Moving to Tulsa

[maorimama]

My husband and I will be moving to Tulsa at the end of this summer. My husband will attending law school there. Some family members have told us that Tulsa is by far the best city in Oklahoma. We have some friends in Oklahoma City, and they also agreed that Tulsa is a great place. We are planning a trip in the next couple months to find an apartment/house. I have a few questions if anybody is willing to answer them for me.

1)As far as the safest parts of town, which areas would I find to be the best for a small family?

2) Do you know what the average rental apartment/condo/house is like and how much it costs to live there?

3)We are moving from Utah where the communities are very family oriented. What should I except when moving there. Does everybody keep to themselves? I just have no idea what to expect, but I am very excited.[]

4)I'm excited about the diverse cultures in Tulsa (being 1/2 Polynesian myself). I hate asking this, but I did hear that there is still a little bit of racism down south. Will my family have a problem, being bi-racial?

5)What is the weather like? Does it snow a lot? Is it humid or dry? Also, are there lots of insects or rodents? I know I sound like such a baby [:I], but there aren't a lot of insects or rodents in Utah and Wyoming where I grew up.

If you have any other comments, I would greatly appreciate them. I have never been farther east of Wyoming, so I don't know a lot about Tulsa. I'm excited for this new journey though. I have been reading a lot of the postings, and everybody seems very hospitable. []

[mdunn]

Tulsa is a great place to live,as far as racism goes,I think you will find that Tulsans dont fit that bill.Racism exists everywhere,but Tulsa is pretty Diverse.Tulsa is mixed up of many cultures for a mid south city.
I have lived in Utah myself and I found it to be a state that doesnt welcome cultures well.
You wont have any problems in Tulsa!

[USRufnex]

http://www.brokenarrowok.gov/moving/index.htm

quote:One of the most consistent facts about Broken Arrow over the past 40 years is that it's always changing!

From the time we became a real "town" in 1903 until the mid-1960s, Broken Arrow's population remained fairly constant -- from a few hundred to a few thousand. When the Broken Arrow Expressway opened in the mid-1960s, however, things changed...and just kept on changing.

With all that changing and with a continuing population boom, however, one thing hasn't changed, and that's the level of public safety in Broken Arrow. We were rated the state's Safest City in 2004 and No. 46 in the nation, based on major crime reports in cities of 75,000 or more. In 2006 Broken Arrow again earned the rating of Oklahoma's Safest City and was ranked No. 20 nationally!

Midtown has some beautiful older homes but has crime about the same as (if not higher than) the rest of Tulsa...
http://www.bestplaces.net/zip-code/default.aspx?cat=CRIME&zip=74114&city=Tulsa_OK

I know zip codes aren't a great barometer of exact crime stats in particular neighborhoods, but 74114 is the zip code for Cascia Hall/Midtown/31st & Harvard...

Put in different zips and click on "Crime"...
74014 is east Broken Arrow, 74012 and 74011 are west... not a real fan of Broken Arrow because the school district seems determined to have a separate school for every grade rather than 2-3 high schools the population seems to dictate...

74037 Jenks is a good affordable town with a strong school district...

74055 Owasso has grown by leaps and bounds...

74017 Claremore is county seat for the fastest growing county in the state (Rogers)...

Sand Springs 74063 and Sapulpa 74066 have their own charm, and still have crime rates significantly lower than Tulsa's...

I now live in Tulsa and take exception to the idea that midtown has less crime than the rest of the city... another older area of town is the 74105 zip... I live in east Tulsa, the area so many from midtown seem to be afraid of (74146)... even the "notorious" northside has crime stats not all that different than the rest of the city-- 74106 (Booker T Wash HS) and 74126...

I've been living just fine in a jr. one bdr apt for about $340 a month plus gas/electric since October...

You can drive all across Tulsa and find lots of different housing choices...

[Cassiddie]

Tulsa is a nice city.  Weather is great in the summer.  Love the sunset view in the summer.  My friends rent some apartments between 11th & 41st streets.  For a 3 bedroom, cost them about $600 a month which is not that bad.  When you moved to Tulsa and you can email me with any questions @ cassidie1@yahoo.com.

[iplaw]

This has to be the 4th or 5th "Moving to Tulsa" thread we've had in the last week or two.  Have we ever thought of making a Sticky Thread for a generic topic like this?

