Tulsa metro population growth.

[D-TownTulsan]

     As a Razorback Alum, You really started to get a sense of "funky" over there (That REALLY started to kick into high gear just after I graduated in 2015)...

      I think what is making NWA so successful, besides Walmart/Tyson/JB Hunt, is how overall brand-able they've made the region:  Obvious things like The Ozarks definitely help cater to the hipster crowd, as well as provide your backwoods-y fix (Think Fayettchill), The University (Which a lot of out of state-ers decide to stay after graduation), and a wave of cool arts and architecture that scream "Ozark Vernacular". But I also think a major factor is how surprising the area is... That is whenever I have shown friends from out of state, esp. California the area, the common response is something along the lines of "THAT'S in ARKANSAS?". There is definitely an unspoken "cool" factor you get there. It's also unique I think in that instead of one city with suburbs, you get the suburb "sized" cities that work together to support the region as a whole, Rather than throwing tiffs on who gets an outlet mall...

     Tulsa is almost there (I think). Every time I come back home to visit I get a sense that it is on a tipping point of population growth. It just needs some brand-able "cool" factors that it can capitalize on! We have an insane music culture/history, a unique blend of south/southwest/cowboy/old oil time cultures, and art deco like nobody's seen. The list goes on and on, but, the problem I think, is that we only tell ourselves this, and not the rest of the country. Or if we have, we are not doing a good job with it. It's almost like try, then get told to hush, then run away like a dog with it's tail in between it's legs because we can't justify how "cool" the city actually is. I say this because I am a culprit myself down here in Dallas, running around, flailing arms, talking about Tulsa all the time.

[Rattle Trap]

   Tulsa is almost there (I think). Every time I come back home to visit I get a sense that it is on a tipping point of population growth. It just needs some brand-able "cool" factors that it can capitalize on! We have an insane music culture/history, a unique blend of south/southwest/cowboy/old oil time cultures, and art deco like nobody's seen. The list goes on and on, but, the problem I think, is that we only tell ourselves this, and not the rest of the country. Or if we have, we are not doing a good job with it. It's almost like try, then get told to hush, then run away like a dog with it's tail in between it's legs because we can't justify how "cool" the city actually is. I say this because I am a culprit myself down here in Dallas, running around, flailing arms, talking about Tulsa all the time.

I agree with this. People outside of the state or region barely remember that Tulsa exists, much less know anything about the city or region. I work with many people from out of state and they can't believe such a "small" city has the music scene, arts, outdoors culture, etc. We have here.

Just the other day I saw Bynum share a post that Tulsa was a finalist for the iron man triathalon and someone literally asked where on earth you could swim around Tulsa, implying there are no bodies of water in this flat prairie, even though NE Oklahoma has some of the best and most concentrated lakes in the country.

[D-TownTulsan]

I agree with this. People outside of the state or region barely remember that Tulsa exists, much less know anything about the city or region. I work with many people from out of state and they can't believe such a "small" city has the music scene, arts, outdoors culture, etc. We have here.

Just the other day I saw Bynum share a post that Tulsa was a finalist for the iron man triathalon and someone literally asked where on earth you could swim around Tulsa, implying there are no bodies of water in this flat prairie, even though NE Oklahoma has some of the best and most concentrated lakes in the country.

My life down here in a nutshell! I recently had some fellow coworkers return from a business trip to Tulsa and were just blown away. I wanted so badly to do the whole "I told you so" rant but decided that would come off as I'm defending the city, which always feels like that's the case. We'll get there though.

[SXSW]

     As a Razorback Alum, You really started to get a sense of "funky" over there (That REALLY started to kick into high gear just after I graduated in 2015)...

      I think what is making NWA so successful, besides Walmart/Tyson/JB Hunt, is how overall brand-able they've made the region:  Obvious things like The Ozarks definitely help cater to the hipster crowd, as well as provide your backwoods-y fix (Think Fayettchill), The University (Which a lot of out of state-ers decide to stay after graduation), and a wave of cool arts and architecture that scream "Ozark Vernacular". But I also think a major factor is how surprising the area is... That is whenever I have shown friends from out of state, esp. California the area, the common response is something along the lines of "THAT'S in ARKANSAS?". There is definitely an unspoken "cool" factor you get there. It's also unique I think in that instead of one city with suburbs, you get the suburb "sized" cities that work together to support the region as a whole, Rather than throwing tiffs on who gets an outlet mall...

     Tulsa is almost there (I think). Every time I come back home to visit I get a sense that it is on a tipping point of population growth. It just needs some brand-able "cool" factors that it can capitalize on! We have an insane music culture/history, a unique blend of south/southwest/cowboy/old oil time cultures, and art deco like nobody's seen. The list goes on and on, but, the problem I think, is that we only tell ourselves this, and not the rest of the country. Or if we have, we are not doing a good job with it. It's almost like try, then get told to hush, then run away like a dog with it's tail in between it's legs because we can't justify how "cool" the city actually is. I say this because I am a culprit myself down here in Dallas, running around, flailing arms, talking about Tulsa all the time.

