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A very interesting read but I question some of the things in there regarding the Oklahoma Territory. OT was roughly the Indian Meridian and to the west. I don't think there were as many blacks in OT as there were in the Indian Territory to the east.
There were hardly any blacks in NW Oklahoma (where most of the settlers were from Kansas and points north) and SW and western Oklahoma were heavily influenced by Texas politically and while I assume there were blacks in some of the towns there I can only think of a couple of all black towns in SW Oklahoma (Tatums and maybe one other one east of Duncan).
I just can't see where there was any chance in the world that OT could have come in as it's own state and have been heavily influenced by african american residents.
As far as the politics of statehood I have always heard that the Republican administration did not want two states (Seqouyah and Oklahoma) because they would have sent 4 Democratic senators to Washington instead of just 2.
As an Anglo/NDN I dated an AA gal for a bit. Had a lot of fun doing it. Don't worry about racism.....we're the perfect balance of Native American/Southern/Western culture.
Guys, I'm about to move from Dallas (Plano) to OKC and am very concerned with maintaining a diverse Env for the wife and kids (13 & 9). I spend 1/2 day in the local area, but need some guidance on areas that provide great schools and racial diversity. We have previously lived in Chicago, Memphis, Atlanta & Portland, OR.
Pls tell me the area that had the good racial diversity
Quote:
Originally Posted by Okey Dokie
FWIW, I lived in Edmond for almost four years (2006 - 2010) and my neighborhood there was much more racially diverse than the similar suburban neighborhood I now live in in Kansas City.
hello, every one in oklahoma!!! i have a few questions, i would like to know how diversed is it in oklahoma city? i and my family are thinking about moveing there from california. and i would like to also know, is it really racist out there? How is the public transportation, the weather, the food, etc.
Just FYI,
Oklahoma's House of Representatives will vote for the Speaker of the House today. It's expected that Representative T.W. Shannon will win, becoming the first African American Speaker of the House for any state in the U.S.
I am African-American, in my mid-30s, and college-educated, with a BA in Political Science, but no luck in finding a full-time position since graduating in 2007. I have a friend who is African-American, resides in Tulsa, and is also from my home state (Iowa). She raves endlessly about Oklahoma, which has piqued my curiousity about the state and all that it may offer personally. I have considered many cities, but NEVER have I considered OKC until fairly recently, so here goes.
I will concur with other AAs in that I too have had some reservations about OK's low black population. However, relatively speaking, Oklahoma seems to have many AAs compared to Iowa (300,000 v. 100,000). Though I believe that one should obviously take demographics into play (I do...lol), people should take everything into account. In essence, HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS, and shouldn't be solely determined by whether or not there's a large AA presence. But I digress.
My friend has told me that there are many job opportunities in the state, especially in state employment. So I have been checking out the state website for employment opportunities, to no avail. I am open to working in many fields, and from what I can tell, Oklahoma City seems to have a very strong economy that has weathered this God-awful recession, with a strong oil and energy presence. I am not too keen on working in those fields, but I am interested in entry-level opportunities in the educational services area. She also told me that Dell Computers has a national HQ in OKC (Or perhaps it's Tulsa), and I am interested in entry-level opportunities with the company.
I am also interested in Tulsa, as she suggests that I would like Tulsa better than OKC. I have done research on the area, and I am kind of intrigued, but I am thinking that OKC might be the better fit. The positives for both seem to be their economies (especially OKC), cheap cost-of-living, and, as far Tulsa is concerned, the abundance of hills, lakes, and parks (I am from an area that's filled with hills and the Mighty Mississippi River, so that's a plus). The negatives seem to be the conservatism of OK---I am very liberal---the flatness and aridness of the OKC area (their lack of water resources was kind of stunning to me), and, of course, the fact that OKC is one of the most tornado-prone cities in the nation---well, from what I read in Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt---with VERY powerful tornadoes. Although I am from Iowa, tornadoes rarely occur in our portion of the state (Eastern Iowa), and when a Level 4-5 tornado occurs it merits national attention (see Parkersburg Tornado of 2008 which leveled the NE Iowa town).
Anyhow, I hope to get some quality information from everyone, and I wish you all a goodnight!!
Last edited by Squeaky2012; 10-20-2011 at 08:53 PM..
