to advise. I did, however, move to St. Louis when I was 22 - which is a city that has a reputation of being "cold" and "cliquey" with attitudes much as have been described here. Not a lot of transients, a lot of people who have lived there all their lives with their friendship circles well-established, etc.

Here's what I would say. As adults, we have to be proactive. Friendships don't just happen. I am blessed to have many friends in St. Louis but the way I did it was by being the instigator and by looking for things that interested me. I joined my college alumni association and they host parties and volunteer opportunities and I became a leader in the group. I volunteered on political campaigns. I joined the "Young Friends" groups associated with the art museum and the zoo and served on boards. So my advice would be to pick charitable causes that interest you or seek out groups with which you have something in common. (Do you run? Do you bike? Do you do woodworking? Do you like comic books? Do you love old black and white movies?) OKC has almost 1.5 million people and although I haven't researched it, I am nearly positive that there are hundreds of groups that you could join to meet people.

But, it's not just going to happen. And, with respect, these things don't always correlate to neighborhoods unless your neighborhood is really proactive or it happens by accident. When I was single, my neighborhood in STL was full of people in their 20s and we party-hopped all the time. Now that I'm married and in more of a "mixed age" neighborhood, people are busy with their own lives ... I barely know my neighbors. But that's not anybody's fault really.

This is the correct take IMO. I lived in Moore from 2016-17 and was miserable because my leisure time activities were pretty much limited to watching sports and drinking by myself. Moved to the Paseo in 2018 thinking that being around more people my age would make me happier, and proceeded to continue to be miserable for the next six months because I didn't change anything about my day-to-day lifestyle. Eventually got into the local music scene, met a bunch of interesting people as a result, and was much happier for the next year and a half. Moved to Denver at the beginning of this year and I am now once again isolated and sad, though at least this time it's temporary and due to circumstances out of my control.

I would definitely recommend getting involved in hobbies/scenes that interest you after the pandemic, there will probably never be a better time to meet new people and the internet/social media will never be a good substitute for IRL human interaction. And OKC is a *much* more interesting place than common perceptions would have you believe.

This is the correct take IMO. I lived in Moore from 2016-17 and was miserable because my leisure time activities were pretty much limited to watching sports and drinking by myself. Moved to the Paseo in 2018 thinking that being around more people my age would make me happier, and proceeded to continue to be miserable for the next six months because I didn't change anything about my day-to-day lifestyle. Eventually got into the local music scene, met a bunch of interesting people as a result, and was much happier for the next year and a half. Moved to Denver at the beginning of this year and I am now once again isolated and sad, though at least this time it's temporary and due to circumstances out of my control.

I would definitely recommend getting involved in hobbies/scenes that interest you after the pandemic, there will probably never be a better time to meet new people and the internet/social media will never be a good substitute for IRL human interaction. And OKC is a *much* more interesting place than common perceptions would have you believe.

I live south of you in the Springs - happy to meet up for a beer if you are down this way. I will say Denver is WAYYY more social than the springs. Co Springs is as close to living in OKC as you can be while still having a 14k foot tall mountain 9 miles from your front door.

I live south of you in the Springs - happy to meet up for a beer if you are down this way. I will say Denver is WAYYY more social than the springs. Co Springs is as close to living in OKC as you can be while still having a 14k foot tall mountain 9 miles from your front door.

Man, I would love to be able to live in Colorado. I'm sure there are much more diverse interests and hobbies available than here in Oklahoma. I think this is probably the problem. The interests, hobbies which resulted in having friends I made over there, don't exist here.

Man, I would love to be able to live in Colorado. I'm sure there are much more diverse interests and hobbies available than here in Oklahoma. I think this is probably the problem. The interests, hobbies which resulted in having friends I made over there, don't exist here.

You have to find your own tribe.

Whatever you're interested in, there are groups here that share it.

What hobbies and interests do you perceive as not available here?

You have to find your own tribe.

Whatever you're interested in, there are groups here that share it.

