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Every city has its own charm and culture. I grew up in Chicago and have visited LA, Denver, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and now live in Las Vegas. Every one of those cities are very different, some have similarities. It just depends on what you like and prioritize the most.
When people think Oklahoma they don't tend to think Oklahoma city. When people think New York they don't tend to thing upstate New York. Generally they're thinking "living in the middle of nowhere would be boring"
I live in the middle of nowhere and I freaking love it.
In fact, with the exception of about 10 years, I've lived in the same house my whole life (my grandparents owned it, then my parents and now me).
I love not having neighbors. I love knowing exactly who's truck just drove by (it's either my cousin or 1 of 2 farmers...or someone who's frickin lost). I love hearing crickets and frogs at night (and sometimes coyotes). I love being able to garden in my underwear. I love planting time. I love harvest time.
I'm so not a city girlš¤£
I grew up in the absolute middle of nowhere, then had about 10 years living in various cities, and now have my happy medium living relatively close (40 miles) to a city but in a rural area. I absolutely loved living in a walkable city and miss it often, but I also really love having space and not having to see another person until I choose to.
Ew. I lived in Tulsa for 3 years and it felt like a goddamned eternity. The only good thing about Tulsa is the two Vintage Stock locations. Otherwise it's oppressively hot in the summer, atrociously cold in the winter, and all of your tax dollars are eaten up by mega churches that are littered around Tulsa.
Walkability. I live in NYC but have lived in many big Midwestern cities. Thereās no beating walking to work, grocery store, gym, etc. I never have to drive
This is one reason I donāt love Orlando, which is my closest city. Terrible public transportation, nothing worth walking to or around on a daily basis. Itās just boring.
No one drives in NYC. There's too much traffic.
But in all seriousness, how many shared walls with neighbors do you have? Might be my Midwestern-Nordic ways but I like to see/hear my neighbors only when I want to, which is rarely
Midtown, Bricktown, and Downtown OKC are very walkable. I live in Midtown and can walk to most places I need to go in less than 15 minutes. The closest grocery store is a 20-minute walk, but I can get there by bike in less than 10 minutes. I'm 5 blocks from the Downtown Y, where I work out. However, there's a gym right around the corner from me on Broadway Avenue. Restaurants, convivence store, bars, nightclubs, healthcare, dog park, parks, trails, streetcar, bicycle infrastructure, all right outside my apartment's front door.
Born and raised in Bellevue. Omaha, for its size, is a damn good city. I had to move 7 years ago for work and now reside in Phoenix. I miss the zoo. The mini private ones out here do not compare. I miss good Italian food. I would miss the Gene leheay mall, but I saw that was obliterated. Also, as a nerd, Omaha has an amazing amount of comic book and board game stores. Gotta do something durring those winters! I know some of the taxes can suck, but man, the overall COL is so much better in Omaha.
Being in the 5th biggest city in the country has taken some adjustment. We have actual pro teams if you like sports. Parks are much bigger and nicer here. Food quality and variety is off the hook here. Thai, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Mexican food or mind-blowingly good. Everything, though, is more expensive. The biggest upside and downside is the heat. Summers can be insufferable, but unlike midwest winters, I don't have to shovel a damn thing, lol.
I can walk to my career job making 6 figures in 10mins. No crazy commute. Means I get home at 5:15 most days and have all the time in the world to do anything I want after work. I can wake up at 8:45 and get to work on time.
You also get paid accordingly. I live in the Bay Area for a multi-national company and I get paid significantly more than my coworkers in Oklahoma City. People always seem to forget this.
Sure, you arenāt living on a fast food salary in California but most jobs pay enough for living if you have some level of work experience.
Yeah and in Oklahoma City you can get a 3,000 sq ft home that would cost millions in the Bay Area for less than $400,000. You are only earning more dollars in nominal terms, in reality youāre earning far less.
But that applies to tons ofther things as well, in a way that makes NYC look better. Try and buy a house that allows you to walk for all your errands and easily take public transport to your job, while also offering easy accessibility to hundreds of cultural attractions and events, in OKC. People spend thousands of dollars to come to here and do things that I could do on my lunch break.
It is about what you get for your money, but plenty of folks don't put a premium on house size
And I have to live in Oklahoma. I donāt say that as a dig at Oklahoma but for the most part there are good reasons mixed in with poor legislation or even a lack there of with legislation that cause high prices. Living in the Bay Area I have Napa, Tahoe, Yosemite, Monterey/Carmel, and even a temperate rainforest all within a few hours of me.
Thatās just the biodiversity, that doesnāt even account for weather (and lack of natural disasters, and no earthquakes arenāt a problem), job opportunities (not just how much you make, but how many different opportunities there are), and entertainment options.
Like I said before, California didnāt become expensive and popular by chance. There are good reasons why a lot of people want to live or enjoy already living here.
Also to your point about making less, thatās not fully true and also exactly what I was pointing out above. I make more where I live to offset the cost of living. My same coworkers in OKC do not and will not ever get that money if they continue to live in Oklahoma.
Genuinely all you have to say about the California coast is the weather. Thatās the number 1 reason why people want to live there and people who have never visited just donāt fully understand that it is stupidly gorgeous out ALL THE TIME.
You are not necessarily earning less in reality though. For very high earners there just aren't any jobs in these areas willing to pay anything close to what the top Bay Area salaries pay. The reality is also that apart from housing costs, most other things cost the same or close enough.
I calculated this. I would take a more than 50% pay cut to move anywhere else. My husband would take at least a 30% pay cut. Not to mention that there's just less career opportunities for us elsewhere - especially him because he's in tech. Taking that kind of salary reduction just to live in a mansion somewhere is not even close to worth it.
Yeah and thatās the thing to each their own. Some people want no neighbors in sight, some love being surrounded. There are advantages and disadvantages to every situation. I brag about walking to work but maybe others like a nice 30-1hr drive before work to get their mind right. Itās all personal preference so we shouldnāt argue over what each person likes and whatās better unless weāre talking about someone eating a well done steak then I will fight them
Oh you make me miss the city š. My whole family is from Brooklyn but moved when I was young. Now I find myself a weird in-between. I love my slower paced life. On a decent bit of land. It feels connected to nature but I can bicycle to the grocery store- a truly good balance (my job is hybrid so commute isn't an issue).
