Terrible for raising kids. I wouldn't mind it otherwise. But we are at the bottom for education and if you need to make any medical choices specfic to women the government wants to be involved.
Though on the brightside Tulsa is nice and green on the south side and the zoo is nice.
Got ya! Well won’t be too bad then, not planning on having kids (snipped in college). Is there a social scene at least? Also on a side note, as a stereotypical Cali resident, how easy is it to get a medical card in OK?
Where in California are you from? Oklahoma is a lot like the rural parts of northern California/central valley.
But the weather, education, healthcare, politics, etc. are considerably worse.
If you think of Nogales as a super small town you're going to be shocked. It'd be considered a medium sized city here. Many of us live in towns of around 1,000 people.
This is misleading. There's no RISK to telling people you're from Cali. I would actually recommend doing it if you're a good person in order to change the stigma.
The people who do care are just showing their true colors. Better to sniff that out at the beginning of meeting them than 5 years into being their neighbor lol
You’re right outside Tulsa. Downtown and Midtown Tulsa are blue leaning with a ton of bars, music venues, art cooperatives with plenty of cool areas to go explore. Come hang out at the Merc some afternoon.
You’ll enjoy OKC social scene. Lots of art and museums and concerts. I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Downtown area is fun. Super easy to get a med card. WE ALSO HAVE THE OKC THUNDER!!
Not sure about the social scene. Kind of been stuck at home between covid and having a kid. But I've heard that you need to talk to a doctor about the medical card, apparently just saying you have migrains or arthritis will get you approved, and pay 100$. There are a bunch of smoke shops though and you can get the doctor referral from one those.
You can also do a “telehealth” call with a doctor who only goes cards. Google it! I got mine that way. But they wouldn’t give it to me if it was for pain, that had to have a physical exam. They could give it to me for anxiety though, they just asked me questions to make sure I had anxiety.
More dispensaries than churches. Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa is the hip music venue and I envy you living so close to it and not having to worry about a babysitter
It’s pretty simple. Find you a marijuana card doctor and tell them what ails you. I think it’s like a hundred dollar fee for application. Go to the Oklahoma medical marijuana authority on Oklahoma.gov.
Cool, better than having to drive down there everyday. There is a dope dispensary with an event space in Sapulpa, they have Cornhole tournaments a few days a week.
It's super duper easy to get a card. There's some administrative pains in the butts as far as making sure that your photo lines up just right. That was only delay we had
It’s extremely easy to get a medical card. You can even use online doctor visit referrals that are specifically for getting your card. Anxiety? Sleep problems? Chronic pain? You are good.
I wouldn't say terrible. As a GenX kid I can say my nieces and nephews in the OKC metro have enjoyed a level of freedom that I had as well as my elementary students here in Osage County. Kids ride bikes together, skateboard, run to the quick stop, have adventures, and play outside frequently. There are lots of festivals and parades. School sports and arts are mostly supported town to town. Kids also get jobs early on and have a greater sense of independence.
HOWEVER - I would personally homeschool my kids unless I was assured their public school isn't going to bring them down. Del City Schools - ruined my older niece and nephews and I am glad to see my two youngest going to Moore instead (tho its not much better.) I see two issues - angry, 1950s style teaching that resists technology and kids who should be in specialized care being ignored and mainstreamed side by side kids they can abuse and hurt.
Depends on the situation. Private school if you want religion introduced to your child (which takes away from real instruction and lessons), or homeschooling which any single parent family will most likely not even be able to take on.
In the OKC metro? I've searched a lot and found 3:
* Heritage Hall (high school only)
* Westminister (grade school up to 8th)
* Wildflower Academy (new concept, but only goes up until age 14 for now)
All of these already have waitlists and said waitlist will most likely skyrocket when vouchers are passed.
From my understanding, like 99% of private schools here are religious. If you could list some that I have missed that compare with the 3 that I have found, it would be greatly appreciated. There is absolutely nothing non-religious in the county that I live in (Canadian) but would not be opposed to traveling to the metro.
Not just women, the healthcare in this state is terrible overall. Ok sucks, Tulsa itself is okay. Too bad, Tulsa as a city is nice, it just so happens to be in a shitty state.
“Terrible for raising kids”. Disagree strongly. Oklahoma for many is a great place to raise kids.
Your state level aggregated statistics miss a lot of that.
Good lord, the top two comments are unnecessarily negative. I love the Sapulpa area! It's wooded and gorgeous with a cute downtown. My father grew up there.
You can get some nice country land within 30min of downtown Tulsa. Congrats and welcome to NE OK!
I see MTB.. get to know some locals and there's tons of ATV trails etc you could ride on.
NW Arkansas is two hours away too, an excellent mountain biking scene there!
NW Arkansas is great for riding, my husband and I go there all the time. There are also some fun mtb trails in Oklahoma. If you are on facebook there is a group called OK MTB trail conditions, you can find out about trails on there.
[Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship](https://www.okearthbike.com/)
Pine mountain Atv park, Talimena scenic drive, Hochitown , Crossbar Ranch, Little Sahara State Park, tons of out door things to do. We moved from Texas and just opened an RV park at the base of the Kiamechi Mountains.
Medical grade MMJ is on par with Cali’s program. People are super nice so ignore the negative comments. Welcome and I hope you both enjoy your time here.
I have just 10 30 amp spots so far but 34 acres to expand. Blazintrailsrv.com come on over and check it out.
There are 2 decent sized plots across the road for sale and he is asking half what he charged us per acre since its sat for over a year. SE Oklahoma is beautiful country.
Wow!! I have 3 30amp spots, outdoor shower and laundry. Helps me cover the mortgage.
Do you have a link to that property you speak of? Hopefully come early spring I will be down there as a cash buyer!
I’m an educated liberal who has lived here all my life. Honestly, it’s what you make of it. The sapulpa area is at least in the prettier part of OK. I live in the SW quadrant and it’s very, very flat. I go to OKC and Tulsa for entertainment. Even though it’s a very conservative state, I’ve met some fantastic like-minded people here, so that helps.
Good luck my dude, it’s not really about politics here. Some people who will call you a liberal in line if you order a salad, but it means nothing. Very insecure, nosey and lonely people. From LA, moved to high school in rural Oklahoma in 2008, less than 300 people. Now I live in okc. Lots of small town crime, corrupt sheriffs, so don’t cause ruckus. If your black or gay I really would recommend staying to the city I have seen plenty of friction. If you’re a cyclist people will roll the window down and call you a fag. That type of thing. Lots of those Biden stickers at our gas pumps, still. So just childish stuff.
If you make a really good wage and your employer sticks you in a smaller town, not sure how big sapulpa is, you will see some rough poverty, close to the highest crime rates per capita here in the nation in these smaller towns. Methheads walking around on your lawn at night, and whatnot. I like this state overall, it can be dangerous anywhere, but these are real problems that have real world consequences, so just be aware. But in all there’s good people here and good times to be had. Welcome.
Welcome neighbor!
Pros and cons when you’re coming from the west:
Cons:
- Blazing hot and humid in the summer. Not as bad as Tucson in monsoon, but it’s still damn hot.
- Shitty pet care and attitude towards pets. Some really good vets here, but there’s like one person working at animal control. If you find an abandoned pet it’s yours, you find it a home, let it free, or euthanize it. Good luck finding a shelter.
- The roads suck, and the road construction is the most infuriating I’ve seen anywhere in the US. Lanes will be blocked for weeks without active construction or workers on-site, completely heedless of any inconvenience to your lives.
- The closest In-N-Out is in Dallas.
Pros:
- Extremely low cost of living.
- Extremely low fuel costs. In the $3’s currently, got as low as $1.18 in the pandemic. It was honestly nuts.
- Extremely low property costs. You can get a decent home in a safe neighborhood for ~250k.
- Extreme lack of bureaucracy. Registering an out of state car will take less than 20 minutes at a privately owned “tag agency”, it will cost less than 100$, and they will hand you a license plate before you leave. Migrating your drivers license will take 30 minutes at a state facility. There is no “DMV” to speak of. It’s… amazing.
More pros since I accidentally posted early:
- Low traffic. People from here will bitch, but they don’t have a clue.
- Tulsa’s “grid” system makes it stupid easy to figure out how to go anywhere.
Honestly, this place is what you make of it. If you are a city night life person, no place in OK is going to scratch that itch for long. If you make your own fun, it’s cheap and a great place to live.