What hobbies and interests do you perceive as not available here?

Well let's just say that the interests and hobbies I had in other states do not exist here or are heavily wrapped up only in churches. Mostly nature, hiking, camping, 4wd activities etc. Individual sports and different cultural exposures.

Well let's just say that the interests and hobbies I had in other states do not exist here or are heavily wrapped up only in churches. Mostly nature, hiking, camping, 4wd activities etc. Individual sports and different cultural exposures.

I can't think of a single thing you can't do here other than snow skiing and surfing, even though we *are* getting a surf machine in the next month or so.

For example, I was an avid triathlete in SoCal and there are several groups around here into that sport. They just do their open-water swimming in lakes rather than the ocean. And of course, I swam in many lakes in California anyway.

If you want to provide specifics of what you are looking for, I'm sure people here can help you find it.

Well let's just say that the interests and hobbies I had in other states do not exist here or are heavily wrapped up only in churches. Mostly nature, hiking, camping, 4wd activities etc. Individual sports and different cultural exposures.

Ever been down to the Wichita Mountains and Medicine Park?. Lots of the activities there that you describe. Plus it's beautiful down there and it's only 90 minutes away from OKC by turnpike.

I can say that in all my working life, I’ve never liked hanging out with people I work with after work. I’ve done special occasions with coworkers, but I would never make a regular thing of it.

with very very few exceptions this has always been my train of thought as well

I can't think of a single thing you can't do here other than snow skiing and surfing, even though we *are* getting a surf machine in the next month or so.

For example, I was an avid triathlete in SoCal and there are several groups around here into that sport. They just do their open-water swimming in lakes rather than the ocean. And of course, I swam in many lakes in California anyway.

If you want to provide specifics of what you are looking for, I'm sure people here can help you find it.

Come on Pete, you know there's a huge difference between Cali and here regarding individual sports and cultural exposures. Huge. No place here for 4wd/Off road, camping? And driving 90 minutes on a paid toll road for hiking??

Surf machine, paid use?... nothing like the ocean.

In Socal I could be at the beach every day or drive up to Little Saigon for food, hit the Korean area or Hispanic areas for food, pop over any number of beautiful parks, Huntington Beach Library, Goldenwest Swap meets every weekend.

Maybe I'm answering my own questions here.

Get ready for people to provide all types of recs on camping and off-roading. Hiking as well.

OKC has fantastic Korean and Vietnamese options; every bit as good as L.A. Same thing with Mexican and other Latin foods. If you want something modern and eclectic, try Nonesuch or Grey Sweater -- both are L.A.-quaility and you can actually get into them almost any time and pay much less.

Tons of great parks too, of course.

No Huntington Library but there are some good museums here. And the Philbrook and The Gathering Place are only 90 miles away. If you were anywhere near the beach before, then the Hungtington has to be at least as far in terms of drive time.

And no ocean but many, many more lakes everywhere. That is something is very low supply in California and the few there are overrun. You can go sail at Lake Hefner, paddleboard at Overholser, row on the OK River, swim at Arcadia and waterski and powerboat all over the place.. There is also the whitewater facility, of course.


There are answers to all these questions but you first have to be open to them.

Come on Pete, you know there's a huge difference between Cali and here regarding individual sports and cultural exposures. Huge. No place here for 4wd/Off road, camping? And driving 90 minutes on a paid toll road for hiking??

Surf machine, paid use?... nothing like the ocean.

In Socal I could be at the beach every day or drive up to Little Saigon for food, hit the Korean area or Hispanic areas for food, pop over any number of beautiful parks, Huntington Beach Library, Goldenwest Swap meets every weekend.

Maybe I'm answering my own questions here.

