Heart of Tulsa v Southie Tulsa

[dbacks fan]

After spending a few days with a family member I now get the divide of people that live in the Tulsa area, and I have to say it's stupid. The family member commented that they have no need to travel north of where 169/Creek and Memorial. Guess I am considered 'adventureist' in the fact that wherever I've lived that I want to know what's beyond that five mile limit of where I live, let alone, when I go somewhere, I want to know whats outside of the area I'm staying in.

[AquaMan]

After spending a few days with a family member I now get the divide of people that live in the Tulsa area, and I have to say it's stupid. The family member commented that they have no need to travel north of where 169/Creek and Memorial. Guess I am considered 'adventureist' in the fact that wherever I've lived that I want to know what's beyond that five mile limit of where I live, let alone, when I go somewhere, I want to know whats outside of the area I'm staying in.

Each area of Tulsa is pretty much self sufficient. Other than North Tulsa which doesn't have many of the basics other parts of the town take for granted. Even so, those services are not that far away. I can understand that they find no need to travel outside their areas and with the cost of fuel and perceived "danger" of not knowing an area they can say something like that.

I like your attitude and identify with it. I have been exploring this city as soon as I could ride a bike or a bus. It surprises me when folks say they have never even been downtown and have lived here for years. But, this is not NY or SF where people may have migrated for the very reason of adventure or excitement. We are more provincial. Provincialism breeds contempt.

[Hoss]

Each area of Tulsa is pretty much self sufficient. Other than North Tulsa which doesn't have many of the basics other parts of the town take for granted. Even so, those services are not that far away. I can understand that they find no need to travel outside their areas and with the cost of fuel and perceived "danger" of not knowing an area they can say something like that.

I like your attitude and identify with it. I have been exploring this city as soon as I could ride a bike or a bus. It surprises me when folks say they have never even been downtown and have lived here for years. But, this is not NY or SF where people may have migrated for the very reason of adventure or excitement. We are more provincial. Provincialism breeds contempt.

I've been probably close to everywhere in this city.  I hate no part of Tulsa, but live near the Traffic Circle and have no need to venture south of 61st most days (I work at 45th and S 129th East Ave, which is usually as far south as I go most days).

What makes me scratch my head are those people that consider "North Tulsa" anything north of 51st Street.

[RecycleMichael]

I drive everywhere. My work has operations in 16 different locations in the Tulsa metro area and I have to go to meetings in all the city halls as well. I also have two kids who combine to play for five different sports teams that have games and practices miles apart.

I try and combine my trips to take advantage of each areas uniqueness. I have bought lunch and/or groceries from almost every local store from Claremore to Coweta to Sand Springs. There is nothing wrong with doing business in your neighborhood but trying suburb vendors can be fun.

[nathanm]

I hate no part of Tulsa

I hate Memorial south of the Creek at certain times of day. Sorry, can't help it. It was bad enough when I lived down there and it has only gotten worse, aside from the sidewalk.

[Red Arrow]

I hate Memorial south of the Creek at certain times of day. Sorry, can't help it. It was bad enough when I lived down there and it has only gotten worse, aside from the sidewalk.

And there is going to be ANOTHER traffic light for access to the new gym or whatever it is on the west side between 101st and 111th just north of WalMart.  Yuck!

I think I have seen about a half a dozen people use the side walk since it opened.  Maybe it should be a toll sidewalk.   

[Hoss]

I hate Memorial south of the Creek at certain times of day. Sorry, can't help it. It was bad enough when I lived down there and it has only gotten worse, aside from the sidewalk.

I dislike it down there, but I don't hate it.  I'm on that side of town very rarely (usually when I go to Savastano's).  I used to live at 91st and Memorial in the early 90s.  That place is night and day now.

[Teatownclown]

I drive everywhere. My work has operations in 16 different locations in the Tulsa metro area and I have to go to meetings in all the city halls as well. I also have two kids who combine to play for five different sports teams that have games and practices miles apart.

I try and combine my trips to take advantage of each areas uniqueness. I have bought lunch and/or groceries from almost every local store from Claremore to Coweta to Sand Springs. There is nothing wrong with doing business in your neighborhood but trying suburb vendors can be fun.

It depends on each family situation. Your ability to flex through all the stress and logistics in dealing with your responsibilities is balanced. It takes unique abilities in this chaotic world.

I too try and combine trips for efficiency. Occasionally,I enjoy stopping into various areas to see what's happening. A good friend of mine in journalism who had to drive all day once advised me to get on the highways here while avoiding the inter city streets even if it meant going 10 miles out of the way and taking 10 minutes longer. I have do's and don'ts. Don't get on Memorial south past the Creek between 3 and 7. Try avoiding midtown between 3:30 and 6:30. Central Tulsa can be more difficult to traverse across than going on the highways. Harvard is a mean street. Why does the rippled road intersections come back every 2 years?

Since 1970, I have always considered 71st Street as the epicenter of Tulsa structured to run from the Arkansas River/75 east to the Verdigris/Creek Turnpike.  When the suburbs are included, I consider Memorial at Woodland Hills the big center (and everything north of 51st IS New North Tulsa). When I think of just the city of Tulsa, I consider the Utica Square/Hillcrest stretch the center albeit real estate demographers would possibly place it at 31st and Harvard. Some would make the case for 41st and Yale with good reason when you look at a map. Now that the street work is completed, it gets a ton of traffic flow. In that Tulsa central grid, Admiral/244 will always be the long stretch Northside east west line with the swiftest movement.

For many years I have used I 44w or 71st to 75n to 244e to get downtown and back. But I love Riverside to get to Utica or South downtown.
Airport's easy. Tulsa developed a nice highway system that enabled great growth south starting in 1990 with 169 and the Creek. Can't wait for some of the much needed South Tulsa retail development to happen but the myriad of 2 lane major arterial streets will slow the trip.

