Oklahoma intelligence

Broad topic. But we were planning a move to oklahoma. Wasnt supposed to be for 1-2 years but wifes job circumstance may be changing sooner than expected. We had just been talking about buying now and renting it out until we could move. Now maybe wed move and rent our CO house if we can swing it.

Problem and where I need help is..... Never really been there as an adult. My job is in federal buildings and supposedly the union and pay is a little better in Tulsa.

Need to find a place within an hour of the bulk of tulsa, bonus if closer but still rural. Looking for a modest 3-4 bedroom house, with at least garage or outbuildings for a few cars/ bikes. Would like to be able to shoot on property We looked for fun a year ago and saw many appealing properties in the 200-300k range that were nice and shady with plenty of trees.


So open to random advice/ Intel on where to be looking, etc. Hopefully find something with a storm shelter, and dreading the heat a bit.

"Oklahoma" and "Intelligence" should never be used in the same proximity of each other.....

Got you to peek. But yeah, I suspect I'll be in for an adjustment.

The only real draw is very cheap houses, conservative, and my contract actually pays better out there and wife can wfh.

Sell house, half buys new one, leftover after paying off existing to investments , then cruise to old age far away from most people.

Or rent out CO house for nearly as much as both mortgages.

OK has largest amount of shoreline in USA. Lots of water.

Unless you have someone here that's RELIABLE, TRUSTWORTHY, ETC. DO NOT RENT YOUR HOME. Sell / cash out, never worrying if the renters are trashing the place. OR.... as we saw last year and in 20. The feds (under what authority??) decided to give tenants a pass. Can you agfford to be without that income, should the next PANDEMIC [panic] go the way the last one did?

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Originally Posted by BPTactical

"Oklahoma" and "Intelligence" should never be used in the same proximity of each other.....

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What are you saying? People who marry their siblings aren?t smart?

I've worked with a lot of guys from Oklahoma and they all really liked being there. I've only been to Tulsa once and it was a quick trip so I don't have an opinion.

An hour from Tulsa can actually mean an hour. Not just a few miles.

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Originally Posted by fj605

I've worked with a lot of guys from Oklahoma and they all really liked being there.

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What?s not to like about living in tornado alley?

Pay no attention to Bert.

Eastern OK is very nice, there's tons of very nice, very large, and very deep lakes all over there, including AR and MO too. Very nice scenery within reasonable drives. Finest firearm museum in the US is in Claremore, there's scads of other museums all over OK. The 45th Infantry Division Museum in OKC is a must-see, and WOOLAROC is too.

But as far as where to live near Tulsa, I can't tell ya. Best to network with locals, RE agents, maybe local Law Enforcement too. You don't want to buy in an area full of meth head tweakers, and they're out there.

I'd be happy to help you but I've never been to Tulsa or anywhere around there. I will tell you that home prices here are increasing at a rapid rate...though they're not yet as stupid as they are in Denver. There are still some bargains out there but they're getting harder and harder to find and you have to move on them quickly.

We closed on our place on Feb 1...modest house, about 1300 sq ft, 5 years old, shelter, 900 sq ft shop, a few other outbuildings and nearly 20 acres in south-central OK. We paid $200k for it. We didn't want to go as far east as Tulsa but looked at a ton of houses on Zillow in that area. There were some very tempting places for sure, but that was 6 to 8 months ago.

Lot of guys on the Oklahoma Shooters forum live in that area. It's a lot like the forum here...plenty of guys more than willing to help you out.

https://www.okshooters.com/

I couldn't be happier with my decision to move here.

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Originally Posted by Bailey Guns

I'd be happy to help you but I've never been to Tulsa or anywhere around there. I will tell you that home prices here are increasing at a rapid rate...though they're not yet as stupid as they are in Denver. There are still some bargains out there but they're getting harder and harder to find and you have to move on them quickly.

We closed on our place on Feb 1...modest house, about 1300 sq ft, 5 years old, shelter, 900 sq ft shop, a few other outbuildings and nearly 20 acres in south-central OK. We paid $200k for it. We didn't want to go as far east as Tulsa but looked at a ton of houses on Zillow in that area. There were some very tempting places for sure, but that was 6 to 8 months ago.

Lot of guys on the Oklahoma Shooters forum live in that area. It's a lot like the forum here...plenty of guys more than willing to help you out.

https://www.okshooters.com/

I couldn't be happier with my decision to move here.

