[janedoe1972]

Me and my fiance have a son who is almost 4. We will be a lot closer to his grandparents geographically if we live there. Our rent house budget is $750 a month.

[StillwaterTownie]

Lawton isn't too small. It has some shopping, including an enclosed shopping mall. $750 a month will get you a decent two bedroom house. But it may not come with a two car garage. To do any better in Oklahoma, you'd have to live in the Oklahoma City or Tulsa metro area.

[SluggoF16]

In yesterday's paper there were 3 BR places for $850 in not-too-bad parts of the city. The better parts, east of Flower Mound or west of 52nd are affordable. In Cache near where I live the rent's about the same but the schools are better.

Try Zillow for starters: http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent...54_rect/10_zm/?

Is it a terrible place to live? I don't think so. There are many worse places. And it's relatively close to both OKC and DFW.

[janedoe1972]

Which parts of Lawton do we need to steer clear? (I think I read the South).

[SluggoF16]

Originally Posted by janedoe1972

Which parts of Lawton do we need to steer clear? (I think I read the South).

Around the airport which is south. South of Gore, I-44 west to 38th.

Elgin is very popular with Fort Sill personnel and therefore the cost of renting or owning there is higher than Lawton. A lot of properties are available in far NW Lawton near the new Target and also around 38th and Lee, both for sale and rent.

One problem with renting in Lawton is the large renter population. Being a military, and to a lesser extent college town, there is an annual turnover of as many as 10,000 personnel. Owners can charge a lot and often are absentee. I rented for a year on the east side while the place I'm in now was built out in the country. I dealt with a property management department of a real estate sales agency, and that was good because there was a place to go to if something went wrong.

[eddie gein]

Sluggo is right. With a kid entering school you want Elgin or Cache if at all possible. Both are excellent school systems. While it is a bit of a hassle to drive into Lawton it would be well worth it to me if I had a child.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Sluggo is right. With a kid entering school you want Elgin or Cache if at all possible. Both are excellent school systems. While it is a bit of a hassle to drive into Lawton it would be well worth it to me if I had a child.

Are Lawton's schools getting so old, run down and obsolete that they need torn down and replaced with new ones?

[j67bubba]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

Are Lawton's schools getting so old, run down and obsolete that they need torn down and replaced with new ones?

Not all Schools are getting old and run down.

High Schools -
Lawton has 3 High Schools. All built before 1969. Each school building has been getting the normal up keep that is needed to keep them from falling apart.

Eisenhower - West side (52nd and Gore) - 1962 - New Library and STEM classrooms and Windows were the latest additions a few years ago.
Class 5A in sports (Was 6A a couple of years ago, but Student population has decreased over the years)

Lawton High - Center of town and Oldest High School in town (11th and Ferris)- new A/C units for each classroom was the latest fix, I think.
Class 6A in sports

MacArthur High - East Side (45th and Gore) - 1969 - Not too sure about the updating on this one.
Class 5A in Sports

Middle Schools -
Lawton has 4 Middle Schools (Jr. High for some)
Eisenhower - West Side - This one is falling apart or sinking into the ground. Lawton is looking at ways to fix this issue but funding is a big issue. Fix or tear down and replace?

Tomlinson - Middle of town - Rebuilt about 15 years ago - had foundation issues and has since been fixed.

Central High - Next to Lawton High and is the newest of all the schools

MacArthur - Next to MacArthur High and is in pretty good shape.

Elementary Schools
Lawton has been reducing the number of Elm. schools due to the student population of the area the school are located in have been on the decline plus combining schools helps spread the low budget the system has to provide for the schools.
Some of the schools are older than dirt, others are new (5-10 years old). Ft. Sill has the newest Elem. school, just opened this year (combined two elem schools on ft. sill to one)

Here is a helpful note about outside the area:
Cache Schools - New buildings and growing - Goodyear funded (Property Tax base)
Large school district with rual areas making up 80% or more of the students
Class 5A in sports

Elgin Schools - New High School (8-9 years old) - (Paid for by property tax increase)
Student population is growing faster than the school can build new buildings.
Large school district with rual areas making up 80% or more of the students
Class 4A in sports - playing in 5A in some sports - all sports are expected to move to 5A withing 3-5 years if the growth rate continues.

Hope that helps?