[maorimama]

Wow! Thank you to those of you who replied to my inquiries. I didn't expect so much information! It has helped out so much. My husband and I have been doing a ton of research, and most of it was based off of the information we received for this forum. If anybody has any more advice, please let me know. Thank you again.

[sauerkraut]

Indeed, housing costs are low in Tulsa. My favorite part is the west Tulsa area such as around OakHurst across the River (SouthWest Blvd). It has classic old time charm. North Tulsa is the worse area for crime and Tulsa does have that MS13 violent street gang. Tulsa's best thing is the RiverSide jogging trail, being a hardcore runner I love Tulsa's jog/bike trails.. Tulsa homes have no basements for the most part and termites are a issue. Sadly the area does get bitter cold in winter and snows happen, but it useually does not last long. Tulsa's summers are great lots of blue skys and warm mild temps, it offten stays above 90 degrees so you can spend alot of time out doors soaking up the SunShine or jogging on the many trails.. In Winter they offten just sand the icy streets not much road salt is used. The one drawback is Oklahoma has alot of toll roads and if you travel alot it can be a hassle and the costs can add up to a pretty penny on your budget. To sum it up in my opion Tulsa is a winner. A great place to call home. The economy is also strong. Tulsa is also close to Dallas and Kansas City

[Monnie]

My family and I moved to Tulsa early last summer and we love it. We live in the area of 36th and Yale. Houses are reasonable here and the schools are good. You can choose from priveat to public all within walking distance. The weather is great and the peole are friendly. We moved from the true south and compared to there I have seen very little bigotry. Make sure you get involved in a church right away as it will give your children an instant group of friends. 1st Presbyterian Downtown and Soutminster in midtown are 2 great churches with fantastic programs for both chilren and youth and young adults. Southminster is smaller and growing but if you want a larger church try 1st. Like I said we love it here.

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by Monnie

My family and I moved to Tulsa early last summer and we love it. We live in the area of 36th and Yale. Houses are reasonable here and the schools are good. You can choose from priveat to public all within walking distance. The weather is great and the peole are friendly. We moved from the true south and compared to there I have seen very little bigotry. Make sure you get involved in a church right away as it will give your children an instant group of friends. 1st Presbyterian Downtown and Soutminster in midtown are 2 great churches with fantastic programs for both chilren and youth and young adults. Southminster is smaller and growing but if you want a larger church try 1st. Like I said we love it here.

Yes, Tulsa has alot to offer. I like the RiverSide jogging trail myself. I'm a hard core running nut. Tulsa also has milder weather than other cities to the North. Housing costs are very reasonable. The thing I don't like is paying sales tax on food items. Most states do not have sales tax on food. The toll roads are also a pain.

[cannon_fodder]

WELCOME TO TULSA!

I am a recent graduate of the University of Tulsa College of Law and moved here for that reason. Let me assure you, you wont be the first Utes to move to Tulsa for law school - I graduated with 6.  5 of which moved here with their families.

Now for your questions:

1) The area South of campus is a fine place for families.  I live near the corner of 28th and Harvard and couldnt be happier.  I was 5 minutes from campus and 5 minutes from downtown (where your husband will clerk).  My wife, 7 yr old son and I bought a 1200 sq. ft. house with a 2 stall garage for $84,000.  Currently it is worth more like $100,000 but we got lucky with the market and the buyers situation.

2)  Anyway, that means housing is CHEAP!  You should be able to find a nice 2 bedroom apartment for $700 or rent a house for around $1000 in a decent neighborhood within biking distance of campus.   The University Apartments are pretty nice and I know families that lived there - though the benefits of simplicity and convenience are offset by cost and living amidst college students.

In my opinion, based on the my experience and the students I went to school with, I would live IN TULSA.  Driving in from a suburb makes it a pain the neck to come to school, work, study group, grab a book or whatever.  If its a 20 - 30 minute drive to school you will not be going home for supper your first year (otherwise you drive an hour only to be back where you started).  My routine often brought me from my house, to downtown, to school, to home for supper with the family, and back to school.  All within 5 minutes of each other where I lived and very convenient.