Tying into their branding would be a good start.  Tulsa is definitely more heavily influenced by the Ozark vernacular (forests, hills, rivers, lakes) than to the prairie/ranching vernacular of the central and western portions of Oklahoma.  Those that have been to Tulsa understand this and you often get "oh yeah Tulsa is in the pretty part of Oklahoma".  Those into biking also know Tulsa because of Tulsa Tough and the river trails, and mountain bikers in the region know about Turkey Mountain. 

The arts and music scene and river parks and trails are things to build a brand around but you can only do so much.  A growing city/metro increases momentum and does a better job than any of getting the word out.  That goes back to making the Tulsa economy more resilient and diversified, and increasing the number of knowledge workers to balance out the manufacturing and energy sectors.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I agree with this. People outside of the state or region barely remember that Tulsa exists, much less know anything about the city or region. I work with many people from out of state and they can't believe such a "small" city has the music scene, arts, outdoors culture, etc. We have here.

Just the other day I saw Bynum share a post that Tulsa was a finalist for the iron man triathalon and someone literally asked where on earth you could swim around Tulsa, implying there are no bodies of water in this flat prairie, even though NE Oklahoma has some of the best and most concentrated lakes in the country.

We have more shoreline than any other state.  Well, except for Minnesota and Alaska.  (Sorry, Michigan, you aren't even close!)

And great lakes!!

Oklahoma has 11,611 miles of shoreline, more than the combined non-tidal coasts of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

https://newsok.com/article/3172542/100-amazing-facts-about-oklahoma

[Oil Capital]

We have more shoreline than any other state.  Well, except for Minnesota and Alaska.  (Sorry, Michigan, you aren't even close!)

And great lakes!!

Oklahoma has 11,611 miles of shoreline, more than the combined non-tidal coasts of the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.

https://newsok.com/article/3172542/100-amazing-facts-about-oklahoma

https://www.405magazine.com/April-2016/Oklahomyths-Shoreline-Sadness/

[D-TownTulsan]

Another thing I was thinking about coming into work this morning, is that Tulsa is doing a great job revitalizing it's downtown. Outside of the Gathering Place and some other midtown developments, the rest of the city "feels" sort of stagnant. I know that is painting a broad brush, and I hope that I am wrong, but there seems to be this attitude around town that is, "why should we fix something when it's not going to change anything or show an immediate impact."

Tulsans (including myself) will be quick to point out the strides downtown and around that area that have been made, but I think we need to push the rest of the city to have the same idea. That way there is a more holistic attitude about the city, because, I think that the lagging "appearance" the rest of the city has, is what's perceived by the rest of the country about Tulsa. I think that would attract more people along with those "elusive" non manufacturing-sector jobs. Not every company on the move is looking to be downtown, but why should they be interested in any other part of the city if we aren't ourselves?

Hell, the other day I ran across an Instagram post from the city of Tulsa discussing landscape regulations at intersections, adding more planting/ trees to what would typically be a concrete edge with a giant gas or drive through bank sign. To me that is HUGE! a city-wide beautification would be amazing and be a direct reflection on our people. Steps like that, I believe would create a sense of camaraderie throughout the city, instead of just leaning on downtown to make us look cool.

Goodness by now I feel like I'm just going on a Tulsa rant!

[TheArtist]

Love the idea of more citywide beautification along major roadways and intersections.

I think Tulsa is reaching a turning point where it's becoming a more "solid" and interesting city.

1.  Downtown is "decent" now.  A little more infill will go a long way to fleshing out several areas which still can feel small, broken up with empty spots, and isolated.  But we are so close to getting there.  (am interested to see what Kaiser has in store for the new development in the Arts District, could make a big impact there, and would really like to see the Santa Fe Square or PAC property developed)

2.  We have some great museums and am very interested to see what Gilcrease does to upgrade itself.

3.  Tourism.  This one I think has a lot of potential and has been a missing factor that has been sitting right there untapped for a long time.  Glad to see the city, state, and other local groups championing Route 66.  That corridor has some fun potential that can not only make the city more attractive for tourists, but give another bit of pride and enjoyment to those who already live here, and act as another thing to put Tulsa on the radar nationally (which can help draw people and businesses).  The Gathering Place helps with tourism and local "things to do" as well.  It's been a great thing to show people when they visit.  Plus we have our Art Deco and architectural heritage to play off of (multiple tours stop into my shop just about every day or so now), we have some great nearby lakes (would be nice to see some big resorts develop on them), the trail system, downtown and its music/dining/entertainment venues. OK POP will be a nice addition. Hopefully someday I will be able to create my dream DECOPOLIS.  We could rock it with fun Tourism things to do.  Oh, almost forgot the Zoo, Oklahoma Aquarium, Tulsa Air and Space Museum, Botanical Gardens, etc.

