Top 100 best cities to live in:Norman at #6 [Archive]

BudSooner

7/14/2008, 10:04 AM

and Jenks falls out of the list like a fat lady tripped up at a buffet, now those lovely people out south can enjoy the company of us not on the list.

How's that river walk working for ya? ;)

Norman, meanwhile, was recognized for its ability to keep those who attend the University of Oklahoma.

"People flock to Norman from around the world to study and teach - and then to stay and raise a family.

"The university not only helps draw educated workers here but also serves as a major source of entertainment. When the OU Sooners play football against longtime rival, the University of Texas, Norman schools are almost always closed on Friday (you read that right) and the town packs the stadium."

Norman's profile in the magazine said that those who aren't into football get by because of the campus' world-class art museum. home to works by Degas, Monet and Renoir. The city's starter homes for about $135,000 also make it attractive.

yermom

7/14/2008, 10:07 AM

When the OU Sooners play football against longtime rival, the University of Texas, Norman schools are almost always closed on Friday (you read that right) and the town packs the stadium...IN DALLAS

fixed ;)

oh yeah, and suck it OKC and Tulsa :D

what's the rest of the list? link?

King Crimson

7/14/2008, 10:16 AM

i went to Norman pub schools from 1-12 and i don't remember one time we didn't have school on Friday for OU-Texas.

StoopTroup

7/14/2008, 10:18 AM

Why the heck Jenks was ever on that list was beyond me.

I feel sick to my stomach everytime I cross the river into Jenks.

OUDoc

7/14/2008, 10:19 AM

oh yeah, and suck it OKC and Tulsa :D

Great, now add Norman into the OKC/Tulsa debate. ;)

StoopTroup

7/14/2008, 10:20 AM

Is Norman still the 3rd largest city in Oklahoma?

I think it's time we all recognize teh Norman.

Heck...me and the Mrs. would move there if we found the right jobs.

Boomer.....

7/14/2008, 10:36 AM

Norman is 3rd. BA is getting close with around 98,000.

C&CDean

7/14/2008, 10:39 AM

i went to Norman pub schools from 1-12 and i don't remember one time we didn't have school on Friday for OU-Texas.

So your parents were Aggies. Cool.

bri

7/14/2008, 10:45 AM

Why the heck Jenks was ever on that list was beyond me.

I feel sick to my stomach everytime I cross the river into Jenks.

The "nice" part of Jenks that gives them their reputation isn't even Jenks. It's south Tulsa neighborhoods that are part of the Jenks school district. Jenks, Oklahoma is a f*cking dump.

King Crimson

7/14/2008, 10:45 AM

So your parents were Aggies. Cool.

i can't believe you posted that.

that is seriously wrong.

my uncle played for OU and you're like from Arizona or some ****.

Ardmore_Sooner

7/14/2008, 10:55 AM

Edmond is the only other city in OK on the list at #52. I not only have a hard time believing that Norman is the best city to live in in the state, but that it's #6 in the country.

King Crimson

7/14/2008, 10:58 AM

and we never missed school in Norman on Fridays in October. that's bull****.

C&CDean

7/14/2008, 11:00 AM

i can't believe you posted that.

that is seriously wrong.

my uncle played for OU and you're like from Arizona or some ****.

Alls I'm saying is that my kids haven't been to school on OU/TX fridays. Ever. Was there school? I guess, but we're halfway to Dallas by the time the first bell rings.

King Crimson

7/14/2008, 11:02 AM

Alls I'm saying is that my kids haven't been to school on OU/TX fridays. Ever. Was there school? I guess, but we're halfway to Dallas by the time the first bell rings.

1. you called my parents aggies.

2. the article says "schools are almost always closed..." and that's not correct.

JohnnyMack

7/14/2008, 11:05 AM

:les:FIGHT!!!

soonerbrat

7/14/2008, 11:05 AM

link?

badger

7/14/2008, 11:05 AM

Boomer.....

7/14/2008, 11:08 AM

link?

