Downtown Living

[kevinpate]

Or, stay in Norman and visit OKC. You can find housing near the campus, or even in/near our downtown area.
If you have flexibility to time your trips into OKC, rather than being held to someone else's timetable, you'll rarely have traffic issues.

[dankrutka]

When I was 30 and finishing my PhD at OU I decided to move to Midtown OKC and commute to Norman, and it was great decision. The commute is easy and there's just way more happening for a 30 year old in OKC than in Norman (as much as I love Norman.) If it was me I'd try Deep Deuce and then Midtown. Having said that, Norman is a very good college town and if you're going to be on campus everyday then that's still a good choice.

[sooner88]

When I was 30 and finishing my PhD at OU I decided to move to Midtown OKC and commute to Norman, and it was great decision. The commute is easy and there's just way more happening for a 30 year old in OKC than in Norman (as much as I love Norman.) If it was me I'd try Deep Deuce and then Midtown. Having said that, Norman is a very good college town and if you're going to be on campus everyday then that's still a good choice.

I did the same thing when getting my masters.. The commute is not bad at all if you avoid the 8:00 am and 5:00 pm timeframe, and even then you're still doing a reverse commute.

Norman is a great town, but the nightlife is still predominately college. If the commute is the only issue there's no question. I would rent for a year to make sure it worked before I jumped into anything though.

[RedSoxFan]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will definitely explore the Midtown/Deep Deuce areas when I arrive and see if there is something I might like for next year. I saw a couple of apartment buildings online which I think are in those areas and they look nice (Level, Park Harvey).

At the risk of going off-topic (sorry in advance moderator!):

How far is OKC/Norman from good outdoors / nature scenery (hills, trees, forests, lakes etc.)? Coming from New England, I would love to still enjoy some of this (Yes, I know and understand this is the Plains and not New England). I saw some lakes on the map withing the metro, but when I was in Norman in May, the river (Oklahoma?) and Thunderbird Lake looked very muddy and red (maybe it was because of the torrential rains the area had).

Are such outdoors adventures/sightseeing feasible for a day trip from downtown / Norman?

[OkiePoke]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will definitely explore the Midtown/Deep Deuce areas when I arrive and see if there is something I might like for next year. I saw a couple of apartment buildings online which I think are in those areas and they look nice (Level, Park Harvey).

At the risk of going off-topic (sorry in advance moderator!):

How far is OKC/Norman from good outdoors / nature scenery (hills, trees, forests, lakes etc.)? Coming from New England, I would love to still enjoy some of this (Yes, I know and understand this is the Plains and not New England). I saw some lakes on the map withing the metro, but when I was in Norman in May, the river (Oklahoma?) and Thunderbird Lake looked very muddy and red (maybe it was because of the torrential rains the area had).

Are such outdoors adventures/sightseeing feasible for a day trip from downtown / Norman?

There is some nice local scenery. But, most people will suggest about an hour to 1.5 hour drive. In Oklahoma, we call hills mountains btw...

Regarding the water color, it stays pretty red. It is from all the clay in the soil. There is actually a genre of music the plays on this, 'Red Dirt Music'. I would venture to say that the waters were more red than normal from all the rain though. The lakes in the eastern half of the state are normally cleaner looking due to them being in rocky areas.

[mattjank]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will definitely explore the Midtown/Deep Deuce areas when I arrive and see if there is something I might like for next year. I saw a couple of apartment buildings online which I think are in those areas and they look nice (Level, Park Harvey).

At the risk of going off-topic (sorry in advance moderator!):

How far is OKC/Norman from good outdoors / nature scenery (hills, trees, forests, lakes etc.)? Coming from New England, I would love to still enjoy some of this (Yes, I know and understand this is the Plains and not New England). I saw some lakes on the map withing the metro, but when I was in Norman in May, the river (Oklahoma?) and Thunderbird Lake looked very muddy and red (maybe it was because of the torrential rains the area had).

