Relocation

There’s a lot of evidence that Tulsa is a great place to relocate—to live, to grow a business. In the first half of 2009 alone, Tulsa made a number of impressive lists. Forbes.com ranked the city as the fifth most livable in the nation. Relocate-America named it the number one place to live, and the Brookings Institute placed it second of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas on its listing of top-performing cities during the recession, through the first quarter.

Now that you’ve picked Tulsa, you’ll need to decide where in Tulsa you want to live. And how you want to live. Are you an apartment person or do you want a lot of space? Do you like historic areas or are you set on something brand new? Are schools a factor in your decision? What about transportation—do you want to walk or ride to work, take public transportation, or are you sticking with your own vehicle? How close do you want to be to cultural activities, parks, work, or sports facilities?

Don’t let the decisions put you into a tizzy. Pick your top two or three priorities. Tulsa’s not so big that you’re really going to have to sacrifice much anywhere you choose.

Overview

Tulsa has traditionally fanned out from downtown to the east and the south. Downtown is basically defined by the highways that surround it—I-444 on the south and east, I-244 on the west and the north.

Uptown is a small area just south of downtown and includes a burgeoning eating and entertainment area known as SoBo (South Boston). Boundaries are a bit blurred and often depend on whom you ask. Both south and east of uptown is midtown. Probably the broadest categorizations would be downtown, uptown, midtown, south Tulsa, north Tulsa, east Tulsa, and west Tulsa.