Tell me about Oklahoma City

[tonycondon]

You have a 2-seater and you're giving rides right?

occasionally when there is an outing someone brings a two seater. unfortunately fixed wing operations are sporadic in the area since it is so isolated. Years ago there was a club in Mena. When something does get organized people will trailer gliders from Dallas and Tulsa. One of our local guys has gone down there a few times. So far all flying has been done at Talihina. There used to be a guy in Mena with a towplane who would come over and fly but he sold his plane so the last year or two organizing a towplane has been a problem.

 

[SteveR]

Land and homes are very inexpensive, which is nice. You can find homes at an airport for less than $80k. You can get a nice home for under $250k on an airport. There is a lot of aviation around, and a fly-in within 45 minutes virtually every weekend. Norman, Mustang, Blanchard, Yukon and Edmond are OKC suburbs with areas where you can find a new house in a rural area that is really pretty close to town (i.e., 20 minutes to OKC) and the property is CHEAP compared to what it costs in many areas in the country. I built a new 3/2 house six years ago for $134k and paid it off in four years. You can't do that in many other metro areas in the country.

Traffic is nothing compared to larger cities like Dallas. I live in Norman and have an 8 minute commute to work...I love that aspect.

I rent two hangar spaces locally (1k4 and O44), each one has power, water and either a full bath or a kitchen. One costs me $75/month, the other costs me $95/month. Can't find that anywhere else in the country.

The people are generally nice. There are a lot of good, moral hardworking people in the rural areas, of course you've got your rednecks too.

Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of hiking/camping in a really unique area (i.e., big mountains, big rivers, clean lakes, etc.). The NE part of the state has some nice lakes. The Wichita "Mountains" are a nice area about an hour from OKC. They are nice but it ain't the Rockies.
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/oklahoma/wichitamountains/
Eastern OK has some nice large hills, lakes & wooded areas.

Colorado Springs is only 3hrs away in a moderately fast plane (400NM). That is nice...you can leave early on a Saturday and be at the Rockies for breakfast.

DFW isn't far for the times when you want to go to a really big metro area.

Send me a message if you get serious about coming and want some more information.

 

[SkyHog]

Land and homes are very inexpensive, which is nice. You can find homes at an airport for less than $80k. You can get a nice home for under $250k on an airport. There is a lot of aviation around, and a fly-in within 45 minutes virtually every weekend. Norman, Mustang, Blanchard, Yukon and Edmond are OKC suburbs with areas where you can find a new house in a rural area that is really pretty close to town (i.e., 20 minutes to OKC) and the property is CHEAP compared to what it costs in many areas in the country. I built a new 3/2 house six years ago for $134k and paid it off in four years. You can't do that in many other metro areas in the country.

Traffic is nothing compared to larger cities like Dallas. I live in Norman and have an 8 minute commute to work...I love that aspect.

I rent two hangar spaces locally (1k4 and O44), each one has power, water and either a full bath or a kitchen. One costs me $75/month, the other costs me $95/month. Can't find that anywhere else in the country.

The people are generally nice. There are a lot of good, moral hardworking people in the rural areas, of course you've got your rednecks too.

Unfortunately, there isn't much in the way of hiking/camping in a really unique area (i.e., big mountains, big rivers, clean lakes, etc.). The NE part of the state has some nice lakes. The Wichita "Mountains" are a nice area about an hour from OKC. They are nice but it ain't the Rockies.
http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/oklahoma/wichitamountains/
Eastern OK has some nice large hills, lakes & wooded areas.

Colorado Springs is only 3hrs away in a moderately fast plane (400NM). That is nice...you can leave early on a Saturday and be at the Rockies for breakfast.

DFW isn't far for the times when you want to go to a really big metro area.

Send me a message if you get serious about coming and want some more information.

Thank you Steve!!!

BTW, I should point out that nothing has been offered yet, I'm just trying to learn more about my options.

 

[SteveR]

Thank you Steve!!!

BTW, I should point out that nothing has been offered yet, I'm just trying to learn more about my options.

Understood...I went through a similar routine with a job offer in Wichita recently. I did the same as you and asked about the area on the AOPA forums.

 

[tonycondon]

Understood...I went through a similar routine with a job offer in Wichita recently. I did the same as you and asked about the area on the AOPA forums.

you should've asked here

 

[SteveR]

you should've asked here

Yes, I should've. I ended up deciding not to make the move, but part of me regrets it a little because there does seem to be a lot of aviation occurring in the Air Capital. Places like Stearman Field sure look like fun.

 

[Pa28-140]

It''s probably like any place else in that some people love it and some don't. I lived there for two years and personally didn't care for it. But, it all depends on where you have lived before and what you have to compare it to. I did like going to Brick Town and watching minor league baseball. Tornadoes are nothing to sneeze at (Ask Joplin Missouri) and homes don't have basements to seek refuge. If you buy a home, lots of them have tornado shelters in the garage floor, which are kind of like a big foxhole. If you live in an apartment (like I did), your best shelter is a bottle of Jose Cuervo. Jose became a good friend of mine :wink2:

 

[woodstock]

I would try harder for the Research Triangle. It would seem to me that you would have more job mobility there too. Meaning if one job didn't suit your fancy all you have to do is change jobs and you still live in a cool area.

I don't get the same sense that OKC would be the same. If you hate the job and hate living there, you are kind of stuck - you have to change a job AND a household.