If you are looking at specific properties feel free to ask on this bored.  People will respond honestly and may even venture out to look at it for you (with picture goodness)!  A google search will put you in touch with some apartment guides for the area (apartment & Tulsa).

3) I moved here from Iowa, which I believe is well known to be a friendly state.  I was impressed with the friendliness of Tulsans for it being a larger city.  If you wave, people wave back.  If you talk to someone on the street corner they are more likely to talk back than to look at you like you are crazy.

In my neighborhood, people pretty well keep to themselves.  If I see a neighbor outside on a nice day (its been 70F-ish here the last couple of weeks) we will chat a bit, but otherwise just let each other be.  My neighborhood is a true-middle class area (not 'upper middle class suburbia) with blacks, whites, Hispanics, and indians all within 3 doors of me.  2 retired couples, a few families, some singles... old, young, and middle aged.  A pretty good mix and nice and quite. Damn happy there.

4) Which is an excellent segway into your racial question.  In my opinion you will find Tulsa a racially diverse city (coming from Utah, where the most racially diverse city, SLC, is 80% white).  Statistically speaking the city is:
White:  70%
Black: 15%
Hispanic: 7% (usually assumed to be higher)
Indian: 5%
Asian: 2%
Other: 1% (Im sorry to report that pacific islander is only .02%)

I have not seen any overt racism since I have been here.  Tulsa was a destination for freed slaves, forced relocation of indians, and wild caters seeking oil - so all kinds came and stayed.  Currently, I would have to say the black population is under represented as it seems to be largely self-segregated on the North Side of the city (North of I-244).  But that's a whole other discussion.

Per your concern:  No, I do not think you will have a problem as a member of a bi-racial family.

To clear up one small issue; most people here dont consider Tulsa to be part of the south.  Nor would Southerners consider anything West of Little Rock to be part of the South.  Tulsa is east of the west, north of the South (and Texas), and apparently just outside the Midwest.  If forced to label it, I call it Midwestern.  It has more in common with Des Moines than Charlotte - socially speaking.

5) The weather is wildly varied.  Last Xmas I wore shorts, this Xmas I went skiing down my street. The last few weeks it has been in 60-70F as a high, but it could snow again as winter fades away.

BUT, statistically speaking by month:
Avg. Max Temperature    1)45.4    2)51.0    3)62.1    4)73.0    5)79.7    6)87.7    7)93.7    8)92.5    9)83.6    10)73.8 11)60.3 12)48.8    annual: 71.0
Avg. Min Temperature    1)24.9    2)29.5    3)39.1    4)49.9    5)58.8    6)67.7    7)72.8    8)70.6    9)63.0    10)50.7 11)39.5 12)28.9    annual: 49.6

In my opinion its pretty nice.  It gets hot for a while in the summer and cold for a while in the winter - but no seasonal extremes would bore me.  The humidity isnt usually bad.  It usually is not too dry in the winter nor the summer in my opinion.  Our springs tend to be the wet parts of the year with fantastic thunderstorms and showers - while the end of the summer can be very dry.  A little west of here and it tends to be WAY dry after the springs and everything goes brown.

We do have bugs and some rodents (by the way - I've been rodent hunting in Cody before and assure you Wyoming has rodents).  Nothing out of the ordinary (we arent a swamp or anything - most of the time).  It isnt San Francisco (wher eyou dont need screens on your windows) but it isnt Orlando (where you can be carried away at night by bugs).  Rodents arent really a problem wither - I'll get a mouse in my garage during the winter after all the bird seed and such, but no real problems.
-------------------------------

Now you:

a) How small of a small family?  What ages are you children?

b) Where in Utah are you moving from?  Do you know any of the guys that I may have graduated with (not sure if they have them back in Utah as alumni ambassadors or something)?

-----------

If you have any additional questions, feel free to PM me and I will be happy to answer them.  

I have a 7 year old boy, so if it works out I would be happy to have you over for some BBQ when you are in town.  Its always fun to meet interesting people.

Also, if/when your husband is in law school and wants some help... I'd be happy to give him my email and outlines (trust me, he will want them).  Just private message here and we will work it out.

[citizen72]

Lived in Chimney Hills in South Tulsa (91st & Sheridan)for twenty six years and love it. Real quite and everything you need is within a couple of mile radius. Nearly '0' crime rate around us.

[brunoflipper]

zombie thread....