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I'd love to move back, but I've got this "wife thing" that says Hell No.

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Originally Posted by rondog

I'd love to move back, but I've got this "wife thing" that says Hell No.

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I ran into that a lot when I told people this is where I was moving to. "Why the hell would you move to Oklahoma from Idaho?" Well, because I can afford to live in OK and have a decent retirement. I can't do that in Idaho, as much as I would've liked to. Even now money goes a lot further than most places...especially the Rocky Mountain States.

If it's not how ugly OK is (which isn't true, BTW...at least in my opinion), it's TORNADOES! But guess which state often has as many, or more, tornadoes than OK? That's right...Colorado. In 2021 (Jan-Sep) there were 25 tornadoes in OK. During the same time period there were 48 in Colorado...almost twice as many. On average OK comes in slightly higher than CO, but not by much.

OK is great state for veterans and especially disabled veterans. Tax rates are low, too...especially property taxes. Plus retirees get lots of tax breaks and exemptions. We applied for an agricultural sales tax exemption for our new place...anything we can relate to an ag operation is exempt from sales taxes. Everyone talks about Texas and no income tax. Well, that's great if you're working. But if you're retired it doesn't matter. Taxes overall, especially property taxes, are much higher in Texas.

I'm not saying it's for everyone...but I wouldn't discount OK as a place to live just based on what other people, most of whom have never lived or even been there, say.

I've mentioned this before but the big downside I see to the state is the lack of public lands like there is in Colorado. On the other hand, land is cheap here so it's pretty easy to buy your own. And there are many, many state parks that are HIGHLY under-utilized.

ETA: This place isn't near Tulsa, it's just west of OKC. Just went on the market and was posted on the OK Shooters forum. Notice the rifle shooting lane/berm already in place...and the stacks of ammo cans in the shop!

https://m.prspcts.co/tHL4ZyRvo6KQcyMT7

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Originally Posted by Bailey Guns

I ran into that a lot when I told people this is where I was moving to. "Why the hell would you move to Oklahoma from Idaho?" Well, because I can afford to live in OK and have a decent retirement. I can't do that in Idaho, as much as I would've liked to. Even now money goes a lot further than most places...especially the Rocky Mountain States.

If it's not how ugly OK is (which isn't true, BTW...at least in my opinion), it's TORNADOES! But guess which state often has as many, or more, tornadoes than OK? That's right...Colorado. In 2021 (Jan-Sep) there were 25 tornadoes in OK. During the same time period there were 48 in Colorado...almost twice as many. On average OK comes in slightly higher than CO, but not by much.

OK is great state for veterans and especially disabled veterans. Tax rates are low, too...especially property taxes. Plus retirees get lots of tax breaks and exemptions. We applied for an agricultural sales tax exemption for our new place...anything we can relate to an ag operation is exempt from sales taxes. Everyone talks about Texas and no income tax. Well, that's great if you're working. But if you're retired it doesn't matter. Taxes overall, especially property taxes, are much higher in Texas.

I'm not saying it's for everyone...but I wouldn't discount OK as a place to live just based on what other people, most of whom have never lived or even been there, say.

I've mentioned this before but the big downside I see to the state is the lack of public lands like there is in Colorado. On the other hand, land is cheap here so it's pretty easy to buy your own. And there are many, many state parks that are HIGHLY under-utilized.

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People always mention Tornado Alley when I tell them I moved to MO. I bring up the same stats and remind Coloradans that CO gets a lot of tornados.

I miss the Rockies but I don't miss traffic, or the liberal BS. Honestly, any liberal BS here is minimal, but you get so tired of hearing it from CO that I cringe when I hear it. We looked at OK a lot and considered the Tulsa area but I though it was way too dirty and congested and tons of toll roads. I actually liked OKC a lot more.

I do suggest a lot that MO should change its name from the Show-Me State to the Half-Assed State since everything they do here is the lowest denominator...but the plus side is if you were a mediocre worker in CO, you can thrive in a state like this.

Being half Okie myself, I want to return to the motherland at some Point in my life. I really like the Edmond area a lot. Oklahoma is beautiful, I grew up in the eastern half, and I miss that. Plus I’m craving me an onion burger.

