Thinking of moving back to Tulsa

[Vincent Payne]

Howdy ! I moved away from Tulsa to Washington State back in 95. Pretty scenery, cool climate but my god...... it was so expensive and difficult to live here in 95, it is amazing to how much worse it has gotten over the years. Housing and crazy taxes aimed at the working middle class are turning everyone there into the working poor. I am planning on returning to my home of birth soon, I was just looking for some pro's and con's about how Tulsa is today after so long. 

[TheArtist]

What kind of housing/lifestyle "urban,suburban, single, married with kids, etc." do you prefer or have?   

[Conan71]

Howdy ! I moved away from Tulsa to Washington State back in 95. Pretty scenery, cool climate but my god...... it was so expensive and difficult to live here in 95, it is amazing to how much worse it has gotten over the years. Housing and crazy taxes aimed at the working middle class are turning everyone there into the working poor. I am planning on returning to my home of birth soon, I was just looking for some pro's and con's about how Tulsa is today after so long. 

We don't want interlopers here. Beat it.

Seriously:

If you haven't returned for a visit in the last 17 years, you are going to be shocked at how much different a place it is.  The downtown are is very vibrant and very much a destination for work, entertainment, dining, and slowly but surely living and shopping.  Of course, sprawl has continued out into the burbs as well.  Our cost of living is amongst the lowest in the nation, housing is reasonable, and the employment picture is great.

What sort of work would you be looking for when you return?

[Townsend]

Pro - Still cheap to live here.

You can drive anywhere in town within 30 minutes.

Downtown has made some progress as far as development.

Con -Hate to sound negative

Heads up: pay no attention to the poster "Sauerkraut".  He'll baste you in his juices of crazy.

[Vincent Payne]

I am 43 years old. In a serious relationship, not married yet but planning on it. I have been in the medical field all my life. I am qualified for several different fields. I am looking to buy a house and settle down. Its why I have given up on Washington. The prices for homes here are completely distorted. You can't even buy a run down double wide for less then 50 thousands here. I can't bring myself to pay the price for homes in this state. I want to come home for that reason as the primary one. Plus there is the sin tax, the liquor tax, the new energy tax, and they keep adding on more. I am hoping the crime and meth problem is not as bad as some people say. I guess id like to know where I can get a affordable home in a non meth/ghetto area. Doesn't even have to be in Tulsa proper.

[Townsend]

I am 43 years old. In a serious relationship, not married yet but planning on it. I have been in the medical field all my life. I am qualified for several different fields. I am looking to buy a house and settle down. Its why I have given up on Washington. The prices for homes here are completely distorted. You can't even buy a run down double wide for less then 50 thousands here. I can't bring myself to pay the price for homes in this state. I want to come home for that reason as the primary one. Plus there is the sin tax, the liquor tax, the new energy tax, and they keep adding on more. I am hoping the crime and meth problem is not as bad as some people say. I guess id like to know where I can get a affordable home in a non meth/ghetto area. Doesn't even have to be in Tulsa proper.

What is "affordable"?

http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Tulsa-County-OK/757_rid/36.608362,-95.308456,35.670127,-96.751785_rect/9_zm/1_fr/

[RecycleMichael]

Welcome back. Let us know when you arrive.

We have TulsaNow lunches every five or six weeks. Attend one and I will buy your meal.

[AquaMan]

I like it here. Chances are wherever you go you'll find stuff to dislike and we're no different. Heat, low pay, political intolerance and of course, tornadoes. We have a reputation as being friendly but clannish with newcomers. Get a dog, ride a bike, run or join a mainstream church, refrain from talking politics and you'll be fine.

But there is a lot happening here even though the population is aging. Lots of medical jobs in the near downtown and midtown area. The housing in the old areas like Maple Ridge, Brookside and Brady is probably quite affordable compared to where you are and the burbs will seem like cheap castles. Taxes are pretty low though we never admit it lest they raise them.