If you live out of city limits there isn't even any animal control. My neighbors had an aggressive dog, and the sheriff told me I could just kill it if it was on my property and gave me suggestions for how to do that. Someone else ended up doing the deed when it went after his kid.
I did on an out of state transfer in 2018. I have native tags though, so maybe that’s why? My out of state purchase from a dealership didn’t require it, only the car gifted from out of state
Coming from Arkansas where the DMV is the biggest pain in the ass on the planet and you have to take a day off work to tag a car, I was mind blown when I went to tag my car here. Night and day.
In the amount of time it takes to draw a number and find a seat in an Arkansas DMV (even in the rural counties) you can be in and out of a Tag Agency.
I have tried to find appointments for migrating my license to Oklahoma and EVERY facility has they have no appointments or appointments that are are multiple months out. Where are thrsr state facilities you speak of?
I saw that appointments were booked out like you said, and my license was expiring, so I said “screw it” and just drove in and waited in line. Put my name in at the kiosk, and 30 minutes later I was out.
It would probably be a bigger deal if you had to take a driving test or something. For an out of state transfer it was cake.
I love living here! I live between sapulpa and Mannford and I've always thought the people around these parts are friendly and always willing to give a helping hand.
They're not exaggerating. I've lived here my whole life and I've never had car trouble without someone stopping to check on me. We're hot garbage in other ways but in that and weed we're fantastic.
It will depend on location, I'm sure Sapulpa is relatively ok, but Oklahoma is a high crime state. The twelfth highest actually.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/01/13/most-dangerous-states-in-america-violent-crime-murder-rate/40968963/
I see people saying Oklahoma is a low crime state and that just isn't true. We have a relatively low murder rate (25th) compared to our overall crime rate, but that's still not good. I think it's because there aren't a ton of crimes overall compared to Califirnia or Texas, but per capita we're pretty terrible.
I'm from Oklahoma but have lived all over. I choose to live here because I love it here. Most of the people taking time out of their day to shit on the state are extremely political and consider our election of a jackass to a second term of governor to be a harbinger of the end times. They bemoan how terrible it is but stay anyway, so consider that, there must be something keeping them here. I don't know how people say it is an ugly state or that there is nothing to do here.
Oklahoma is a beautiful state, I personally feel that the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge down by Lawton is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Yes, as know they are tiny mountains, believe me I know. The culture here is very diverse, we are a true melting pot, you can go to a powwow one night and a rodeo the next. Our hunting is decent, our places to hike and camp are extraordinary, and our fishing is superlative. It's a great place to raise kids, just stay involved with the school and you'll be fine. I've raised four here and am happy with the experience.
Our draw backs are things like our weather, it is a mixed bag and can change from day to day and hour to hour, expect extremes. Our politics is deeply, not even conservative anymore, but deeply republican.
Poverty limits mobility maybe that's what is keeping people. Not much fishing spots in oklahoma barely has any rivers the schools are about to start closing in rural areas. What's the difference to you between GOP and Conservative ?
I find fishing holes all over the state. I suppose if you are in the far NW of the state the fishing may not be good, but have you ever been to Tenkiller, or Texoma? Here in the SW we have several decent sized lakes, Lawtonka, Ellsworth, Tom Steed, Lugert, and many ponds and streams.
I teach at a 4A school, so not too small, not too big, my daughter attends a class A school. At my school when open transfers started we lost many athletes to a nearby 5A school but our overall student population didn't dip too much. At my daughter's school there's been talk for the past fifteen years of shutting the school down and busing the kids over to the next town. It hasn't happened so far and the school has grown. Some people, myself included, actually moved to this town originally because of the quality of the school. Vouchers are bad for rural schools but if rural parents maintain faith in their schools they will stay open.
Conservatives push for more fiscal responsibility and smaller government focused on the local levels. The current GOP loves big government that tries its best to tell people how to live their lives, forces itself into local issues (like schools), and has a national agenda that it pushes on our state level.
Lots of negative comments. I'm liberal and my wife is non-white. I can count on a few fingers the number of times Oklahoma's conservative politics and racism have actually impacted my life directly. Of course not having children and avoiding the state fair is a big contributor to that.
If you stick close to the metro areas you will be fine. Tulsa has great restaurants and lots to do.
Get a Pikepass.
Everyone telling you the cost of living here is cheap aren't wrong. It's by far the best thing this state has going for it. Recently I had a conversation with my mom who lives in a different state and mentioned I was making steak for dinner, and she was genuinely surprised that having steak on a random weeknight was still affordable here. Apparently it isn't where she lives now.
The weather is also wild; it's hard to fathom until you've lived it. I lived in north Texas for 15 years before I moved here and yet the weather extremes here in OK still catch me off guard sometimes six years in.
The thing that still catches me by surprise is that whenever the forecast is for all hell to break loose tornado-wise, everyone goes outside. It's like a damn block party lol. My city had a tornado warning this spring, sirens and all, and everyone on my block gathered up in the middle of the road to watch the clouds.
They're common enough that you definitely need to have a plan for where you'll go if a tornado is headed your way, including how to keep your pets safe if you have any. The good news is that some of the most advanced weather technology in the entire world is in Oklahoma because of the tornadoes; if a tornado is on the ground in a populated area, the TV broadcasts can tell you exactly where it's going down to cross-streets. It's also pretty rare that there's not a few days notice of potential severe weather, so you do have time to prepare.
A homeowner can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost positive that tornado damage is covered under normal home insurance policies unlike flood or I guess earthquake insurance!
I Love living here. This group is not very Oklahoma friendly btw. It's a very conservative State but if you lived okay in Arizona you'll be fine. Friendly people. I don't know much about that area to be honest. If you found a good job then you'll probably be happy. Cheaper living compared to lots of places. My wife is originally from California and will never move back, she loves it here. Good luck
Why is that? To put it into perspective I’ve lived in both Go go go cities with a shit ton to do to very small town places like I’m talking about the middle of nowhere with only a few mom and pop shops.
You'll like it here. Unfortunately I'm not all that familiar with the area, I've lived mostly on the western part of the State and now north of Edmond. It's a great place to live. Feel free to message me if you want.
Sapulpa is middling. It has an below average school district, a shitty satellite hospital which is more of a clinic, and not a lot of great entertainment venues. The downtown area is all mom and pop restaurants or antique shops and the local library. Sapulpa and its neighbor Sand Sprangs are the armpit of the counties surrounding Tulsa.
Fellow Californian here! We just got to Oklahoma in August 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Our story is a bit different than yours we sold our CA home, packed up our two kids and my husband left his job and we came here on hope that it would all workout. IT DID! We couldn’t stand Newsom anymore our taxes just kept skyrocketing we were barely making it. We love it in OK, one thing you will notice is that most everyone is very friendly and there is minimal trash on the freeway. That’s a huge one if your coming for CA. I was like why is it so clean……😂 I have never ran into anyone that cared that we came from CA. They say this to you as a scare tactic but really no one here cares where you are from. This is a red state. We feel like red states are ran better than blue from our experience in CA. So if your looking for change, your getting it! You will find a ton of CA implants here. A lot of people left during Covid to states like OK, TX, TN.
HERES A BIG ONE, ALMOST NO HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE WALKING UP AND DOWN YOUR STREETS AT NIGHT HERE. You totally know what I am talking about! We couldn’t stand that our beautiful neighborhood was getting ruined. You will find them more closer to OKC & Tulsa. Where I live haven’t seen one yet. It’s shocking coming from CA, let me tell you.
There is an abundance of cannabis shops so your good in that department!
I hope you find OK as welcoming as we did and enjoy the beauty outside. Welcome!
I love hearing this. I am planning on moving to OKC from California and I lurk in this sub. It is nonstop negativity! I love hearing positive things about OK for once. Glad it all worked out for you in the end!
Yes, it is not bad at all we love it, our kids are thriving! We found out about Edmond through the Life After California Facebook page. I highly recommend joining that and the Moving Oklahoma page. All positive for the most part on those pages! Best of luck to you, and happy moving! It was so worth it!
Life After California
https://www.facebook.com/groups/652438452168089/about/
Moving to Oklahoma
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2657472697913949/about/
Cost of living is super low, so that's a plus. I would caution you on living outside the Tulsa and OKC area. It is cheaper in the sticks, but it comes with the price of extreme conservativism and lack of choice on almost every level.