While Weld County gets more tornadoes than any other county in the nation, they aren't exactly the same breed of tornadoes.
In Weld, there are "OMG, my camper blew over, but at least the windows are still there".
In OK, it's more like "my double wide is in Massachusetts now"


Not that it would stop me from moving from this shithole

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Originally Posted by 00tec

While Weld County gets more tornadoes than any other county in the nation, they aren't exactly the same breed of tornadoes.
In Weld, there are "OMG, my camper blew over, but at least the windows are still there".
In OK, it's more like "my double wide is in Massachusetts now"


Not that it would stop me from moving from this shithole

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Don't be raggin' on the doublewide, bud!

I wouldn't if I lived somewhere east of tornado alley and got one for free via airmail, as long as it didn't land on my truck

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Originally Posted by Scanker19

Plus I’m craving me an onion burger.

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Oh, man... I could seriously be a contender for "My 600 Pound Life" with all the good food down here. It's a constant struggle to eat healthy when I can buy a VERY tasty chicken fried steak dinner in town (and I can make an easy two meals out of it) for $4.69.

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Originally Posted by 00tec

While Weld County gets more tornadoes than any other county in the nation, they aren't exactly the same breed of tornadoes.
In Weld, there are "OMG, my camper blew over, but at least the windows are still there".
In OK, it's more like "my double wide is in Massachusetts now"


Not that it would stop me from moving from this shithole

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Over 80% of tornadoes nationwide are rated as EF0 or EF1. Only about 1% are rated as EF4 or EF5.

Fun fact. Double wides are less likely to blow away than single wides.

I feel like I can contribute to this thread:

I was born in Germany (military brat) but my earliest memories are of NE Oklahoma (circa 1964 - 65.) My mother was born and raised in a very small town about 45 miles NW of Tulsa, called Barnsdall. We lived there until 1967 and then moved to the Washington DC suburbs to follow my dad's job (he was a civilian historian for the Army.)

We had family in Barnsdall until my grandfather died in 1982 so I'm pretty familiar with the area. All through the late 60s and through the 70s we would go back every year or so to visit family. When we moved to Colorado in 1972 we were a long day's drive from Barnsdall and went more frequently until my grandfather died in 1982. I also periodically passed through there in 1984, 1986 and again in 2000, 2005 and 2014.

So I was able to see the town change (and decline) over about a 30+ year period.

That decline was significant: I can clearly remember visiting Barnsdall in the early 1970's and there were, for example, a bank (my grandfather was the bank president until he retired), 3 grocery stores, a lumber yard, a 5 - and - 10 store, a soda fountain, an OTASCO (Oklahoma Tire and Supply Company - think of Murdoch's or Tractor Supply but in a small town storefront) and at least two car dealerships. There was a Western Boot and Hat company, a small hamburger stand called Andy's that made the best burgers (seriously!), a public library (my mother worked there), an elementary school, a Junior high/high school and a small fairground. The railroad tracks ran right through the middle of town and the biggest employer was the local wax factory.

But when my wife and I passed through there in 2014, there were NO grocery stores, one restaurant (that was closed on Sunday), two gas stations, and the main street was pretty much a ghost town of abandoned shops. There was a Dollar General store (of course!) on the edge of town but other than that if you needed groceries you drove to Pawhuska (14 miles West) or Bartlesville (18 miles North.) The wax factory was still there but barely working. The railroad even removed the tracks going through town.

But getting back to topic: WRT Oklahoma, there are pros and cons.

Pros: Beautiful area (the Osage Hills and surrounding area are heavily forested and full of wild game.) Mild winters (we would get snow once every 4 - 5 years.) Tornadoes were actually pretty rare in that part of OK, and due to the hills they didn't do much damage (tornadoes do more damage on flat, treeless plains than in forested hills.)

DIRT cheap housing. As in, a 3 br/2 ba house that would run you north of $400k in the metro area can often be found for $100k or a little more. You can afford to be choosy.

Politically very conservative, reasonably lax gun laws. Church parking lots are full on Sundays and many businesses are closed.

CONS: Well, it's Oklahoma. Cost of living is low so that means salaries are low too. Infrastructure can be in bad shape (roads, sidewalks, street lighting, bridges, ETC.) Education levels are generally low in much of the state so finding competent technical help might be a challenge, depending on what it is you're trying to do. Summers can be blistering hot and humid. Critters like chiggers and termites (which we generally don't have to worry about in Colorado) are very common there, so be aware of that.