I am African-American, in my mid-30s, and college-educated, with a BA in Political Science, but no luck in finding a full-time position since graduating in 2007. I have a friend who is African-American, resides in Tulsa, and is also from my home state (Iowa). She raves endlessly about Oklahoma, which has piqued my curiousity about the state and all that it may offer personally. I have considered many cities, but NEVER have I considered OKC until fairly recently, so here goes.
I will concur with other AAs in that I too have had some reservations about OK's low black population. However, relatively speaking, Oklahoma seems to have many AAs compared to Iowa (300,000 v. 100,000). Though I believe that one should obviously take demographics into play (I do...lol), people should take everything into account. In essence, HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS, and shouldn't be solely determined by whether or not there's a large AA presence. But I digress.
My friend has told me that there are many job opportunities in the state, especially in state employment. So I have been checking out the state website for employment opportunities, to no avail. I am open to working in many fields, and from what I can tell, Oklahoma City seems to have a very strong economy that has weathered this God-awful recession, with a strong oil and energy presence. I am not too keen on working in those fields, but I am interested in entry-level opportunities in the educational services area. She also told me that Dell Computers has a national HQ in OKC (Or perhaps it's Tulsa), and I am interested in entry-level opportunities with the company.
I am also interested in Tulsa, as she suggests that I would like Tulsa better than OKC. I have done research on the area, and I am kind of intrigued, but I am thinking that OKC might be the better fit. The positives for both seem to be their economies (especially OKC), cheap cost-of-living, and, as far Tulsa is concerned, the abundance of hills, lakes, and parks (I am from an area that's filled with hills and the Mighty Mississippi River, so that's a plus). The negatives seem to be the conservatism of OK---I am very liberal---the flatness and aridness of the OKC area (their lack of water resources was kind of stunning to me), and, of course, the fact that OKC is one of the most tornado-prone cities in the nation---well, from what I read in Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt---with VERY powerful tornadoes. Although I am from Iowa, tornadoes rarely occur in our portion of the state (Eastern Iowa), and when a Level 4-5 tornado occurs it merits national attention (see Parkersburg Tornado of 2008 which leveled the NE Iowa town).
Anyhow, I hope to get some quality information from everyone, and I wish you all a goodnight!!
With a political science degree you might do better in OKC since it is the state capitol. Lot's of government agencies to work for.
The eastern side of Oklahoma county is actually somewhat hilly and wooded. Not flat and desert like, like so many people seem to think. I live in an area that is wooded and hilly. Really rather pretty. The western sides of the county are a bit more flat.
There is water here. While it's not the Mississippi, there is the Oklahoma River which runs just south of downtown. It is the site of the US Olympic Rowing training center. Most of the area universities have boat houses along the river, where you can actually go and rent a kayak or take a rowing class. There are also several lakes around the area. Lake Hefner is located on the northwest side of the city and serves as a water reservoir for the city. It's a great place for people to go sailing and wind surfing. There is also a park and jogging trail around the lake that is extremely popular, as well as some nice restaurants located on the east side of the lake. Great places to sit out side on on nice fall or spring day and have a drink while watching the sunset. There's also Lake Overholser on the west side, which is popular for water sports and fishing. Then there's Lake Arcadia in Edmond (a suburb on the north side of town) and Lake Thunderbird, which is on the south side, I believe it's either in Moore or Norman. I'm not certain exactly which city it lies in exactly. Right now all of these lakes are down greatly because of the drought we have recently experienced, but they won't stay that way.
As for the weather, well first let me say that it's not like we have tornadoes all the time or anything, and an F4 or F5 would be making national news if they happened here too. Typically spring is tornado season. Many homes and most public buildings have tornado shelters. The weather people are amazing. This past spring, when we had a day of tornado outbreaks, the weather people were telling us it would happen days ahead of time, so people could be prepared. During severe weather, it will be continuous news coverage on all the major TV channels. They track them street by street and you have plenty of warning when it's time to move into your safe place. I've been here for 5 years and have never seen a tornado. I've been in 3 tornadoes in my life, but none of them in Oklahoma.
As for the conservative thing, yes, it very politically conservative. As for your personal life, many people here will ask you where you go to church or invite you to go with them, but if you aren't interested, you can decline and most folks aren't going to hold it against you. Most people I've met have a pretty live and let live attitude.