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105381/America's-Best-Places-to-Live-2008

badger

7/14/2008, 11:09 AM

Linky (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/top100/)

Boomer.....

7/14/2008, 11:10 AM

The "nice" part of Jenks that gives them their reputation isn't even Jenks. It's south Tulsa neighborhoods that are part of the Jenks school district. Jenks, Oklahoma is a f*cking dump.

I'm not saying I like Jenks or anything but just wait until the River District development goes in south of the Creek Turnpike. It is going to be a HUGE upscale development/community that Oklahoma has never seen before. That along with the Riverwalk (which has a Phase 2 starting soon)/Aquarium should change that city for the better.

JohnnyMack

7/14/2008, 11:14 AM

Linky (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/top100/)

WTF did they use a shot of downtown OKC for that?

Does Jed work for them or something?

King Crimson

7/14/2008, 11:23 AM

most of you don't know this, but Crimson and Cream Dean used to do most of his posting at hornfans.com. he even went to their tailgates.

bri

7/14/2008, 11:24 AM

I'm not saying I like Jenks or anything but just wait until the River District development goes in south of the Creek Turnpike. It is going to be a HUGE upscale development/community that Oklahoma has never seen before. That along with the Riverwalk (which has a Phase 2 starting soon)/Aquarium should change that city for the better.

Town. Jenks is a town. And until they raze and rebuild the actual town of Jenks and make it not look like Salina with a nicer water-based economy, it's going to continue to be a sh*thole with some really nice stuff next to it.

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 12:11 PM

WTF did they use a shot of downtown OKC for that?

Does Jed work for them or something?
Heh. That's funny ****. Except I do not see the downtown OKC shot of which you speak.

StoopTroup

7/14/2008, 12:15 PM

Town. Jenks is a town. And until they raze and rebuild the actual town of Jenks and make it not look like Salina with a nicer water-based economy, it's going to continue to be a sh*thole with some really nice stuff next to it.

I agree.

Bone

7/14/2008, 12:19 PM

ok, before you all yell fk Tulsa and OKC (oh, wait, you already have, lolz) keep in mind that only cities with less than 300,000 are on the list. This is SMALL cities that we're talking about here, not giant metropolis-like places.

So thus, Norman is not the best city in Oklahoma to live in, or even the sixth-best in the country. It is the sixth-best SMALL city to live in, and best SMALL city in Oklahoma to live in.

According to Wikipedia, (I'm not professing the accuracy) there are only about 60 cities in the US over 300,000 population. Seems to me that Norman would be in the top 25-50 regardless of size. I'd say it would probably be rated better than OKC and Tulsa as well.

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 12:19 PM

Great, now add Norman into the OKC/Tulsa debate. ;)
Nah. As mentioned, this is cities below 300,000. But, beyond that, Norman is actually part of the OKC metropolitan statistical area, though I hesitate to call it a true "exburb" since it has its own economy, thanks to OU. Oklahoma City is a far better place for having Norman in its MSA, and Norman is a better place for having OKC and its economic engine, jobs, airport, shopping, etc. just down the road.

They are tied together in a healthy way that, other cities (for instance Tulsa/Jenks, Stillwater/anybody, or even OKC/Edmond), cannot duplicate.

RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!

7/14/2008, 12:19 PM

Great, now add Norman into the OKC/Tulsa debate. ;)That daggone Pawnee thumps 'em all in the head...and I ain't never even been there!

StoopTroup

7/14/2008, 12:21 PM

I'm gonna retire soon and move to Norman.

BudSooner

7/14/2008, 12:26 PM

h (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080714_11_Jenk364458)ttp://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080714_11_Jenk364458 (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080714_11_Jenk364458)

Sorry for the missing link, I haven't seen Lid in awhile.

