family relocating to oKC

Dear Readers,

My husband and I are relocating to OKC in late June, and also expecting our first child about that same time. I am a little anxious as we are a muslim family from detroit, michigan. I know this is quite forward, but I would appreciate some honest answers. Should we anticipate prejudism or any hate from the OKC community? I am born and raised American, but I do wear the head convering. Should I feel safe going out alone for groceries and the such, especially with a newborn? Please help.

Thanks

Suzan

family relocating to oKC

Suzan why are you moving to OKC? I am hispanic and just to okc about 4 months ago. However most of the people are ok execpt in a city called Edmond they seem to look at people a little rud. I moved from California and I don%26#39;t like it here. Have you ever been to OKC.

family relocating to oKC

I think you should be fine. Edmond, of all places to mention, seemed to accept Muslims enough to elect one mayor a few years ago(Randel Shadid). One of CNN%26#39;s most important reporters in the Middle East, Anthony Shadid (not sure if there is a relation) grew up in OKC where his family still lives.

Edmond, OKC, and Norman have universities with decent numbers of international students who seem to like their life enough for some to stay. Frankly, I would stay in these cities or anywhere in the metro area. Outside, I%26#39;m not sure of the attitudes.

But as with anywhere else, if you try to fit in (as in socializing with the locals), you will no doubt be accepted. Being born and raised here will definitely facilitate your acceptance. I am a second generation American myself, and not having an accent (as my father does) does seem to make understanding easier.

We have nowhere near the number of Muslims as Dearborn has, but I believe we do some places of worship in area. I%26#39;ll have to check that out.

Anyway, I recommend you all socialize with your coworkers here to find out where you can find various resources to help with your move. In the meantime, do you have any more questions about the city?

thanks, i dont have anymore questions now, but i really appreciate the advice.

We relocated to OKC from the northern US about a year ago, and I was surprised about the level of blatant racism and biggotry. I call it the ';bubba'; syndrome. I can%26#39;t wait to get out of this place at the end of this year.

I, too, had a small child when we moved here, and the crime rate is much higher here than where I was from. The Northwest part of the city, between 122nd and 150th, bounded by Lake Hefner Parkway on the East and Council Rd. on the West is generally the best area.

You can find crime stats (crime tracker) and other general news on www.newsok.com - it was quite helpful for us.

I joined a liberal mom%26#39;s group who are very accepting of all cultures; please look up mom%26#39;s groups in OKC on Yahoo Groups when you arrive, as it was very helpful for me.

Best of luck,

ANJ

I find it funny how the two people who say they have a problem have written only these two posts. I%26#39;ve lived in Oklahoma City since 1980 as a child, and I have never had a problem. As I said earlier, I am the son of Asian immigrants, and we%26#39;ve lived a very good life in OKC.

Suzan, why don%26#39;t you come here and see for yourself? OKC%26#39;s not a perfect community (and we all have different ideas of what that is), but basically, I think you will find Oklahoma Citians friendly and OKC a nice place to live.

Please, if you have any questions, let me or other helpful contributors know.

Hi, we%26#39;re relocating to OKC in July too (we%26#39;re canadian military) Try this trick: I looked up the schools online as our son will be in Kindergarten while we%26#39;re posted there (he%26#39;s only one) and most websites I found showed the cultural diversity at each school (i.e. 80% caucasion, 11% hispanic, etc.) This will give you a good idea where the more culturally diversified areas are. We%26#39;re looking to live in Edmond but I found that while some schools are almost all predominantly caucasion, others are pretty diversified. We also spoke with local police in areas such as Edmond, Moore, Norman and Oklahoma City itself to find out the crime rate (although you can find these stats online). Find yourself a good balance between cultural diversificiation and a lower crime rate and you%26#39;ll be alright. I%26#39;m really nervous coming to OKC but not because of ethnic issues. I%26#39;m from central/norther Ontario Canada where gun%26#39;s are only used for hunting, during a short hunting season and, far away from where people actually live. I%26#39;m nervous about the slack school systems and the safety of our home (all the houses must have security systems for a reason! We leave our doors onlocked here!) good luck!

The perceived need of guns here mystifies me as well. But really, nothing to fear. Nobody notices it, which is most likely a function of people not carrying weapons at all, and if they do, they are concealed well.

As far as locking the door, well, I think we%26#39;ve come at an age where in most cities (American, at least) you can%26#39;t do that. But the locals don%26#39;t consider crime a pressing issue, and in some neighborhoods and suburbs, you can leave you door unlooked.

Here is the school the above poster is probably referring to -- quite handy:

http://www.greatschools.net/

On this site you can see the ethnic diversity of students.

Another great site is the Oklahoma Department of Education. For a comphehensive look at academic performance, look at the API. Edmond and Putnam City schools will be in Oklahoma County; Moore and Norman schools will be in Cleveland County:

www.sde.state.ok.us/home/defaultie.html

In Edmond, I think you will find your neighbors to be professionals who feel comfortable with all peoples. The Moore schools are becoming more diverse as newcomers like the newer housing at lower rates than in the northside. Norman is diverse enough (again, the university) to have its own international grocery store.

I%26#39;m floored by your comment regarding ';slack school systems'; and guns. This is not the old west. We don%26#39;t live in teepees running in and out dodging arrows. Or bullets as the case may be. As in any area of the world, there are places you should be more careful than others. I think no matter where you live or travel, it%26#39;s important to be aware of your surroundings and take reasonable care with your property. That%26#39;s a pretty simple life rule. We have some of the best schools in the nation. I don%26#39;t see a category in any of the websites with a ';slack'; rating. With that said, sure some are better than others. But I%26#39;m sure that%26#39;s something you experience in Canada as well. There is no reason to be paranoid about our community. I%26#39;m sure if you compare our statistics to most other places this size you%26#39;ll find nothing out of the ordinary. I sincerely hope you grow to love my hometown and will open your arms and mind to the people here as I%26#39;m certain they will do for you.

Cindy...sounds like the canadian mommy is real excited about their transfer to Tinker!!...sure she has a realistic expectation of the city from researching crime rates and googling news stories involving guns....but I guess I would be just as pessimistic about moving to Canada as well...Predicting within two months of living here her perception will change for the good...FYI the alarm systems are built into every new home just as a sales tool...most do not even have them hooked up to a monitor company...Traveled to many different cities in the US and none of them have made me want to live anywhere else!!...The biggest adjustment you will find is the 100 degree temps when you transfer in July!!...Welcome to Oklahoma

I live in Edmond, my kids are in Edmond Schools, and I actually go to church with Randall Shadid (it%26#39;s news to me that he is a muslim!).

I%26#39;ll throw my two cents in on this. Edmond has many highly educated professionals who work in OKC and commute from Edmond. Their children go to school with mine and we love getting to know them! There is a mosque just down the street from the college, University of Central Oklahoma. The college offers graduate level courses, I have an MBA from UCO, and enjoyed attending classes with many people from all over the world. In one class, I was the ONLY white female!

So, I guess with the college, mosque and medical research attracting so many people from all over the world into our small community, I think we are quite accustomed to welcoming new neighbors.

I am sorry that others haven%26#39;t felt that way, but I think/hope the diversity from the college really helps expand our horizons a little!

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