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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
  
| In a few years we are looking to relocate and move to Oklahoma.
What is the educational system like out there for teachers (pay, finding jobs...etc)?
What parts of Oklahoma would you recommend for barrel racing?
What is the cost of living?
Any and all input appreciated.
Thanks! |
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IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| Dang-I just checked out their educational website and there is at least a $10,000 difference in salary!
Yikes-that hurts!!! Looks like I may have to wait till I could be qualified to teach at the University level to make it worth the move, LOL! |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Down side.. the weather suks..
The upside... the people are great and they have fantastic football teams. |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| You've already found the downside to Ok-pay for teachers is horrible compared to surrounding states. Many who live near Texas border go to Texas to teach. This is the worst winter we've had in several years with freezing rain and snow (south/central OK) but really bad weather only lasts three-four days max. Low humidity, windy twelve months out of the year-good in summer, bad in winter. Lots of opportunities to run barrels-rodeo or 4/5D races-year round for 4/5D races. Cost of living isn't bad. I'm in medical field and have always been able to find a good paying job. Oil industry is very big in Ok. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| komet. - 2014-02-27 9:38 PM Down side.. the weather suks.. The upside... the people are great and they have fantastic football teams.
I second this - some of the VERY nicest people you'll ever meet - very friendly folks there! |
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Veteran
Posts: 159
Location: Central TX | I couldn't tell you much about teachers salaries because im not a teacher BUT i lived in Oklahoma from age 8-24. Lived in Locust Grove and went to college at NEO A&M. Good place to raise a family. Cost of living is pretty dirt cheap compared to where im living in texas. Weather sucks but its northeast oklahoma, cant expect AZ. I loved it and id move back in a heart beat if i didnt have everything down here in tx. I guess i have many fond memories from college! LOL!
Edited by brrlrcrtx44 2014-02-28 6:46 AM
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Veteran
Posts: 159
Location: Central TX | Also id like to add, most barrel racing is around OKC so thats where id put yourself if you can (if you want to be closer to big city & barrel races) |
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 Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: Southern OK aka God's Country | Teachers' salaries are not great here. A friend of mine is actually quitting and going to law school in the fall after teaching for several years (I advised her not to go to law school either but that's up to her). The people are great, however, there will always be bad apples in every bunch and you will probably run into drama either with parents or other teachers sooner or later (I'm sure that happens everywhere). At smaller schools, the poverty levels are obviously higher, and that is evident in the classes. If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes. Seriously. It's going to be 75 today and tomorrow, 28 on Monday. And March-June is usually pretty exciting with tornadoes (I would not move to Moore if I were you).
As far as barrel racing, I am in south central Oklahoma near Ardmore and there are always good barrel races around here. The Jud Little Ranch is near here, where Benette Little is out of, Pete Oen, Kim Thomas, Fallon Taylor, Michelle McCleod and Jane Melby are all located within 50 miles or so of Ardmore. I think anywhere up I-35 to OKC is good (see above reference about Moore) and the northeast near Tulsa seems to always have something going on as well. The only part of the state I am not sure about would be the western part.
Overall, I love Oklahoma, the good and the bad. I'll never leave unless I have to. It's beautiful and rugged and diverse and while I hate the extreme heat and cold, I wouldn't trade it for a moderate climate like Florida (I'm terrified of sink holes). |
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 Expert
Posts: 1236
Location: NE Oklahoma | I moved here a few years ago from IL and I love Oklahoma! People are so friendly and welcoming! I live in Claremore which is 20 miles northeast of Tulsa. The northeast part of the state is the prettiest IMO. We have barrel races within an hour drive pretty much every night a week spring through late fall. In the winter you can still go several nights a week to nice indoor arenas. The cost of living is a lot lower here than IL where I'm from.
One thing that did shock me when I moved is the rampant drug use in Oklahoma. We just didn't have as much of a drug problem where I grew up.
I can't comment on teachers salaries because I don't work in education. I would definitely visit a few different areas you are looking at to decide where in the state to move. |
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | We just moved from San Diego to the Yukon area in July 2013. We LOVE it so far! We are renting, so our horses are currently being boarded. I work for Express Employment Professionals and my husband works for Schlumberger in the oil field. LOVE the people and I have met some great friends.... |
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 Ms Bling Bling Sleeze Kitty
Posts: 20915
Location: LouLouVille, OK | Im not sure what your cost of living is, but it's not bad down here in south central OK... while the salary may not be great your cost of living might be less...
I am a Iowa transplant, been here 9 yrs now and while for the most part I like the weather better here... I hate the temp swings this time of year lol 70 one day to 30 the next then back to 70 a few days later... its not consistant...lol
but it's heckofalot warmer here then Iowa this time of year even at 30!
Plenty of races around me to and TX is just out the door...
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  Rebel Without a Cause
Posts: 2758
Location: Adopt a homeless pet - www.petfinder.com! | We moved to the OKC area about 8 years ago from California and love it here! The cost of living is much lower. For example, I only paid about $100 this year to register both of our vehicles, and trailers don't have to be registered at all. Food is less expensive, as are utilities. Oh, and the people are super friendly! |
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | I think everyone has pretty much hit the nail on the head!
