Oklahoma City, In the Press

[shawnw]

"...the city took action. It’s now a mecca for those looking for outdoor activity while traveling the country. There are 70 miles of trails, kayaking, Rocktown, a grain elevator turned rock climbing gym, and the nearby Wichita Mountains"

I'm so glad the city got us those mountains! :-P

[Snowman]

Nearby is a relative term, It is a pretty easy day trip for locals and should only be slightly out of the way if coming from Texas (which is probably where we get either the majority or at least a large minority of out tourists from)

[Praedura]

"...the city took action. It’s now a mecca for those looking for outdoor activity while traveling the country. There are 70 miles of trails, kayaking, Rocktown, a grain elevator turned rock climbing gym, and the nearby Wichita Mountains"

I'm so glad the city got us those mountains! :-P

I thought Wichita got those mountains. Or was it Omaha?

It's a dog-eat-kibbles-n-bits competitive world out there, I'm telling ya.

[Praedura]

The Oklahoma City revival miracle - Inside Tucson Business: Guest Opinion

Looks like part 1 of a multi-part article.

Good read, although I don't think I've ever seen gondolas in the canal (might be an idea, though). Also, pretty sure OU didn't relocate the medical school from Enid (he must have confused this with Continental?)

[Snowman]

The Oklahoma City revival miracle - Inside Tucson Business: Guest Opinion

Looks like part 1 of a multi-part article.

Good read, although I don't think I've ever seen gondolas in the canal (might be an idea, though). Also, pretty sure OU didn't relocate the medical school from Enid (he must have confused this with Continental?)

When I first heard about rowing downtown, i imagined it was going to be gondola style, did not even imagine it would be something I would be doing for exercise a few years later.

[bchris02]

The Oklahoma City revival miracle - Inside Tucson Business: Guest Opinion

Looks like part 1 of a multi-part article.

Good read, although I don't think I've ever seen gondolas in the canal (might be an idea, though). Also, pretty sure OU didn't relocate the medical school from Enid (he must have confused this with Continental?)

It's hard to really imagine what living here would have been like 15-20 years ago as an adult. I did live here in my early teen years in the late '90s when my dad was stationed at Tinker. While downtown has considerably improved since then, the bottom has also fallen out on many areas that were desirable in that era, most notably Warr Acres, Bethany, parts of Midwest City, and the Crossroads Retail Corridor.

Of course downtown was dead, but wasn't that prior to the nationwide urban renewal trend? In 1994, wasn't suburbia still king?

[hoya]

It's hard to really imagine what living here would have been like 15-20 years ago as an adult. I did live here in my early teen years in the late '90s when my dad was stationed at Tinker. While downtown has considerably improved since then, the bottom has also fallen out on many areas that were desirable in that era, most notably Warr Acres, Bethany, parts of Midwest City, and the Crossroads Retail Corridor.

Of course downtown was dead, but wasn't that prior to the nationwide urban renewal trend? In 1994, wasn't suburbia still king?

That's part of the problem with ever-expanding suburbia. There's zero reason to move to Midwest City, when you can move 5 miles out past Midwest City and get a nicer home for less money? Why live in Bethany when you can move to the other side of Lake Hefner? Unless a specific area has a very specific, stable reason why someone would choose to live there (like the historic value of Heritage Hills, or the presence of OU in Norman), it will always be cheaper to just keep moving farther out.

[bchris02]

That's part of the problem with ever-expanding suburbia. There's zero reason to move to Midwest City, when you can move 5 miles out past Midwest City and get a nicer home for less money? Why live in Bethany when you can move to the other side of Lake Hefner? Unless a specific area has a very specific, stable reason why someone would choose to live there (like the historic value of Heritage Hills, or the presence of OU in Norman), it will always be cheaper to just keep moving farther out.

Agreed. Memorial has become what NW Expressway once was. Deer Creek has become the new Putnam City. Midwest City/Del City have lost virtually all desirability, and the Crossroads area has moved to South Moore. I don't think this is a result of sprawl in and of itself though. I think its more the result of how cheap land is as well as low standards, all of which make "disposable development" more common.

[jbrown84]

The Oklahoma City revival miracle - Inside Tucson Business: Guest Opinion

Looks like part 1 of a multi-part article.

Good read, although I don't think I've ever seen gondolas in the canal (might be an idea, though). Also, pretty sure OU didn't relocate the medical school from Enid (he must have confused this with Continental?)

Yeah he clearly is mixed up with Continental, but how did OUHSC get in there..?

[Teo9969]

It's hard to really imagine what living here would have been like 15-20 years ago as an adult. I did live here in my early teen years in the late '90s when my dad was stationed at Tinker. While downtown has considerably improved since then, the bottom has also fallen out on many areas that were desirable in that era, most notably Warr Acres, Bethany, parts of Midwest City, and the Crossroads Retail Corridor.