Good article this morning in the Tulsa World with Mayor Bartlett, Mayor candidate Kathy Taylor and city councillor Blake Ewing about economic development in the area and strategies to deal with Tulsa's changing demographics.

You can buy my house.....uh....$2.5 million (west coast dollars) ought to seal the deal. Seriously, a nicely updated and well constructed 2200 ft home on my block in Maple Ridge was just sold. Asking price $295,000.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I am 43 years old. In a serious relationship, not married yet but planning on it. I have been in the medical field all my life. I am qualified for several different fields. I am looking to buy a house and settle down. Its why I have given up on Washington. The prices for homes here are completely distorted. You can't even buy a run down double wide for less then 50 thousands here. I can't bring myself to pay the price for homes in this state. I want to come home for that reason as the primary one. Plus there is the sin tax, the liquor tax, the new energy tax, and they keep adding on more. I am hoping the crime and meth problem is not as bad as some people say. I guess id like to know where I can get a affordable home in a non meth/ghetto area. Doesn't even have to be in Tulsa proper.

Do yourself a favor and take an extended vacation - couple months - to visit for a while.  If you have an RV, bring it to "camp" in.  I have a brother in Seattle who says almost word for word exactly what you are saying.  He comes here 4 to 5 times a year, gets his 'dose' of the RWRE lifestyle and hightails it home.  

You will find this to be very different from what you have become accustomed to - looking around here, you can see the discussions - no Costco, no Pike Place Market, no ocean.  Much of what you are used to is not available, including the overall attitude of the people.

As for taxes, brother is in a house on 5 acres (Vashon) that cost $40,000 to build in 1982.  Property taxes are now over $900 a MONTH.  If they continue on the same curve they have been on, they are projected to be about $2,400 a month by his retirement age (15 yrs or so).

Meth is endemic - big problem everywhere.  It is in Tulsa, Owasso, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Union,....all the schools are rife.  We play with bandaids.  Drunk driving is an epidemic which no one will give more than platitudes for solution.  If you still have a lot of "good ole boy" in you, you are fine.  How is the future Mrs. with all that?

Having said all that, I love it here except for the heat in summer and the vicious cold (at times) in winter, and the fervent desire we have manifested to drive Oklahoma to the bottom in all things that make life better for citizens, and drive to the top in too many things that make it worse.  I am here for the duration, with side trips as often as possible to more civilized realms.  Love the spring storms!!  

Read through all this site that you can stand and you will get an idea of how the upper middle class thinks/lives here.  Not too many really poor people on this site - at least to post, so this won't give you much input from the lower income groups.

[Vincent Payne]

I was born and raised in Tulsa. Ive just been gone for awhile, so I am not worried about the clannish thing. I even have family still there. A dog sounds great, hate political conversations, not interested in churches..... All I am looking for is a small quiet place to settle down. And a home that won't be a debt slave for the rest of what I have left of a life. I am just sick of crime where I live currently, and the only safe places to live are disgustingly over priced. I am looking for a home in the 60 to 100 grand range. I have about 40K I could put down on a home. I was looking at Mannford today. Only 20 miles from Tulsa and one of the lowest crime rates in the state. Ive driven through it before when I lived in Tulsa and it always seemed quiet. I also saw homes there right within my range. At the moment it is probably my target destination. I have been gone for awhile, anyone know anything about Mannford that has changed in the last 17 years ?

[heironymouspasparagus]

I was born and raised in Tulsa. Ive just been gone for awhile, so I am not worried about the clannish thing. I even have family still there. A dog sounds great, hate political conversations, not interested in churches..... All I am looking for is a small quiet place to settle down. And a home that won't be a debt slave for the rest of what I have left of a life. I am just sick of crime where I live currently, and the only safe places to live are disgustingly over priced. I am looking for a home in the 60 to 100 grand range. I have about 40K I could put down on a home. I was looking at Mannford today. Only 20 miles from Tulsa and one of the lowest crime rates in the state. Ive driven through it before when I lived in Tulsa and it always seemed quiet. I also saw homes there right within my range. At the moment it is probably my target destination. I have been gone for awhile, anyone know anything about Mannford that has changed in the last 17 years ?