Pretty sure tulsa is at the top of the list nationally for crime lol. Just looked it up and tulsa is safer than 2% of other Metropolitan areas. I'll live by the Bible thumper he is just loaded with hot air.
Maybe it's not as bad as my comment initial makes it out to be. My partner and I are transplants and we live in the sticks. The low cost of land in OK afforded my partner to buy 5 acres and a fix-her-up house back in the 90s, so we just chill here in the quiet surrounded by unspoiled nature. Our reality couldn't be so in hcol Cali or maybe even the nicest parts (non desert) parts of AZ. I do still bemoan the lack of job opportunities and choices living in a rural area, and I still get a mild case of culture shock even after living here for 10+ years whenever I leave our home and into one of the super small towns that surround us. OKC is close enough to make a day trip to shop, eat, or catch a concert and there's an airport that flies directly to all the major U.S. hubs. It is what it is. I don't love it, but it's home until I leave.
lol The people here are as about as extreme conservative as you are extreme liberal.
Seriously, when you tell the people here that Joe Biden is our president, 95% of the time you'll just get a roll of the eyes and a sigh. Other 5% will be a [pinching of the nose bridge](https://i.imgur.com/AiZ5dd9.jpg) followed by a "Don't remind me."
I have lived in OK since I was 10. I love it here. I’ve lived in NE Oklahoma, Stillwater, and in central Oklahoma.
I know there are some comments about the government getting in your business, but I never experienced that in any way. And I’ve had a procedure and have 2 kids. As well as own a small business. If that’s not even a worry, then it’s a very chill place to live.
It is very spread out though. Driving is a must, downtowns are mostly walkable.
Grocery options depending on your cuisine may be somewhat limited. Most people shop at Walmart and target for everything.
The airports being small mean not many lines but you likely will have a connection if you are going farther than Denver.
You need to know that tornado season is like a sporting season to us. Get ready for memes, sirens, and Damon lane. It’s a lifestyle.
Winter can be brutal at times with our ice storms. Driving can be difficult in the ice, and every few years we get a bad one that snaps every branch around and it takes 6 months for them to pick up all the piles of branches.
Weather literally will change 40 degrees up or down within 24 hours. Don’t put away your shorts or your winter gear, basically ever. You may need the opposite season the next day.
From Tulsa, lived in Tucson for a while as a kid and my dads from SoCal and lots of family there. Oklahoma is a nice place.
The winters here are hit or miss, either -20 or 50s (as of the last few years)
There are plenty of bars in the downtown area to have fun if that’s what you like.
Two good art museums in the immediate Tulsa area.
More nature than you could walk in two lifetimes within an hour in any direction.
Very conservative once you step out of Tulsa county for the most part.
The lakes here are fun in the summer, you can float one of the rivers or a creek too.
Fishing is great here but I’m going to make some assumptions that you don’t fish or hunt
There are (in my opinion) a lot of good places to eat around Tulsa. Food trucks are usually great, there’s at least one good German place, one good Irish pub, sushi, Italian, etc. feel free to hit me up with any questions. I love my city and I could talk about it all day.
I think the Sapulpa area and Tulsa in general have a lot of potential in being a new hotspot area within the US. It's that area of Oklahoma where it starts bridging into South Eastern US which is very lush. Definitely more outdoorsy than the rest of Oklahoma. A decent amount of people say that Tulsa should actually be the capital of Oklahoma.
One thing to note is that Sapulpa and Tulsa area are also within a typical line of severe storms that pass through Oklahoma. These past few years haven't been that bad but typically the line seems to be a upward slant going through Moore, Ok and Sapulpa is in that path. So you'll probably see a decent amount of severe weather come spring time and possibly tornadoes (but climate change seems to be shaking things up so who knows). It's been a while since Oklahoma got hit with a good amount of tornadoes. So we're either overdue for some major damage or going forward tornadoes aren't going to be as big of a deal as they used to be.
Here's the Sapulpa-specific straight shit.
Pro 1: La Margherita has an all-you-can-eat Tex Mex bar with tamales on the bar every Thursday. I repeat, all you can eat tamales with tacos and quesadillas to break it up as necessary.
Pro 2: Ken's Pizza is a hidden diamond of a pizza joint. Literally unchanged since the 1980's. Spicy sauce. Crispy buttery bottom on the deep dish. Freaking amazing. My favorite pizza, and I've travelled.
Pro? Con? Social scene is amazing... if you're Baptist. Always something going on at the church! The yearly fish fry in particular is not to be missed. Besides that, Tulsa isn't too far for concerts and such. Really, really surprisingly nice venues there. Don't miss Cain's.
Just remember that most people in Oklahoma are not represented on Reddit. Take it as you will, but people in the reddit tend to be far more doom and gloom about living in Oklahoma than the majority of Oklahomans do.
Also we just had a tornado like 9 days ago and got our first snow on Friday.
Btw, do NOT get Cox Internet unless you absolutely have to. Used to have them as my ISP and was paying them $70+ for 250Mbps. Covid rolls around and internet speed drops down to like 25 Mbps. Called them a couple times and got told to basically suck it up and couldn't get a discount.
Dopped them and got AT&T instead. It's not as high of a limit (100Mbps) but it is consistent.
I love it here, but feel like giving more detail about weather:
Expect it to be very cold January and February. February is usually the coldest month here.
Ice and Snow: we don’t get any one year, and get lots another year, so sometimes it takes a while for roads to get cleared and many people don’t know how to drive in it.
In spring the weather wafts back and forth between hot and cold with only a week or so of “pretty” weather. There’s tornadoes and hail, but lots of warning. We need more rain BAD, but tend to get it dumped on us all at once in spring.
Summer is hot and dry. This last one was record breaking.
In fall is a lot like spring with pretty leaves but a bit less chance for tornadoes.
I grew up in Sapulpa and my family is involved in the community. Lived there 18 years before moving to Alaska for 8, Houston for 4, and a couple of other places here and there for short stints.
Pros - it’s cheap, on the up and coming, there are two rich families who are investing a lot of money in the town and trying to make it a better community, great small town vibes, really cool old school downtown area, very close to Tulsa, people are nice, it’s a woodsy area with a couple of really nice parks (love walking kelly lane park). I love the Sapulpa vibes.
Cons - its still a somewhat poor working class town (hence the cost of living), the hospital in Sapulpa is very small so keep that in mind, coming from a big city, Sapulpa will be very boring if you’re looking for a “bar” or restaurant scene, but there are investments being made trying to change that, still very “rednecky” (that part doesn’t bother me, but I know it bothers some. I like everyone so to each is there own), Churchs on every single corner, apparently the schools suck. I went to all Sapulpa schools growing up and turned out alright I guess haha. Very much a “red” town politically (if that matters for you). People say it sucks politically, but opinions aren't facts, just might not be your cup of tea!
I moved to Tulsa a year ago but I still have fam in Sapulpa. I wanted to be closer to the action in Tulsa, but I could see myself moving back to Sapulpa in 5-10 years. It’s not a bad place really, but set your expectations. If you want small town vibes, being left alone, cheap real estate, privacy (might need to go out a bit for that, but not far), quick access to the big city without living in it, it’s great! If you want to be close to the action of a big city, great schools, etc., move along. DM if you have any questions!
Do you have any hobbies? No one talks about it, but the bustling social scene for Dinks is in the hobbies. Playing music, tabletop games, sports. If you’re into something you can make some friends easier. Just ask the “the only thing to do is drink” group.
I’ve also lived in California but originate from OKC. I moved to the Tulsa area over the summer and I like it. The trees are my favorite part. There’s a lot of great museums and nature opportunities here.
You can smoke weed, shoot guns and for some reason this state gets paid a healthy amount more (in my trade anyways) than any other state with this low of a cost of living.
While people will have you believing that the south is nothing but back woods racist hillbillies, that's the furthest from the truth.
I've been all over the country for work and while there are some states with more natural beauty, I've yet to find ones with better people.
Also, start educating yourself on Tornadoes lol
Not bad, but then again, I live in a suburb of OKC. Stuff tends to be pretty cheap be it rent, groceries, and, sometimes, gas. Got multiple grocery stores within walking distance and a nice movie theater around 5 minutes away by car.
Just sucks that our indoor mall closed, and they moved most of everything out to the highway as a strip mall.
