What is Tulsa, OK like to live in?
I don’t want to sound naive but I have been a California girl my whole life. I was born and raised in San Diego and have never really traveled to the midwest. I am thinking about moving out there for job opportunities and cheaper housing but am nervous about a big change. Some of these may sound like dumb concerns so I apologize in advance.
How is the weather? does it get really hot or does it snow?
How often are there tornadoes?
Are there a variety of restaurants (sushi, thai, mexican, chinese)?
Is there any place close by to fish, camp, or shoot guns?
Is there a good school system?
I know it’s a lot of questions but I want to know what it is like in general and what are some big differences between SD and Tulsa besides the absence of the ocean. Thank you for any help.
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3 comments
Treeleaper on May 9, 2010 at 2:14 am
I was there in 1980 and couldn’t get a beer.
archfield1 on May 9, 2010 at 2:14 am
I live an hour from Tulsa and go over all the time, so I’ll help you both.
The weather varies much more than California. In the summer temperatures will always break 100 for several days, sometimes a week at a time, and in the winter we do usually get 2-3 snowfalls of a few inches each every year, but also get an ice storm or 2 than can down trees and power and cause more problems than a little snow. Fall and spring go faster, with most rain and storms in the spring.
Obviously tornadoes do happen in Oklahoma, but mostly they won’t reach as far east as Tulsa. They form basically west of I-35 while the sun is up, and by the time those storms reach Tulsa it’s dark and they have lost strength. Watching tornadoes slam Oklahoma City every spring is more of a form of entertainment for Tulsans than a real danger.
There is definitely a wide variety of restaurants in Tulsa, you should be able to find some you like from casual through fine dining.
Tulsa is in a great location if you like the outdoors, within an hour’s drive you could be at any number of large lakes and state parks, and Tulsa itself is a river city with decent scenery in parts, better than most stereotypes of the state.
Good schools and good housing are both in the southern (newer) part of the Tulsa area, in the Jenks and Union school districts. Owasso and Broken Arrow are fine too. Avoid Tulsa north of I-244. The Wikipedia article on Tulsa is rated highly also, check it out.
R S on May 9, 2010 at 2:14 am
I’ve been a New Yorker my whole life but I’m thinking of moving to Tulsa as well. I’ve visited the area a few times in the past two years. I certainly can’t speak as a native or long time resident but here goes:
Tulsa has four seasons. It does get hot in the summer. I’ve only been to SD once but you will find it’s a different kind of heat. The winters, by NY standards, are mild. It does snow.
The whole tornado thing seems overblown- no pun intended. I spoke to many long time residents and they say it’s not the threat in Tulsa as it’s portrayed to be. Officially, yjere has been 24 tornados reported in Tulsa County in the past 50 years. That is a county total. Of all the people I asked in Tulsa itself, none could remember a tornado hitting the city itself in twenty years.
There are so many different restaurants in Tulsa. Everything that you could want is there. I leave the authenticity of the cuisine up to you. Being from NY I like Italian. The look and feel it there somewhat but the food had a long way to go.
I’m told that Oklahoma is a sportsman’s paradise.
I’m told that the school system of Tulsa and the surrounding suburbs are good.
Although Tulsa has nightlife and a "counterculture" it is, at its root, a traditional and family life place. The city is about five square blocks and surrounded by residential areas. Suburbs are minutes away. Basically, as compared to NY or even SD, the streets roll up at night.
Not a bad thing in my eyes. You just have to know where to goand become part of the scene.
That being said it is the pace of life and the friendliness pf the residents that are the hallmark of Tulsa. You can get anything you want. There is opera, dance, theater- just smaller.
Christian values are a significant force in Tulsa life- another good thing in my eyes.
I suggest you log on citydata.com and look at the remarks for Tulsa and its suburbs. It has a wealth of information.