Considering a move to NE Oklahoma any advice?

OLDRIDER · #21 01/19/13, 03:26 PM

You may want to check out western ky. Very nice weather on average, and 4 seasons. Property still affordable, but going up every year. Property taxes lower than the national average. Wish you all the best where ever you move to.

FarmboyBill · #22 01/19/13, 06:15 PM

I agree with Callie, on Missouri, But I LOVE the N W and N central part of it. From 50 miles below Kansas City E yo W and all above that. OTHER THAN THE WINTERS

FarmboyBill · #23 01/19/13, 06:17 PM

Woodlands usta be fulla ticks. I dont hardly have any here around the farmstead, so I dont know if there still bad in the woods or not.. Snakes are also prety handy around woodlands. Timber rattlers, water moccisens

farmer9989 · #24 01/19/13, 06:24 PM

North east texas is great

Sunflowerhill · #25 01/19/13, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pancho

I was born in Antlers and lived in Finley until I went into the military. It was a great place to grow up in. Always thought I would retire there.

Pancho, I live right between Antlers and Atoka! What a small world! I am in SE Oklahoma and I love it down here. Yes, the weather has been hotter the past couple of summers and it can be pretty humid, but I love the red dirt, big open skies and friendly people!

TxMex · #26 01/20/13, 08:59 AM

If there is not already a tornado shelter......install one....immediately.

FarmboyBill · #27 01/20/13, 01:25 PM

Dont have a fraidy hole. Live in a 2 strorage house thats never been tied down and been her over 30yrs. Been in/near one tornado.. Took down a tree, and a few limbs from other trees.

mountainlaurel · #28 01/20/13, 01:59 PM

My dad was born in Muskogee and raised in Picher, the town that got blown away by the tornado a few years back. The one the government was moving folks out of anyways.
But he didn't want to return there. He likes it better here in West Virginia, which would fit your criteria as well. But we've had more tornadoes here than it sounds like Farmerboy Bill has been in in OK. I 've been through four of them.

calliemoonbeam · #29 01/20/13, 03:01 PM

I've actually been through three tornadoes and was lucky enough to walk away without major injuries, though there was much structural damage to my home and all around me. I've been close to or had maybe 50 or more pass over me, luckily not inflicting any damage before touching down elsewhere. Some data I read a few years back said Oklahoma averages 50+ tornadoes a year, although the past few years we've had more than usual.

For the past 5 years I've lived in a mobile home with no shelter close. I'm deathly afraid of snakes (which we have in abundance out here, lol), but there have been several times I've come really close to hitting the bar ditch out front and taking my chances with them rather than stay in here when tornadoes have passed over. Luckily, just as I made the decision to run out, they let up, whew! Nothing like sitting in a tin can that's rocking and rolling so much that even the toilet water is sloshing like choppy seas, lol! And it's tied down really well, plus has an add-on addition to help stabilize it.

I kept meaning to put in a cellar, but money problems kept cropping up, and now I'm hoping to be out of here soon, but I'd say a storm cellar is a high priority if you live here.

ML, isn't Picher where they had the contaminated ground water and all the people with cancer and other illnesses? I sure hope your dad didn't suffer any ill from all that and glad he got out of there!

Oldcountryboy · #30 01/20/13, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimmom2five

Um it gets to both 0 and 110 in NE OK.

Quote:

Originally Posted by calliemoonbeam

I guess I'll be the lone dissenter here, lol. I absolutely hate Oklahoma, as all the long-time posters already know. Right now I live about 40 miles southwest of Tulsa, but lived many years in Tulsa, and a few northward between Owasso and Collinsville, which I will admit was better but also much more expensive.

We really only have TWO seasons, a way too-hot and steamy summer and a way too cold and icy winter...with about a week each of spring and fall, if we're lucky. We have weeks and weeks on end of 100+ temps (some up to 120) with high humidity usually, although right now we're headed into our third year of drought, which is predicted to stay the same and/or worsen and to last at least 10 years. Gardens have been a total loss for the past two years.