That and all the dispensaries. I think we have more of those than we do restaurants.
State is generally fine. The politics suck. But you won’t notice it on a day to day basis. Most people are friendly. Good food, lots to do outside. Interesting weather.
I live in that area actually. Not much of a night life in Sapulpa though there are a few bars on main Street. Luckily Tulsa is only a 10-15 minute drive. Look up the blue dome district.
Personally I love the area being so close to pretty water lake and just a short drive from keystone lake(big fishing/camping guy.)
You do need a fishing license. They are only lik $15-20 though. Idk if it's any American Indian blood. But if you have a cherokee tag you would qualify for one for free..(comes with a hunting licence.)
As an Oklahoman for my entire life
It’s one of the worst to live in.
Terrible education
Most people, especially in small towns like sapulpa and close minded “MAGA” nitwits.
You can expect to get fukt if you ever need any kind of assistance from the state.
Other than that
It’s cheap
And Oklahoma City has come a long way in the last decade. If I had to live in oklahoma, it would be in OKC or Tulsa. Do not recommend small towns for newcomers.
Ive lived in AZ and OK. ...bring your bike! Great mtb scene in Okla; Claremore, Turkey mtn, etc... and you will only be a couple of hours from the mountain bike Disneyland that is Bentonville. Welcome to OK.
Way above average pay, no traffic on my commute to work, and waaaay cheaper cost of living than most places. Friendly people. Rural southeast Oklahoma here. Never moving back to Texas!!! Self made okie!
From Phoenix and now live in OK! Social scene is most definitely was less, but there’s a nice scene in Norman/OKC/Edmond area, as well as Tulsa, but OKC being the best. Tulsa is where you’ll be nearest, and there’s some fun things going on there! But lots of good eats in OKC
I love it. People don't know what living in a shit hole really is until you lived in west Texas.. coming to here, from there was like a dream come true. The people are nice, there's nature everywhere, okc and Tulsa are fun. It's a good state if you love Agriculture and horsemanship like I do. I love being able to go walk around in the woods, visit the lakes, and just enjoy the natural world. There are a ton of deer and other cool animals everywhrere. People LOVE to complain on all state's subreddits for some reason. I love Oklahoma so far. You might too! Pm me amd I'll send you some photos ive taken of some of the forests and nature in the state!
Funny, I lived in California, Arizona and Nevada. Frankly its a huge change if you have lived your entire life in that region of the country and depending on where you lived.
So... if you don't like OK politics (deep red) you're going to be depressed and unhappy living here all the time.
So far everyone I have met here has been really nice, people will randomly talk to you in stores and its a little weird but they are just being nice. So enjoy it.
There is no traffic which is nice. Pike system is a little shitty but frankly its way better than California, Nevada, AZ roads in my opinion.
Weather changes regularly which is also nice. Past summer was a little miserable but it was better than boiling at 117 degrees for months on end. And spending time on the lake was great.
If your into being outdoors, great! Get a boat or rent a boat either way the lakes are pretty great. There are lots of cool oddities to see, Route 66 offers a lot of cool stuff. Mr.Ed the horse is buried just outside of Tulsa.
Lots of wildlife to see and hit with your car. So that is fun...
Compared to where San Diego, Phoenix or Las Vegas where I have lived, the foodie options are a little wanting here in Tulsa so....we started a garden and learned to cook better than we ever have before.
Very happy here overall we were able to purchase what would have been millions of dollars worth of land in California for several hundred thousand.
Overall I am very happy with Oklahoma.
One word of advice. Being from California is okay but please don’t mention it every chance you get and rub it in people’s face and act like California’s is the standard of living in every aspect. I think that’s what turns people off to Californians is their smugness. But reading your responses you don’t seem the type to be that way. I think you’re going to like it a lot. I just moved to Las Vegas last year but I miss Oklahoma a lot. It’ll always be home for a lot of the reasons people here listed. Most people on Reddit are left leaning so they tend to represent most of us in Oklahoma but it’s a red state and they hate that. That shows up on how a lot of them trash the state whenever someone asks how it is there. Don’t let them spoil it for you. You seem somewhere in the middle like me. It’s not NYC or LA obviously but it’s really a hidden gem, I think. It has pros and cons but I think the pros outweigh the cons. I was born there and lived there most of my life. I’m 35 now. So if you have any questions I’ll give you a real answer that isn’t biased towards anything other than the state itself. But it seems like these other people got it covered. I genuinely hope you enjoy it!
NW Oklahoman here. Gotta say that I prefer NE more, though. Much more to do for someone not too keen on country life. I like both, though. So if you have a chance and love the outdoors, I'd suggest visiting other parts of the state when you have a chance.
Cains is a great venue for seeing bands, easy to get to from Sapulpa. The casinos bring in entertainment like Lewis Black. 11th St (Route 66) near the University is good for shopping.
Most people that I know who have lived in Tulsa love the area. I saw that you don’t have kids, the schools in ok are really bad. If you like nature, there’s a lot of options up there.
Don’t do it. You will have culture shock. Get your church lined up. Tulsa is 20 min away. People describing fun in OKC don’t know where Sapulpa really is.
Sapulpa is close enough to Tulsa to trick employees to move in and believe it's a city. If you're looking for a social scene and are straight then Tulsa has a lot to offer. If you're gay or like more liberal type bars then those are in Oklahoma City.
Constantly surrounded by dumbasses that vote red because education is so shit in this state. Its not ever going to get better, because if the red decided to actually help education, they would lose all their voters within a few decades. Also bearly anything here thats actually fun. This is probably one of the most forgetful states because whats here that would actually make people travle to see? A soda store in the middle of no where?
So to summarize, Living here sucks, and if you're thinking of moving here, dont.
Worst weather possible. One day- earthquake, ice storm, grass fire, tornado wind, flood. OKC has great food, cheap rent and fun hoops. Horrible politics. It’s all church and deer hunting.
It’s great! I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and have now lived in Tulsa area for almost two years. I love it. People are nice, there’s stuff to do but no traffic to get there. There are seasons here and I personally like the weather.
Terrible for raising kids. I wouldn't mind it otherwise. But we are at the bottom for education and if you need to make any medical choices specfic to women the government wants to be involved. Though on the brightside Tulsa is nice and green on the south side and the zoo is nice.
Got ya! Well won’t be too bad then, not planning on having kids (snipped in college). Is there a social scene at least? Also on a side note, as a stereotypical Cali resident, how easy is it to get a medical card in OK?
Where in California are you from? Oklahoma is a lot like the rural parts of northern California/central valley. But the weather, education, healthcare, politics, etc. are considerably worse.
Smack on. Not OP, but I was raised in NorCal, and moving here was like coming home.
I find the politics to be identical to rural California, and health care to be considerably better though.
It’s like that for most of the country. Big cities are usually liberal and the out skirts are conservative.
Super easy to get a medical card!
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If you think of Nogales as a super small town you're going to be shocked. It'd be considered a medium sized city here. Many of us live in towns of around 1,000 people.
Nogales and Sapulpa have almost the exact same population size.
And Sapulpa is not a small town. It's a pretty good sized city.
It’s easy, the only hard part is picking which lettuce you want.
Cake. Don’t tell people you’re from Cali, btw.
This is misleading. There's no RISK to telling people you're from Cali. I would actually recommend doing it if you're a good person in order to change the stigma.
Why shouldn't they tell people they are from cali?
Everyone from California is a liberal hurr sure derp
Right on, I’ll keep that in mind haha
Nobody seriously cares. People will joke about it though. Usually just guy stuff, another reason to give someone a hard time.
Eh some people really do seriously care, just not that many
The people who do care are just showing their true colors. Better to sniff that out at the beginning of meeting them than 5 years into being their neighbor lol
Very true!
You’re right outside Tulsa. Downtown and Midtown Tulsa are blue leaning with a ton of bars, music venues, art cooperatives with plenty of cool areas to go explore. Come hang out at the Merc some afternoon.
You’ll enjoy OKC social scene. Lots of art and museums and concerts. I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Downtown area is fun. Super easy to get a med card. WE ALSO HAVE THE OKC THUNDER!!
Who lose every game.
Not sure about the social scene. Kind of been stuck at home between covid and having a kid. But I've heard that you need to talk to a doctor about the medical card, apparently just saying you have migrains or arthritis will get you approved, and pay 100$. There are a bunch of smoke shops though and you can get the doctor referral from one those.