OKC has tremendous authentic ethnic food ..... some of the best in the country

It's not a knock on OKC, but camping, hiking, and offroading in Oklahoma is absolutely not comparable at all to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, etc. It is available but it just isn't comparable. if those things are important to you, you are simply in the wrong state. I cowboy camp (no tent or shelter) off the back of my motorcycles, I can be at a mountain campsite overlooking Co Springs in 30 minutes, and I can be in complete isolation/wilderness in about an hour. I can choose from high alpine campsites at 12,000 feet well above treeline (great for meteor showers btw) or, down low at 8,000 feet in the forest. I have camped many times away from any cell service and never saw another car or human the entire day and night. And most of those dispersed campsites are completely free and don't require any type of reservations or checking in with anyone. I am sure there are a handful of sites in Oklahoma like that, but if the wilderness is your thing - Oklahoma is not going to compare to the western states where there are literally millions of acres of free wilderness.

Again, that is not an indictment on Oklahoma. That applies to Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, etc.

^

That is a very specific type of camping. For general camping, it's not that different here and with the added benefit of lots of great sites next to lakes and all they offer, which is a tradeoff for states that offer mountains.

Get ready for people to provide all types of recs on camping and off-roading. Hiking as well.

OKC has fantastic Korean and Vietnamese options; every bit as good as L.A. Same thing with Mexican and other Latin foods. If you want something modern and eclectic, try Nonesuch or Grey Sweater -- both are L.A.-quaility and you can actually get into them almost any time and pay much less.

Tons of great parks too, of course.

No Huntington Library but there are some good museums here. And the Philbrook and The Gathering Place are only 90 miles away. If you were anywhere near the beach before, then the Hungtington has to be at least as far in terms of drive time.

And no ocean but many, many more lakes everywhere. That is something is very low supply in California and the few there are overrun. You can go sail at Lake Hefner, paddleboard at Overholser, row on the OK River, swim at Arcadia and waterski and powerboat all over the place.. There is also the whitewater facility, of course.


There are answers to all these questions but you first have to be open to them.

Compiling as I type!

^

That is a very specific type of camping. For general camping, it's not that different here and with the added benefit of lots of great sites next to lakes and all they offer, which is a tradeoff for states that offer mountains.

I'm sorry, where is there off roading, wilderness hiking, camping in Oklahoma?

Most of the camping in Oklahoma doesn't appeal to outdoorsy people. Many times it is a paved campsite with concrete benches, shelters, restrooms, grills, and hookups for trailers and campers. that is fine if that is your thing, but many prefer a more natural experience which Oklahoma simply doesn't offer compared to other states.

Get ready for people to provide all types of recs on camping and off-roading. Hiking as well.

OKC has fantastic Korean and Vietnamese options; every bit as good as L.A. Same thing with Mexican and other Latin foods. If you want something modern and eclectic, try Nonesuch or Grey Sweater -- both are L.A.-quaility and you can actually get into them almost any time and pay much less.

Tons of great parks too, of course.



Great parks? Where?
Korean food? Where?
Vietnamese food? Where?
Hispanic food? Where?

There are options but no where near the level of SoCal or options we've had in Colorado. We went to a Thai place in Longmont that was incredible. ...

I don't have the pockets for Grey Sweater or Nonesuch.

Most of the camping in Oklahoma doesn't appeal to outdoorsy people. Many times it is a paved campsite with concrete benches, shelters, restrooms, grills, and hookups for trailers and campers. that is fine if that is your thing, but many prefer a more natural experience which Oklahoma simply doesn't offer compared to other states.

I think you are overstating this.

I've done a ton of camping and even my adventurous friends in California didn't care much about the things you describe and gravitate towards the traditional campsite, which are in abundance here and way easier to book than they were on the West Coast.

Most of the camping in Oklahoma doesn't appeal to outdoorsy people. Many times it is a paved campsite with concrete benches, shelters, restrooms, grills, and hookups for trailers and campers. that is fine if that is your thing, but many prefer a more natural experience which Oklahoma simply doesn't offer compared to other states.

Yes.... ^^^This^^^

Great parks? Where?
Korean food? Where?
Vietnamese food? Where?
Hispanic food? Where?