4.  The Gathering Place, River Parks, Turkey Mountain, nearby lakes and parks, Botanical Gardens, etc. can really begin to show off our natural beauty, interest and activity potential.

Just move all of that forward a little bit more and wrap it up in a nice promotional package.  We could be looking good!   (and of course continue working on educational and infrastructure improvements, while promoting local unique businesses)

[DTowner]

Another thing I was thinking about coming into work this morning, is that Tulsa is doing a great job revitalizing it's downtown. Outside of the Gathering Place and some other midtown developments, the rest of the city "feels" sort of stagnant. I know that is painting a broad brush, and I hope that I am wrong, but there seems to be this attitude around town that is, "why should we fix something when it's not going to change anything or show an immediate impact."

Tulsans (including myself) will be quick to point out the strides downtown and around that area that have been made, but I think we need to push the rest of the city to have the same idea. That way there is a more holistic attitude about the city, because, I think that the lagging "appearance" the rest of the city has, is what's perceived by the rest of the country about Tulsa. I think that would attract more people along with those "elusive" non manufacturing-sector jobs. Not every company on the move is looking to be downtown, but why should they be interested in any other part of the city if we aren't ourselves?

Hell, the other day I ran across an Instagram post from the city of Tulsa discussing landscape regulations at intersections, adding more planting/ trees to what would typically be a concrete edge with a giant gas or drive through bank sign. To me that is HUGE! a city-wide beautification would be amazing and be a direct reflection on our people. Steps like that, I believe would create a sense of camaraderie throughout the city, instead of just leaning on downtown to make us look cool.

Goodness by now I feel like I'm just going on a Tulsa rant!

I suspect the slow degradation of many parts of Tulsa is closely connected to slow population growth in Tulsa proper over the past 2 decades (along with aging retail infrastructure and growing suburban big box stores).  Those who gentrify declining or stagnant neighborhoods and retail areas are often newcomers to a city.  It is strangely ironic to watch 3rd and 6th Streets between downtown and Lewis rapidly transform themselves while at the same time seeing Harvard between 15th and 31st steadily decline.  It seems we simply aren't growing fast enough to support dynamic revitalization in more than just a few locations at a time.

[DTowner]

Love the idea of more citywide beautification along major roadways and intersections.

I think Tulsa is reaching a turning point where it's becoming a more "solid" and interesting city.

1.  Downtown is "decent" now.  A little more infill will go a long way to fleshing out several areas which still can feel small, broken up with empty spots, and isolated.  But we are so close to getting there.  (am interested to see what Kaiser has in store for the new development in the Arts District, could make a big impact there, and would really like to see the Santa Fe Square or PAC property developed)

2.  We have some great museums and am very interested to see what Gilcrease does to upgrade itself.

3.  Tourism.  This one I think has a lot of potential and has been a missing factor that has been sitting right there untapped for a long time.  Glad to see the city, state, and other local groups championing Route 66.  That corridor has some fun potential that can not only make the city more attractive for tourists, but give another bit of pride and enjoyment to those who already live here, and act as another thing to put Tulsa on the radar nationally (which can help draw people and businesses).  The Gathering Place helps with tourism and local "things to do" as well.  It's been a great thing to show people when they visit.  Plus we have our Art Deco and architectural heritage to play off of (multiple tours stop into my shop just about every day or so now), we have some great nearby lakes (would be nice to see some big resorts develop on them), the trail system, downtown and its music/dining/entertainment venues. OK POP will be a nice addition. Hopefully someday I will be able to create my dream DECOPOLIS.  We could rock it with fun Tourism things to do.  Oh, almost forgot the Zoo, Oklahoma Aquarium, Tulsa Air and Space Museum, Botanical Gardens, etc.

4.  The Gathering Place, River Parks, Turkey Mountain, nearby lakes and parks, Botanical Gardens, etc. can really begin to show off our natural beauty, interest and activity potential.

Just move all of that forward a little bit more and wrap it up in a nice promotional package.  We could be looking good!   (and of course continue working on educational and infrastructure improvements, while promoting local unique businesses)

Tourism is a key driver, but what are we doing to actually get the word out about all the cool/fun things there are to do in Tulsa?  I see TV ads all the time imploring me to visit Arkansas, Missouri, Springfield, MO, and Wichita.  When I'm in Missouri visiting family I've never seen a tourism ad for Oklahoma or Tulsa. 

It wasn't that long ago that getting transferred to Tulsa was literally the punchline of a joke on "Friends."  Things have changed a lot in Tulsa since then, but if we don't tell folks how awesome we are now, how are they going to know?