I'll be here all week, be sure to tip your waitress. :D

StoopTroup

7/14/2008, 12:32 PM

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 12:35 PM

According to Wikipedia, (I'm not professing the accuracy) there are only about 60 cities in the US over 300,000 population. Seems to me that Norman would be in the top 25-50 regardless of size. I'd say it would probably be rated better than OKC and Tulsa as well.
Well, it definitely could be, based on the criteria used. You can click on a 'cities nearby" tab on that link and compare. Using their criteria, a successful suburb/exburb like Norman obviously should always have better numbers in areas like income, education, crime, etc. than the nearby major city. If not, the suburb is doing it wrong.

Keep in mind that Edmond, or Mustang, or even Midwest City would likely pwn OKC in those areas, too. Just as Jenks, Owasso, BA, etc. would pwn Tulsa. And Plano, Richardson and the like would pwn Dallas.

Where the big city should surpass is in "things to do" categories, such as dining out, museums (though Norman does really well in these categories).

I think that where Norman sets itself apart from many of those other smaller cities mentioned above is specifically OU related. Like I said, it has its own massive, university-based economy that is independant of OKC's economy, and that is good for both cities. Norman also has managed to retain much of its small-town charm, and most of the cities mentioned above have not, if they ever had it. No doubt Norman is a great place to live.

Ike

7/14/2008, 12:35 PM

hmmmm....

so I've lived in the #3 and #6 cities.

I liked #6 better than #3

badger

7/14/2008, 12:39 PM

tommieharris91

7/14/2008, 01:27 PM

Can't we make this a Norman-Stillwater debate? Because all I hear about that place is how much everybody loves it and retires there, but it didn't make the list.

StoopTroup

7/14/2008, 01:29 PM

As long as they are there and I'm not...

I see no reason for a debate.

C&CDean

7/14/2008, 01:41 PM

most of you don't know this, but Crimson and Cream Dean used to do most of his posting at hornfans.com. he even went to their tailgates.

Dang, somebody is sensitive today. I didn't cut a little too close to the bone did I?

And you are absolutely correct. I did do a lot of posting and I have attended a whornfans tailgate (baseball at the Big-12 tournament in Arlington). Somebody with a clue and some nuts needed to go over there and set them nimrods straight. To my credit, I was smart enough to insult them greatly and still last for almost 3 years before my perma ban.

And just to keep it on topic, Norman > Austin.

tommieharris91

7/14/2008, 01:49 PM

Dang, somebody is sensitive today. I didn't cut a little too close to the bone did I?

And you are absolutely correct. I did do a lot of posting and I have attended a whornfans tailgate (baseball at the Big-12 tournament in Arlington). Somebody with a clue and some nuts needed to go over there and set them nimrods straight. To my credit, I was smart enough to insult them greatly and still last for almost 3 years before my perma ban.

And just to keep it on topic, Norman > Austin.

They did rate Round Rock at #7. :D

mdklatt

7/14/2008, 01:50 PM

I'm not saying I like Jenks or anything but just wait until the River District development goes in south of the Creek Turnpike.

I was up that way a couple of weeks and was wondering what they were building in the flood plain....

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 01:51 PM

Meaning Norman > Round Rock. Whatcher point? :D

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 01:52 PM

:les: DAMMIT KLATT!!! TIMING RUINER!!!

JohnnyMack

7/14/2008, 02:02 PM

Heh. That's funny ****. Except I do not see the downtown OKC shot of which you speak.

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105381/America's-Best-Places-to-Live-2008

I think I used the wrong linky. Click that then click on the 6 link at the bottom.

Lott's Bandana

7/14/2008, 02:03 PM

Spent all last week moving into my new home in N.E. Norman, 3 years after returning from NorCal where the same home would have cost me $400K (+250%), even with the now-depressed housing market there.

I've lived all over this here country and only Charleston, SC compares to how comfortable it is to live in Abnerville.

The article lists severe weather as a drawback. Other than when I lived in Florida, I found myself missing the excitement! I imagine all you Nompton expats feel teh same way...?