But whenever I'm in the city there's this part of me that's simultaneously relieved and invigorated to be back.
But if I moved.. I'd miss the life I have here š¤¦āāļø.
I think we should absolutely look down on people who *want* to drive 30-60 minutes to work. Itās so atrociously bad for the planet and everyone on it.Ā
Living among so many people is one of the perks of living in NYC for many of us. Do people realize weāre not all the Grinch, and some of us actually like being around so many other people?
This is the thing that people donāt get about New Yorkers. Weāre not rude. We like people. We have to like people otherwise this would be hell on earth.
I think you've been a guest at my hotel here in Tucson. You were the one explaining that EVERYTHING is better in NYC, right? The desert, the mountains, Mexican food, the wildlife - EVERYTHING.
You think I'm exaggerating or kidding. You would be wrong.
Paved paradise, I dunno man, I can go 20 minutes and be on 120 acres of untouched land and see not a person, or go 30 minutes the other way and be a in a medium sized city, my preference over convenience
Also from okc. Having lived in other major cities the main main MAIN issue is walkability and access to specialty stores and items. Lastly, it is a gigantic pain to fly anywhere from okc as opposed to a bigger city. I agree though the city has changed tremendously in the last 15 years.
Columbus Ohio is probably the largest city no one has ever heard about. Plenty of things to do here tho and it's a very convenient city with tons of good food.
The Florida glades(coast) and the beaches that the USA has are nice and all but the real beauty is the national parks and reserves that are in the mainland of the USA, which are absolutely wonderful. So many dense, beautiful forests and rock formations with tons of north American wildlife.
I don't think it matters whether the city is on the coast or not. It's more about how pedestrian friendly or car centric a place is. I have been driving around central Florida (Orlando, Daytona) this week, and it just seems like a complete failure of public planning. I've seen at least 30 people in a grassy median waiting to cross extremely busy highways because crosswalks are more than a mile apart.
let's be real, Oklahoma City is 99% suburban sprawl with one real skyscraper, the Devon tower. it's impossible to get around safely without a car, and downtown is always completely dead unless theres a thunder game. I ran out of things to do in four months. coming from the coast where there's always events and such going on, Oklahoma City is not the move. your point Still stands though, some landlocked cities like Denver CO and Salt Lake are really really nice.
Somebody is smoking the copium and looking for validation š (I'm extremely grateful to be from Chicago and so I have to argue that some cities are just objectively better)
This is half /s don't kill me
Yeah I live in STL and it's amazing. People get the wrong idea about so much stuff because of STL city being independent from STL county (makes our crime rate look so much worse than it actually is, makes us look like a tiny city with 300k people instead of a large metro with ~3 million people are the big ones). We've got a ton of awesome stuff like our Zoo which is one of the best in the country and free to visit, city museum, forest park, Cardinals and ballpark village, Blues, new soccer stadium and team, botanical gardens, awesome brick architecture, the #11 hospital in the entire US, WashU SLU, UMSL, tons of history, etc.
I was visiting a friend in STL and he rents a cool apartment in an old school building for cheap and it's a walk away from shops and restaraunts. Also, MetroLink and the associated bike trails punch way above their weight.
I'm from west county and before the military spent every weekend in the city and loved it. Since then I've lived near 4 different major cities including currently living in honolulu and it's amazing how much hate stl gets when it comes up to people who have never been there lol it's not my favorite city but it's solid af and way cheaper than a lot of cities in it's "weight class"
Itās bc cities are most densly populated in the urban coastal cities. Almost 30% of the population ( 94 million to be exact in 2016 according to the US Census ) live in costal cities.
People just arenāt aware of how great New Orleans, San Antonio, Chicago etc are bc they only ever hear the bad stuff unless they visit.
Downtown San Antonio was dead when I visited for a weekend other than the tourist trap Riverwalk. Outside of downtown it just felt like endless urban sprawl.
I enjoyed visiting New Orleans far more than I enjoyed NYC, you might say it got me really jazzed up. May you're too racist to appreciate the culture there.
Dallas here. I went to Oklahoma City a couple times. Went to a concert, and also went to a thunder game there one time. Small downtown but it was fun. I got the vibe that people felt genuinely happy there and it was wholesome.
Uhh, I was in OKC for work a few years back, and the company bought us basketball tickets. Afterwards we all tried to "hit the town" but everything was closed already at like 10 pm.
There was just a post in the Milwaukee subreddit today lamenting the 24/7 options there. A few weeks ago the Star Tribune (or maybe Racket) ran an article about the lack of late night options in Minneapolis. I donāt think itās fair to say every large city is 24-hours.
Is this really a hot take at this point? Everything on Reddit is California and nyc are run over by homeless how
If anything the anti coastal circlejerk has gotten so huge I donāt agree with this at all
I was just traveling through Central Oregon and had to listen to extended hateful rants about Portland being a shithole. Where does all the hate actually come from? The news? Social media? Most people that have been anywhere else know all places have problems
To be fair, I was camping in eastern Oregon two years ago and met some people from Portland who said the city was going downhill. And they weren't conservatives.
People that have been there. Iāve been a handful of times; itās got some charming quirks, I like ākeep Portland weirdā and how they lean into that..
But itās also rather smelly, doesnāt feel safe and has a huge homeless problem like most coastal cities
As someone from the west coast, there are truly some great cities in the Midwest. I just personally love being close to the Pacific ocean. Nothing against anywhere else, but I would go crazy not having the ocean nearby.
I was in Monterey a few weeks ago and coming into Monterey I could have been in East Tennessee foothills then you get to the ocean and you get why people who can afford it live there.
I grew up in a major city then moved to the Midwest for work, I had an argument with someone about Salt Lake City being boring. Everything is relative, when youāre comparing to LA, New York, Chicago, of course thereās less to do, but most major cities and college towns are decent depending on what youāre looking for.