Of course downtown was dead, but wasn't that prior to the nationwide urban renewal trend? In 1994, wasn't suburbia still king?

Honestly, suburbia was still king as recently as, what, 2008? Bricktown was certainly around by then, but that's a lot of what was downtown.

We talk all the time about the Thunder being a big deal for our national perception, but local perception of downtown has been greatly impacted by the Thunder. They gave people a reason to finally spend some substantive time downtown, and I think people have found that there's actually a lot to do.

I wouldn't say that downtown has taken over rule, but it does seem like suburbia has been knocked off the throne. I think we'll find that rather than downtown taking over, that the Urban Core as a whole is going to prevail…How OKC deals with the problem of rotting suburban areas will remain to be seen.

[bchris02]

Honestly, suburbia was still king as recently as, what, 2008? Bricktown was certainly around by then, but that's a lot of what was downtown.

We talk all the time about the Thunder being a big deal for our national perception, but local perception of downtown has been greatly impacted by the Thunder. They gave people a reason to finally spend some substantive time downtown, and I think people have found that there's actually a lot to do.

I wouldn't say that downtown has taken over rule, but it does seem like suburbia has been knocked off the throne. I think we'll find that rather than downtown taking over, that the Urban Core as a whole is going to prevail…How OKC deals with the problem of rotting suburban areas will remain to be seen.

That is true, but I wasn't necessarily talking about OKC specifically. OKC typically lags national trends, including downtown gentrification, but as far as I know in the mid-1990s we were still basically in that 80s-era nationally where the American dream was a home in the suburbs and downtown areas were rotting nationwide. Correct me if I am wrong on this. The backlash against suburbia seems to be mostly a post-Y2K trend.

[Plutonic Panda]

Changes, improvements attract young residents to OKC | News OK

[Rover]

That is true, but I wasn't necessarily talking about OKC specifically. OKC typically lags national trends, including downtown gentrification, but as far as I know in the mid-1990s we were still basically in that 80s-era nationally where the American dream was a home in the suburbs and downtown areas were rotting nationwide. Correct me if I am wrong on this. The backlash against suburbia seems to be mostly a post-Y2K trend.

The idea that you can ONLY have a strong core OR a strong suburbs is just wishful thinking on the part of zealot new urbanists. We had to strengthen our core for its sake AND the health of our whole city. AND is better than OR..

[bchris02]

The idea that you can ONLY have a strong core OR a strong suburbs is just wishful thinking on the part of zealot new urbanists. We had to strengthen our core for its sake AND the health of our whole city. AND is better than OR..

I completely agree.

[PWitty]

OKC made the cut on a list of the top 10 hottest housing markets for 2014.

Top 10 Hot Housing Markets for 2014

[soonerguru]

OKC made the cut on a list of the top 10 hottest housing markets for 2014.

Top 10 Hot Housing Markets for 2014

Everything's going to hell in a hand basket here. We need a new mayor! LOL

[NWOKCGuy]

Here's one that's not so great....

5 Cities Where the Paychecks are the Smallest

[Bellaboo]

Here's one that's not so great....

5 Cities Where the Paychecks are the Smallest

In reality, they do list the fact that cost of living offsets the lower wage scale.

[NWOKCGuy]

#4 Hidden Gem Market

[bchris02]

Oklahoma City made another list.

The Metro Areas With The Most Economic Momentum Going Into 2014 - Forbes

Still using old skyline photos from before the Devon tower. Can't really blame them when our own News 9 does the same thing.

[Snowman]

Oklahoma City made another list.

The Metro Areas With The Most Economic Momentum Going Into 2014 - Forbes

Still using old skyline photos from before the Devon tower. Can't really blame them when our own News 9 does the same thing.

I noticed a related article from article the author wrote a week ago, OKC was #10; Where Working-Age Americans Are Moving - Forbes

[soonerguru]

Oklahoma City made another list.

The Metro Areas With The Most Economic Momentum Going Into 2014 - Forbes

Still using old skyline photos from before the Devon tower. Can't really blame them when our own News 9 does the same thing.

Who does PR for the Chamber? Would it be possible for them to send photos to media that write on us about every other week: New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, etc.?

[Snowman]

Who does PR for the Chamber? Would it be possible for them to send photos to media that write on us about every other week: New York Times, Forbes, Fortune, etc.?

Getting them to stock photo sources with whatever rights they need would probably be what is needed

[Spartan]

Raleigh's skyline photo right after ours was ridiculously sexy. Wow they've come a long ways...

[betts]

How another American city chose to invest in change | gazette.com