:gary:

tommieharris91

7/14/2008, 02:07 PM

Meaning Norman > Round Rock. Whatcher point? :D

Round Rock is a burb of asstin, no?

sooneron

7/14/2008, 02:16 PM

1. you called my parents aggies.

2. the article says "schools are almost always closed..." and that's not correct.
Yep, never closed.:(

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 02:24 PM

Round Rock is a burb of asstin, no?
Yes. And after re-reading, I get it. You were AGREEING with Dean, and saying ranking Round Rock below Norman confirms that Norman > Austin.

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 02:26 PM

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/105381/America's-Best-Places-to-Live-2008

I think I used the wrong linky. Click that then click on the 6 link at the bottom.
Heh. That's awesome. Looks like they stole the image from from site called http://www.normanoklahomarealestate.us/ , and didn't even bother to check whether or not it was actually Norman. Razy, razy Yahoo folks.

sooneron

7/14/2008, 02:29 PM

My favorite quote from the comments..

You’ve got to be kidding! You couldn’t find a single town in Ohio?

heh

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 02:32 PM

After further review: that image (on the http://www.normanoklahomarealestate.us/ website) comes up as the number one result for an image search for "Norman Oklahoma" on both Google and on Yahoo. What a bunch of lazy bastards. SURELY they could have come up with a nice shot for Norman with a little work.

sooneron

7/14/2008, 02:34 PM

I like this one...

http://www.weatherpix.com/wsi-tor005.jpg

It came up on a GIS, first page. :D

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 02:35 PM

I saw that. *shudder* Why do I have a sneaking suspician that actually was not SHOT in Norman?

sooneron

7/14/2008, 02:38 PM

I saw that. *shudder* Why do I have a sneaking suspician that actually was not SHOT in Norman?

Prolly b/c no sizeable nader has hit hit Nompton, to the best of my recollection.

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 02:40 PM

Exactly.

Boomer.....

7/14/2008, 02:45 PM

Didn't one hit Max Westheimer airport a long time ago?

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 02:55 PM

Probably. One hit London, England in 2006. And England gets an estimated 50-100 tornados annually (http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art28614.asp). But I'll bet nobody is afraid to visit/move there because of it, and I'll bet you can go through most all of the 144,000,000 GIS results for "London" without seeing a picture of a tornado. We (Oklahomans) all need to start being identified with something else.

badger

7/14/2008, 03:10 PM

The only one in Wisconsin is...

89: Madison

Population? 223,300.

I am surprised that Madison is that low. Sure, there's riots every Halloween on state street, a lot of hippies and drugs, a lot of crazy beer drinking fans rolling in every UW-Madison football/basketball game weekend and protests upon protests near the state capitol...

Ok, I am not as surprised on second thought.

badger

7/14/2008, 03:41 PM

EDIT: Why Jenks wasn't on the list!

After placing 43rd last year, the city of Jenks didn't make the Money magazine list of Best Places to Live this year -- but it wasn't because the city has less to offer.

Instead, this year the magazine is profiling cities with populations larger than 50,000. Jenks has about 15,000 residents.

There you have it - cities between 50,000 and 300,000 were eligible, the rest were not. Woot.

Widescreen

7/14/2008, 03:49 PM

W00t!

Allen, TX #20. So we got that going for us.

King Crimson

7/14/2008, 04:36 PM

Yep, never closed.:(

thank you very much.

BigRedJed

7/14/2008, 04:40 PM

Wow. According to the best data I can find, Jenks has an official population of around 15,000 and yet has more than 10,000 kids in its school district, including 2200+ in high school. bri wasn't kidding when he was talking about most people from "Jenks" really living in Tulsa.

sooneron

7/14/2008, 04:43 PM

And 8K of those kids are there cuz they can play some ball!

47straight

7/14/2008, 06:54 PM

They did rate Round Rock at #7. :D

Round Rock is a straight-up suburb. Shouldn't be on these kinds of lists.

mdklatt

7/14/2008, 06:59 PM

Round Rock is a straight-up suburb. Shouldn't be on these kinds of lists.