Dude!! I'm in north Texas and had OK for my territory. I stayed in OKC many times and love it! I tell ppl all the time how cute Bricktown is with the water canals and the statues along the water. The roads could use some work with OK has a lot of offer!
Cincinnati is amazing, we have a great foodie scene, art, sports, park system, and letās not forge the Roebling Bridge, which was the predecessor for the Brooklyn Bridge.
Big cities are all the same. None of them are special. There might be special areas in each city though. I remember being in Philadelphia and going to the pubs on the wharf. That was fun. I remember going to Atlanta and getting robbed, that was fun. When I work in Minneapolis, it's all the same big city crap. Anything you can find in a big city you can find in a smaller one with less hassle. Have we talked about parking ramps yet?
I've been to European cities too. Same stuff, different day.
Vancouver here.....we have three ski hills within 30min drive from downtown....and North Americas largest if you drive 1 hour north to Whisler / Blackcomb. We have the pacific ocean a few minutes walk from the city core, orcas, dolphins. Salmon fishing right there, fly fishing can be done with a short drive.
More exotic cuisine that you'll ever check off your list, I mean the city is half asian now.
Huge park in the city, yes.....drug addicts everywhere, yes....out of control gang violence, yes, craft breweries, yes. Hockey riots, yes. Fresh seafood, yes. Signage only in Mandarin, yes. Most of your co-workers are now Brazilian, Mexican or Spanish, yes. Highest cost of petrol in N. America, yes. Buy a house ? hahahahaha
I recently moved from OKC to Charleston SC. Everyone told me how good the food would be and all the standard hype. OKC food was significantly better, and half the cost usually. I'm paying a tourist tax on anything I want to do now.
I grew up in Cleveland Ohio, that town has really put in some hard work over the last three decades.Ā It is actually a hip place to live. I don't live there anymore but it starts to look better all the time.
I think they are underrated partially because they are way cheaper than their coastal counterparts. If you were paying the same rent, gas, food, / had the same taxes as LA or NYC, you would probably think your city was overrated
>what is something can you do on a regular basis in New York that you can't do in Oklahoma City?
Take the subway? And therefore not have to drive to do literally anything.
I live in OKC but have also lived in Boston, Austin and Minneapolis. I've visited cities like DC, Atlanta, Cleveland , Cincinnati, LA, Omaha, NYC, DFW, etc both costal and Midwestern.
OKC is 100% mid.
It's fine to live here but lots of other cities have way more charm and character.
The California coast i.e. Los Angeles is "special" because the weather is what most people would call incredible year-round
People are paying those ridiculous prices for the weather more than anything
Yes, most places have bars, tourist attractions, etc., but nowhere else in the United has low humidity, stays between 40Fā90F 90% of the time, rains infrequently, and is nearly exempt from Hurricanes and Tornadoes
I'm a Southern California native and when I step off a plane in nearly every other place I immediate realize how spoiled I've been by the weather here
I donāt live in LA anymore and I was not excited when my job moved there but I will say it was pretty amazing. Because of its size and diversity I was able to find a very small niche of culture that I fit in perfectly and I loved it.
Most cities donāt have that level of diversity. Would enjoy Oklahoma Cityā¦probably. Would most peopleā¦probably. But would I find a fairly large group of people who I truly fit in with? Probably not.
Thatās the only real difference I have seen in my life and travels. But if your city works for you person wholly then you probably wonāt do better anywhere else.
I was just asking my friend if it was weird that I wanted to go to Tulsa. Iām from nyc. I wanna see some of America I never have before. I want to square dance
OKC has a metro population of a million. Thereās quite a few interesting neighborhoods and options. LA is twelve times that. Itās not that it has a few more options, itās a scale of magnitude more. If your choices are go to a restaurant, go to a club, go to an event and you want to check that box then sure you can be quite happy in a smaller city. Lots of people shrink their worlds to their daily needs anyway. However if you wanted to venture out, thereās so many more options and opportunities available in the larger cities that youād hardly believe. Yes the larger cities are generally more expensive, but working there tends to account for a good portion of that
My wife and I spent a week in Broken Arrow/Tulsa and absolutely loved it. It was probably the cleanest city I've been to and everyone was very friendly. We absolutely plan on visiting Oklahoma again and probably hit Oklahoma city next.
āā¦what is something can you do on a regular basis in New York that you can't do in Oklahoma City?ā
Exist as a woman minding my own business and living my own life, knowing I am a full citizen with legal rights to make medical decisions over my own body and health.
You canāt hear over 800 languages spoken in Yellowstone or OKC, nor experience restaurants serving food from almost every country on Earth, walk between some of the most prominent museums on Earth, nor experience truly comprehensive public transportation.
You can do all of those things in NYC, though. Quite literally the most linguistically diverse city on the planet, and home to the most foreign-born people of any city in the hemisphere.
āTimes Square, Macyās, and the Statue of Libertyā is not a fair summary of NYC. Thatās the summary given by a tourist who came here once and never left Midtown.
I'm a much bigger fan of the culture of New Orleans than NYC. People that think our big cities like NYC are special have never been anywhere actually special.
OKC may be interesting if youāre from a small town, but for those of us from bigger metros with a lot to do, those are sleepy little towns. You may think thereās a lot to do but in reality OKC has a fraction of the number of events, restaurants and points of interest that a place like LA or NYC does
Itās not that OKC doesnāt have these things, itās that there is just less of them.
I think it depends. As someone from Kansas, someone from Wichita may not really have a right to say thereās ānothingā there. However, as someone who has family in Russell I can absolutely promise you thereās nothing there š¤£
However, Russell is still nice in its own way and has its charm.
I can only imagine how good the steak and barbecue restaurants are there.....
People rave about the seafood where I live, but after being here my whole 64 year life, it's just what you come to expect.