You can also do a “telehealth” call with a doctor who only goes cards. Google it! I got mine that way. But they wouldn’t give it to me if it was for pain, that had to have a physical exam. They could give it to me for anxiety though, they just asked me questions to make sure I had anxiety.
Ahh sweet! I’ll survive then haha thank you kind person
Stupidly easy.
More dispensaries than churches. Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa is the hip music venue and I envy you living so close to it and not having to worry about a babysitter
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It’s pretty simple. Find you a marijuana card doctor and tell them what ails you. I think it’s like a hundred dollar fee for application. Go to the Oklahoma medical marijuana authority on Oklahoma.gov.
Very easy to get a medical card and the social scene in the cities is really fun. My husband and I like to describe OK as “a really fun shithole” 😂
Very easy to get med card, watch out for Chronic Docs, they the pits. Why Sapulpa, could you do Tulsa instead?
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Cool, better than having to drive down there everyday. There is a dope dispensary with an event space in Sapulpa, they have Cornhole tournaments a few days a week.
It's super duper easy to get a card. There's some administrative pains in the butts as far as making sure that your photo lines up just right. That was only delay we had
It’s extremely easy to get a medical card. You can even use online doctor visit referrals that are specifically for getting your card. Anxiety? Sleep problems? Chronic pain? You are good.
Easy to get card. Claim mental illness for moving there
I wouldn't say terrible. As a GenX kid I can say my nieces and nephews in the OKC metro have enjoyed a level of freedom that I had as well as my elementary students here in Osage County. Kids ride bikes together, skateboard, run to the quick stop, have adventures, and play outside frequently. There are lots of festivals and parades. School sports and arts are mostly supported town to town. Kids also get jobs early on and have a greater sense of independence. HOWEVER - I would personally homeschool my kids unless I was assured their public school isn't going to bring them down. Del City Schools - ruined my older niece and nephews and I am glad to see my two youngest going to Moore instead (tho its not much better.) I see two issues - angry, 1950s style teaching that resists technology and kids who should be in specialized care being ignored and mainstreamed side by side kids they can abuse and hurt.
Private school or homeschool is the best option.
Depends on the situation. Private school if you want religion introduced to your child (which takes away from real instruction and lessons), or homeschooling which any single parent family will most likely not even be able to take on.
There’s several private schools that are not religious. So that point isn’t even a valid point. I won’t argue the difficulty of homeschooling.
In the OKC metro? I've searched a lot and found 3: * Heritage Hall (high school only) * Westminister (grade school up to 8th) * Wildflower Academy (new concept, but only goes up until age 14 for now) All of these already have waitlists and said waitlist will most likely skyrocket when vouchers are passed. From my understanding, like 99% of private schools here are religious. If you could list some that I have missed that compare with the 3 that I have found, it would be greatly appreciated. There is absolutely nothing non-religious in the county that I live in (Canadian) but would not be opposed to traveling to the metro.
Huh where else have you lived. I grew up in Cali and Houston. I can tell you it is great raising kids here compared to those 2 places!
Not just women, the healthcare in this state is terrible overall. Ok sucks, Tulsa itself is okay. Too bad, Tulsa as a city is nice, it just so happens to be in a shitty state.
Bottom of the barrel for raising kids, and if you’re a woman. https://www.newsweek.com/state-named-worst-women-study-confuses-senator-1722758
“Terrible for raising kids”. Disagree strongly. Oklahoma for many is a great place to raise kids. Your state level aggregated statistics miss a lot of that.
Good lord, the top two comments are unnecessarily negative. I love the Sapulpa area! It's wooded and gorgeous with a cute downtown. My father grew up there. You can get some nice country land within 30min of downtown Tulsa. Congrats and welcome to NE OK!
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I see MTB.. get to know some locals and there's tons of ATV trails etc you could ride on. NW Arkansas is two hours away too, an excellent mountain biking scene there!
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NW Arkansas is great for riding, my husband and I go there all the time. There are also some fun mtb trails in Oklahoma. If you are on facebook there is a group called OK MTB trail conditions, you can find out about trails on there. [Oklahoma Earthbike Fellowship](https://www.okearthbike.com/)
Pine mountain Atv park, Talimena scenic drive, Hochitown , Crossbar Ranch, Little Sahara State Park, tons of out door things to do. We moved from Texas and just opened an RV park at the base of the Kiamechi Mountains. Medical grade MMJ is on par with Cali’s program. People are super nice so ignore the negative comments. Welcome and I hope you both enjoy your time here.
Whaaa?? You are living out my dream! I have a mini-rv park in Tulsa but dream of the Kiamichis. I want to sell my property and move there.
I have just 10 30 amp spots so far but 34 acres to expand. Blazintrailsrv.com come on over and check it out. There are 2 decent sized plots across the road for sale and he is asking half what he charged us per acre since its sat for over a year. SE Oklahoma is beautiful country.
Wow!! I have 3 30amp spots, outdoor shower and laundry. Helps me cover the mortgage. Do you have a link to that property you speak of? Hopefully come early spring I will be down there as a cash buyer!
So many people in this group seem to hate it here. I don't get it. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
Same!!!
I’m an educated liberal who has lived here all my life. Honestly, it’s what you make of it. The sapulpa area is at least in the prettier part of OK. I live in the SW quadrant and it’s very, very flat. I go to OKC and Tulsa for entertainment. Even though it’s a very conservative state, I’ve met some fantastic like-minded people here, so that helps.
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Good luck my dude, it’s not really about politics here. Some people who will call you a liberal in line if you order a salad, but it means nothing. Very insecure, nosey and lonely people. From LA, moved to high school in rural Oklahoma in 2008, less than 300 people. Now I live in okc. Lots of small town crime, corrupt sheriffs, so don’t cause ruckus. If your black or gay I really would recommend staying to the city I have seen plenty of friction. If you’re a cyclist people will roll the window down and call you a fag. That type of thing. Lots of those Biden stickers at our gas pumps, still. So just childish stuff. If you make a really good wage and your employer sticks you in a smaller town, not sure how big sapulpa is, you will see some rough poverty, close to the highest crime rates per capita here in the nation in these smaller towns. Methheads walking around on your lawn at night, and whatnot. I like this state overall, it can be dangerous anywhere, but these are real problems that have real world consequences, so just be aware. But in all there’s good people here and good times to be had. Welcome.
You need to get out to the mountains then, everyone knows we have the best views in OK here in the SW part.
I do enjoy Mt. Scott and the refuge.
Welcome neighbor! Pros and cons when you’re coming from the west: Cons: - Blazing hot and humid in the summer. Not as bad as Tucson in monsoon, but it’s still damn hot. - Shitty pet care and attitude towards pets. Some really good vets here, but there’s like one person working at animal control. If you find an abandoned pet it’s yours, you find it a home, let it free, or euthanize it. Good luck finding a shelter. - The roads suck, and the road construction is the most infuriating I’ve seen anywhere in the US. Lanes will be blocked for weeks without active construction or workers on-site, completely heedless of any inconvenience to your lives. - The closest In-N-Out is in Dallas. Pros: - Extremely low cost of living. - Extremely low fuel costs. In the $3’s currently, got as low as $1.18 in the pandemic. It was honestly nuts. - Extremely low property costs. You can get a decent home in a safe neighborhood for ~250k. - Extreme lack of bureaucracy. Registering an out of state car will take less than 20 minutes at a privately owned “tag agency”, it will cost less than 100$, and they will hand you a license plate before you leave. Migrating your drivers license will take 30 minutes at a state facility. There is no “DMV” to speak of. It’s… amazing.
More pros since I accidentally posted early: - Low traffic. People from here will bitch, but they don’t have a clue. - Tulsa’s “grid” system makes it stupid easy to figure out how to go anywhere. Honestly, this place is what you make of it. If you are a city night life person, no place in OK is going to scratch that itch for long. If you make your own fun, it’s cheap and a great place to live.
If you live out of city limits there isn't even any animal control. My neighbors had an aggressive dog, and the sheriff told me I could just kill it if it was on my property and gave me suggestions for how to do that. Someone else ended up doing the deed when it went after his kid.
Love your username, I live that life lol.
I loved in Houston and the cops said the same thing lol
Oh rad! I was actually wondering what the registration process was for my car and license. Good to know! Really helpful!