Off the top of my head, the only two places on that list that aren't suburbs are Ft. Collins and Norman, and Norman is at least debatable (I say it can stand on its own two feet, but being adjacent to OKC certainly hasn't hurt). Irvine, Plymouth, Naperville, Columbia, the place in Indiana--none of them would be anywhere without LA, Minneapolis, Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, etc.

KC//CRIMSON

7/14/2008, 07:52 PM

Nine and Eleven. Schweet.

47straight

7/14/2008, 08:34 PM

Off the top of my head, the only two places on that list that aren't suburbs are Ft. Collins and Norman, and Norman is at least debatable (I say it can stand on its own two feet, but being adjacent to OKC certainly hasn't hurt). Irvine, Plymouth, Naperville, Columbia, the place in Indiana--none of them would be anywhere without LA, Minneapolis, Chicago, Baltimore and Washington, etc.

Heh, well I only saw two cities on the list, Norman and Round Rock! :) I clicked the Norman entry and then hit "next."

Norman has definitely gotten more suburban with all the strip malls on I-35 over the last 10 years.

On a second look at the list, I don't know about any other towns other than Ft. Collins and Overland Park. I agree that Ft. Collins isn't a suburb.

Overland Park is a suburb's suburb.

SoonerJack

7/15/2008, 08:08 AM

What I have learned from this thread is that C&C Dean does not stand for Crown and Coke. Go figure.

While I have never met Dean, I just always figured that's what the C&C stood for. lol

sooneron

7/15/2008, 08:11 AM

In the comments, some former OU grad student was whining about gameday traffic. What a fugging moron. It's SIX days a year!!! Anyone with a decent map can get around it easily and barely even know that a game is going on!

C&CDean

7/15/2008, 08:24 AM

What I have learned from this thread is that C&C Dean does not stand for Crown and Coke. Go figure.

While I have never met Dean, I just always figured that's what the C&C stood for. lol

I can tell you've never met me because if you had you would know that I never ruin perfectly good whisky by pouring anything in it. I drink mine like God intended. Straight up, neat, room temperature.

sooneron

7/15/2008, 10:14 AM

Actually, Dean prefers daquiris.

StormySooner-IN

7/15/2008, 11:42 AM

C&CDean

7/15/2008, 12:54 PM

Actually, Dean prefers daquiris.

Actually, I don't even have a clue what goes in a daquiri.

However, I did get turned on to dirty martinis by my niece while on the cruise. I tried both the vodka and gin versions. Tolerable.

BigRedJed

7/15/2008, 01:13 PM

Note to Dean: using "turned on," "dirty" and "my niece" in the same sentence sounds creepy.

C&CDean

7/15/2008, 01:24 PM

Note to Dean: using "turned on," "dirty" and "my niece" in the same sentence sounds creepy.

Heh. Now that you mention it...

She is 35 and she is pretty OK looking and what happens in Bermuda stays in Bermuda and...

sooneron

7/15/2008, 01:50 PM

:pop:

stoops the eternal pimp

7/15/2008, 03:09 PM

I see they forgot McAlester again...oh there it is....

101. Mcalester OK

population: 18000 or sumpin like that

pros: all the meth one would want
good place to save money because there is nothing to spend your money on, besides meth
1 mexican restaurant per resident

cons: no entertainment choices but who needs that anyway

tommieharris91

7/15/2008, 05:35 PM

How does all the meth one would want equate to no entertainment choices?

goingoneight

7/15/2008, 08:26 PM

:stunned: this list looses all kredibillity with out stil-water ahed of normen [/:stunned:]

Lott's Bandana

7/15/2008, 09:10 PM

I can tell you've never met me because if you had you would know that I never ruin perfectly good whisky by pouring anything in it. I drink mine like God intended. Straight up, neat, room temperature.

Aye lad, the Skits recommend you put "...a wee bit o' branch water in your single malt to embolden the flavours."

Crown could be different of course...I stick to the kilty-juice.