As for being AA. I'm not, so I cannot give you that perspective. I can tell you that from what I can tell, most all the people here seem to get along well. I have lived in places where people of different races did not always get along, but I don't see that here. When people don't get along, it typically doesn't seem to have anything to do with race.
Maybe you should come give OKC a look and see what you think. My only advice is to get off the interstate and really explore the various neighborhoods. There's lots of really cool areas, but you won't see them from any of the freeways.
With a political science degree you might do better in OKC since it is the state capitol. Lot's of government agencies to work for.
The eastern side of Oklahoma county is actually somewhat hilly and wooded. Not flat and desert like, like so many people seem to think. I live in an area that is wooded and hilly. Really rather pretty. The western sides of the county are a bit more flat.
There is water here. While it's not the Mississippi, there is the Oklahoma River which runs just south of downtown. It is the site of the US Olympic Rowing training center. Most of the area universities have boat houses along the river, where you can actually go and rent a kayak or take a rowing class. There are also several lakes around the area. Lake Hefner is located on the northwest side of the city and serves as a water reservoir for the city. It's a great place for people to go sailing and wind surfing. There is also a park and jogging trail around the lake that is extremely popular, as well as some nice restaurants located on the east side of the lake. Great places to sit out side on on nice fall or spring day and have a drink while watching the sunset. There's also Lake Overholser on the west side, which is popular for water sports and fishing. Then there's Lake Arcadia in Edmond (a suburb on the north side of town) and Lake Thunderbird, which is on the south side, I believe it's either in Moore or Norman. I'm not certain exactly which city it lies in exactly. Right now all of these lakes are down greatly because of the drought we have recently experienced, but they won't stay that way.
As for the weather, well first let me say that it's not like we have tornadoes all the time or anything, and an F4 or F5 would be making national news if they happened here too. Typically spring is tornado season. Many homes and most public buildings have tornado shelters. The weather people are amazing. This past spring, when we had a day of tornado outbreaks, the weather people were telling us it would happen days ahead of time, so people could be prepared. During severe weather, it will be continuous news coverage on all the major TV channels. They track them street by street and you have plenty of warning when it's time to move into your safe place. I've been here for 5 years and have never seen a tornado. I've been in 3 tornadoes in my life, but none of them in Oklahoma.
As for the conservative thing, yes, it very politically conservative. As for your personal life, many people here will ask you where you go to church or invite you to go with them, but if you aren't interested, you can decline and most folks aren't going to hold it against you. Most people I've met have a pretty live and let live attitude.
As for being AA. I'm not, so I cannot give you that perspective. I can tell you that from what I can tell, most all the people here seem to get along well. I have lived in places where people of different races did not always get along, but I don't see that here. When people don't get along, it typically doesn't seem to have anything to do with race.
Maybe you should come give OKC a look and see what you think. My only advice is to get off the interstate and really explore the various neighborhoods. There's lots of really cool areas, but you won't see them from any of the freeways.
Good luck on your decision.
Thanks for your perspective. Quite honestly, I don't raft or waterski, or anything close to those descriptors. I guess that I'm sort of acclimated to seeing the Mississippi River and creeks and streams galore; so if I move down to Oklahoma City I will have to adjust, and I will...or I will be leaving...lol.
As for the meteorologists, I have seen our local meteorologists describe them as the best in the nation, as far as tracking severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are concerned. Believe me when I tell you that it's comforting to know that. And I should've noted that a level 4-5 tornado would garner coverage ANYWHERE. I guess that the frequency of severe weather---be they thunderstorms or tornadoes---concerns me. I hate that dark backdrop prior to the heavens opening up and dumping its water contents (and debris) down on us...lol. But you always get that fresh earthen smell afterwards, so I guess that's the only bonus I can see from it.
I have been Google mapping OKC, and it looks pretty dry, which is a given, since OKC and the Southwest were dried out by the massive drought this year. However, I was a bit misinformed---there are some hills in the area. Low hills, but hills nonetheless. I have a love for hilly cities, since I grew up in one...lol. I like the brick bungalows with their brick porches, which are houses that have "character" in my eyes. Chicago has a plethora of brick bungalows, and I wish that Davenport was a bungalow and rowhouse-filled city, but I digress...lol.
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Don't worry about racism.....we're the perfect balance of Native American/Southern/Western culture. 
What area in Edmond?
