What is life like in Oklahoma?

[Florida]

It’s time to move out of Florida. There are just too many bad and reckless people here. Now that I have kids I've got to go. The last time I drove through Okla. I thought the land was beautiful and the people were nice. Recently I've heard some negative comments from some Oklahoma transplants. They say that Oklahoma is a dry, dusty, rundown place with no jobs and lots of crime. They say that the people are backwards and that the place is a dump. Can anyone here provide an unbiased report of life in Oklahoma? I’m looking to do a lot of hunting, fishing and gardening. I'm a teacher and my wife is a nurse.
Thanks for the help
Here is a picture of some public land hogs I got in Florida




http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc457/slimecoat/hogs008.jpg

 

[HMFIC]

Nice hogs and welcome to the board.

I could be biased because I was born and raised here but I think you'd like Oklahoma.

I've also lived in CA as a Marine (and a little after) and Boston (corporate life) and I've seen just about all of this great country including Florida.

If you want hunting, fishing and gardening then you won't be disappointed. The rest of it all depends on where you live. Just like anywhere else, if you choose a bad area of town then you're going to open yourself up to trouble.

Oklahoma doesn't have the best economy for great jobs, but as a teacher and a nurse you shouldn't have any trouble here. The pay is lower than comparisons for teachers from what I understand, but then again our cost of living is one of the lowest in the nation and we were just ranked high for $/home value also.

So... more specifics? What size of a town do you want or are you going to live in the country? What type of land do you like? We've got mountains, forests, prairies, lakes, rivers, etc...

 

[BluRaySS]

I grew up in Arizona. the military brought me here as well as the rest of the world. Arizona is just too damn expensive. This is the only other place I can imagine being. Oklahoma has pretty decent politics, great weather, good cost of living, and more available jobs than most of the rest of the country.

If you decide to come on out, just do us a favor and leave Florida there

 

[Grendel]

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but Oklahoma is not the best place to live.

I was born and raised here, lived here my whole life except for a year that I spent in Arkansas going to school. Our politicians are pretty much morons and are running the whole state into the ground. We have a budget crisis still looming. I started my current job in December of 2008, six months later we took a 5% pay cut and I just barely made it through the lay offs by the skin of my teeth. My wife is a teacher and hasn't been able to find a full time teaching job here in the last 10 years that we've been married.

Because of the lack of funding in the educational system and the low pay for our teachers, most of the really talented teachers have defect from Oklahoma to $$$er pastures over the last 15 or 20 years, causing a drought of quality teachers here. Not good for your kids. (Hell, most school districts here aren't even paying their substitute teachers any more).

Crime isn't all the bad, but our roads suck and are littered with garbage. There's little to nothing to do that isn't weekend bar hoping, movies or Indian Casinos. Our educational system is in shambles and most of the school systems are laying off teachers, not hiring new ones. And we always get at least one, usually two major snow/ice storms that pretty much cripple the state every year. Our 2A situation is pretty much the same as Florida's and you have access to all the same NFA stuff so that shouldn't be a reason to leave.

Sure there's plenty of outdoors stuff and some state parks, but they are just run of the mill. Nothing super interesting. Given the easy access to the coast line and it's associated "scenery", the mostly mild climate, and all of the unique wildlife in Florida, I can't see a reason to leave for Oklahoma unless you are being offered a really, really good job.

 

[frankos72]

I grew up in Oklahoma. My family moved me to Naples Florida when I was 16. Then I moved to Orlando. Back to Oklahoma around 23, then to North Carolina around 27 and back to Oklahoma at 30.

Lots of people move away, but most come back. Now great things about Oklahoma that florida doesn't have.

1. Four real seasons. There is more to this than just weather. I have come to believe that 4 real seasons is part of what keeps people sane. You always have something to look forward too. It would seem that it would be nice if it was always spring or fall, but that's what folks in Florida have and many of them seem just downright wacko. Of the places I've lived, Oklahoma and North Carolina both had really genuinely nice folks. Florida everyone had some kinda wierd quirk about them, IMO and no offense if your one of them.

2. Beautiful girls. Florida Girls are so cliche. Real hot chicks come from Oklahoma. I got me one from right here in Norman. I often wonder if this comes from the large % of indian blood mixed with other races around here. Course my wife has no Indian in her, but girls that have aout 10 to 50% are usually pretty attractive.

3. The best sunsets. Okay so they aren't over water like the were in Naples, but man, Oklahoma has way better sunsets than Florida ever thought of having.

4. Real conservatives. This one is actually a draw. On one hand it's nice to live in a state where you can count on the folks with conservative ideals winning most elections. On the other hand sometimes I wish I lived in a state where it was closer so I knew that my vote would make a difference. (I still vote none the less).