Are such outdoors adventures/sightseeing feasible for a day trip from downtown / Norman?

What kind of adventures are you looking for? There are good mountain biking/hiking trails at Thunderbird, with a decent amount of elevation change at T-bird. If you're looking to kayak/canoe/SUP there are some spots on Thunderbird with decent put-ins, but more activity up at Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser. You'll be surprised if you expect the area to be flat. Plenty of hills on the east side of Norman and rollers throughout.

The area 1.5 hrs away is the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Lots of great hiking and some nice dammed lakes in the park. There are quite a few other hiking places within 1 to 2 hour drive from the metro, Roman Nose State Park, Chickasha Recreational area, hiking and biking trails around Lake Murray. A little further and you can get to some great trail systems in the Ouachita mountains in southeastern OK/Western Ark, and the Ozarks in northwestern Ark.
Lots of great stuff around.

[gopokes88]

You'll learn a 1.5 hour drive in OK is very different then a 1.5 hour drive in NE.

[Urbanized]

There is some nice local scenery. But, most people will suggest about an hour to 1.5 hour drive. In Oklahoma, we call hills mountains btw...

A number of the peaks in the Ouachita range - including in the Kiamichi and Winding Stair subranges - just squeak by as mountains under the generally-accepted geological definition. Mount Scott also qualifies as a mountain, though most of the Wichitas are indeed hills, as are all of the Arbuckles. Both the Ouachitas and the Arbuckles are incredibly ancient and were once much larger, with the Ouachitas once rivaling the Rockies in height, though now that height has been largely eroded.

So while it's true that we are fairly generous when calling something a mountain, it's not fair to suggest that they don't exist here.

[Urbanized]

RedSoxFan, probably the closest to the New England scenery you are used to would be found in the SE part of the state, though there are also some wonderful winding back roads, rustic cabins, pine forests, rivers, hills and trees in NE OK at the foot of the Ozarks. I would suggest you visit the following websites:

TravelOK.com Homepage | TravelOK.com - Oklahoma's Official Travel & Tourism Site , which is a statewide resource
Central Oklahoma Frontier Country , which covers the 12 central counties (all surrounding OKC)
Oklahoma City Hotels, Restaurants, Events & Things to Do , which is the Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau site

Also, www.adventureroad.com , which is a Chickasaw Tribe sponsored regional tourism effort, which includes OKC south, throughout Chickasaw Country.

[bchris02]

The Ozarks and the Ouachitas aren't as tall as the valleys are deep. Because of this, the scenery is very similar to some parts of the Appalachian mountains.

[Urbanized]

Just don't go looking for anything to compare with the Rockies and you'll be pleasantly surprised in SE OK. Many, MANY rivers, lakes, hiking trails, leafy forests, pine forests, winding roads, luxury cabins, not-so-luxury cabins, fly fishing during certain times of the year, fall foliage, and even swamps with alligators. As far as mountains, hills and scenery are concerned we actually fare better than nearly every state between the Appalachians and the Rockies. It's just not immediately next to OKC.

Oklahoma is one of the most geographically diverse states in the U.S., but most people - even often those who live here - are woefully unaware of this fact.

[okatty]

I grew up in SW Okla and had never been to SE Okla much until i was in college and grad school. Had a friend from d there and went a few times with him and was totally shocked - would have never known we were in Okla on some of the trails, streams, etc he knew about and we hiked to. Really gorgeous area. Glover River, Beavers Bend, etc.

[shawnw]

A number of the peaks in the Ouachita range - including in the Kiamichi and Winding Stair subranges - just squeak by as mountains under the generally-accepted geological definition. Mount Scott also qualifies as a mountain, though most of the Wichitas are indeed hills, as are all of the Arbuckles. Both the Ouachitas and the Arbuckles are incredibly ancient and were once much larger, with the Ouachitas once rivaling the Rockies in height, though now that height has been largely eroded.