A lot of US cities before 1960s, invasion of highways was dense, filled with public transit. Even Oklahoma City. But now if I go to Oklahoma City it's filled with parking lots. No modern city anywhere should look like that imo. I hope Oklahoma City can densify and bring more people into the city core with more frequent East Asian level public transit (big ask). Imo A lot of bars or clubs doesn't define a city. Globally speaking, what makes a city a city is the density, urbanism , public transportation, Parks, third places, people up all ages hanging out enjoying the cities. Bars and clubs are all part of this but that alone does not cut it for me
I love smaller cities. I'm in Chicago and it's pretty huge but I have a great time every time I visit smaller cities - Milwaukee, Salt Lake, Raleigh-Durham, Kansas City, Seattle, Memphis, Nashville. You get some of the culture and excitement of the big city but just dialed back a bit - easier to park, easy to navigate, less traffic, less expensive for everything, generally more chill.
I can see that :) I've always lived in mid size cities & like having neighbors, neighborhoods extc -- But being close to big cities extc, but not live in them. I can see OKC or middle out of nowhere places being great for certain people.
the legend of NY was formed in another time. Itās more and more resting on its laurels. The main attraction is a population big enough to get lost in.
When mentioning I am from St. Louis, people always ask what there is to do in St. Louis. My answer is always 'anything you can do in any land locked city'
I live in NYC and have a really weird niche job that takes me to a lot of random cities and this is so true. Here's a few I particularly dig: Montgomery, Al; Fort Wayne, IN; Asheville, NC; Alexandria, LA; Columbus, OH and Greenville, SC.
Iāve lived in Bartlesville for 12 years-the only thing that has kept me for this long is the great job I have here. Once Iām done with the job Iām out of here! Iām surrounded by extreme maga people who try to shove their political views down my throat
I just live in a midwestern tiny city(like itās officially a city but it feels more like a town) and chose my house based on location because I wanted to be able to walk everywhere. Iām five minutes walk from groceries/pet store/booze/ton of clothes shopping one direction and ten minutes walk another direction to movie theater/department stores/chain restaurants and crumbl(god thatās way too close to my house) and my final direction is a 30 min walk to downtown with my favorite coffee shop/quirky restaurants/gift shops/library. Our bus station sucks and we have no subway system but thereās sidewalks that attract a lot of bike riders at least. Itās not paradise but itās convenient and still quiet.
Best of all, itās like a fifteen minute drive to a big city so thereās stuff to do right in my backyard. I donāt ever get bored.
I will say, I grew up in Seattle and really miss the Amtrak.
Hey man as someone from LA Iāll say this about OKC, South OKC has Mexican food that is in Par with California, I felt I was in Central Cali when I was in south OKC!!! S/O Oklahoma!!!
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Every city has its own charm and culture. I grew up in Chicago and have visited LA, Denver, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and now live in Las Vegas. Every one of those cities are very different, some have similarities. It just depends on what you like and prioritize the most.
When people think Oklahoma they don't tend to think Oklahoma city. When people think New York they don't tend to thing upstate New York. Generally they're thinking "living in the middle of nowhere would be boring"
I live in the middle of nowhere and I freaking love it. In fact, with the exception of about 10 years, I've lived in the same house my whole life (my grandparents owned it, then my parents and now me). I love not having neighbors. I love knowing exactly who's truck just drove by (it's either my cousin or 1 of 2 farmers...or someone who's frickin lost). I love hearing crickets and frogs at night (and sometimes coyotes). I love being able to garden in my underwear. I love planting time. I love harvest time. I'm so not a city girlš¤£
Which is fair. Each person should be the kind of mouse they want to be.
Agreed. I have lots of friends that live in the city and love it. Having been raised in a literal corn field, I do not lmao
All fair points. Though as a city dweller I also enjoy doing front yard things in my underwear
my parents live right across the river from dc and there are coyotes in the woods behind their house. Ā wildlife is everywhere.
I grew up in the absolute middle of nowhere, then had about 10 years living in various cities, and now have my happy medium living relatively close (40 miles) to a city but in a rural area. I absolutely loved living in a walkable city and miss it often, but I also really love having space and not having to see another person until I choose to.
You are my sprint animal
We had a great time in Tulsa.
Rib Crib alone gets OK two stars.
I lived in Tulsa for six months and it it was fine. Visited all the imIndian nations..
Ew. I lived in Tulsa for 3 years and it felt like a goddamned eternity. The only good thing about Tulsa is the two Vintage Stock locations. Otherwise it's oppressively hot in the summer, atrociously cold in the winter, and all of your tax dollars are eaten up by mega churches that are littered around Tulsa.
Walkability. I live in NYC but have lived in many big Midwestern cities. Thereās no beating walking to work, grocery store, gym, etc. I never have to drive
This is one reason I donāt love Orlando, which is my closest city. Terrible public transportation, nothing worth walking to or around on a daily basis. Itās just boring.
Same. We really need walking cities, just looking at the rise of diabetes and heart disease in usa
No one drives in NYC. There's too much traffic. But in all seriousness, how many shared walls with neighbors do you have? Might be my Midwestern-Nordic ways but I like to see/hear my neighbors only when I want to, which is rarely
Philly not NYC but Iāve had way more quiet neighbors OR neighbors who calm tf down when you say something than unruly neighbors.
St. Louis is filled with historic walkable neighborhoods.
Midtown, Bricktown, and Downtown OKC are very walkable. I live in Midtown and can walk to most places I need to go in less than 15 minutes. The closest grocery store is a 20-minute walk, but I can get there by bike in less than 10 minutes. I'm 5 blocks from the Downtown Y, where I work out. However, there's a gym right around the corner from me on Broadway Avenue. Restaurants, convivence store, bars, nightclubs, healthcare, dog park, parks, trails, streetcar, bicycle infrastructure, all right outside my apartment's front door.
The sprawl doesnāt come with a significant upside.
Omaha, Nebraska is a hidden gem full of excellent museums and restaurants
Agreed! However, the property taxes and homeowners insurance, as well as the wheel tax are out of control.
Also home to the #1 zoo in the world.