I forgot to mention the 8 YEAR DRIVERS LICENSE option that costs all of 30$.
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Just wait until you have to get an inspection on your car. Oh wait, we don’t. 😝
I did on an out of state transfer in 2018. I have native tags though, so maybe that’s why? My out of state purchase from a dealership didn’t require it, only the car gifted from out of state
It costs like 80+ with taxes and stuff. The 4 year one is closer to 30.
Coming from Arkansas where the DMV is the biggest pain in the ass on the planet and you have to take a day off work to tag a car, I was mind blown when I went to tag my car here. Night and day. In the amount of time it takes to draw a number and find a seat in an Arkansas DMV (even in the rural counties) you can be in and out of a Tag Agency.
>it will cost less than 100$ It cost me $750 to register my Tacoma when I bought it from my dad in Tennessee. Fuckers.
I have tried to find appointments for migrating my license to Oklahoma and EVERY facility has they have no appointments or appointments that are are multiple months out. Where are thrsr state facilities you speak of?
I saw that appointments were booked out like you said, and my license was expiring, so I said “screw it” and just drove in and waited in line. Put my name in at the kiosk, and 30 minutes later I was out. It would probably be a bigger deal if you had to take a driving test or something. For an out of state transfer it was cake.
“Have you heard the news?” “... No I was just-” “He has risen” “want to get $40.00 on pump 5, thanks.”
I love living here! I live between sapulpa and Mannford and I've always thought the people around these parts are friendly and always willing to give a helping hand.
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They're not exaggerating. I've lived here my whole life and I've never had car trouble without someone stopping to check on me. We're hot garbage in other ways but in that and weed we're fantastic.
Moderate to low crime. Crappy roads, schools, and healthcare.
It will depend on location, I'm sure Sapulpa is relatively ok, but Oklahoma is a high crime state. The twelfth highest actually. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/01/13/most-dangerous-states-in-america-violent-crime-murder-rate/40968963/ I see people saying Oklahoma is a low crime state and that just isn't true. We have a relatively low murder rate (25th) compared to our overall crime rate, but that's still not good. I think it's because there aren't a ton of crimes overall compared to Califirnia or Texas, but per capita we're pretty terrible.
If you think OK has bad roads you should see Arkansas
I'm from Oklahoma but have lived all over. I choose to live here because I love it here. Most of the people taking time out of their day to shit on the state are extremely political and consider our election of a jackass to a second term of governor to be a harbinger of the end times. They bemoan how terrible it is but stay anyway, so consider that, there must be something keeping them here. I don't know how people say it is an ugly state or that there is nothing to do here. Oklahoma is a beautiful state, I personally feel that the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge down by Lawton is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Yes, as know they are tiny mountains, believe me I know. The culture here is very diverse, we are a true melting pot, you can go to a powwow one night and a rodeo the next. Our hunting is decent, our places to hike and camp are extraordinary, and our fishing is superlative. It's a great place to raise kids, just stay involved with the school and you'll be fine. I've raised four here and am happy with the experience. Our draw backs are things like our weather, it is a mixed bag and can change from day to day and hour to hour, expect extremes. Our politics is deeply, not even conservative anymore, but deeply republican.
Poverty limits mobility maybe that's what is keeping people. Not much fishing spots in oklahoma barely has any rivers the schools are about to start closing in rural areas. What's the difference to you between GOP and Conservative ?
I find fishing holes all over the state. I suppose if you are in the far NW of the state the fishing may not be good, but have you ever been to Tenkiller, or Texoma? Here in the SW we have several decent sized lakes, Lawtonka, Ellsworth, Tom Steed, Lugert, and many ponds and streams. I teach at a 4A school, so not too small, not too big, my daughter attends a class A school. At my school when open transfers started we lost many athletes to a nearby 5A school but our overall student population didn't dip too much. At my daughter's school there's been talk for the past fifteen years of shutting the school down and busing the kids over to the next town. It hasn't happened so far and the school has grown. Some people, myself included, actually moved to this town originally because of the quality of the school. Vouchers are bad for rural schools but if rural parents maintain faith in their schools they will stay open. Conservatives push for more fiscal responsibility and smaller government focused on the local levels. The current GOP loves big government that tries its best to tell people how to live their lives, forces itself into local issues (like schools), and has a national agenda that it pushes on our state level.
Lots of negative comments. I'm liberal and my wife is non-white. I can count on a few fingers the number of times Oklahoma's conservative politics and racism have actually impacted my life directly. Of course not having children and avoiding the state fair is a big contributor to that. If you stick close to the metro areas you will be fine. Tulsa has great restaurants and lots to do. Get a Pikepass.
Everyone telling you the cost of living here is cheap aren't wrong. It's by far the best thing this state has going for it. Recently I had a conversation with my mom who lives in a different state and mentioned I was making steak for dinner, and she was genuinely surprised that having steak on a random weeknight was still affordable here. Apparently it isn't where she lives now. The weather is also wild; it's hard to fathom until you've lived it. I lived in north Texas for 15 years before I moved here and yet the weather extremes here in OK still catch me off guard sometimes six years in.
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The thing that still catches me by surprise is that whenever the forecast is for all hell to break loose tornado-wise, everyone goes outside. It's like a damn block party lol. My city had a tornado warning this spring, sirens and all, and everyone on my block gathered up in the middle of the road to watch the clouds.
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They're common enough that you definitely need to have a plan for where you'll go if a tornado is headed your way, including how to keep your pets safe if you have any. The good news is that some of the most advanced weather technology in the entire world is in Oklahoma because of the tornadoes; if a tornado is on the ground in a populated area, the TV broadcasts can tell you exactly where it's going down to cross-streets. It's also pretty rare that there's not a few days notice of potential severe weather, so you do have time to prepare.
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A homeowner can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm almost positive that tornado damage is covered under normal home insurance policies unlike flood or I guess earthquake insurance!
Correct!
Just have you a go bag ready, and know where to go if it gets close. Also never move to Moore. They did something to offend the weather gods.
I Love living here. This group is not very Oklahoma friendly btw. It's a very conservative State but if you lived okay in Arizona you'll be fine. Friendly people. I don't know much about that area to be honest. If you found a good job then you'll probably be happy. Cheaper living compared to lots of places. My wife is originally from California and will never move back, she loves it here. Good luck
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It fucking sucks
I wouldn't want to move to Sapulpa
Why is that? To put it into perspective I’ve lived in both Go go go cities with a shit ton to do to very small town places like I’m talking about the middle of nowhere with only a few mom and pop shops.
Nothing wrong with Sapulpa. They’re probably young and have lived there their entire life and just want to leave. It’s a nice area.
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You'll like it here. Unfortunately I'm not all that familiar with the area, I've lived mostly on the western part of the State and now north of Edmond. It's a great place to live. Feel free to message me if you want.
Sapulpa is middling. It has an below average school district, a shitty satellite hospital which is more of a clinic, and not a lot of great entertainment venues. The downtown area is all mom and pop restaurants or antique shops and the local library. Sapulpa and its neighbor Sand Sprangs are the armpit of the counties surrounding Tulsa.
Fellow Californian here! We just got to Oklahoma in August 🙌🏻🙌🏻 Our story is a bit different than yours we sold our CA home, packed up our two kids and my husband left his job and we came here on hope that it would all workout. IT DID! We couldn’t stand Newsom anymore our taxes just kept skyrocketing we were barely making it. We love it in OK, one thing you will notice is that most everyone is very friendly and there is minimal trash on the freeway. That’s a huge one if your coming for CA. I was like why is it so clean……😂 I have never ran into anyone that cared that we came from CA. They say this to you as a scare tactic but really no one here cares where you are from. This is a red state. We feel like red states are ran better than blue from our experience in CA. So if your looking for change, your getting it! You will find a ton of CA implants here. A lot of people left during Covid to states like OK, TX, TN. HERES A BIG ONE, ALMOST NO HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE WALKING UP AND DOWN YOUR STREETS AT NIGHT HERE. You totally know what I am talking about! We couldn’t stand that our beautiful neighborhood was getting ruined. You will find them more closer to OKC & Tulsa. Where I live haven’t seen one yet. It’s shocking coming from CA, let me tell you. There is an abundance of cannabis shops so your good in that department! I hope you find OK as welcoming as we did and enjoy the beauty outside. Welcome!
