[Blue Skies]

If you were close to retirement age and considering a move to Oklahoma, would you choose Ponca City or Bartlesville? Have family close by in each area and like the size of each town. Want to be close to shopping, medical, a library and volunteer opportunities. Thank you for your input.

[eddie gein]

Not a dime's worth of difference between the two towns, they mirror each other so closely and are just a county apart.

If I had to point out a few differences...

1) I think Ponca City represents it's history as a prosperous old oil town in a much grander fashion.

2) I think Bartlesville is slightly better in terms of natural environment with some hills in town and the Caney river.

3) Ponca City has a better layout. B'ville is kind of strange in how it has two distinct and separate sections.

4) B'ville is a quick jaunt and is almost exurban to Tulsa these days.

5) Ponca City has better access to OKC and Wichita.

6) B'ville has a college

7) B'ville has Woolaroc...

8) Ponca has a lake right on the edge of town and then Kaw reservoir another seven miles out.

I think both have a handful of good local dining establishments (more familiar with Ponca City) and a decent representation of national chains.

Both have good sized sections of town with leafy green, tree covered brick streets with vintage old homes. Edge to Ponca.

[Blue Skies]

Thank you!

[Shadylake8]

I've been to both towns and would easily go for Bartlesville. The city-data crime rate is somewhat lower there. The architecturally remarkable Community Center with it's huge auditorium is phenomenal for a town that size. Unlike Ponca City, Bartlesville has slowly been gaining in population since the 1990s. So it's dealing with loss of energy employment better. I would rather live in a small Oklahoma town that is actually growing in population, which is somewhat of a rarity these days.

[Idparbogey]

We recently relocated to Bartlesville from Idaho (housing costs nearly half as much in B-ville compared to ID). We considered other cities in OK including Ponca City. We had no interest in Tulsa or OKC or surrounding suburbs. A prominent feature of the Ponca City skyline are the many refineries. Other factors that led us to Bartlesville as a retirement destination (not in order of importance): the downtown, civic center, beautiful countryside, excellent public golf course, many nice neighborhoods, close proximity to Tulsa (airport, etc). I also saw many nice areas in PC. I encourage visiting both cities to decide. Best of luck.