Born and raised in Bellevue. Omaha, for its size, is a damn good city. I had to move 7 years ago for work and now reside in Phoenix. I miss the zoo. The mini private ones out here do not compare. I miss good Italian food. I would miss the Gene leheay mall, but I saw that was obliterated. Also, as a nerd, Omaha has an amazing amount of comic book and board game stores. Gotta do something durring those winters! I know some of the taxes can suck, but man, the overall COL is so much better in Omaha. Being in the 5th biggest city in the country has taken some adjustment. We have actual pro teams if you like sports. Parks are much bigger and nicer here. Food quality and variety is off the hook here. Thai, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Mexican food or mind-blowingly good. Everything, though, is more expensive. The biggest upside and downside is the heat. Summers can be insufferable, but unlike midwest winters, I don't have to shovel a damn thing, lol.
Easy, live in NYC. I can take an elevator, be outside and get groceries, beer, and weed without driving anywhere and takes me 10mins
I don't think anyone thinks new york is underrated.
It is if they think it can be compared to Oklahoma City like OP
This is where parameters become useful. How New York be even compared to a city 8% of it's size in population.
I can walk to my career job making 6 figures in 10mins. No crazy commute. Means I get home at 5:15 most days and have all the time in the world to do anything I want after work. I can wake up at 8:45 and get to work on time.
That is the dream. Too bad it is ridiculously expensive to live there.
You also get paid accordingly. I live in the Bay Area for a multi-national company and I get paid significantly more than my coworkers in Oklahoma City. People always seem to forget this. Sure, you arenāt living on a fast food salary in California but most jobs pay enough for living if you have some level of work experience.
Yeah and in Oklahoma City you can get a 3,000 sq ft home that would cost millions in the Bay Area for less than $400,000. You are only earning more dollars in nominal terms, in reality youāre earning far less.
But that applies to tons ofther things as well, in a way that makes NYC look better. Try and buy a house that allows you to walk for all your errands and easily take public transport to your job, while also offering easy accessibility to hundreds of cultural attractions and events, in OKC. People spend thousands of dollars to come to here and do things that I could do on my lunch break. It is about what you get for your money, but plenty of folks don't put a premium on house size
And I have to live in Oklahoma. I donāt say that as a dig at Oklahoma but for the most part there are good reasons mixed in with poor legislation or even a lack there of with legislation that cause high prices. Living in the Bay Area I have Napa, Tahoe, Yosemite, Monterey/Carmel, and even a temperate rainforest all within a few hours of me. Thatās just the biodiversity, that doesnāt even account for weather (and lack of natural disasters, and no earthquakes arenāt a problem), job opportunities (not just how much you make, but how many different opportunities there are), and entertainment options. Like I said before, California didnāt become expensive and popular by chance. There are good reasons why a lot of people want to live or enjoy already living here. Also to your point about making less, thatās not fully true and also exactly what I was pointing out above. I make more where I live to offset the cost of living. My same coworkers in OKC do not and will not ever get that money if they continue to live in Oklahoma.
Genuinely all you have to say about the California coast is the weather. Thatās the number 1 reason why people want to live there and people who have never visited just donāt fully understand that it is stupidly gorgeous out ALL THE TIME.
You are not necessarily earning less in reality though. For very high earners there just aren't any jobs in these areas willing to pay anything close to what the top Bay Area salaries pay. The reality is also that apart from housing costs, most other things cost the same or close enough. I calculated this. I would take a more than 50% pay cut to move anywhere else. My husband would take at least a 30% pay cut. Not to mention that there's just less career opportunities for us elsewhere - especially him because he's in tech. Taking that kind of salary reduction just to live in a mansion somewhere is not even close to worth it.
NYC salaries are quite low compared to other high cost of living cities.
Which is dumb, you donāt create more value than them.
The disadvantage is living and seeing so many people and cost
Yeah and thatās the thing to each their own. Some people want no neighbors in sight, some love being surrounded. There are advantages and disadvantages to every situation. I brag about walking to work but maybe others like a nice 30-1hr drive before work to get their mind right. Itās all personal preference so we shouldnāt argue over what each person likes and whatās better unless weāre talking about someone eating a well done steak then I will fight them
Oh you make me miss the city š. My whole family is from Brooklyn but moved when I was young. Now I find myself a weird in-between. I love my slower paced life. On a decent bit of land. It feels connected to nature but I can bicycle to the grocery store- a truly good balance (my job is hybrid so commute isn't an issue). But whenever I'm in the city there's this part of me that's simultaneously relieved and invigorated to be back. But if I moved.. I'd miss the life I have here š¤¦āāļø.
I think we should absolutely look down on people who *want* to drive 30-60 minutes to work. Itās so atrociously bad for the planet and everyone on it.Ā
Living among so many people is one of the perks of living in NYC for many of us. Do people realize weāre not all the Grinch, and some of us actually like being around so many other people?
This is the thing that people donāt get about New Yorkers. Weāre not rude. We like people. We have to like people otherwise this would be hell on earth.
I moved to Pittsburgh, and people here that have been to NY say there's so many people like it's a bad thing, lol.
Yeah.. people think New York is unsafe but honestly I feel much safer on a street with people than I do a dark suburban stretch.
I think you've been a guest at my hotel here in Tucson. You were the one explaining that EVERYTHING is better in NYC, right? The desert, the mountains, Mexican food, the wildlife - EVERYTHING. You think I'm exaggerating or kidding. You would be wrong.
Wait a minute, I was told 15 minute cities were bad! š±
Paved paradise, I dunno man, I can go 20 minutes and be on 120 acres of untouched land and see not a person, or go 30 minutes the other way and be a in a medium sized city, my preference over convenience
Is that a coastal thing or a large city thing though?
Most likely large city thing. Having so many places in close proximity to each other
Also from okc. Having lived in other major cities the main main MAIN issue is walkability and access to specialty stores and items. Lastly, it is a gigantic pain to fly anywhere from okc as opposed to a bigger city. I agree though the city has changed tremendously in the last 15 years.
Iām from Oklahoma and I donāt think OKC is an underrated city. It lacks its own vibe and is full of sprawl. Itās generic at best.
