state by state speak your mind about oklahoma

[AndyA]

41. Not all of Oklahoma is dry, flat plains

The Tulsa area is actually quite hilly and very lush with lots of big trees and mature plants.

Tulsa ranks #3 in the United States for surviving Art Deco architecture--right behind New York City and Miami Beach.

Tulsa is home to two of the world's finest museums--Gilcrease and Philbrook. People literally travel from all over the world to visit these museums. Philbrook is in Waite Phillips' mansion, which is incredible to see in and of itself.

Most would be shocked to see how affordable houses are in Tulsa. Whenever I have visitors from out of state, they think my house cost a fortune. It would, where they come from. I've often wondered why people pay so much for housing and get so little in return. Sure, it's great to have lots of things to do nearby, but you can't spend all of your time away from home, if you could you wouldn't need a home. It's shocking what some people pay for real estate in parts of this country, basically buying a shack for $400,000.

The BOK Center, designed by César Pelli, is one of the world's top 20 venues and many of the top performers have stated it has perhaps the best acoustical properties of any place they've played.

Over the years, Tulsa has been named the Oil Capitol of the World, America's Most Livable City, and America's Most Beautiful City, among others.

The right wing political climate is perhaps the biggest hindrance to the area. There are lots of rural, country bumpkin-type people around, and they tend to lean to the right, just as they do in most of the country. However, there is a growing progressive base, and Oklahoma historically has been controlled by Democrats more often than Republicans, and most registered voters here are Democrats, last I heard.

I've lived in lots of other cities, and I think Tulsa is one of the best. The streets are laid out in a grid, and are named after other cities in the United States. They are in alphabetical order, with streets on the east side of town named after cities east of the Mississippi, and streets on the west side named after cities west of the Mississippi.

We have nice weather most of the time, and lots of sunshine. Severe periods of extreme heat or cold are usually short lived, and in between are many days of near perfect weather.

Tulsa is near lots of other great cities a day's drive or less away--St. Louis, Kansas City, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Albuquerque, Little Rock, etc., so it's easy to get away when you want to. There's tons of lakes in Oklahoma--I think the state has more shoreline than the east and gulf coasts combined.

If you haven't visited, you should. It's really very nice here...and if we can get the political climate to change, which I think is going to happen as the population changes, one of the biggest negatives to the area will be removed.