5. I'd say great college football, but Florida has a pretty good tradition there too. Course we got Stoops and he's not going to florida like people always speculate. After all why would he build a castle if he was planing to move to flordia? And Mike Gundy too. He's turned out to be a pretty amazing young coach. It's awesome what he and TBoon Pickens have done with OSUs program lately.

6. Tough anti illegal immigrant laws with more in the works. OK passed a law a couple years ago requiring anyone doing business with any OK Gov entity to screen all their employees through an instant ID verification system. It's on hold right now cause it's in the courts(last I heard) but none the less this seemed like a bunch of extra paperwork for me as a business owner, but really only until it's setup and working right. On the other hand it would have drastically cut down on the number of jobs available to illegals in the state. I understand there was a pretty big exodus the week before the bill first was supposed to take effect. Also from what I've heard they are supposed to be considering Arizona type laws as well.

7. Churches. I don't know your religious background, but if you think churches are a good thing, then there is no shortage here. When I lived in Florida they seemed few and far between. Here there is practically one on every block. Maybe not quite that dense but there are a lot. From small 20 member churches to the large mega churches with 1000's of members. We got it all.

8. Arbuckle Mountains. If I recall right from my childhood they are the only mountains in the country where the rock layers run vertical instead of horizontal? Someone else could back me up on this.

9. Barbecue! Van's Pig Stands is the best! Nah, really Q is really a personal thing and there are lots of places out there that are good enough to be someones favorite. I am a bit partial to Van's though.

Well, I guess that's enough info from me. It seems like some nationwide magazine rated Norman, OK (or was it OKC) as one of the best places to live right now? I also believe we have been listed as one of the areas least effected by the recession.

 

[wufee]

I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but Oklahoma is not the best place to live.

I was born and raised here, lived here my whole life except for a year that I spent in Arkansas going to school. Our politicians are pretty much morons and are running the whole state into the ground. We have a budget crisis still looming. I started my current job in December of 2008, six months later we took a 5% pay cut and I just barely made it through the lay offs by the skin of my teeth. My wife is a teacher and hasn't been able to find a full time teaching job here in the last 10 years that we've been married.

Because of the lack of funding in the educational system and the low pay for our teachers, most of the really talented teachers have defect from Oklahoma to $$$er pastures over the last 15 or 20 years, causing a drought of quality teachers here. Not good for your kids. (Hell, most school districts here aren't even paying their substitute teachers any more).

Crime isn't all the bad, but our roads suck and are littered with garbage. There's little to nothing to do that isn't weekend bar hoping, movies or Indian Casinos. Our educational system is in shambles and most of the school systems are laying off teachers, not hiring new ones. And we always get at least one, usually two major snow/ice storms that pretty much cripple the state every year. Our 2A situation is pretty much the same as Florida's and you have access to all the same NFA stuff so that shouldn't be a reason to leave.

Sure there's plenty of outdoors stuff and some state parks, but they are just run of the mill. Nothing super interesting. Given the easy access to the coast line and it's associated "scenery", the mostly mild climate, and all of the unique wildlife in Florida, I can't see a reason to leave for Oklahoma unless you are being offered a really, really good job.

Dang Grendal, sorry for your bad fortune. Fortunately my situation is wonderful. I live in Tulsa and in 30 minutes or less, can be outside the influences of the city. Okla is a state that has not been over developed and still maintains its identity and uniquness. I like it here......alot.

 

[bulbboy]

I was born and raised in Oklahoma and have turned down better jobs to stay here.
It's a great place to raise a family and you get all four seasons.
Hunting and fishing are great here as well

 

[deerwhacker444]

Have you seen the movie Sling Blade....? Kinda like that except I don't know anybody who puts Mustard on Biscuits..!


No really,..it's pretty nice. There's good and bad like any state. I was raised here so I'm probably biased. Lived in Texas for a while,...way way too many people around the areas that are worth visiting,..so moved back to OK.

If you're serious about it, go visit Travel Oklahoma and pick out some places you might like to visit. Come out in the Spring and find some festivals (there's lots of stuff going on in the spring) and jump in and talk to some folks. You'll either love it or hate it.

 

[copeje]

I was born and raised an Okie, Okie from Muskogee to be exact. I am a little biased but for good reason. I have worked in about six different states for random periods of time. I love this state and for what you mentioned you wanted to do, I think you would quickly call this place home.

 

[nobuttbrian]

Okla. Has some issues but so does every other state. Lived here my whole life except for a couple stints in Cali. This place is great if you live to hunt and fish. I hunt in the morning fish for a few hours and can go back to hunting. There is also a huge nursing shortage here if you want hospital work. Teachers pay does suck eggs but just stay with the larger more economically districs. Is, union, jenks,broken arrow etc.I have checked housing prices else where and Ok. Is somewhere lowest in the country.
The only thing they kill you on here is taxes. They tax everything here so be ready for that.