Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

[Zim]

Anyone here, live there? Care to tell me a bit about it?

My company might move out there, so I was wonder what the music scene was like and housing.

And any good music stores?

Thanks for any info.

[buddaman71]

Howdy.
Here's the deal:
It's windy, dry and hot in the summer. Just accept that.
The city is getting better all the time. We have about 1.1 million population in the metro area, so it's not like it's tiny. The city itself covers a HUGE land area.
Bricktown is cool and the music scene is actually pretty diverse with a strong quirky/indie rock section (Flaming Lips are based here, so that type scene)
Lots of really nice casinos around if you want to play in that scene. I personally play 2-4 nights a week and turn down gigs all the time due to my day gig.
There are a couple cool blues joints with open jams and a strong roots/Red Dirt scene, and some decent jazz. Definitely more than just country music.

In just the last few months, we've had Joe Bonamassa, Tommy Emmanuel, John Mayer and several other cool guitar acts in town. OKC also has a strong theatrical Lyric Theater-type scene and OKC University has produced some of the top opera and Broadway singers of the last few decades.

We have a decent GC and this KILLER boutique store near my home in Yukon, which is far west OKC. www.reddirtbrothersguitars.com
It's an awesome store with Tom Anderson, PRS guitars AND amps, /13, Fender Masterbuilt custom shop, etc...

The cost of living is a fraction of what you are probably used to and you can buy a gorgeous new mini-mansion in the upper $200k range, so there's that.
(Very nice older homes in the 2000+ ft2 size can be found all day long for $150k)
Overall OKC is populated with kind, courteous, generous people who work hard and rock it up on the weekends.
We are a young city and still growing and have managed to get through the Great Recession in MUCH better shape than most of the country.

PS: I've lived in different parts of the country (including stays in DC, Indiana, Naples and Miami) and all I can say is, where you are is what you make it.
I'm happy here and enjoy raising my kids here.

http://www.okgazette.com/p/12730/Default.aspx
http://www.bricktownokc.com/index.asp
http://www.block42.com/

If you relocate, hit me up on a PM and I'll show you around and we'll get a beer or three.

Cheers,

Jason

PS: bands are ALWAYS looking for a good bass player!

[TwoTubMan]

Does Frontier City still exist?

[buddaman71]

yes with quite a few upgrades over the years.
basically a smaller Six Flags.

http://www.frontiercity.com/

[Zim]

Thanks for the insight. My wife and I love your band!

What are gas prices like there?

[buddaman71]

Thanks!!!

We might actually be looking for a bass player in the next few months, so......

I filled up this morning @ $ 1.59/gal.
It's been $ 1.50-1.80 for the last few months.

[Zim]

Originally Posted by buddaman71

Thanks!!!

We might actually be looking for a bass player in the next few months, so......

I filled up this morning @ $ 1.59/gal.
It's been $ 1.50-1.80 for the last few months.

I doubt I'll be there too soon... But I'd gladly hold down the bottom end for you guys if I get there!

But $1.59! WOW! It is $2.99-$3.49 in this area!!!

What about Midwest City? And areas around Tinker AFB?

[buddaman71]

Tinker AFB is massive and basically a city in itself (40,000-50,000 or so) I design and install quite a few AV and videoconference systems out there.
Midwest City/Del City (Mid-Del) is basically east central OKC, just east of I35 along I40 to the far east border of the OKC Metro area. The areas right around Tinker are older and more congested, but some REALLY nice properties within 15 minutes east of the main Tinker gate. Choctaw, OK is a small city that is basically the far east side. Older homes, but really nice, affordable acreages to build gorgeous homes for a very affordable amount of $$. We've REALLY noticed a reverse Grapes of Wrath migration of connected extended families who left in the 30's and 40's and are now returning to OKC from all over due to the recession and affordable housing and land.

Nice, family-owned homebuilder: http://www.richardsonhomesok.com/

[Zim]

OK, looks like this moving faster than we thought. My wife flys out Sunday to start things out and I'll be headed that way in the end of May or so.

Yee Haw!

[derekd]

I am from OK, and lived in OKC, Edmond and Del City for over a decade. I would echo everything buddaman has said. When I was there, Bricktown was still relatively undeveloped, but I have been there a number of times since (dad still lives there), and it is pretty cool.

I read one time that OKC is the 3rd windiest city in the nation. The wind blows constantly, which makes Lake Hefner one of the best sailboating lakes in the country, if you are into that.

I think it is the cheapest city in the country to live. Hey buddaman, is that old guitar store just south of downtown still there? I wanna say it was on Western, just south/underneath I-40. Always seemed to have a few cool vintage peices there.

[jrjones]

[QUOTE=buddaman71;8106275]Howdy.

We have a decent GC and this KILLER boutique store near my home in Yukon, which is far west OKC. www.reddirtbrothersguitars.com
It's an awesome store with Tom Anderson, PRS guitars AND amps, /13, Fender Masterbuilt custom shop, etc...
[QUOTE]
+1 for reddirtbrothers! I've done business with them before! AWESOME guys!

[Bankston]

I played a couple of shows in OKC. What I remember was that everyone I met was exceptionally nice and the women were busty.

[buddaman71]

DerekD
Horn Trader music is still around on I40 and Western.
You should see the kite surfers on Hefner! They come from other states and even countries. I've seen guys get 30-40' of air. It's insane, but awesome to watch.
When it IS calm, eating at Pearl's Lakeside patio watching the giant orange sun set with a couple dozen of sailboats silhouetted is pretty gorgeous for our crazy landlocked state.

Bankston
Compared to the other places I've lived and worked extensively, (upper Midwest, DC, LA) I think the people here are just ridiculously nice and polite and fun and have extroverted, larger-than-life Southern-style personalities. OK girls are pretty fun!


One thing I've always found very interesting about the geography of OK is that it's incredibly diverse. Everyone pictures it as only dusty, flat and dry, but really that's the western half of the state. NW is rolling plains, SW is desert-ish, SE OK is very lush forest and part of the Ozark mountains. I've read that OK is second only to California in the number of geographical systems.

[steve_man]

Well...it's in Oklahoma...which automatically kills it for me... Most of my family is from there...so it's not my fave place on the planet...

[Apartment 11]

Cool... I was just thinking about starting a similar thread for Tulsa, OK. Good thing I found this. Thanks to the OP.

Ok, I don't mean to hijack this thread but to prevent me from starting another thread like this can someone who's lived in both Tulsa and OKC tell me which you prefer? I'm planning to move to OK sometimes this year but not exactly sure where in OK. As of now I'm leaning towards Tulsa as all my family lives there. Is the cost of living and lifestyle about the same? Pros/cons for both?

I haven't been to OKC but I've been to Tulsa a few times the last two years.