We get very little snow, but many ice storms which take down massive trees like matchsticks and power lines for weeks at a time almost every winter. We've also just had almost 10 days of temps at night below 20, and this has been a very mild winter for us.

Speaking of not liking wind...have you ever heard the song "Oklahoma" where the "winds come sweeping down the plain"? We have plenty of wind year round, but especially in spring, which brings along with it roaring, fast-moving prairie grass fires that burn thousands of acres almost every summer. Tornadoes are also frequent and sometimes catastrophic, and no you don't always have warning, especially rurally. Of course, living with them all my life, I've learned what to watch for and how to read the signs, but still no picnic, although I'd pefer them to earthquakes, which we've also been having for the past few years. A small one a little over a year ago was enough to damage buildings, including my house 35 miles from the epicenter.

Land is really cheap here, I'll give you that, but as someone else said you've really got to pay attention to what you're getting. It ranges from nothing but sand to huge rocks to thick clay that won't grow anything until you spend a fortune amending it or building raised beds, especially south and west of Tulsa. East and north are better, until you get into the foothills area. There are a lot of trees and greenery, as well as a lot of lakes (they say we have more shoreline than the East and Gulf coasts combined), but with that comes a lot of bugs and snakes and the never-ending maintenance to keep all that greenery in check.

The crime rate is really bad in Tulsa with lots of gangs and drugs. Even rurally there are lots of meth labs, thefts and break-ins, but I guess those are common pretty much anywhere any more. And I don't know where all these open, friendly people are. I've found people here to be very closed-minded, judgmental and standoffish, especially on trying to move into a small community where everyone has known everyone forever, unless of course they want something from you, lol.

So, I just thought I should point out that everything is not as rosy as some might paint it, although I do readily admit I hate Oklahoma and have health problems that make living here extremely miserable. In fact, I'm dreaming, scheming and praying to find a way to move out of here within the next year or so.

Out of the four states you mentioned, I'd probably go with Missouri. It's a very pretty state with a lot of good qualities (though still too hot and humid to suit me personally, lol). Texas is even worse temp and drought-wise than Oklahoma, and Kansas has even more wind, possibly more tornadoes (though it's pretty close I think) and more big snow storms.

Good luck with your decision! There will be ups and downs to any place and I'm sure some will think I'm too negative, but personally I want to know ALL the facts about a place I'm planning to uproot my entire life for, not just the good stuff.

Yep, what she said!!! Plus all the blood sucking seed ticks and chiggers that you can't see on you and skeeters that carry deseases and since everyone is into raising livestock there is fly's like you wouldn't believe. Everytime you open the house door 10 - 15 flys come in to your house. Chicken or hog houses up the road sends a god awful odor your way. The creeks and rivers are no longer fun to play in cause of all the blooming algae all those livestock have caused. Lakes shut down to swimming in mid to late summer because of all the red algae blooming everywhere. Fish kill like you wouldn't believe. You can't drive very safely cause off all the deer crossing, and that you can't hunt cause no one wants you on thier land. If you want to live a simple life your looked down on cause everyone thinks your lazy! and, and, and, ......well the list just keeps going on.

FarmboyBill · #31 01/20/13, 03:43 PM

Im glad alla thats not here/ Chickens seem to keep ticks down all around the barnyard, and im too old to walk the woods anymore. Ankles wont stand it. Flys wernt no great bother either. I didnt get bit by skeeters but maybe 3 times last summer. I guess alla the water sources were dried up for 2yrs running kept them down. There is a chicken farm around 10 miles away. ONLY ONE. There is NO hog farms within 20 miles I know about.

We didnt get nothing for rain last year, OR the year before, BUT last year, there were people getting 2 cuttings of hay.
I think tim,es a changing. They usta measure rain in a way that somehow accounted for the runoff.. In other words, 5in rain 5or more years ago does as good as a 1in rain or less now as the rains arent as hard and every drop soaks in.
Unfortunatly, for those of us that have ponds, we count on that runoff to keep them full, and for the last 3 yrs that kind of rain has been nonexistant.

mountainlaurel · #32 01/20/13, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by calliemoonbeam

I've actually been through three tornadoes and was lucky enough to walk away without major injuries, though there was much structural damage to my home and all around me. I've been close to or had maybe 50 or more pass over me, luckily not inflicting any damage before touching down elsewhere. Some data I read a few years back said Oklahoma averages 50+ tornadoes a year, although the past few years we've had more than usual.

