Mature single relocating from downtown vibrant Chicago

Any suggestion for a Urban couple moving from downtown Chicago looking for community-neighborhood with walking and local amenities plus public transportation. We like to be able to leave our apartment and walk to stores/movies/restaurants/library and have a safe neighborhood. Lived on Near-north side of Chicago near Oak Street Beach and Lincoln Park.

Is there any recommendation?

Thank you. Chris

Mature single relocating from downtown vibrant Chicago

Welcome Chris!

Just be ready for a small town feel. I know alot of the New Orleans Hornets people have said just that. OKC feels like a small town. There are not very many places like you are looking for without living in some pretty rough neighborhoods. If you want to live close to downtown I would suggest the Northern part in some of the historic districts. The only movie theaters are in malls and out-of-way locations. There is a nice new theater in Bricktown. I do not think there are any apartments there or markets though I could be wrong. We live north of OKC. Alot of the New Orleans Hornets people live in Edmond because of the schools. (Best HS in the State.) The cost of living is probably alot lower than where you are living so that might help you with your choices. You will love the people here. I know a lady from Japan that says we are the best kept secret in the Nation. Good people, great communities, and occasionally you can find a good meal. (Cheevers and Nona%26#39;s) Things move kind of slow but you will make lasting friendships if you open yourself up to that kind of thing. (Stay away from Midwest City/Del City. Sorry to those who live there. South OKC is not too good. Kind of rough unless you get into Moore.) There are some decent older homes near OCU in OKC but the neighborhoods there blend in with gang type areas. City planning was pretty poor as you will find out. For apartment living I suggest Norman, Moore, or Edmond and far North OKC. Hope this helps.

Mature single relocating from downtown vibrant Chicago

I think Poke gave you a good overview. OKC has some great old neighborhoods on the near northwest side of downtown, but they are small and blend into less desirable ones pretty quickly. And I don%26#39;t believe that any of them have much in the way of walk-to services. If you were thinking of Tulsa, I%26#39;d recommend the great neighborhoods around Utica Square, but I do not know of a similar neighborhood in OKC.

One part of OKC that is looking up is the area near the art museum and concert hall, just west of downtown. The museum is new and it contains both a single-screen movie theater (which shows foreign, classic, and limited release films for the most part) and a good restaurant; the adjacent central library is new; the Civic Center (where the symphony performs as well as other groups) was recently refurbished. You won%26#39;t find much living space there right now, but I have noticed several apartment/condo complexes beginning to come into the area. If you%26#39;re not in too big of a hurry, you might want to check out the possibilities in that area.

Thanks for the input. Yes, I%26#39;ve also heard from friends about Oklahoma City being a great place but I don%26#39;t want to drive. I lived 26 years in Chicago without a car and could walk anywhere - to the beach, work, theatre, supermarket, Nordstroms. I don%26#39;t care about schools and in fact, avoid places that cater to kiddies like Chuckie Cheese or hotels that offer free meals for kids. I love small towns but hate suburbs as feel they are isolating when your life is wrapped in a car. Area near new museum sounds interesting. What are the main intersecting streets. Do you have public transportation on regular basis? Is it clean and reliable? Any Rapid Transit? ALSO, what streets comprise the area you mentioned in Tulsa? We may look there. Regards, LB

LB, I don%26#39;t think you%26#39;re going to find a Chicago-like setting in any of the cities you%26#39;ve mentioned. Chicago is a very large, very old city. Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Austin are much smaller and much younger. As a result, they%26#39;ve been built more around the auto than the train and the foot. Sure, you can get a city bus, but don%26#39;t expect much.

Utica Square is at 21st and Utica. Lots of nice residential areas nearby; south of there is the most ritzy. I don%26#39;t think there are any movies in the area, but most other services are easy to get to. http://www.uticasquare.com/

The OKC Art Museum is at about 4th and Walker. Not much housing there yet, but it%26#39;s coming. Not much retail in the area yet, but lots of civic services. http://www.okcmoa.org

But me personally, if I was considering Austin, Tulsa, and OKC, I would also consider Fort Worth near what they call the ';cultural district.'; Lots of museums; easy access to shops; good, older residential neighborhoods. Anything just off of Camp Bowie Blvd west of Montgomery would be my goal. http://www.fwculture.com/

Having lived in OKC and Tulsa (as well as London and Montreal) and having spent quality time in Chicago, all I can tell you is 1) be prepared to adjust your lifestyle and 2) everything is relative.

If you go in with the attitude that you are more urbane and sophisticated than the hayseed residents of the town you are moving to, you will find that your arrogance and underestimation of others will be your undoing. If, on the other hand, you recognize that Oklahoma City is a newer city with a different culture than Chicago and that you need to adapt to it (and not expect it to adapt to your lifestyle) you will probably do fine.

Everything is relative. I live in a small town now (for job reasons, like most everyone else). Oklahoma City and Tulsa seem like Manhattan when I go back now.