So while it's true that we are fairly generous when calling something a mountain, it's not fair to suggest that they don't exist here.

All correct, but technically the geologic conditions that created those ranges experienced an approximate 20,000 ft upthrust. However the wind erosion of the area kept them from become a midwestern rocky mountain range.

[LocoAko]

You'll learn a 1.5 hour drive in OK is very different then a 1.5 hour drive in NE.

Ain't that the truth.

I'm from the NYC area and my roommate is from southern NH, so if you have any questions about adjustments or anything feel free to shoot me a message. With an open mind (that is, taking Oklahoma for what it is, and not trying to make it into back home) I think you'll be surprised at how happy you'll be here.

[HangryHippo]

Beaver's Bend is as pretty an area as I've ever visited. There are also some beautiful areas in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Lots of natural beauty in Oklahoma, and the variety of landscapes is unsurpassed.

[CCOKC]

I walked the east trail of the Stinchomb Wildlife Refuge yesterday. My husband and I were breaking in our new hiking boots we bought last week at REI while we were in Denver. We were very glad to have our boots on since this is one of the last trails in the Metro that is not paved. We saw quite a few people making use of the river either kayaking or fishing, but we were the only people we say on the trail during our 2 1/2 hour hike. We have a goal to hike the OK portion of the Ouachita Trail this fall for our first backpacking trip and we find this to be a pretty good hiking trail right here in the city.

[Soonerinfiniti]

While looking at this downtown Dallas listing:

Downtown Dallas dwelling's vertical 'hood is a huge selling point - CultureMap Dallas

($199,900, 757 SF, 25th floor condo)

Two things come to mind:

First, Dallas/Ft. Worth is the 4th largest metropolitan area in the United States. And they only have 7,000 - 10,000 people living in the Dallas CBD core. Perhaps Oklahoma City has unrealistic expectations regarding how many people "should" live downtown.

Second, this looks like a pretty nice building. Perhaps OKC downtown's lack of supply has allowed local developers to build sub-par product and demand/achieve premium prices. This listing for $265/SF and $300/month HOA looks pretty good. Here's to hoping that out of state developers (like the Metropolitan) will up the game for quality in OKC!

[Pete]

Don't know how they came up with the downtown Dallas residents number of if it's accurate but OKC already has about the same amount in the core.

[David]

You can't really compare against one other city and reasonably declare OKC's expectations unrealistic. There is a large world that exists outside of Dallas, and many, many other cities.

[bchris02]

It depends on what you consider "downtown." That number is probably right for the Dallas CBD but once you throw in Uptown and Oak Lawn, I wouldn't be surprised if the population increases to somewhere between 50,000 and 75,000 (could possibly be higher). I really think that population level would be a good target for OKC to shoot for within the area bordered by Reno, I-235, 36th, and Classen.

[Teo9969]

Remember that OKC's CBD is less than 20 square blocks: Walker, Reno, EKG, 4th St. Dallas's CBD is at least 3x the size of OKC's and it's also squeezed harder by interstates than OKC's is. It's very realistic to have 50,000 residents living downtown but only a few thousand of those living in the CBD.

[Pete]

I may very well be that OKC has more living units in a .5 mile radius from the center of it's CBD than Dallas.

How we define the CBD is very, very compact and thus not a good point of comparison.

[DenverPoke]

It depends on what you consider "downtown." That number is probably right for the Dallas CBD but once you throw in Uptown and Oak Lawn, I wouldn't be surprised if the population increases to somewhere between 50,000 and 75,000 (could possibly be higher). I really think that population level would be a good target for OKC to shoot for within the area bordered by Reno, I-235, 36th, and Classen.

What estimate would you give for that area (Reno, 235, 36th, Classen) right now?

[johnnyhooper]

15,445.

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber - Greater OKC Local Business Intelligence Tool

[DenverPoke]

15,445.

Greater Oklahoma City Chamber - Greater OKC Local Business Intelligence Tool

Thanks, great tool!