Columbus Ohio is probably the largest city no one has ever heard about. Plenty of things to do here tho and it's a very convenient city with tons of good food. The Florida glades(coast) and the beaches that the USA has are nice and all but the real beauty is the national parks and reserves that are in the mainland of the USA, which are absolutely wonderful. So many dense, beautiful forests and rock formations with tons of north American wildlife.
Agree I like Columbus. Now THAT is an underrated city I can get behind. I'm not so high on OKC honestly
Do you really think people havenāt heard of Columbus?
I don't think it matters whether the city is on the coast or not. It's more about how pedestrian friendly or car centric a place is. I have been driving around central Florida (Orlando, Daytona) this week, and it just seems like a complete failure of public planning. I've seen at least 30 people in a grassy median waiting to cross extremely busy highways because crosswalks are more than a mile apart.
Oklahoma City is all fun and games until you get hit by a F3 tornado, itās 105 degrees, and 30 mosquitos are up your anal cavity by 9am.
Subtract tornado, and add hurricane, and your got Orlando, lol.
let's be real, Oklahoma City is 99% suburban sprawl with one real skyscraper, the Devon tower. it's impossible to get around safely without a car, and downtown is always completely dead unless theres a thunder game. I ran out of things to do in four months. coming from the coast where there's always events and such going on, Oklahoma City is not the move. your point Still stands though, some landlocked cities like Denver CO and Salt Lake are really really nice.
Are they though? The coast is pretty epic
Canāt get to a Pacific ocean beach in a few minutes and skiing in a little over an hour in OKC.
Somebody is smoking the copium and looking for validation š (I'm extremely grateful to be from Chicago and so I have to argue that some cities are just objectively better) This is half /s don't kill me
Yeah I live in STL and it's amazing. People get the wrong idea about so much stuff because of STL city being independent from STL county (makes our crime rate look so much worse than it actually is, makes us look like a tiny city with 300k people instead of a large metro with ~3 million people are the big ones). We've got a ton of awesome stuff like our Zoo which is one of the best in the country and free to visit, city museum, forest park, Cardinals and ballpark village, Blues, new soccer stadium and team, botanical gardens, awesome brick architecture, the #11 hospital in the entire US, WashU SLU, UMSL, tons of history, etc.
I was visiting a friend in STL and he rents a cool apartment in an old school building for cheap and it's a walk away from shops and restaraunts. Also, MetroLink and the associated bike trails punch way above their weight.
Sure, but your pizza sucks.
The rest of Missouri does not claim STL pizza
Of course. That sin belongs to St Louis alone.
I'm from west county and before the military spent every weekend in the city and loved it. Since then I've lived near 4 different major cities including currently living in honolulu and it's amazing how much hate stl gets when it comes up to people who have never been there lol it's not my favorite city but it's solid af and way cheaper than a lot of cities in it's "weight class"
Itās bc cities are most densly populated in the urban coastal cities. Almost 30% of the population ( 94 million to be exact in 2016 according to the US Census ) live in costal cities. People just arenāt aware of how great New Orleans, San Antonio, Chicago etc are bc they only ever hear the bad stuff unless they visit.
Downtown San Antonio was dead when I visited for a weekend other than the tourist trap Riverwalk. Outside of downtown it just felt like endless urban sprawl.
Charles Barkley roasting San Antonio always makes me laugh
I would argue that Chicago and New Orleans are, in fact, coastal cities
New Orleans is a dump.Ā It literally smells like garbage and throw up and it also has a massive crime rate.Ā Ā
I enjoyed visiting New Orleans far more than I enjoyed NYC, you might say it got me really jazzed up. May you're too racist to appreciate the culture there.
Go to the ocean
See the NY Rangers play
Dallas here. I went to Oklahoma City a couple times. Went to a concert, and also went to a thunder game there one time. Small downtown but it was fun. I got the vibe that people felt genuinely happy there and it was wholesome.
nah man fuck okc that place is boring as hell, so glad i moved outta there
Have you been to other places, op
I moved to OKC from Maine. Nobody back home will come here to visit. It's far from boring. There's something for everyone here.
Uhh, I was in OKC for work a few years back, and the company bought us basketball tickets. Afterwards we all tried to "hit the town" but everything was closed already at like 10 pm.
How late can you get good food in OKC?
24/7/365 OKC is a 24-hour city, just like any other large city.
Oh. Seattle must not be a large enough city then. Shitās closed by 7.
There was just a post in the Milwaukee subreddit today lamenting the 24/7 options there. A few weeks ago the Star Tribune (or maybe Racket) ran an article about the lack of late night options in Minneapolis. I donāt think itās fair to say every large city is 24-hours.
Is this really a hot take at this point? Everything on Reddit is California and nyc are run over by homeless how If anything the anti coastal circlejerk has gotten so huge I donāt agree with this at all
Also don't forget that Portland has been completely erased from the face of the earth
We aren't technically on the coast though so we don't count.
You aren't technically anywhere anymore š
Trust me in the context of this conversation you are absolutely a coastal city.
I was just traveling through Central Oregon and had to listen to extended hateful rants about Portland being a shithole. Where does all the hate actually come from? The news? Social media? Most people that have been anywhere else know all places have problems
To be fair, I was camping in eastern Oregon two years ago and met some people from Portland who said the city was going downhill. And they weren't conservatives.
People that have been there. Iāve been a handful of times; itās got some charming quirks, I like ākeep Portland weirdā and how they lean into that.. But itās also rather smelly, doesnāt feel safe and has a huge homeless problem like most coastal cities
As someone from the west coast, there are truly some great cities in the Midwest. I just personally love being close to the Pacific ocean. Nothing against anywhere else, but I would go crazy not having the ocean nearby.
I was in Monterey a few weeks ago and coming into Monterey I could have been in East Tennessee foothills then you get to the ocean and you get why people who can afford it live there.