[Red Arrow]

I dislike it down there, but I don't hate it.  I'm on that side of town very rarely (usually when I go to Savastano's).  I used to live at 91st and Memorial in the early 90s.  That place is night and day now.

Try comparing it to the early 70s.  Night and day doesn't even come close.

[dbacks fan]

I guess for me, it's one thing to not want to deal with the inconveniences of going downtown for things that you may have to do, but to put up a barrier as to effectively say that if it's beyond a certain point you just will not do it at all is another. Maybe I was cut from a different cloth, but there is so much to any city or place than where you are. There has been a discussion in between myself and family members that are in Tulsa that if I move back that I should live somewhere in what I consider deep south Tulsa (somewhere between Jenks, Bixby, and Broken Arrow, essentially anything south of 71st and east of Yale) and they are very put out, that, if I could afford it, I would want to live if not in downtown, somewhere near it. I guess a lot of it comes from the fact of living in Phoenix, and spending a lot of time on the west coast, and because I am adventurous, that I am not the type to find someplace and never venture out of that area. Also the former Mrs. Dbacks loved finding mom and pop places, and had "Where do the locals go?" mentality.

I think that my point to all of this is that the family member who has lived in Tulsa for the better part of 50 plus years and has moved continuously south and just closed the door on the rest of Tulsa is missing out on the changes that have been going on, and doesn't even give them a chance, and that's their choice. For me it's completely different, I would choose to be where things are changing and developing.

(off my soap box)

[carltonplace]

I once lived in South Tulsa, everything I needed was within a mile of my house. Then I moved to midtown and now downtown and now I only go south to see my friends that live there, I drive through north Tulsa everyday to work and my mom is in east Tulsa. I certainly prefer the traffic where I am to what they have to deal with out south...but I don't hate any part of Tulsa, there is good and bad in all of the quadrants.

[RecycleMichael]

I love living in east Tulsa. I live just off the Mingo Creek jogging trails which are very nice and underused. I can get on any expressway quickly and there is never any traffic on my street. The wide variety of Mexican and Asian restaurants and groceries are fun to shop in as well.

Best of all, I can afford to have a big house and yard for the half the price of people living 5 miles west of me.

[DolfanBob]

I was born in North Tulsa and then we moved to East Tulsa (31st & 129th) I have lived in South Tulsa twice (51st & Yale & 71st & Yale) Then I moved to Broken Arrow in 83 and have been out here ever since. It is strange to think that B.A. is now big enough to say that I have lived in South B.A. and now East B.A. but it has grown that much.
I would love to be able to live in Downtown Tulsa or even on Riverside. I just havent got the children old enough to make those kind of moves yet. I think Downtown living would be so cool with the lights from the buildings at night and it just seems to be pretty quiet after a certain time of night. And the fireworks on the fourth and from the ball park would be awesome. Oh well thats the dream so far.

[azbadpuppy]

I guess a lot of it comes from the fact of living in Phoenix, and spending a lot of time on the west coast, and because I am adventurous, that I am not the type to find someplace and never venture out of that area.

IMO, Phoenix is worse than Tulsa, in that people that live in the burbs never venture anywhere into Phoenix proper, with the exception of a sporting event or concert. Phoenix is perceived by many suburbanities as dirty, dangerous, and overrun with undesireables. The Phoenix metro is the only large metropolitan area I have ever lived where, when asked where people live, they answer "Scottsdale", or "Chandler", instead of the major city to which those suburbs are attached.

My job permits me to visit all corners of the Valley, and I cannot tell you how many times the managers of businesses in Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, etc, are shocked to find out I live near downtown Phoenix. They always ask me "Isn't it dangerous down there?", and then are even more shocked to find out there are new restaurants, a bowling alley, farmer's market, etc. etc., because they "havent been down there in years". It is so bad here that often when referring to "downtown", Phoenix suburbanites just assume you are talking about downtown Scottsdale. Downtown Phoenix has been neglected for so long, this has become the norm. I find Tulsa to be similar in attitude, but at least geographically Tulsa is more compact, and easier to get around, and you can pretty much be anywhere in the Tulsa metro within 20 minutes, so exploring different areas requires less effort.

People are naturally just more comfortable around similar people with similar lifestyles, tastes, etc. People with small kids often do not want to live near DT due to perception of lack of safety, bad schools, different ethnicities (yes, I actually do hear "aren't there a lot of Mexicans down there?"), etc. Conversely, "urban dwellers" don't necessarily want to live around a bunch of kids, or what they percieve to be a lilly white or homogenous, cookie cutter neighborhood. People are always leery of the different or the unknown, be it justified or not.

Honestly though, I am just as bad. I do not venture out of Central Phoenix unless my job demands it. People cannot drive in the burbs!

[custosnox]

My family moved here in 89, and have sense lived in every part of Tulsa except downtown.  I have recently moved back to East Tulsa from South, but find I like to do some of my shopping in South Tulsa.  If I'm going to a Super Walmart my choice is Ghetto Walmart at Admiral and Memorial, Broken Arrow or South Memorial (can't stand the one at 71st and Memorial).  I avoid Ghetto whenever I can, so I end up in South Tulsa and BA fairly often.  Of course I have school in South Tulsa and in Downtown.  Before gas went through the roof, a buddy of mine and myself used to pass time by cruising around town just chatting.  The car was our place to talk about all the questions of the universe, so the driving would be completely aimless.  I think over the years we drove through almost every neighborhood in Tulsa at some point in time or another.  So while there are a few areas we could certainly do without (61st and Peoria anyone?), I do love this city.