Like everywhere else...much has, much has not.  Mannford area burned up pretty bad a couple years ago in wildfires.  Still has that big mudhole right at edge of town to run around in your boat.  (Keystone).

We have looked a little around Skiatook...kind of like Mannford, but growing fast, with a cleaner lake.

[Conan71]

I was born and raised in Tulsa. Ive just been gone for awhile, so I am not worried about the clannish thing. I even have family still there. A dog sounds great, hate political conversations, not interested in churches..... All I am looking for is a small quiet place to settle down. And a home that won't be a debt slave for the rest of what I have left of a life. I am just sick of crime where I live currently, and the only safe places to live are disgustingly over priced. I am looking for a home in the 60 to 100 grand range. I have about 40K I could put down on a home. I was looking at Mannford today. Only 20 miles from Tulsa and one of the lowest crime rates in the state. Ive driven through it before when I lived in Tulsa and it always seemed quiet. I also saw homes there right within my range. At the moment it is probably my target destination. I have been gone for awhile, anyone know anything about Mannford that has changed in the last 17 years ?

Mannford is probably okay if you don't mind the drive to Tulsa and you like a more rural setting.  Sand Springs is closer in and has good homes in your price range.  There's homes south and north of the Fairgrounds in your price range as well if you prefer a more urban setting. 

[Gaspar]

I was born and raised in Tulsa. Ive just been gone for awhile, so I am not worried about the clannish thing. I even have family still there. A dog sounds great, hate political conversations, not interested in churches..... All I am looking for is a small quiet place to settle down. And a home that won't be a debt slave for the rest of what I have left of a life. I am just sick of crime where I live currently, and the only safe places to live are disgustingly over priced. I am looking for a home in the 60 to 100 grand range. I have about 40K I could put down on a home. I was looking at Mannford today. Only 20 miles from Tulsa and one of the lowest crime rates in the state. Ive driven through it before when I lived in Tulsa and it always seemed quiet. I also saw homes there right within my range. At the moment it is probably my target destination. I have been gone for awhile, anyone know anything about Mannford that has changed in the last 17 years ?

No need to get that far out of the city.  In your range, you can afford most of the close suburbs such as Bixby or Broken Arrow.  Now is a good time to buy since interest rates are still at their lowest and are going to begin to tick up.  Since a home is probably the largest investment most of us make it's wise to forecast some appreciation rates.  Midtown is a stable investment, as is the corridor down Memorial into Bixby.  Lots of opportunity in either of those markets.  South 169/Memorial also offers an expanding medical community with several hospitals, clinics and outpatient offerings.  If you are in that field currently than that area would be a natural for you.

I wouldn't advise you to ignore any posters on this forum. We all come from diverse viewpoints and that's what makes our little corner of the internet fun, interesting, and educational.  Sure, there are some who can't wait to talk about what a horrible place Tulsa is, but that is more of a reflection of their personality than it is of reality.  On this forum, you will find hometown heroes, concerned citizens, entrepreneurs, development cheerleaders, luddites, angry curmudgeons, political junkies, and of course trolls. Don't be afraid to participate.

Move back and rediscover how your little hometown has grown.  I did 12 years ago and haven't looked back once. Life is just better on Tulsa time.

[TheArtist]

 How is the future Mrs. with all that?

Really?  Not very thoughtful (can even be hurtful) there to automatically assume Mrs. 

[Vincent Payne]

No worries The Artist But thank you. She is indeed soon to me Mrs some day soon. She has lived in Texas half her life so she knows all about heat, and tornado's. She is in the same mind set as myself. Life peaceful quiet life, and live safe. I have always had a bit of a commute in my life so I don't mind. Its worth the country serenity. I actually lived 4 miles outside of Haskell growing up and I miss it very much. So a 20 mile drive is nothing.   However I will be sure to check out the other locations you all suggested and thank you very much for your input it has really helped.