Questions about moving to Lawton, OK (Oklahoma City, Norman: rental homes, crime, hotels)

Science2 · 03-01-2010, 04:06 PM

My husband and I will be moving to the Lawton, OK area in about 1 month as he has been relocated to Ft. Sill but we will only be staying for about 6 months. I have read some previous blogs about the crime and gang activity in Lawton but some of them are outdated and I am wondering currently where are the safest places to live. We would be willing to drive 30 minutes one way if it meant a safer community.

I am also wondering if there are any places that offer short term leases for people in the military.

I currently work in the medical research field and have not found much in my search for jobs near Lawton. Are there any companies or research institutes near Lawton or the surrounding areas?

Also, we will not be able to get to OK before our move so we will probably need to stay in a hotel while we search for a place to live. What are some inexpensive yet safe hotels in the area?

joetownmom · 03-04-2010, 07:24 AM

Lawton is an interesting community. My uncles lived in Lawton for many years so I have a little knowledge of the place. There are many, many hotels but they stay booked because of Fort Sill visitors and soldiers out on weekend passes. In my opinion, the farther south and west you go in Lawton, the less desirable areas.

Medicine Park is near Lawton and it's a very unique community. It has an intriguing history; you might want to look into it if you don't want to live in Lawton proper.

simplydreaming · 03-15-2010, 02:35 PM

I just relocated to Lawton in Jan. my husband is here for a class. All I can say is I probably would have went back to my home town if we could not have gotten on base housing.

Try looking in Elgin, there is a guy there that rents nice looking townhomes by the month for military but they are usually full and hard to get into. If you need help I can try and get his # for you.

As far as a hotel I would recommend staying at the one on base though you will need to book it in advance because it fills up quick. It is not nice, but I at least felt safe. the beds are not comfortable but it does have a small kitchen with microwave,stovetop and small fridge. It was also clean

I haven't had any experince with gangs here so I'm not sure about that. They only time I leave the base to go into Lawton is when my daughter has activites that take uys off or to go have dinner somewhere.

ArmyWife94e · 03-16-2010, 03:31 PM

Anything on the East side of Lawton is nice and safe, we have been here 2 years and have lived on the SE side. We have never had any problems, no crime and its very quiet here. This the "country" side of Lawton. Its sad that the above pster doesnt leave post. There is so much to see and do in the surrounding area. The Wichitas Wildlife Refuge is absolutely beautiful. They have wild buffalo, texas longhorn, prairie dogs and they are free roaming not caged up. Norman, Oklahoma City and that surrounding area is also nice. Like I said we have been stationed here 2 years and love it. Im actually sad that we are PCSing in 3 weeks. Good Luck

brianswifeandrea · 04-26-2010, 03:29 PM

Hi im trying to find a home in a very short amount of time! We are army and my husband is relocating. We need a four to five bedroom I have pets they are house broke! I have a cat and one dog a collie. Where do you suggest I look or who should I call? Please if you can email me at [email]brianshoney2005@yahoo.com[/email]

Aniyunwiya · 02-21-2011, 03:15 PM

I am currently considering moving to Lawton; and have found the crime data to be crazy. I read one post where the east side is safer, could you please give like a landmark, east side takes you further away from Ft. Sills and the wild life refuge, is that accurate?

j67bubba · 02-24-2011, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aniyunwiya

I am currently considering moving to Lawton; and have found the crime data to be crazy. I read one post where the east side is safer, could you please give like a landmark, east side takes you further away from Ft. Sills and the wild life refuge, is that accurate?

Lawton is only 13 miles wide (east to west). So living out on the East side of town really doesn't take you that far from Ft. Sill or the Wild Life Refuge.
East side of town is concidered anything on the East side of I-44
West side of town is concidered anything on the West side of 67th Street

Crime in Lawton is what one would expect from a town with a population of 100k people.

Also, alot of people are looking to live outside of Lawton and don't mind the drive to get to work. Areas to look at are Elgin (Growing into a nice little town), Duncan, Geronimo, Cache, Medicine Park/ Lake Lawtonka areas.

Barbara3ktpb · 03-02-2011, 07:18 PM

I just left Lawton and would live NE side of Gore BLVD (country) we rented a two story townhome 3 bedroom 2 baths for $895.00 a month. NE Bell is a family friendly area, which is right next to the best High School in Lawton (Macarther Highschool) and also in the area of the best Elementry School in Lawton (Carriage Hills). I also think this area is the most safe as far as crime (the places they tell you to stay away from in the Military). My kids loved the schools and the area and so did we...close to the water park which is GREAT! It's also close but far enough away from Cache Rd which is where EVERYTHING is at shopping wise. I wouldn't live in Elgin, Duncan, Geronimo or Medicine Park to far from base (just from what I heard living there or saw)....there is NOTHING to do in those places...Medicine park was over rated and rundown but good for a history type tour....I heard Cache is one of the nicer places to live outside of Lawton and it's actually got a town center. Hope this helped!

krystal.baxter · 06-15-2011, 12:04 PM

My husband and I are moving there in August and I was just wondering if you went thru a realtor on your townhome rental? If so would it be possible to get there information so I can look into some rental homes in that area? Thank you for your time.

smchh · 06-18-2011, 08:57 PM

I posted on another thread that I'm selling a house on the east side if you are interested in buying. The address is 106 NE Babbitt in the Pioneer Park Addition. It's a remodeled four bedroom with a huge back yard with a shade tree. A lot of people do like living on the east side. Plus Lawton is renovating an area near downtown in hopes to improve shopping and entertainment in the area. We have quite a few nice restaurants including some that aren't chains but pretty good food.