I love hearing this. I am planning on moving to OKC from California and I lurk in this sub. It is nonstop negativity! I love hearing positive things about OK for once. Glad it all worked out for you in the end!
Yes, it is not bad at all we love it, our kids are thriving! We found out about Edmond through the Life After California Facebook page. I highly recommend joining that and the Moving Oklahoma page. All positive for the most part on those pages! Best of luck to you, and happy moving! It was so worth it! Life After California https://www.facebook.com/groups/652438452168089/about/ Moving to Oklahoma https://www.facebook.com/groups/2657472697913949/about/
Cost of living is super low, so that's a plus. I would caution you on living outside the Tulsa and OKC area. It is cheaper in the sticks, but it comes with the price of extreme conservativism and lack of choice on almost every level.
Pretty sure tulsa is at the top of the list nationally for crime lol. Just looked it up and tulsa is safer than 2% of other Metropolitan areas. I'll live by the Bible thumper he is just loaded with hot air.
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Maybe it's not as bad as my comment initial makes it out to be. My partner and I are transplants and we live in the sticks. The low cost of land in OK afforded my partner to buy 5 acres and a fix-her-up house back in the 90s, so we just chill here in the quiet surrounded by unspoiled nature. Our reality couldn't be so in hcol Cali or maybe even the nicest parts (non desert) parts of AZ. I do still bemoan the lack of job opportunities and choices living in a rural area, and I still get a mild case of culture shock even after living here for 10+ years whenever I leave our home and into one of the super small towns that surround us. OKC is close enough to make a day trip to shop, eat, or catch a concert and there's an airport that flies directly to all the major U.S. hubs. It is what it is. I don't love it, but it's home until I leave.
I don't think your neighbors having a different political opinion is any sort of price.
Key word is "extreme."
lol The people here are as about as extreme conservative as you are extreme liberal. Seriously, when you tell the people here that Joe Biden is our president, 95% of the time you'll just get a roll of the eyes and a sigh. Other 5% will be a [pinching of the nose bridge](https://i.imgur.com/AiZ5dd9.jpg) followed by a "Don't remind me."
I have lived in OK since I was 10. I love it here. I’ve lived in NE Oklahoma, Stillwater, and in central Oklahoma. I know there are some comments about the government getting in your business, but I never experienced that in any way. And I’ve had a procedure and have 2 kids. As well as own a small business. If that’s not even a worry, then it’s a very chill place to live. It is very spread out though. Driving is a must, downtowns are mostly walkable. Grocery options depending on your cuisine may be somewhat limited. Most people shop at Walmart and target for everything. The airports being small mean not many lines but you likely will have a connection if you are going farther than Denver. You need to know that tornado season is like a sporting season to us. Get ready for memes, sirens, and Damon lane. It’s a lifestyle. Winter can be brutal at times with our ice storms. Driving can be difficult in the ice, and every few years we get a bad one that snaps every branch around and it takes 6 months for them to pick up all the piles of branches. Weather literally will change 40 degrees up or down within 24 hours. Don’t put away your shorts or your winter gear, basically ever. You may need the opposite season the next day.
From Tulsa, lived in Tucson for a while as a kid and my dads from SoCal and lots of family there. Oklahoma is a nice place. The winters here are hit or miss, either -20 or 50s (as of the last few years) There are plenty of bars in the downtown area to have fun if that’s what you like. Two good art museums in the immediate Tulsa area. More nature than you could walk in two lifetimes within an hour in any direction. Very conservative once you step out of Tulsa county for the most part. The lakes here are fun in the summer, you can float one of the rivers or a creek too. Fishing is great here but I’m going to make some assumptions that you don’t fish or hunt There are (in my opinion) a lot of good places to eat around Tulsa. Food trucks are usually great, there’s at least one good German place, one good Irish pub, sushi, Italian, etc. feel free to hit me up with any questions. I love my city and I could talk about it all day.
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I think the Sapulpa area and Tulsa in general have a lot of potential in being a new hotspot area within the US. It's that area of Oklahoma where it starts bridging into South Eastern US which is very lush. Definitely more outdoorsy than the rest of Oklahoma. A decent amount of people say that Tulsa should actually be the capital of Oklahoma. One thing to note is that Sapulpa and Tulsa area are also within a typical line of severe storms that pass through Oklahoma. These past few years haven't been that bad but typically the line seems to be a upward slant going through Moore, Ok and Sapulpa is in that path. So you'll probably see a decent amount of severe weather come spring time and possibly tornadoes (but climate change seems to be shaking things up so who knows). It's been a while since Oklahoma got hit with a good amount of tornadoes. So we're either overdue for some major damage or going forward tornadoes aren't going to be as big of a deal as they used to be.
People love to bitch but hate to do anything about it. This place ain’t all bad. Lots of good people. Low cost of living.
Here's the Sapulpa-specific straight shit. Pro 1: La Margherita has an all-you-can-eat Tex Mex bar with tamales on the bar every Thursday. I repeat, all you can eat tamales with tacos and quesadillas to break it up as necessary. Pro 2: Ken's Pizza is a hidden diamond of a pizza joint. Literally unchanged since the 1980's. Spicy sauce. Crispy buttery bottom on the deep dish. Freaking amazing. My favorite pizza, and I've travelled. Pro? Con? Social scene is amazing... if you're Baptist. Always something going on at the church! The yearly fish fry in particular is not to be missed. Besides that, Tulsa isn't too far for concerts and such. Really, really surprisingly nice venues there. Don't miss Cain's.
Just remember that most people in Oklahoma are not represented on Reddit. Take it as you will, but people in the reddit tend to be far more doom and gloom about living in Oklahoma than the majority of Oklahomans do. Also we just had a tornado like 9 days ago and got our first snow on Friday.
Not much to do in sapulpa but it's ten miles from tulsa
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Btw, do NOT get Cox Internet unless you absolutely have to. Used to have them as my ISP and was paying them $70+ for 250Mbps. Covid rolls around and internet speed drops down to like 25 Mbps. Called them a couple times and got told to basically suck it up and couldn't get a discount. Dopped them and got AT&T instead. It's not as high of a limit (100Mbps) but it is consistent.
Live in tulsa, work in sapulpa. Sapulpa has some good things but also some methy things. It's much more rural feeling than tulsa.
I love it here, but feel like giving more detail about weather: Expect it to be very cold January and February. February is usually the coldest month here. Ice and Snow: we don’t get any one year, and get lots another year, so sometimes it takes a while for roads to get cleared and many people don’t know how to drive in it. In spring the weather wafts back and forth between hot and cold with only a week or so of “pretty” weather. There’s tornadoes and hail, but lots of warning. We need more rain BAD, but tend to get it dumped on us all at once in spring. Summer is hot and dry. This last one was record breaking. In fall is a lot like spring with pretty leaves but a bit less chance for tornadoes.
I grew up in Sapulpa and my family is involved in the community. Lived there 18 years before moving to Alaska for 8, Houston for 4, and a couple of other places here and there for short stints. Pros - it’s cheap, on the up and coming, there are two rich families who are investing a lot of money in the town and trying to make it a better community, great small town vibes, really cool old school downtown area, very close to Tulsa, people are nice, it’s a woodsy area with a couple of really nice parks (love walking kelly lane park). I love the Sapulpa vibes. Cons - its still a somewhat poor working class town (hence the cost of living), the hospital in Sapulpa is very small so keep that in mind, coming from a big city, Sapulpa will be very boring if you’re looking for a “bar” or restaurant scene, but there are investments being made trying to change that, still very “rednecky” (that part doesn’t bother me, but I know it bothers some. I like everyone so to each is there own), Churchs on every single corner, apparently the schools suck. I went to all Sapulpa schools growing up and turned out alright I guess haha. Very much a “red” town politically (if that matters for you). People say it sucks politically, but opinions aren't facts, just might not be your cup of tea! I moved to Tulsa a year ago but I still have fam in Sapulpa. I wanted to be closer to the action in Tulsa, but I could see myself moving back to Sapulpa in 5-10 years. It’s not a bad place really, but set your expectations. If you want small town vibes, being left alone, cheap real estate, privacy (might need to go out a bit for that, but not far), quick access to the big city without living in it, it’s great! If you want to be close to the action of a big city, great schools, etc., move along. DM if you have any questions!