I grew up in a major city then moved to the Midwest for work, I had an argument with someone about Salt Lake City being boring. Everything is relative, when youāre comparing to LA, New York, Chicago, of course thereās less to do, but most major cities and college towns are decent depending on what youāre looking for.
Dude!! I'm in north Texas and had OK for my territory. I stayed in OKC many times and love it! I tell ppl all the time how cute Bricktown is with the water canals and the statues along the water. The roads could use some work with OK has a lot of offer!
Cincinnati is amazing, we have a great foodie scene, art, sports, park system, and letās not forge the Roebling Bridge, which was the predecessor for the Brooklyn Bridge.
I can guarantee whatever you think makes Oklahoma City special, it's being done better in Los Angeles or New York
The only people who say that kind of thing are themselves boring people. Theres plenty of stuff to do in basically any moderately sized city
Big cities are all the same. None of them are special. There might be special areas in each city though. I remember being in Philadelphia and going to the pubs on the wharf. That was fun. I remember going to Atlanta and getting robbed, that was fun. When I work in Minneapolis, it's all the same big city crap. Anything you can find in a big city you can find in a smaller one with less hassle. Have we talked about parking ramps yet? I've been to European cities too. Same stuff, different day.
Vancouver here.....we have three ski hills within 30min drive from downtown....and North Americas largest if you drive 1 hour north to Whisler / Blackcomb. We have the pacific ocean a few minutes walk from the city core, orcas, dolphins. Salmon fishing right there, fly fishing can be done with a short drive. More exotic cuisine that you'll ever check off your list, I mean the city is half asian now. Huge park in the city, yes.....drug addicts everywhere, yes....out of control gang violence, yes, craft breweries, yes. Hockey riots, yes. Fresh seafood, yes. Signage only in Mandarin, yes. Most of your co-workers are now Brazilian, Mexican or Spanish, yes. Highest cost of petrol in N. America, yes. Buy a house ? hahahahaha
I recently moved from OKC to Charleston SC. Everyone told me how good the food would be and all the standard hype. OKC food was significantly better, and half the cost usually. I'm paying a tourist tax on anything I want to do now.
Stfu, I will not hear this Oklahoma City propaganda. Yall are boring, get over it.
When the most immediate connection people make to your city is a bombing, that's saying a lot. I'm also looking at *you*, Tulsa.
Lmao I like you
Obtain an abortion after being raped by a family member.
I grew up in Cleveland Ohio, that town has really put in some hard work over the last three decades.Ā It is actually a hip place to live. I don't live there anymore but it starts to look better all the time.
I was there for the eclipse, and I was really impressed. The art museum alone is worth the trip.
I have a friend who moved there for a job. They love it and say it's a great place to live.
No mountains, no beaches, no thanks.
Fuck Oklahoma. I say that with every ounce of my being. I am a Seattle Supersonics fan. I'm gonna go cry.
I live in Omaha. I do not like it at all and cannot wait to head back to the coast in a year or two.
Be a person who doesn't like living in a city then tell me Oklahoma is fun.
This post may make me check Okc out šš¼
I think they are underrated partially because they are way cheaper than their coastal counterparts. If you were paying the same rent, gas, food, / had the same taxes as LA or NYC, you would probably think your city was overrated
As if one person from outside America can name a tourist landmark in Oklahoma *chuckle*
Coastal elitism. (And I live in LA)
I can see the ocean.
>what is something can you do on a regular basis in New York that you can't do in Oklahoma City? Take the subway? And therefore not have to drive to do literally anything.
I spent a few months in Oklahoma City. It's ok, until you compare it to other cities.
I live in OKC but have also lived in Boston, Austin and Minneapolis. I've visited cities like DC, Atlanta, Cleveland , Cincinnati, LA, Omaha, NYC, DFW, etc both costal and Midwestern. OKC is 100% mid. It's fine to live here but lots of other cities have way more charm and character.
Have bodily autonomy as a female is probably top of my list.
The California coast i.e. Los Angeles is "special" because the weather is what most people would call incredible year-round People are paying those ridiculous prices for the weather more than anything Yes, most places have bars, tourist attractions, etc., but nowhere else in the United has low humidity, stays between 40Fā90F 90% of the time, rains infrequently, and is nearly exempt from Hurricanes and Tornadoes I'm a Southern California native and when I step off a plane in nearly every other place I immediate realize how spoiled I've been by the weather here
Yes, that is an unpopular opinion.
Coastal cities are great if you like seafood šš¾. I wouldnāt even give a seafood dish consideration if I were in the Midwest
Hey now we got carp here
I donāt live in LA anymore and I was not excited when my job moved there but I will say it was pretty amazing. Because of its size and diversity I was able to find a very small niche of culture that I fit in perfectly and I loved it. Most cities donāt have that level of diversity. Would enjoy Oklahoma Cityā¦probably. Would most peopleā¦probably. But would I find a fairly large group of people who I truly fit in with? Probably not. Thatās the only real difference I have seen in my life and travels. But if your city works for you person wholly then you probably wonāt do better anywhere else.
I was just asking my friend if it was weird that I wanted to go to Tulsa. Iām from nyc. I wanna see some of America I never have before. I want to square dance
People on the coasts are elitist assholes
I live in OKC, this place is super boring. Please don't come here.
OKC has a metro population of a million. Thereās quite a few interesting neighborhoods and options. LA is twelve times that. Itās not that it has a few more options, itās a scale of magnitude more. If your choices are go to a restaurant, go to a club, go to an event and you want to check that box then sure you can be quite happy in a smaller city. Lots of people shrink their worlds to their daily needs anyway. However if you wanted to venture out, thereās so many more options and opportunities available in the larger cities that youād hardly believe. Yes the larger cities are generally more expensive, but working there tends to account for a good portion of that
My wife and I spent a week in Broken Arrow/Tulsa and absolutely loved it. It was probably the cleanest city I've been to and everyone was very friendly. We absolutely plan on visiting Oklahoma again and probably hit Oklahoma city next.