There are options but no where near the level of SoCal or options we've had in Colorado. We went to a Thai place in Longmont that was incredible. ...

I don't have the pockets for Grey Sweater or Nonesuch.

If you are honestly interested in learning, then more information can be provided.

But when you emphatically state "nowhere near the level of options we've had in Colorado" without having any knowledge of what is offered here (which is ample) then people are probably not going to go to a lot of trouble in order to help you when you seem to have already decided not to like it here.

It's not a knock on OKC, but camping, hiking, and offroading in Oklahoma is absolutely not comparable at all to Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, etc. It is available but it just isn't comparable. if those things are important to you, you are simply in the wrong state. I cowboy camp (no tent or shelter) off the back of my motorcycles, I can be at a mountain campsite overlooking Co Springs in 30 minutes, and I can be in complete isolation/wilderness in about an hour. I can choose from high alpine campsites at 12,000 feet well above treeline (great for meteor showers btw) or, down low at 8,000 feet in the forest. I have camped many times away from any cell service and never saw another car or human the entire day and night. And most of those dispersed campsites are completely free and don't require any type of reservations or checking in with anyone. I am sure there are a handful of sites in Oklahoma like that, but if the wilderness is your thing - Oklahoma is not going to compare to the western states where there are literally millions of acres of free wilderness.

Again, that is not an indictment on Oklahoma. That applies to Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, etc.

I enjoy wilderness backpacking much more than car camping as well and there are a few places in OK that offer that type of experience.The Ouachitas in SE OK and Arkansas in anytime other than the hottest parts of summer will get you close to that minus the high elevation and proximity to a major city (usually 3 hrs from OKC or 2.5 from Tulsa). It has the leave no trace, 4X4, backpacking style unmarked camping and miles of unobstructed pine forests so somewhat comparable to NM, CO, WY, UT but obviously not an exact replica. I'm a pretty big fan of Northern NM.

Some others are the Charron's Garden Wilderness area in the Wichita Mountains, Green leaf state park, Robbers cave (which is in SE OK but somewhat removed from the Winding Stair Rec area and other Ouchita backcountry spots)

I think you are overstating this.

I've done a ton of camping and even my adventurous friends in California didn't care much about the things you describe and gravitate towards the traditional campsite, which are in abundance here and way easier to book than they were on the West Coast.

I am not knocking it in any way - it just seems to me PurpleChicken is looking for more of a natural campsite like I do. So I think he just won't find what he is looking for with the quantity and quality you can in other areas of the country, that is all. I think his mind may be made up on that. It does exist in OK, just not as prevalent. If it is that big of a deal to him or her, you should live where you are most happy.

^

Not as prevalent with also not nearly as many peoeple. And not the same as not existing.

The Wa****as in SE OK and Arkansas in anytime other than the hottest parts of summer will get you close to that minus the high elevation and proximity to a major city (usually 3 hrs from OKC or 2.5 from Tulsa). Somewhat comparable to NM, CO, WY, UT but obviously not an exact replica. I'm a pretty big fan of Northern NM.

Beautiful country down there. I think that is by far the best bet in Oklahoma. I wish NW Oklahoma was protected a little more instead of agricultural. It is more scenic than it gets credit for, in some areas anyway.

If you are honestly interested in learning, then more information can be provided.

But when you emphatically state "nowhere near the level of options we've had in Colorado" without having any knowledge of what is offered here (which is ample) then people are probably not going to go to a lot of trouble to help you when you seem to have already decided not to like it here.

I'm going by my up to date experiences so far. I see no Korean (Please not Gogi Go), Vietnamese or Hispanic that has caused me to repeat visit to date. I like going out for food but am not seeing it here. Pizza? Yes, Hall's Pizza Kitchen is about the best I have have had. We've had some really good Korean food in Dallas.. but nothing to speak of yet here.

If you are honestly interested in learning, then more information can be provided.

But when you emphatically state "nowhere near the level of options we've had in Colorado" without having any knowledge of what is offered here (which is ample) then people are probably not going to go to a lot of trouble to help you when you seem to have already decided not to like it here.