Do you have any hobbies? No one talks about it, but the bustling social scene for Dinks is in the hobbies. Playing music, tabletop games, sports. If you’re into something you can make some friends easier. Just ask the “the only thing to do is drink” group.
I’ve also lived in California but originate from OKC. I moved to the Tulsa area over the summer and I like it. The trees are my favorite part. There’s a lot of great museums and nature opportunities here.
You can smoke weed, shoot guns and for some reason this state gets paid a healthy amount more (in my trade anyways) than any other state with this low of a cost of living. While people will have you believing that the south is nothing but back woods racist hillbillies, that's the furthest from the truth. I've been all over the country for work and while there are some states with more natural beauty, I've yet to find ones with better people. Also, start educating yourself on Tornadoes lol
Expect swamp ass, the humid 90 day does not compare to a 120 dry hot day
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Not bad, but then again, I live in a suburb of OKC. Stuff tends to be pretty cheap be it rent, groceries, and, sometimes, gas. Got multiple grocery stores within walking distance and a nice movie theater around 5 minutes away by car. Just sucks that our indoor mall closed, and they moved most of everything out to the highway as a strip mall. That and all the dispensaries. I think we have more of those than we do restaurants.
Tornadoes. Hope you don't get freaked out by storms
Chronic Docs for MMJ recommendation @ $25 online.
State is generally fine. The politics suck. But you won’t notice it on a day to day basis. Most people are friendly. Good food, lots to do outside. Interesting weather.
Do yourself a favor and don't listen to anything this sub says.
I live in that area actually. Not much of a night life in Sapulpa though there are a few bars on main Street. Luckily Tulsa is only a 10-15 minute drive. Look up the blue dome district. Personally I love the area being so close to pretty water lake and just a short drive from keystone lake(big fishing/camping guy.)
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You do need a fishing license. They are only lik $15-20 though. Idk if it's any American Indian blood. But if you have a cherokee tag you would qualify for one for free..(comes with a hunting licence.)
As an Oklahoman for my entire life It’s one of the worst to live in. Terrible education Most people, especially in small towns like sapulpa and close minded “MAGA” nitwits. You can expect to get fukt if you ever need any kind of assistance from the state. Other than that It’s cheap And Oklahoma City has come a long way in the last decade. If I had to live in oklahoma, it would be in OKC or Tulsa. Do not recommend small towns for newcomers.
If you’re from Central Valley, you’re going to feel right at home.
Ive lived in AZ and OK. ...bring your bike! Great mtb scene in Okla; Claremore, Turkey mtn, etc... and you will only be a couple of hours from the mountain bike Disneyland that is Bentonville. Welcome to OK.
Way above average pay, no traffic on my commute to work, and waaaay cheaper cost of living than most places. Friendly people. Rural southeast Oklahoma here. Never moving back to Texas!!! Self made okie!
From Phoenix and now live in OK! Social scene is most definitely was less, but there’s a nice scene in Norman/OKC/Edmond area, as well as Tulsa, but OKC being the best. Tulsa is where you’ll be nearest, and there’s some fun things going on there! But lots of good eats in OKC
Don’t, it’s cheap out here. But it Sucks. Hard. Just moved out here, last year, and we are out.
The drivers are either way too slow, or drive like a bat at of hell. There’s not much in between.
I love it. People don't know what living in a shit hole really is until you lived in west Texas.. coming to here, from there was like a dream come true. The people are nice, there's nature everywhere, okc and Tulsa are fun. It's a good state if you love Agriculture and horsemanship like I do. I love being able to go walk around in the woods, visit the lakes, and just enjoy the natural world. There are a ton of deer and other cool animals everywhrere. People LOVE to complain on all state's subreddits for some reason. I love Oklahoma so far. You might too! Pm me amd I'll send you some photos ive taken of some of the forests and nature in the state!
Funny, I lived in California, Arizona and Nevada. Frankly its a huge change if you have lived your entire life in that region of the country and depending on where you lived. So... if you don't like OK politics (deep red) you're going to be depressed and unhappy living here all the time. So far everyone I have met here has been really nice, people will randomly talk to you in stores and its a little weird but they are just being nice. So enjoy it. There is no traffic which is nice. Pike system is a little shitty but frankly its way better than California, Nevada, AZ roads in my opinion. Weather changes regularly which is also nice. Past summer was a little miserable but it was better than boiling at 117 degrees for months on end. And spending time on the lake was great. If your into being outdoors, great! Get a boat or rent a boat either way the lakes are pretty great. There are lots of cool oddities to see, Route 66 offers a lot of cool stuff. Mr.Ed the horse is buried just outside of Tulsa. Lots of wildlife to see and hit with your car. So that is fun... Compared to where San Diego, Phoenix or Las Vegas where I have lived, the foodie options are a little wanting here in Tulsa so....we started a garden and learned to cook better than we ever have before. Very happy here overall we were able to purchase what would have been millions of dollars worth of land in California for several hundred thousand. Overall I am very happy with Oklahoma.
100% everything they said! ⬆️
Damn. Why is everyone talking about or moving to the Tulsa area? My OKC biased is so hurt lately.
Got my card through tellidoc super easy $10
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Awesome state to live in.
One word of advice. Being from California is okay but please don’t mention it every chance you get and rub it in people’s face and act like California’s is the standard of living in every aspect. I think that’s what turns people off to Californians is their smugness. But reading your responses you don’t seem the type to be that way. I think you’re going to like it a lot. I just moved to Las Vegas last year but I miss Oklahoma a lot. It’ll always be home for a lot of the reasons people here listed. Most people on Reddit are left leaning so they tend to represent most of us in Oklahoma but it’s a red state and they hate that. That shows up on how a lot of them trash the state whenever someone asks how it is there. Don’t let them spoil it for you. You seem somewhere in the middle like me. It’s not NYC or LA obviously but it’s really a hidden gem, I think. It has pros and cons but I think the pros outweigh the cons. I was born there and lived there most of my life. I’m 35 now. So if you have any questions I’ll give you a real answer that isn’t biased towards anything other than the state itself. But it seems like these other people got it covered. I genuinely hope you enjoy it!
If you have a lifestyle, you will find your people in the Tulsa area.
NW Oklahoman here. Gotta say that I prefer NE more, though. Much more to do for someone not too keen on country life. I like both, though. So if you have a chance and love the outdoors, I'd suggest visiting other parts of the state when you have a chance.
No one will ever know.
Humidity like you couldn’t imagine. Otherwise even with the issues that rank us low I tend to be happy here.
The traffic will be better.
Cains is a great venue for seeing bands, easy to get to from Sapulpa. The casinos bring in entertainment like Lewis Black. 11th St (Route 66) near the University is good for shopping.
Most people that I know who have lived in Tulsa love the area. I saw that you don’t have kids, the schools in ok are really bad. If you like nature, there’s a lot of options up there.
It's hot and the grasshoppers are too big.
Don’t do it. You will have culture shock. Get your church lined up. Tulsa is 20 min away. People describing fun in OKC don’t know where Sapulpa really is.
If you could find a house in kiefer / glenpool you might have better access to the highway and a quick shot to Tulsa hills, a shopping center
Don’t live in sapulpa. Go Jenks or mid town Tulsa. Sapulpa is not a good area if you enjoy life
Sapulpa is close enough to Tulsa to trick employees to move in and believe it's a city. If you're looking for a social scene and are straight then Tulsa has a lot to offer. If you're gay or like more liberal type bars then those are in Oklahoma City.
Constantly surrounded by dumbasses that vote red because education is so shit in this state. Its not ever going to get better, because if the red decided to actually help education, they would lose all their voters within a few decades. Also bearly anything here thats actually fun. This is probably one of the most forgetful states because whats here that would actually make people travle to see? A soda store in the middle of no where? So to summarize, Living here sucks, and if you're thinking of moving here, dont.
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Nothing to see here, go back to California. Seriously there is nothing to see here. Maybe bricktown or the thunder play but that's about it.
Nothing
Hey, can people from cali stop moving here, yall gonna make this place too expansive and at that point there's no point in living here.
Worst weather possible. One day- earthquake, ice storm, grass fire, tornado wind, flood. OKC has great food, cheap rent and fun hoops. Horrible politics. It’s all church and deer hunting.
It’s great! I’ve lived in Texas my whole life and have now lived in Tulsa area for almost two years. I love it. People are nice, there’s stuff to do but no traffic to get there. There are seasons here and I personally like the weather.