OKC vs Peer Cities

[Shake2005]

That's not a current photo of Tulsa either. It's missing One Place next to the BOK Center.

[kelroy55]

Omaha has done a lot of work revitalizing their downtown and river area while trying to keep it original, especially the Old Market area.

[Doug Loudenback]

Regarding the other city skyline shots, I tried to locate single photos which showed the most expansive skyline views that I could, not just pieces of it, and that was the basis for my selections. Sorry if I missed the mark.

[catcherinthewry]

Regarding the other city skyline shots, I tried to locate single photos which showed the most expansive skyline views that I could, not just pieces of it, and that was the basis for my selections. Sorry if I missed the mark.

No big deal, Doug. I think everyone got your point. I just happened to notice StL because going to MLB ballparks is a hobby of mine.

[Naptown12713]

Personally, in order to effectively guage one city versus another, I believe that there are certain metrics that must be compared:

1. Metro Population & Annual % of Growth
2. GDP of metro & Annual GDP Growth %
3. Airport Passenger Traffic & Number of Direct Destinations
4. Number of Fortune 1000 Based Companies in the Metro
5. Quality of Life - Shopping, Resturants, Cultural and Sporting events

When I moved from Indy to OKC in 2006, I used this methodology to determine how OKC stacked up against Naptown. For the most part, Indy had bettered OKC in all metrics at the time of my assessment. But, over the past 6 years, OKC has gained significant ground in most of the metrics that I had listed.

[boitoirich]

Interesting that you should say that, because I visited Indianapolis 10 years ago and was quite jealous of the downtown area (I was presenting research at a national conference hosted by IUPUI). Things have changed greatly since then, and I no longer envy downtown Indy as much as I did. So I would have to agree with your assessment there.

[bchris02]

The one thing I wish downtown OKC had that most other cities have is ground level retail and restaurants throughout the entire CBD. If OKC had that, I wouldn't be near as jealous of other peer cities' downtowns.

[Pete]

The one thing I wish downtown OKC had that most other cities have is ground level retail and restaurants throughout the entire CBD. If OKC had that, I wouldn't be near as jealous of other peer cities' downtowns.

That's not nearly as common as you think, apart from the biggest cities.

For example, in the main part of the Los Angeles CBD (where I worked for years) you don't see much and what is there is mainly for lunch, not dinner. That area is ghost town after 6PM.

Same is true in Milwaukee, a city with an otherwise awesome central core.

[bchris02]

That's not nearly as common as you think, apart from the biggest cities.

For example, in the main part of the Los Angeles CBD (where I worked for years) you don't see much and what is there is mainly for lunch, not dinner. That area is ghost town after 6PM.

Same is true in Milwaukee, a city with an otherwise awesome central core.

I think 10 years ago you would be mostly correct. The trend towards urbanization is happening nationwide though. Even OKC's peer and slightly larger cities like Charlotte, Louisville, Kansas City, Indianapolis, etc have street life downtown that OKC lacks. It's certain to change though as more people are living and working downtown.

[Pete]

OKC has downtown street life too, just not in the CBD and I doubt any of the cities you mentioned have it either. Remember, Bricktown and Deep Deuce are part of downtown, just not the Central Business District.

Most cities have arts and/or entertainment districts separate from their CBD because after 6PM, all those office towers go dark and there aren't people to support the ground-level businesses. And it's not realistic to expect that to happen.

[adaniel]

^
I tend to agree with this. Large scale retail and street life directly inside a CBD can be a tricky proposition, even for much larger cities.

In Houston, the Pavilions development is probably one of the more aggressive retail developments you will find in this part of the country, and as of this day its half empty and bouncing in and out of receivership. Heck, even in NYC in the Wall Street area, where most people work, I was actually really surprised how quiet it was after 6 pm vs the constantly humming Times Square/Theatre District.

I can only speak for Kansas City since thats the only place I've been, but outside of the Power and Light District (which I felt had less foot traffic that Bricktown), I wouldn't say their CBD was very active after 6. The districts immediately outside of downtown, however, were hopping.

[bchris02]

Here is another one I took of Little Rock when I lived there. It's a beautiful city.

[Mississippi Blues]

Here is another one I took of Little Rock when I lived there. It's a beautiful city.

I stayed the night in Little Rock last week while on my way to Atlanta. I must say that Little Rock is very nice for a city its size & a lot of it IMO has to do with the natural beauty. It also has a really nice downtown (I stayed downtown across the street from the Metropolitan Nation Bank Tower).

[bchris02]

I stayed the night in Little Rock last week while on my way to Atlanta. I must say that Little Rock is very nice for a city its size & a lot of it IMO has to do with the natural beauty. It also has a really nice downtown (I stayed downtown across the street from the Metropolitan Nation Bank Tower).

Agreed. At the eastern foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, the natural setting of Little Rock can't be beat. The city itself though is still a lot like OKC Pre-MAPS. Everything is still focused on suburbia and they are still demolishing historic structures. The River Market is very nice but also very small for an entertainment district. Most people just go to Memphis on the weekends for nightlife. The city also has an inferiority complex in that it seems like a lot of people who live there dislike it and there is a significant brain drain of young professionals. I like Little Rock a lot, with its natural beauty, better weather, and 6-point beer, but could not live there again for the aforementioned reasons.