For the past 5 years I've lived in a mobile home with no shelter close. I'm deathly afraid of snakes (which we have in abundance out here, lol), but there have been several times I've come really close to hitting the bar ditch out front and taking my chances with them rather than stay in here when tornadoes have passed over. Luckily, just as I made the decision to run out, they let up, whew! Nothing like sitting in a tin can that's rocking and rolling so much that even the toilet water is sloshing like choppy seas, lol! And it's tied down really well, plus has an add-on addition to help stabilize it.

I kept meaning to put in a cellar, but money problems kept cropping up, and now I'm hoping to be out of here soon, but I'd say a storm cellar is a high priority if you live here.

ML, isn't Picher where they had the contaminated ground water and all the people with cancer and other illnesses? I sure hope your dad didn't suffer any ill from all that and glad he got out of there!

Yes, Picher is where they had contaminated ground water from the mine tailings. Most of his family is from there. He is now 81 yo and his mind is completely gone. He is in an assisted living home in Martinsburg, (WV). I can't say if that's what caused him problems cause a lot of people get demntia but he is fairly healthy otherwise.

He remember, or he used to remember I should say, playing on the tailings as a boy.

calliemoonbeam · #33 01/21/13, 07:57 AM

Well, it sounds like he lived a pretty long, full life then. I read of some kids who played on those pilings who died of horrible disease before even reaching their teens. Sure glad he wasn't one of the casualties.

My mother had Alzheimer's, I know how hard that is. I'll pray for you both.

Sorry for the thread drift, everyone!

FarmboyBill · #34 01/21/13, 08:56 AM

mine too, and her 3 sisters, and their mom

belladulcinea · #35 01/21/13, 09:16 AM

And everything listed as bad about living in Oklahoma are in all the other states as well. Every state has it's pros and cons.

I like Oklahoma, do I like the hot summers and no rain that have happened the last couple of years? No! But, this year could be better.

braggscowboy · #36 01/21/13, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunflowerhill

Pancho, I live right between Antlers and Atoka! What a small world! I am in SE Oklahoma and I love it down here. Yes, the weather has been hotter the past couple of summers and it can be pretty humid, but I love the red dirt, big open skies and friendly people!

You people from Antlers, I am looking for an old army buddy from there? Can any of you help me out?
The person from Muskogee, I am from Muskogee also!

pancho · #37 01/21/13, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braggscowboy

You people from Antlers, I am looking for an old army buddy from there? Can any of you help me out?
The person from Muskogee, I am from Muskogee also!

What is your buddy's name and how old would he be?

vanet · #38 01/21/13, 01:55 PM

I appreciate all of your advice. The area we were looking at was near Ponca, about 12 miles from the Kansas border in central/eastern OK. Our goal as stated before is to get a little more moderate weather. I do understand it wont always be great. For instance during the recent cold spell you mention getting down to 15 several nights in a row. We got down to 15 below, those same nights, and worse yet, it didnt go above freezing even in the day for the same amount of days. My first choice, would actually be N. Carolina. But the wife doesnt want to be that far east. So OK is a compromise. I like the idea of going further south in OK, but that 100 or 200 miles south raises the temps pretty fast.

So anybody familiar with Ponca or the outlying areas? Thanks

Buckhuntr · #39 01/21/13, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kimmom2five

Um it gets to both 0 and 110 in NE OK.

That's for sure! Sometimes in the same week, seems like.

Buckhuntr · #40 01/21/13, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanet

So anybody familiar with Ponca or the outlying areas? Thanks

I live near Sapulpa, and like it here just fine. Closer to city stuff in Tulsa, if that matters. Ponca is a little more out there.