OKC is not a city seen on foot. Only a fool would think otherwise. The travel guides always overlook the good restaraunts in town (like Deep Fork, the Metro and others) and always focus on crap like the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Applewood%26#39;s. It%26#39;s no wonder people have a bad image of the city.

If you%26#39;re looking for an urban experience, the best I can recommend is to take the Chicago equity you had in your Lincoln Park residence (if you owned) and buy an old and pretty home near downtown in either Mesta Park or Heritage Hills. There are some beauties down there.

Don%26#39;t be dissuaded by talk of being near a ';bad area.'; It%26#39;s nothing compared to some of the scary stuff you%26#39;d see in Chicago.

Also, just to respond to an earlier poster. New Orleans stole the Hornets from Charlotte. So if OKC ';steals'; them from NO, they%26#39;re going to have to bloody get used to OKC.

He is absolutely right. I lived in OKC for 36 years. The area he is speaking of is the best historical area that has been considered such for many many decades. Heritage Hills and Crown Heights areas are first to look at because they are older homes, are very close to downtown and Bricktown, have large mature trees and are well respected. Lincoln Park area in OKC should be investigated. No one has mentioned Nichols Hills area. That is the an older and very classy area of Oklahoma There are mansions there, 2 story brick homes, smaller homes--a really eclectic variety but all considered to be very cool because it%26#39;s Nichols Hills. Ask you realtor to show you the variety that is there. The bus system is not like it is in NYC or Chicago. I say look at these places first, and then realize your cultural experience from Chicago will drawn others from the same experience to you. There are the best people there, and the neat thing is, there is less rush and more time to enjoy what it is that you enjoy.

Chris-

Hi! We live in the areas that are rec. to you (Crown Heights, etc). Please know that it will be different from your Chicago existance....you just can%26#39;t walk to everything here. I LOVE that about Chicago, but appreciate the weather here SO much better in the winter!

No offense, but I%26#39;m not sure Poke Mom gets into the city very much (Jones is a VERY small town) and the areas that she mentions as rough, just really aren%26#39;t any more.

Feel free to post your e-mail on this and we can correspond privately. My husband and I are relatively young (30ish), but don%26#39;t have any children, so enjoy the same things you will. We are members of Allied Arts organizations, art museum members and love fine dining.

Also, let me know if you%26#39;re more interested in a house or apartment or loft living.

There are tons more apartments, lofts and conods being built downtown, but you are lacking in retail...even grocery shopping is 10 minutes driving away. However, I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I live 5-10 minutes from downtown, but close to the Western Ave. corridor ( I DO walk to that) and it is a vibrant area that is more ';hip'; than the Bricktown area....which is a little homogonized in my opinion.

Again...I%26#39;d love to talk to you more about this. We%26#39;ve lived several places and do love Oklahoma City...but you give up your ';walkability.'; It is, however, worth it in my opinion.

There are currently more than 2,000 residential units under construction in downtown Oklahoma City. We%26#39;re experiencing a bit of a boom in the walkable lifestyle and urban residences. When completed, those proposed/under construction units will triple our number of downtown units. There are apartments being built in apartment buildings, highrise condos in Midtown (http://theclassenokc.com), The Triangle mixed use district downtown is adding almost 800 units, including 15 brownstones from 2500 to 3500 square feet under construction now. (http://thetriangleokc.com)

Block 42 - http://block42.com

The Hill - http://thehillokc.com

If you live downtown you will be able to walk to Bricktown restaurants, bars and clubs, movie theaters, several museums and parks, work, etc etc. There is currently not a grocery store downtown, but a study is being conducted to show the feasibility and business model success of an establishment. Legacy Summit at Arts Central, another residential development in the Arts District, proposes a grocery store on the street level, and the Triangle also will include a grocery store.

There isn%26#39;t much available now, and when it is available it goes away fast, but it%26#39;s out there and it will only get better. I think many more residential projects and amenities are headed for Oklahoma City.

BTW there is now a list of all urban residential developments in Downtown and Midtown on http://geocities.com/urbanoklahoma

No one really answered one question: Is there public transportation. The short answer for someone from Chicago (or any city with a real public transport system) is ';NO';.

I grew up in NYC and OKC has NO Public Transportation even worth mentioning to someone from a city with a great public transportation system like Chicago, NYC, Boston and DC.

Get ready to own a car if you are moving here because it is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

If you want a downtown Chicago type atmosphere, then look around the downtown area. There are some loft apartments becoming available in Automobile Alley and other parts of downtown. And all are within easy walkign distance (once again - to a person from a ';walking'; city like Chicago) of Bricktown. But they are not convenient to any shopping - grocery or otherwise. OKC has mostly centralized shopping areas - instead of smaller, localized grocers, fish mongers, butcher shops, stationery stores, etc. And with the exception of Bricktown, many of the smaller businesses in the downtown area close with the offices - by 6 PM.

Do not expect anything in any area that even remotely resembles Chicago when you move here or you will be totally disappointed. OKC is a large, sprawling, decentralized metropolis with a small town feel and attitude.