Public land is not common (although there are plenty of places to fish at reservoirs, creeks, even bridges.) Having said that, if you want to hunt it's usually not difficult to get a land owner to let you hunt on his property. I know my dad and granddad loved both the hunting and (especially) the fishing. Lots of lakes, and it seems like every other house has a boat in the driveway.

If you want small-city amenities like a grocery store but don't want to live in Tulsa (which I can't blame you) you could consider Bartlesville. Bartlesville is a small city (HQ of the Phillips Petroleum company) that has all the things you'd want in a town but not the big city issues of Tulsa. Home prices are pretty low too.

^^ Yeah...it's really depressing to see the empty store fronts in the small towns. That's just a sign of the changing times, I think.

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Originally Posted by BPTactical

"Oklahoma" and "Intelligence" should never be used in the same proximity of each other.....

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https://cdn.quotesgram.com/img/31/45...-guy-funny.jpg

First wife's family was in Tulsa. I kind of liked the area, other than the heat and humidity. One of the things I saw mentioned is you don't want to live where the tweakers are. I never heard a good thing mentioned about Broken Arrow.

Interesting you say that about broken arrow, believe that's where a coworker bought a huge nice property.

North certainly sounds nice, like i said i loved some i looked at that looked heavily shaded plots.

We have always enjoyed the TV show "The First 48". We were watching a few back to back episodes on Thanksgiving or something and my youngest made a profound statement about Tulsa.
"It's where people go to die"

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Originally Posted by ray1970

Fun fact. Double wides are less likely to blow away than single wides.

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That's the basis of my survival knowledge

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Originally Posted by KevDen2005

That's the basis of my survival knowledge

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My assumption could be overly inaccurate though. I mean a double wide, although larger and heavier than a single wide, does have twice the surface area so maybe the wind survivability is pretty much a wash between the two. Fun to speculate though.

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Originally Posted by ray1970

My assumption could be overly inaccurate though. I mean a double wide, although larger and heavier than a single wide, does have twice the surface area so maybe the wind survivability is pretty much a wash between the two. Fun to speculate though.

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keep in mind the likelihood is that the doublewide can accommodate more overweight people than the single

So much Oklahoma hatin' here, y'all must be off yer meds. C'mon, this ain't West Virginia we're talkin' about fer cryin' out loud.....

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Originally Posted by fitz19d

Interesting you say that about broken arrow, believe that's where a coworker bought a huge nice property.

North certainly sounds nice, like i said i loved some i looked at that looked heavily shaded plots.

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Ok...... ALOT of joking here.....
TLDR: I'm about to retire from here (Denver) and eventually go to Tulsa, OK where we just bought land.
My Wife is from there and so family etc are the draw.

We had been looking on the OKC/Edmond area and Tulsa-ish.

Around OKC, houses/land seem to sell at a quick pace, but the prices themselves are reasonable.
We liked the Edmond area since we'd been there several times.

Tulsa area:
We looked around (so spent about a week total, just looking around, looking at schools, crime rates etc).
South (Bixby) and East (Broken Arrow) are the "hot spots" it seems.
(As in West- Sand Springs- you'll be on 48 hours shortly).

We ended up buying 80 acres just outside Bixby, since we arent sure EXACTLY when we'll move.
I'm in the Air Guard and so Tulsa airport is where I'd drill.
From just south of Bixby to Tulsa International (Extreme North) is 45 minutes........ so drive times are good.

Downtown Tulsa is downtown anywhere right now ....... a shit hole.
So is OKC........ but have you been to Denver lately????

My suggestion is what we did.... drive around and just look around.
Look at all the stats you can find........
ie. Bixby Property taxes have jumped up, but we drove thru and saw the new schools, roads etc.

Under contract on 5 acres in pryor with 2 chicken runs, pole barn, small pond, etc. Waiting to get boned by it appraising far below bid.

Attachment 90001

Nice!
Our Real Estate Agent lives out in that area.
I think you'll like it.

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Originally Posted by fitz19d

Under contract on 5 acres in pryor with 2 chicken runs, pole barn, small pond, etc. Waiting to get boned by it appraising far below bid.

Attachment 90001

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Fawk - I'd be in heaven there.....

That's a nice looking place. Congratulations.

You'll want to start figuring how to get rid of water, not store it like here in CO.
It looks like you have a drainage question between your driveway and the barn.