What do you love about Edmond? Thinking about relocating...

[dengar22]

Howdy Folks,

A Texan here who is looking at relocating to the Edmond area if and when the opportunity presents itself. What I want to know from you is all the great things about Edmond.

We visited a few weeks ago and really loved what we saw...but we'd like to know from locals why they live in Edmond and love it, so please no arguments about "snobiness" or recommendations to live elsewhere. We really like Edmond and want to hear from you!

As a side note - what is the reputation of the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School there in Edmond?

Thanks so much!

-dengar22

[Celebrator]

We just moved here from Orlando, FL in June and love it. There is a real sense of community here and the friendliness of the people cannot be beat. The value for your money in the housing market is exceptional. We are looking forward to finding out more reasons why we love Edmond, but those are some that we have discovered so far.

[Steve]

Good schools, nice downtown, good variety of shopping and restaurants. Traffic, however, is horrible.

[Debzkidz]

We moved here 3 years ago from Texas and we absolutely love it (and we are native Texans). I keep hearing all this talk of people being snobs, but I have to say we have found people here to be the friendliest of anywhere we've ever lived.

The neighborhood are beautiful and the homes very nice. We did find them to be a bit more expensive per sq ft than the Houston suburb we moved from, but you also tend to get more land and homes with more custom features. But I don't know what home prices have done since the economy went south.

We have also been very happy with the schools. I don't know anything about the private schools in the area however. We moved here during our kids high school years, and although the transition was difficult for them, we felt like they got excellent educations. The school seem much more easy going than the schools back home in Texas. I guess it's because they don't have to be so cut-throat since they don't have the overcrowding in the universities.
We haven't found traffic to be a problem either. Actually, the only time we ever notice any traffic is late afternoon on some of the major roads like 2nd and Bryant. My husband makes the commute to downtown OKC every day and rarely has any problems. He can usually make it from our home in north Edmond to behind his desk in 30 minutes. There are a lot of cars, but they're all going 70 miles an hour, unlike any of the big Texas cities. No real gridlock.

If you decide to make the move I don't think you'll regret it.

[dengar22]

Thanks for all the replies! As far as traffic goes, I did notice some on Broadway and 33rd especially but no more I think than some parts of my city. I'd take that over the 2 years I lived in Dallas any day! Again, thank you for taking the time to answer!

[RedDirt717]

I grew up in Edmond, graduated from Edmond North High School, left for OU, moved out to DC for work and am now back in Edmond.

It really depends on where you are in life. Sounds like you've got a family, if that's the case Edmond is maybe one of the best towns in the entire country to raise a family. It's insanely safe, there are a lot of family activities all over the city, it's quiet, it's relatively inexpensive, the people (regardless of what some people say) are very friendly, that's just something you kind of expect from anywhere you go in Oklahoma.

I personally prefer Norman though, I'm an OU grad and had the best 4 years of my life there. There is quite a bit more to do as a 20-something, more bars, more people my age, more music and events, more art and history museums.

OKC has something for everybody, I love this place.

[kevinpate]

> ... that's just something you kind of expect from anywhere you go in Oklahoma.

I wasn't surprised by that sentence. All the preceding sentences appear to apply equally to Norman, as the poster noted, but also Yukon, Mustang, Shawnee, [insert several other nearby communities here]

Tough to go wrong in Oklahoma, unless you just try real real hard to do so. That being said, though I never dreamed it to be possible when I arrived in Norman in 86, I'm glad I've stuck around

[Edmond Outlaw]

Edmond is a cool place. The people here get the "snob" label because they, on average, have much more money than other people in the OKC area.

The schools are top notch, there is little to no violent crime, and there are many places to eat and shop. It's a Christian activist type town so there is little to none night life. If you're into churches though, there's plenty to choose from.

[Karried]

I love raising my kids here in Edmond. I love the schools and the feeling that striving for a higher education is a given and generally expected.

I like the fact that my neighbors are extremely kind & considerate.

True, many people here are well off, either successful business owners, educated professionals or ? but I don't find them snobby. I enjoy this area immensely.

[okcpulse]

I was born and raised in Edmond. Graduated from Edmond Memorial High School in the late 1990s. There is a lot I miss about Edmond, and I am impressed upon each return visit to see the city continue to flourish. It is a great place to raise children, and it's next to a fun city.