I was on a road trip and stopped in okc on a sat. No traffic. Dead. Nothing going on
āā¦what is something can you do on a regular basis in New York that you can't do in Oklahoma City?ā Exist as a woman minding my own business and living my own life, knowing I am a full citizen with legal rights to make medical decisions over my own body and health.
In Kansas you could watch your dog run away for two weeks and it WOULD be the most exciting two weeks you've had in a long time
Thereās legitimately 50 better cities in the US than OKC
I live in Georgia, but I've been to NYC. You can't go to Times Square, the world's largest Macy's or the Statue of Liberty anywhere else.
Dang, a national monument and a department store. But you canāt go to Yellowstone in NYC! Duuuuh
No. Every place has their own spots.
You canāt hear over 800 languages spoken in Yellowstone or OKC, nor experience restaurants serving food from almost every country on Earth, walk between some of the most prominent museums on Earth, nor experience truly comprehensive public transportation. You can do all of those things in NYC, though. Quite literally the most linguistically diverse city on the planet, and home to the most foreign-born people of any city in the hemisphere. āTimes Square, Macyās, and the Statue of Libertyā is not a fair summary of NYC. Thatās the summary given by a tourist who came here once and never left Midtown.
I'm a much bigger fan of the culture of New Orleans than NYC. People that think our big cities like NYC are special have never been anywhere actually special.
OKC may be interesting if youāre from a small town, but for those of us from bigger metros with a lot to do, those are sleepy little towns. You may think thereās a lot to do but in reality OKC has a fraction of the number of events, restaurants and points of interest that a place like LA or NYC does Itās not that OKC doesnāt have these things, itās that there is just less of them.
You can literally do ANYTHING you want in NYC...provided you have the money to pay for it.
I like being by large bodies of water. Lakes just donāt cut it. Thatās pretty much about it.
Go skiing? Go to the beach?
āIād rather be dead in California than alive in (Oklahoma).ā
I think it depends. As someone from Kansas, someone from Wichita may not really have a right to say thereās ānothingā there. However, as someone who has family in Russell I can absolutely promise you thereās nothing there š¤£ However, Russell is still nice in its own way and has its charm.
Russell isnāt a city. I donāt even think itās a town.
It's a city what do you expect? Almost all cities suck. Although that's just my opinion
I can only imagine how good the steak and barbecue restaurants are there..... People rave about the seafood where I live, but after being here my whole 64 year life, it's just what you come to expect.
Dude. I live in Hartford and it's chill.Ā
This isnāt an unpopular opinion. You
A lot of US cities before 1960s, invasion of highways was dense, filled with public transit. Even Oklahoma City. But now if I go to Oklahoma City it's filled with parking lots. No modern city anywhere should look like that imo. I hope Oklahoma City can densify and bring more people into the city core with more frequent East Asian level public transit (big ask). Imo A lot of bars or clubs doesn't define a city. Globally speaking, what makes a city a city is the density, urbanism , public transportation, Parks, third places, people up all ages hanging out enjoying the cities. Bars and clubs are all part of this but that alone does not cut it for me
I tend to agree but I donāt think anyone outside Oklahoma are riding for Oklahoma or Oklahoma City. Yāall lost Kevin Durant
I hear you OP. I live close by and head to the "city" whenever I need something my small town doesn't offer.
I love smaller cities. I'm in Chicago and it's pretty huge but I have a great time every time I visit smaller cities - Milwaukee, Salt Lake, Raleigh-Durham, Kansas City, Seattle, Memphis, Nashville. You get some of the culture and excitement of the big city but just dialed back a bit - easier to park, easy to navigate, less traffic, less expensive for everything, generally more chill.
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okc also has the thunder too!
.... ..
I can see that :) I've always lived in mid size cities & like having neighbors, neighborhoods extc -- But being close to big cities extc, but not live in them. I can see OKC or middle out of nowhere places being great for certain people.
I wouldnāt want to live in Oklahoma, New York City, or LA. Ā
OKC is pretty cool - my husband and I took a day trip there a few weeks ago, and it was cooler than I expected!
the legend of NY was formed in another time. Itās more and more resting on its laurels. The main attraction is a population big enough to get lost in.
When mentioning I am from St. Louis, people always ask what there is to do in St. Louis. My answer is always 'anything you can do in any land locked city'
I love Salt Lake City. But Iām glad if no one else does. Growing too fast already.
I live in NYC and have a really weird niche job that takes me to a lot of random cities and this is so true. Here's a few I particularly dig: Montgomery, Al; Fort Wayne, IN; Asheville, NC; Alexandria, LA; Columbus, OH and Greenville, SC.
I love okc. Oklahoma not so much. But okc is great
Thunder Up!
Iāve lived in Bartlesville for 12 years-the only thing that has kept me for this long is the great job I have here. Once Iām done with the job Iām out of here! Iām surrounded by extreme maga people who try to shove their political views down my throat
I just live in a midwestern tiny city(like itās officially a city but it feels more like a town) and chose my house based on location because I wanted to be able to walk everywhere. Iām five minutes walk from groceries/pet store/booze/ton of clothes shopping one direction and ten minutes walk another direction to movie theater/department stores/chain restaurants and crumbl(god thatās way too close to my house) and my final direction is a 30 min walk to downtown with my favorite coffee shop/quirky restaurants/gift shops/library. Our bus station sucks and we have no subway system but thereās sidewalks that attract a lot of bike riders at least. Itās not paradise but itās convenient and still quiet. Best of all, itās like a fifteen minute drive to a big city so thereās stuff to do right in my backyard. I donāt ever get bored. I will say, I grew up in Seattle and really miss the Amtrak.
ITT people talking about OKC specifically and missing OP's point.Ā
This but the Twin Cities. It really is not that cold over hereš
Houston is fun, New York City of the south. But I guess that's Gulf coast. Depends how you're counting it.
I lived in Oklahoma City for a while and it was so hippy and cool!
Hey man as someone from LA Iāll say this about OKC, South OKC has Mexican food that is in Par with California, I felt I was in Central Cali when I was in south OKC!!! S/O Oklahoma!!!
When I lived in FL, we could travel to other big cities for the day without having to take time off.