[Mississippi Blues]

Agreed. At the eastern foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, the natural setting of Little Rock can't be beat. The city itself though is still a lot like OKC Pre-MAPS. Everything is still focused on suburbia and they are still demolishing historic structures. The River Market is very nice but also very small for an entertainment district. Most people just go to Memphis on the weekends for nightlife. The city also has an inferiority complex in that it seems like a lot of people who live there dislike it and there is a significant brain drain of young professionals. I like Little Rock a lot, with its natural beauty, better weather, and 6-point beer, but could not live there again for the aforementioned reasons.

I also observed this in my short time there. It just overall feels like a city that hasn't quite figured out that downtown is the center of the life, not the suburbs. It feels a lot like Jackson, MS to me, except Jackson is doing a good job of preserving & restoring. I could never live in Little Rock because I have no roots to it & because of the inferiority complex & suburbia domination you mentioned.

[bchris02]

I also observed this in my short time there. It just overall feels like a city that hasn't quite figured out that downtown is the center of the life, not the suburbs. It feels a lot like Jackson, MS to me, except Jackson is doing a good job of preserving & restoring. I could never live in Little Rock because I have no roots to it & because of the inferiority complex & suburbia domination you mentioned.

Jackson is probably the city that is most compared to Little Rock, similar to how Tulsa and OKC are constantly compared. Five years ago Little Rock was a good deal ahead of Jackson but today I am not sure if that is still the case. Little Rock has a large skyline for its size and their tallest is even taller than the Chase tower. Little Rock also has a few upscale mid-rise residential towers, something I wish would be built in OKC. I also envy their Hillcrest/Alsopp Park area. It's pretty similar to OKC's Paseo except its farther along in gentrification. That said, on a Friday night you are likely to find Chili's or TGI Friday's in West Little Rock more hopping than any downtown bar. Their only modern dance club is only open one night per week. Other than the Clinton library there are very few attractions. Most transplanted young professionals there hate it and try to get out as soon as possible. To me, it's a beautiful place to visit but living there sucks the life out of you. I wouldn't recommend living there to anyone who doesn't have roots there.

[UnFrSaKn]

Arenas: The Experience Elsewhere - Broad vision led to a series of projects in Oklahoma City

[Jchaser405]

Jackson is probably the city that is most compared to Little Rock, similar to how Tulsa and OKC are constantly compared. Five years ago Little Rock was a good deal ahead of Jackson but today I am not sure if that is still the case. Little Rock has a large skyline for its size and their tallest is even taller than the Chase tower. Little Rock also has a few upscale mid-rise residential towers, something I wish would be built in OKC. I also envy their Hillcrest/Alsopp Park area. It's pretty similar to OKC's Paseo except its farther along in gentrification. That said, on a Friday night you are likely to find Chili's or TGI Friday's in West Little Rock more hopping than any downtown bar. Their only modern dance club is only open one night per week. Other than the Clinton library there are very few attractions. Most transplanted young professionals there hate it and try to get out as soon as possible. To me, it's a beautiful place to visit but living there sucks the life out of you. I wouldn't recommend living there to anyone who doesn't have roots there.

I grew up in Little Rock and 1000% agree with all the comments. If we wanted to have fun we either went to Burns park(lame), Mccain mall(lamer), or Wal mart(the best option). The dream growing up in LilRock was to get out ASAP! Majority of my family is still there and complain about it non-stop. Memphis is to LilRock like Dallas(FW) is to OKC. The city has so much potential but is decades behind.

[bchris02]

I grew up in Little Rock and 1000% agree with all the comments. If we wanted to have fun we either went to Burns park(lame), Mccain mall(lamer), or Wal mart(the best option). The dream growing up in LilRock was to get out ASAP! Majority of my family is still there and complain about it non-stop. Memphis is to LilRock like Dallas(FW) is to OKC. The city has so much potential but is decades behind.

How would you compare OKC to Memphis? Memphis is by far one of my favorite cities in the 1-2 million metro tier, probably because when I lived in Little Rock going to Memphis was considered a big deal. Personally I think Memphis is similar to what OKC would have been if not for the Pei Plan. Most of their historical structures are still in tact and as a result, the density and urban fabric of downtown Memphis blows away that of OKC. Their skyline though from a distance isn't near as impressive. Outside of downtown, I would say OKC has a slight edge on Memphis.

[Rover]

Except for Beale Street, Memphis is the pitts.

[bchris02]

Except for Beale Street, Memphis is the pitts.

The urban core of Memphis is nice. Wander a couple of blocks away from downtown and you have to fear for your life. Midtown Memphis is also a pretty cool area. Our 23rd St could easily become much like it.

[zachj7]

KC is in a league above OkC. OKC has to be compared with cities of 600-900k metros. While OKC had progressed a lot, it still has a ways to go to measure up to KC.

[soonerguru]

KC is in a league above OkC. OKC has to be compared with cities of 600-900k metros. While OKC had progressed a lot, it still has a ways to go to measure up to KC.

Really? OK, I'll take your word. KC is a nice city but it has serious problems, too. I like OKC's position.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm really not a fan of KC at all. It's ok for what it is, but I've been there several times, and nothing there makes me want to go back.

[progressiveboy]

KC has some fun places such as Westport and P&L District. Very touristy like Bricktown. The Plaza and Country Club area are quaint and have some nice architecture. Overall, I believe that OKC can and has caught up with KC in many ways. The winters in KC are way more brutal than OKC. It is a fair city but since I prefer living further South, KC would not be a place I would want to reside.