[TheArtist]

Tourism is a key driver, but what are we doing to actually get the word out about all the cool/fun things there are to do in Tulsa?  I see TV ads all the time imploring me to visit Arkansas, Missouri, Springfield, MO, and Wichita.  When I'm in Missouri visiting family I've never seen a tourism ad for Oklahoma or Tulsa. 

It wasn't that long ago that getting transferred to Tulsa was literally the punchline of a joke on "Friends."  Things have changed a lot in Tulsa since then, but if we don't tell folks how awesome we are now, how are they going to know?

Thing is I don't think we are "awesome" just yet. Decent, nice with good potential, yes.  Awesome, we will be able to pull off just a little bit down the road.  2-3 years down the road perhaps which is closer than we have been in my lifetime.  (barring the economy does not nosedive and we continue to lose population)

[D-TownTulsan]

Tourism is a key driver, but what are we doing to actually get the word out about all the cool/fun things there are to do in Tulsa?  I see TV ads all the time imploring me to visit Arkansas, Missouri, Springfield, MO, and Wichita.  When I'm in Missouri visiting family I've never seen a tourism ad for Oklahoma or Tulsa. 

It wasn't that long ago that getting transferred to Tulsa was literally the punchline of a joke on "Friends."  Things have changed a lot in Tulsa since then, but if we don't tell folks how awesome we are now, how are they going to know?

Agreed, we tend to get stuck in an echo-chamber of telling ourselves how far we have gotten, but haven't done a good job of getting the word out. Honestly, though not the most modest, I wouldn't mind what Dallas is doing with their "BIG" Billboards they have (had?) around Tulsa and Little Rock. We would have to think of some damn good single worded quotes though, and "BIG" is kinda hard to top. Everyone would hate seeing anything Oklahoma related being advertised down here, besides the casino in Durant, but hey it would get the conversation going!

[Red Arrow]

It wasn't that long ago that getting transferred to Tulsa was literally the punchline of a joke on "Friends." 

Reminds me of another joke (I don't remember the source) where the 1st prize in a contest was a week in Philadelphia (PA).  2nd prize was 2 weeks.

[heironymouspasparagus]

https://www.405magazine.com/April-2016/Oklahomyths-Shoreline-Sadness/

So do we believe the Wildlife Dept or the Water Resources Board??    Dilemmas, dilemmas....  55,000 vs 11,000...  (I had not heard that 55k thing before!)

And the non-tidal coasts of the Atlantic qualifier and Gulf takes out a whole lot of bayou in LA.  It's all pickin' and choosin' what conditions one wants to compare to.  (Not to be confused with pickin' and grinnin'...!)  Almost a religious event!

I don't really care about that kinda stuff - we have so much good stuff here, particularly in NE OK, who cares about coast!!  I'm gonna keep going around the state doing stuff, visiting people and places, and try to get out of state business associates to come visit sometime!  Have pretty much given up on getting any family to move back here (there is only 1 "maybe" in the batch), but will consider it a big success if can get one outsider to come visit and decide to stay!

[Conan71]

Tying into their branding would be a good start.  Tulsa is definitely more heavily influenced by the Ozark vernacular (forests, hills, rivers, lakes) than to the prairie/ranching vernacular of the central and western portions of Oklahoma.  Those that have been to Tulsa understand this and you often get "oh yeah Tulsa is in the pretty part of Oklahoma".  Those into biking also know Tulsa because of Tulsa Tough and the river trails, and mountain bikers in the region know about Turkey Mountain. 

The arts and music scene and river parks and trails are things to build a brand around but you can only do so much.  A growing city/metro increases momentum and does a better job than any of getting the word out.  That goes back to making the Tulsa economy more resilient and diversified, and increasing the number of knowledge workers to balance out the manufacturing and energy sectors.

I was told that 30 years ago as Wal-Mart was really becoming such a dominant global retailer they began to require their vendors have reps live in the Bentonville area.  There was some reluctance as it was seen as sleepy and backwoods.  Finally, it was asked what would make younger professionals want to live in NWA?  It boiled down to quality of life assets and that is what they have done.

One thing we really miss about living in Tulsa is being only a couple of hours or so from the Bentonville area.  We loved the bike trails in the area- soft and paved and Crystal Bridges Museum is just stunning.  The livability and hip factor have gone up a great deal in 30 years and there are plenty of high paying jobs to make it even more attractive.

It is puzzling the amount of growth in NWA vs. Tulsa as Tulsa has had many of those quality of life assets for decades longer- we started our river trail system in the early 1970's.  We've had great museums for even longer, great area lakes, etc.  What are other reasons a company would pick NWA over Tulsa?  Or is all the growth related to activity with Wal-Mart, Hunt, and Tyson?