I recently visited OKC so that my co-worker, a California native, can take professional pictures for my book (Steve advised one picture for every two pages). He and his wife both loved Edmond. He said it Edmond reminded him of Brea, California.

[CaptDave]

There is a lot to like about Edmond. Top notch public schools, small town feel with the availability of big town activities nearby. Lots of nice parks, great values to be found in homes, and just a nice place in general. I have yet to find the traffic to be a real problem (try commuting over 30 miles with a tunnel under a river sometime - THAT is traffic). Even so, there are several projects to increase capacity of the streets in progress right now.

[fuzzytoad]

There is a lot to like about Edmond. Top notch public schools, small town feel with the availability of big town activities nearby. Lots of nice parks, great values to be found in homes, and just a nice place in general. I have yet to find the traffic to be a real problem (try commuting over 30 miles with a tunnel under a river sometime - THAT is traffic). Even so, there are several projects to increase capacity of the streets in progress right now.

The traffic situation is awful at times, especially "rush hour", but the frustrating part of Edmond traffic are the insane number of completely unnecessary traffic lights that do nothing but congest traffic..

around 9:30 this morning it took me over half an hour to get from danforth & bryant to kelly. there's no reason for 8 lights along 2 miles of road.

And can someone please explain the purpose of the new light on Broadway south of 33rd?

[drumsncode]

There are plenty of fantastic neighborhoods, so I'd say the main thing is to drive around the area that you like and see what stores and restaurants are nearby. That can make a huge difference. There are some fantastic neighborhoods out farther than central Edmond, but often these are miles away from restaurants, convenience stores, and such. Some of the older neighborhoods from 33rd and Bryant all the way up to 2nd and Bryant have incredible convenience to stores and such.

[OKBound]

We moved here to Edmond from a suburb north of Dallas two years ago and we love it! I lived and worked in Edmond for a couple of years back in the late 90's when I was single and do recall the scene was not for singles who weren't college aged. But all of my co-workers with families who lived in Edmond said they loved it. In fact, when our company relocated it's headquarters to Dallas the year after I was transferred there, many chose to look for another job than to move their families.

As for the traffic, I lived in Houston for 7 years and DFW for another 7 years and the traffic in Edmond can't compare. Yes there are some congestion spots but they work themselves out pretty quickly. I agree that some of the traffic signals need to be better synchronized. In Dallas, if you are on Preston Road they have the lights timed for morning rush hour and evening rush hour where you are rarely caught by a light, unless you get behind some joker taking their sweet time driving. It can be done.

[FFLady]

And another good reason -

The Edmond Sun - City ranks high in FBI list

[decepticobra]

the "now leaving Edmond" signs

[Jesseda]

i think it will be good for some new blood in edmond, lately edmond is considered snobby because a lot of its residents not all but a good chunk is consider old money, what mommy and dady left the bunch....by the way im just kidding on that part im trying get karried all wild up.. Edmond is a nice town and on the traffic note, a lot of suburbs like edmond and moore to norman is getting bad traffic, it just shows the the metro is growing and to me there nothing wrond with that, unless you like the country small town thing.

[kevinpate]

the "now leaving Edmond" signs

[dengar22]

Thanks for all the responses! I've put in for an opportunity to relocate to Edmond with my company. I should hear back by the end of the year - we are hopeful! Thanks for all who took the time to respond - and keep doing so!

-dengar22

[Casey]

I'm late to the thread, but have to add in my two cents.

In July I'm moving to Edmond from Canada.

When I was up house hunting last month, I fell in love with the city. I was only there for a short while, but there was just something special about it.

It has a certain feel to it, and I love it. Can't wait to move there!

[Spartan]

Edmond is an Anti-Canadian Zone.

[hipsterdoofus]

Edmond is an Anti-Canadian Zone.

???

[BrettL]

We moved to Edmond from northern MN (almost Canada). It's suburbia at it's finest.

[El Gato Pollo Loco!!!]

Traffic is my only knock on Edmond, and that's mostly Broadway and 2nd. Other than that, it's one of the nicer places I've lived in.

[KarNut]

I love our neighborhood and our neighbors. It's so wonderful to walk outside and actually have friends that live around us. One of my neighbors and I took a trip to Nashville a couple months ago, just for fun. The street we lived on 5 years ago was the same, and 3 years before that. People are friendly and I love the small town feel. Also, I love all the locally owned restaurants! Forget the chains and support the locals!