I live in the SE part, but if I were to suggest an area to someone just moving I'd say south central OK. You can be closer to OKC with job opportunities and a heck of a lot of races. I'd say that our two main universities are excellent. You could live in the Edmond area (northern OKC metro) and either go teach at OU in Norman or OSU in Stillwater. Maybe even at one of their branches in OKC or Tulsa if that's something you could do.
I can't compare the COL to anywhere else because I've never lived outside the state. But I have had other people say they can't believe it's so cheap from where they came from (IL and CA).
Our winter has been more wacky than ever this year, and the summers have also been some of the hottest. It's 44 where I am right now and going to get up to 60 today, but you better stay home on Sunday because a frozen mix is coming.
Sadly a lot of smaller towns do have drug problems, so I'd advise to stay away from those if it's possible. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| BullyGotAces - 2014-02-28 8:10 AM I moved here a few years ago from IL and I love Oklahoma! People are so friendly and welcoming! I live in Claremore which is 20 miles northeast of Tulsa. The northeast part of the state is the prettiest IMO. We have barrel races within an hour drive pretty much every night a week spring through late fall. In the winter you can still go several nights a week to nice indoor arenas. The cost of living is a lot lower here than IL where I'm from. One thing that did shock me when I moved is the rampant drug use in Oklahoma. We just didn't have as much of a drug problem where I grew up. I can't comment on teachers salaries because I don't work in education. I would definitely visit a few different areas you are looking at to decide where in the state to move.
I'll second all of this! I'm Okie born and raised, but am originally from around the Woodward area. I love my folks (who still live out there) and the area is super pretty, but NO way would I move back out there. I love the area, but there are hardly any barrel races, and you usually had to drive to at least OKC to go to a decent race. I live just outside of Tulsa now, and there seems to be a race to go to just about every night within an hours drive. I love where I'm at now and wouldn't want to live anywhere else :) |
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 Expert
Posts: 1409
| Northeastern Oklahoma is called Green Country and it is the prettiest part of OK in my opinion to. I have lived in the south central part too and no comparison scenery wise. If I was strictly basing my move on where the best location to barrel race is I would probably pick the south central just because of being closer to Texas. So you could have the Oklahoma races and the Texas ones. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| Lots of barrel races and open rodeos around Tulsa. |
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 Lady Di
Posts: 21556
Location: Oklahoma | FlyingJT - 2014-02-28 9:27 AM
Lots of barrel races and open rodeos around Tulsa.
I was going to say this....The Tulsa area would be where I would be looking...outside of Tulsa....rural schools will be much better to teach at than the city schools, and there's a jackpot every night of the week around the Tulsa area and a lot of them have added money. The scenery is beautiful, but I really like the weather and scenery more where I live (SE OK). Also, when some of my friends were down here, they said that McAlester had the lowest cost of living of anywhere in the nation, so, as someone said earlier, the difference in the pay evens out with the lower cost of living. If you make more, they'll just tax you more, so it all ends up about the same. I taught for 37 years in rural OK and it was great. Now I'm retired and my husband is working at the school. We just can't leave it alone. lol I was raised in OkC, but as soon as I graduated high school, I spent every summer here, and moved here (SE OK) as soon as I graduated from college and have never looked back. Love it in SE OK. |
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10D Crack Champion
| Longneck - 2014-02-28 8:38 AM
I think everyone has pretty much hit the nail on the head!Â
I live in the SE part, but if I were to suggest an area to someone just moving I'd say south central OK. You can be closer to OKC with job opportunities and a heck of a lot of races. I'd say that our two main universities are excellent. You could live in the Edmond area (northern OKC metro) and either go teach at OU in Norman or OSU in Stillwater. Maybe even at one of their branches in OKC or Tulsa if that's something you could do.
I can't compare the COL to anywhere else because I've never lived outside the state. But I have had other people say they can't believe it's so cheap from where they came from (IL and CA).
Our winter has been more wacky than ever this year, and the summers have also been some of the hottest. It's 44 where I am right now and going to get up to 60 today, but you better stay home on Sunday because a frozen mix is coming.Â
Sadly a lot of smaller towns do have drug problems, so I'd advise to stay away from those if it's possible.Â
 Drugs are not just a problem in the small towns. It is everywhere, small, medium, and large towns...right up to Tulsa and OKC. Another thing about Oklahoma, there is practically a church on every corner. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 444
Location: Southern Colorado | We lived in Purcell, OK for a couple of years. Nice properties, low cost of living. Hot humid summers, breezy winds most of the year, icy winters. Very Christian -- which I like. Lots of beautiful horses to choose from & great equine events. Good equine vets around, too. I prefer Texas to Oklahoma (lived in Weatherford, TX area for several years) but Texas is more expensive.
Good luck! :) |
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Cold hands and Warm Heart
Location: oklahoma | I'm in s.w. Oklahoma, our annual rainfall is a foot. Not much going on around here, employment wise. I second the idea of living north of OKC. It's called 'green country' up there for a reason. Lol.
My daughters are both nurses and say that OKC area nurses make more than Tulsa area nurses.
eta, I knew something wasn't right so I came back,lol
teaching not nursing. :)
Edited by CurlyQ 2014-02-28 7:59 PM
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