TULSA - Don't Hate the 918
 

Recently a friend of mine who lives here said I gripe about Oklahoma too much. He doesn't understand, because he's not from here originally, that I am not from Oklahoma... I am from TULSA.

Ask any Tulsan where they are from, and they will never say "Oklahoma". We are so snobby about it, we don't attend the Oklahoma State Fair; we hold our own Tulsa State Fair, nevermind the pesky fact that Tulsa is not a state. It is a state of mind.

So this thread is to introduce you to a city I love, and to invite you to come see what it's like to live on Tulsa Time...

Some things you probably don't know
 

You probably already know that two American Idols came from Tulsa, but do you know why they chose to cut their teeth here? Tulsa was ranked #9 in cities with the best local music scene. We have giant venues like the BOk Center and tiny venues like Back Alley Blues, and many musicians call Tulsa home.

According to areavibes, Tulsa is the #1 city in America for low cost of living. This is one of the biggest reasons I chose stay here. I like to travel, so I can hop a plane and spend my money in Copenhagen, not paying the mortgage. I bought a house here at 22 years old, making $8.50/hour. There are very few places in the country that afford you that opportunity.

The economy in Tulsa remains strong. At #20 on CNN Money's list of Recession-Proof cities, Tulsa's diverse economic landscape has held us up. The city is a major hub for healthcare, aerospace, manufacturing and energy, which help keep our unemployment rate a full 3% under the national average, and our housing prices at essentially the same level they were before.

Education is a key part of what makes Tulsa awesome. The schools here are good, with an average student:teacher ratio of 18:1. Students who graduate from high schools in Tulsa county are eligible to attend the Community College or Vo-Tech for free for up to two years. There are tons of colleges and universities in Tulsa, and Tulsa boasts a well-educated populace, with about 28% of the population holding a Bachelors degree or higher, 6% above the national average.

Educated people love the arts, and Tulsa has a thriving arts community. Museums, galleries, and art districts abound, and there are several arts festivals to pawn your wares. Tulsa is one of the smallest cities in the nation to have a full year-round Symphony, and our Opera company attracts some of the nation's biggest talents.

Much more to follow, and pictures!

I lived in Tulsa from the time I was 3 months old until I was 3 years old. And while I don't remember a whole lot, I did go back and visit the home I lived in a few years back and just loved Tulsa proper. Beautiful homes, gorgeous greenery, fabulous eateries and very gay friendly. :bunchflowers:

Don't forget SE Hinton (The Outsiders/Rumblefish series). She still lives here.

I was planning on putting up some pics of the downtown architecture, but I'm documenting all my adventures on my phone, and I haven't been down Boston Ave to take any pics yet. Soon to come!

Speaking of architecture, there are several Frank Lloyd Wright homes here that are GORGEOUS!

Aw, Parker, I'm sorry that happened. Tulsa is one of the gayest cities in the country (per capita). I went to our first Pride parade in 1999, and I can tell you things have come a LONG way since the early 2000's.

Charleston's is delish! I'm more of a locavore (Local Table is like Tulsa locavore heaven), but Charleston's is one chain I'll make an exception for. My work takes us there for dinner a few times a year. I always look forward to it.

Wish I could have met you when you were in town. As far as we can tell, JAGG and I are it for the B/F community here.

Tell us about the climate in the 918.

We generally have cold winters, hot summers, and rainy falls and springs. This year, however, we did not get a winter. It only snowed once, and it was 60 degrees again the next day.

There are sometimes tornadoes, but they tend to stay either north or south of Tulsa. People will tell you 100 different reasons for this. I say it's the River (Arkansas), since tornadoes tend to be dispersed by bodies of water, but there's all kinds of Native American legends and myths saying this place is "protected".

fishing
 

We don't have saltwater, but you can use those deep sea poles to go fishing at the Dam on Keystone lake. A heavy-action pole is not nearly strong enough to catch the spoonbill on the spillway!

I was there in '02, though I think I was drinking too much to remember it! LOL

OK, this is a beautiful picture I totally stole from the Tulsa Deco District facebook page...

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...74089971_n.jpg


The Atlas Life building is one of my favorite Tulsa landmarks! Some history:

The Atlas Life Building, 409 S. Boston, was designed by Tulsa Architect Arthur Rush and had its Grand Opening on Thursday evening Nov. 23, 1922. The inverted “T” design of the building allowed for air circulation in those days before air conditioning. The four-story vertical neon sign was installed in 1946. The Atlas Life Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

RIVERSIDE!!
 

One of the best places in Tulsa, our largest park, RIVERSIDE!

From RiverParks.org: River Parks’ 26 miles of asphalt-surfaced trails weave past gathering areas, playgrounds, fountains and sculptures along the banks of the Arkansas River in Tulsa. Additionally, River Parks owns and leases hundreds of acres reserved for wildlife habitation and land preservation. River Parks also controls the water levels of portions of the Arkansas River using the gates of the Zink Dam.

I love to walk Riverside in the mornings. There are several bridges that cross the river, allowing for a full loop. Here's the Pedestrian Bridge over Zinc dam:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...14275295_n.jpg


There's also this fountain nearby (it won't be turned on until Memorial Day):

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...22059322_n.jpg


The 21st Street Bridge, which I think is just beautiful:

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...26573017_n.jpg

And a view of downtown from the West side of the Arkansas River:

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...03857409_n.jpg

I am Okie, born and bred.... I do understand!

(I was born down the 'bee line' in Okmulgee)

Born in OKC, but have never actualy lived in OK.

Thank you for posting the lovely photos!

Sorry I haven't been around to post much lately, but here, for you architecture geeks, are some great pics of the Deco buildings downtown:

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...96014742_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._8177939_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2566687_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...7_401705_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...3_212491_n.jpg
http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...0_987663_n.jpg

I haven't read all the posts so I may be repeating some facts, so forgive me.
I love Tulsa, it is a wonderful place to live and thrive . I believe every place is what you make it. Tulsa has been very good to me. When I moved here, literally I had no job, no material possesions except , a little nissan pickup a small motorcycle a dresser a pot and a frying pan. And a whopping 7 cents in my pocket, used my last dollar to move here. Got a job the first day I was here, and started to slowly rebuild my life. Tulsa made it easy for me to do. Low cost of living, low crime good wages. When I look at what I have today compared to the day I arrived, it puts a lump in my throat. I am grateful beyond words. I have never experienced any homophobic behavior aside from the usual stares. But I believe that has more to do with people trying to figure out if I'm a guy or a girl.I don't blame them, I would stare too, but when I speak to them, they say hello , smile and are frendly. Once in a great while I run across someone who whispers behind my back etc. 1 out of 200,000 isn't a big deal to me. You get that anywhere.
Neighbors look out for each other, help each other, some of my coworkers are brothers to me.
Tulsa has some of the best restaraunts, and one of the best music venues of any city in the US. Tulsa is a golf mecca. We have over 28 public courses and at least 12 private ones. The public courses are beautiful and very affordable. If you are a runner or cyclist we have miles of trails . In fact a new trail completed 2 yrs ago, spans the length of the city, so no worries about dodging traffic while you workout.
Okay that's enough for now.
Hey Diva thanks for the awesome thread, love the title!