Advice on SE Oklahoma

[grayrecliner]

DD will be graduating from nursing school in Dec. and getting married to a guy from Broken Bow, OK in Feb. They will be moving there, primarily because of health issues of his Dad. We like him, he's educated, tried the band thing(that's how they met 1.5 yrs ago) and that didn't work out. He's working for 3M through Manpower currently. Seem to get along well. They currently live 50 miles from us in NW Wisconsin. Daughter has visited OK a few times and says people are friendly and pretty laid back. We will be retiring in about 5 years and maybe would consider doing winters down there. What should she/we be expecting - weather, economy, lifestyle.... Thanks for any help. This is heart wrenching for DW and I as DD said she'd never live in a small town and this isn't exactly the dream we had raising her. We keep telling ourselves she's happy and that's what counts.

[Siryet]

HOW to manage to live in a small town moving from a large town is HOW. Honesty=Be as honest a person as possible-pay bills on time
etc=don't talk down to locals=be upbeat=don't complain about stuff etc. Openminded=keep an open mind about local customs, people, service etc
Willingness= be willing to fit in, be willing to become a local,be willing to volunteer, be willing to have a smile on your face, be willing to wave and say hello to strangers in town,.
Just leave the big city ideas where they belong, in the big city.
We moved from Houston, Texas to a town with a population of 356. We left the big city fast ways behind us and embraced the local way of living pretty fast and we are now accepted here with no problem. We volunteer, attend, help, visit, share, and enjoy the local people more than the people in Texas.
This is not to say the people in Texas aren't a bunch of good people it is just that people from small towns are closer knit.
We wish your daughter good things in her move and impending wedding.

[pancho]

Economy is not real good anywhere in SE Okla. Broken Bow isn't any different than the other small towns. Great fishing and hunting. Probably get one or two ice storms in the winter but not much snow. Summers will be hot and muggy. The people are friendly but you will have to be friendly to them or you will soon find yourself alone. They are just good country folks.
His job is not permament. There are few permament jobs there and what they are do not pay much. It is a great place to retire.

Broken Bow is real close to both Texas and Arkansas so if you get tired of one state it is just a short drive down the road to another state.

[kritterwood]

mccurtain county is one of the biggest drug ring areas in ok. my dh has family from there and grew up over there. you have reason for concern. maybe encourage her to get her concealed carry liscense. manpower is temp usually so maybe they wont be there too long. dont get me wrong there are some nice folks there.not somewhere i would want to raise a family. pretty rough over that way. and a very depressed area work wise.

[pancho]

Drugs are the money crop in most of SE Okla. Has been for many years. Not a whole lot else will grown there. Also several GreenPeace safe houses located in Push county. Every once in a while some cult will set up in the mountains.
Usually there is little danger from the druggies, cult members, or greenpeace if you mind your own business.
The last time I heard a concealed carry license was very easy to get. Just go to a class and get fingerprinted. Not much use for them as almost everyone has some type of firearm within reach.

[rickd203]

Here is an Oklahoma forum that may be able to answer some of your questions:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/oklahoma/

[OkieDavid]

Having been raised in Idabel (12 mi South of Broken Bow) and currently living within 50 mi of there, I think I "qualify" to render some input. For the most part, the comments above are accurate. It is important to put into perspective the history of the region- This country was formed by outlaws......With the close proximity to both Texas and Ark but the protection as Indian Territory (governed by Fed Marshalls and immune from posse) it was an outlaw's paradise. A quick raid across state lines and quick run back to safety. While there is a gradual shift, generationally those blood lines still run deep. Drugs are an issue if you are involved in that culture, if you aren't you can stay above that mess and you'll have no problems. Again, this county was (for the most part) founded by criminals-transitioned to bootlegging (adjoining counties in Ark and Tx dry), advanced to marajuana, then meth. Economic data provided by Rick is spot on for those with little or no formal education above high school. For those with college degrees- work is easy to come by. Jobs are generally low pay but with the lowered cost of living here, it evens out. Your DD's nursing degree (LPN or RN?) will put her in the top 50% of wage earners for the county......Housing prices are reasonable (3br 2ba brick homes can be found in the 60-100K range). Worse mistake made by outsiders is for people to come in and begin criticising our lifestyle and trying to turn it into where they came from.....Turns folks off in a hurry and can cause permanent resentment. We are a proud people and proud of our heritage, tainted though it may seem.

David

[pancho]

Originally Posted by OkieDavid

Having been raised in Idabel (12 mi South of Broken Bow) and currently living within 50 mi of there, I think I "qualify" to render some input. For the most part, the comments above are accurate. It is important to put into perspective the history of the region- This country was formed by outlaws......With the close proximity to both Texas and Ark but the protection as Indian Territory (governed by Fed Marshalls and immune from posse) it was an outlaw's paradise. A quick raid across state lines and quick run back to safety. While there is a gradual shift, generationally those blood lines still run deep. Drugs are an issue if you are involved in that culture, if you aren't you can stay above that mess and you'll have no problems. Again, this county was (for the most part) founded by criminals-transitioned to bootlegging (adjoining counties in Ark and Tx dry), advanced to marajuana, then meth. Economic data provided by Rick is spot on for those with little or no formal education above high school. For those with college degrees- work is easy to come by. Jobs are generally low pay but with the lowered cost of living here, it evens out. Your DD's nursing degree (LPN or RN?) will put her in the top 50% of wage earners for the county......Housing prices are reasonable (3br 2ba brick homes can be found in the 60-100K range). Worse mistake made by outsiders is for people to come in and begin criticising our lifestyle and trying to turn it into where they came from.....Turns folks off in a hurry and can cause permanent resentment. We are a proud people and proud of our heritage, tainted though it may seem.