I'm going by my up to date experiences so far. I see no Korean (Please not Gogi Go), Vietnamese or Hispanic that has caused me to repeat visit to date. I like going out for food but am not seeing it here. Pizza? Yes, Hall's Pizza Kitchen is about the best I have have had. We've had some really good Korean food in Dallas.. but nothing to speak of yet here.

^

Not as prevalent with also not nearly as many peoeple. And not the same as not existing.

I'm not trying to stir an argument, just like saying we have lakes, it is water yes but doesn't compare to either coast. If being by an ocean or mountains is very important, Oklahoma really isn't going to be a place that makes one happy long term. Oklahoma can't be everything to everyone, and it isn't. And that is okay. But yes, there are options that can come close if compromise is acceptable. I have no idea who PurpleChicken is, so I can't say what the best move is. Clearly he or she is unhappy.

Beautiful country down there. I think that is by far the best bet in Oklahoma. I wish NW Oklahoma was protected a little more instead of agricultural. It is more scenic than it gets credit for, in some areas anyway.

Yeah there are some good hiking areas in NW OK but there's definitely not as much unobstructed wilderness. About the only thing that comes to mind is Black Mesa which is pretty cool. The Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo isn't in OK obviously but is closer than Black Mesa and is pretty massive and cool as well...just don't go in the summer!

I'm going by my up to date experiences so far. I see no Korean (Please not Gogi Go), Vietnamese or Hispanic that has caused me to repeat visit to date. I like going out for food but am not seeing it here. Pizza? Yes, Hall's Pizza Kitchen is about the best I have have had. We've had some really good Korean food in Dallas.. but nothing to speak of yet here.

There are many more places to try.

If you really want to know, Yelp is a good source.


And if your standard is going to be L.A. and Dallas, the 2nd and 4th largest metro areas in the U.S., you are always going to be disappointed.

I moved here after 25 years in L.A. where I did almost everything you could do as often as anyone could do it. I lived at the beach, road my bike to Santa Barbara and San Diego, worked on studio lots. Yet, I've found plenty to keep me busy and happy here; there are tradeoffs but plenty of good if you are open to it. You are going to have to decide if you want to try and be happy here or not.

Yeah there are some good hiking areas in NW OK but there's definitely not as much unobstructed wilderness. About the only thing that comes to mind is Black Mesa which is pretty cool. The Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo isn't in OK obviously but is closer than Black Mesa and is pretty massive and cool as well...just don't go in the summer!

I *really* want to check out the Little Sahara state park. Oklahoma is full of these hidden gems of natural areas, but unfortunately just not as wide spread. So to Pete's point, yes they exist. Just depends what you are trying to get out of your experience that will decide how worth it is for you.

There are many more places to try.

If you really want to know, Yelp is a good source.
You are going to have to decide if you want to try and be happy here or not.

Yes, I know what Yelp is and I'm very aware of of the food scene here. I would say more than aware. Just nothing I've found that warrants a revisit. We used to go to Ted's Escondido and it's ok but got tired of that. Breakfast places, none of any quality. Coffee, yes, like Coffee Slingers. Bakeries, meh.. Vietnamese, none we could find. Hispanic, none. Heck, I would even go for some tasty Roach Coach OC foods. Fuzzy's isn't bad. Hacienda Tacos is pretty good actually. Italian, meh.

Be happy, like take it or leave it...?? LOL <smile>

Be happy, like take it or leave it...?? LOL <smile>

No, like keep an open mind.

There are tons more places to try in all the categories you've listed.

I am not big on asian foods in general as I am a very pickey eater, so I am not a resource on the subject. However I am confused you couldn't find any Vietnamese food that you liked, Oklahoma City has a huge Vietnamese population and from what I have read some of the better, more authentic Vietnamese restaurants in the country, rivaling LA or SF.

the new york times came to OKC to write about the Vietnamese food scene google is your friend