The people here are very nice and generaly friendly. Its not unusual to have a conversation with the stranger standing next to you in line at the store. Through our travels I have come to the conclusion that most people can’t drive no matter what state you are in. I would say the atmosphere out in public is much more laid back than it was when I lived in Colorado for example. Send your questions my way I live within a 30 minutes of Tinker and my husband use to be in the Air Force.

Throughout life I have learned one thing, people are people. Each person acts somewhat diffrent than the last therefore there is good people and bad people in Oklahoma City. But if you go with God and stay with his church he will guide you to the right people.

I’ve not been to Tinker, except in passing, so I can’t speak for that AFB directly. However, if it is like Altus, Ft. Sill and Vance, then I would say that the locals are very open-minded. I think that because Oklahoma is a large supporter of the military that is makes it easier for the local communities to accept differences.

Buying a house in Oklahoma, I would imagine it being a lot less expensive than other states. It was so when my parents and grandparents bought houses there. As far as neighborhoods…Norman, Midwest City and a few other satellite towns around OKC will certainly provide good, safe housing. Just be mindful that OKC has a terrible reputation for large tornadoes every few years for a reason: They do get them. So, I would most certainly look into finding a place with a tornado shelter.

OKC is not the best for hiking, unless you like hiking dusty, flat terrain. There are a fwe trails, but I am sure that the Tinker Morale and Welfare office will have great tour packages for you to look into. But, it’s not too far from Tulsa and NW Arkansas, which are great for hiking and camping.

Midwest City has a good mix of people, and there is a substantial Hispanic community in that area. People are generally really friendly, no matter what.

The cost of living is low here. As for good neighborhoods there are plenty of them in MWC. There are a lot of new residential areas going in right now too.

I’m an outdoors person too & there are LOTS of nice places to camp/hike within a couple hours of OKC. One of our favorites is the Chickasaw National Area … about an hour’s drive. But there are plenty of places (Roman Nose State Park, Red Rock Canyon, Robbers Cave).

The Mid-Del school system is outstanding as well.

Good luck to you! :)

I’d say that Oklahoma is generally well-meaning and open minded, though the majority is ‘white.’ I can’t say that the people are nicer or better than in other areas, because all areas vary. I will, however, say that in my life here in Oklahoma I’ve found the people to be generally kind and caring. While there are tornadoes, as some have mentioned, this is only a small problem in comparison to other regions’ natural disasters. Oklahoma is a safer state than most, and while it may be tagged ‘hick,’ it presents many opportunities.
I hope you enjoy it.

I think I can tell you what you’re needing to know. Oklahoma City isn’t like, say, Chicago, where if you’re of a certain culture you dare not venture into or out of a certain neighborhood, and where nobody mixes, as a rule. The races aren’t as polarized, outwardly, as that. You’re going to see a lot of mixed-race couples and families around town. I’ve spent my entire adult life here, and it’s been like that even in the ‘70s.

Anyway, although you have your pockets of hatemongers anywhere, I don’t believe you have to be afraid to come live in Oklahoma City. In neighborhoods where the housing doesn’t cost as much, naturally it will be more diverse. Midwest City, as someone mentioned, is diverse and surrounds Tinker, and my cousin, who lived there for years, refused to let her kids go to the Mid-Del schools, opting instead for the better Carl Albert schools, which is on the eastern side of Midwest City. Bear in mind that you don’t have to live in Midwest City to work at Tinker. Tinker has several gates off Interstate 40, and these are easily accessible from just about anywhere in the metro area.

Mexican-American culture is strong in the area. On June 3rd of this year, the 2nd Annual Mariachi Festival will be held at Will Rogers Park. It’s free, and open to the public. There are at least a couple of Spanish-language radio stations in the area, and of course after the sun goes down, Mexico takes over the AM airwaves! The largest state newspaper, The Oklahoman, publishes a monthly Spanish-language tabloid called Viva! that’s been very successful.

It’s generally cheaper to live on the Eastern and Southern sides of OKC. (The Capitol Hill area has an especially large Hispanic population.) There are pockets in these areas where there has been gang trouble of all kinds: black, Asian, and Latino. I wouldn’t say that this means you’re likely to be a crime victim if you move in these areas, because even all-white areas have crime problems which go unreported, same as anywhere. I would consult Crimestoppers for problem areas, as well as a good realtor, to help you in finding a good place.

Where I live, Edmond, on the northern side of town, you pay out the wazoo for housing, but the schools are some of the top rated in the State. It’s a college town, and more diverse than the city fathers would have you believe, and I hear a lot of Spanish in my neighborhood, especially at the neighborhood Wal-Mart.

Now, as for camping and hiking…hm. We do have mountains in the state, but mostly on the Southern and Eastern side, not Central Oklahoma. In fact, I hear there’s some pretty good trout fishing down on the Illinois river if you’re up for a Sunday drive one day. For all that, I’ll direct you to a website:
http://www.travelok.com/parks/parkSearch.asp
This will be better equipped to tell you about recreational activities than I would.

Finally, I’d say it’s a great time to be coming to our state. In November, there’s great goings-on about the 100th anniversary of statehood, much to the chagrin of a few Oklahoma-based Native Americans, but Oklahoma history is their history, too!

So, I’d say, don’t fret about having to come to Oklahoma. There are far worse areas of the country you could have ended up. Oh, one more thing, I found this description of Oklahoma City’s neighborhoods on Wikipedia that I find fairly on-the-mark. I hope it helps you in your research:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_neighborhoods

Hello Valsee!

MsIrisM gave a really good description of the area. She does live in Edmond, though, which is quite a bit different than MWC (Edmond is higher end – meant as a compliment MsIris). A correction to her comment about schools though – Carl Albert Junior High and High School are both part of the Mid-Del School System.

I have lived almost my whole life here. When I left (Army “Airborne!”), I swore I would never come back, except to visit. Didn’t take too long until I couldn’t wait to get back, though. I grew up on a small farm, moved into the city for way too long, then moved back out to the country area.

Housing and schools should be your biggest concerns here. You really can’t ask any specific organization, because even if it’s a bad area, they won’t tell you the truth because they take a chance of being sued (really). So don’t bother calling the Police Department – they will direct you to a web site or give you a print out of crime stats in an area and let you decide. I would be glad to help you with any questions about the Tinker area, as I have a little bit of first hand knowledge about the Midwest City area.

As far as the people go, they’re great for the most part. I’ve learned that about 95% of the folks are pretty good people – it’s that other 5% that cause such a pain.

There are lots of things to do if you look around – not just in OKC. It depends on your interests and your age – and if nothing looks right for a weekend mood, Dallas is only about 4 hours away.

If I can help your family with information, I’d be glad to. I retired from a police department in that area after 22 years…no, I’m not that old of fart – I just started young