David

Very good advice and very accurate.
I was born and raised about 60 miles from Broken Bow and worked for a time at the power plant at the lake.
Great country. Just have to live and let live and everyone will be happy.

[rickd203]

The numbers can be misleading. That's why it's good to hear from as many people that actually live in the area as possible. That helps give a better overall picture of what it's like there. I was wondering about what Pancho said about not being able to grow many crops there. I tried using the Microsoft map web site to see what might be growing there. I see a lot of open fields but I can't tell if it is crops or pasture. The zoom doesn't go in far enough to see backyard gardens. In some places like Oklahoma City, you can switch to a bird's eye view. I get a real good view of the house I owned there. I also had a lot of fun looking at the Oklahoma City Zoo and trying to see how many of the animals I could see.

[HeatherDriskill]

Originally Posted by OkieDavid

Having been raised in Idabel (12 mi South of Broken Bow) and currently living within 50 mi of there, I think I "qualify" to render some input. For the most part, the comments above are accurate. It is important to put into perspective the history of the region- This country was formed by outlaws......With the close proximity to both Texas and Ark but the protection as Indian Territory (governed by Fed Marshalls and immune from posse) it was an outlaw's paradise. A quick raid across state lines and quick run back to safety. While there is a gradual shift, generationally those blood lines still run deep. Drugs are an issue if you are involved in that culture, if you aren't you can stay above that mess and you'll have no problems. Again, this county was (for the most part) founded by criminals-transitioned to bootlegging (adjoining counties in Ark and Tx dry), advanced to marajuana, then meth. Economic data provided by Rick is spot on for those with little or no formal education above high school. For those with college degrees- work is easy to come by. Jobs are generally low pay but with the lowered cost of living here, it evens out. Your DD's nursing degree (LPN or RN?) will put her in the top 50% of wage earners for the county......Housing prices are reasonable (3br 2ba brick homes can be found in the 60-100K range). Worse mistake made by outsiders is for people to come in and begin criticising our lifestyle and trying to turn it into where they came from.....Turns folks off in a hurry and can cause permanent resentment. We are a proud people and proud of our heritage, tainted though it may seem.

David

I agree 100%! Drugs are a big problem if they are a problem for YOU. If you stay away from them, they stay away from you. The people are not malicious or dangerous, in general. I think some earlier posters made it seem that way. No real need for a conceal and carry in most cases, though I would have one at the house. It's not like there are murders all the time.

Winters are def milder than in Wisconsin, but still no picnic if you ask me. Not much snow, but it can be bitterly cold.

Jobs don't pay much, but then again, things don't cost much.

Good hunting and fishing.

I LOVE OKLAHOMA!

[HeatherDriskill]

Originally Posted by rickd203

Here is an Oklahoma forum that may be able to answer some of your questions:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/oklahoma/

Thanks for the link!

[Oggie]

You might want to get a few fighting chickens. I hear that folks like to play with their food down there.

[pancho]

Originally Posted by rickd203

The numbers can be misleading. That's why it's good to hear from as many people that actually live in the area as possible. That helps give a better overall picture of what it's like there. I was wondering about what Pancho said about not being able to grow many crops there. I tried using the Microsoft map web site to see what might be growing there. I see a lot of open fields but I can't tell if it is crops or pasture. The zoom doesn't go in far enough to see backyard gardens. In some places like Oklahoma City, you can switch to a bird's eye view. I get a real good view of the house I owned there. I also had a lot of fun looking at the Oklahoma City Zoo and trying to see how many of the animals I could see.

Oklahoma City is not SE Okla. Most of SE Okla. is in the Kiamichi Mountains. Mostly rocks and pine trees. There are small areas that have very rich soil but they are small areas. Most people who lived there many years ago have tried farming, most starved out. Ranching is better suited to the land.
Look at the area around Broken Bow. You will see it is mostly pine covered mountains or hills. Most of the land is owned by Weyerhauser. Many people work in sawmills, papermills, or log for a living. The land is too hilly and too rocky for farming. Great for hunting and fishing.

[pancho]

Originally Posted by Oggie

You might want to get a few fighting chickens. I hear that folks like to play with their food down there.

They just had a big argument about that a while back. People have decided it is better to not play with their food.

[Country Doc]

There are drug problems all through East Texas also. Pot and Meth (especially) .
The problem with drug abusers are they steal to pay for the drugs, so more petty crime. I almost had some timberland burned by the fire from a meth house exploding. I eventually bought the 1 acre lot just to keep them out. Nurses are in demand about everywhere. Health care professions are great for those of us that like living in the boonies. Most docs want big cities.

[Spinner]

Originally Posted by OkieDavid

... living within 50 mi of there....
David

Would that happen to be in a northernly direction?

[pancho]

Any of the Okies on this forum know where Finley or Snow is located?

[grayrecliner]

Thanks for all the input. I feel better after reading the posts - especially later ones. Background info of the area is interesting. I guess it's no different than rural Wis. or the rest of the country as far as live and let live. Lots of us Scandinavians up here and don't see many (any?) Lutheran churches down there. May have to visit a Southern Baptist, Assembly of God or Methodist. I'm flexible.

[Spinner]

Originally Posted by pancho

Any of the Okies on this forum know where Finley or Snow is located?

I don't remember ever seeing Finley, but we drive thru Snow sometimes when we take the scenic route home from the Pow Wow. Over in Push Co., not to far from Antlers if I remember right.

[okie farmer]

Pancho I know where they both are I used to work for the water systen down at Antlers .So I have been all over that part of the state.