Garcon1986 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 Hi does anybody know about the dating culture in Oklahoma City OK? Is it classic southern culture where everbody gets married at 20, or more like Northeastern open-minded relationships, or something else? Link to post Share on other sites
PRW Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 It is going to be like any other large city,...screwed up. Get out in the rural areas and it gets more sensible but with less people participating. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Envy123 Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 It is going to be like any other large city,...screwed up. Get out in the rural areas and it gets more sensible but with less people participating. I wonder, if this also applies to small towns in general. Looking back, romance happened mostly outside London. Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 I'm from Oklahoma City originally, so I know all about it. Of course, back then, it was the swinging 70s and dating was replaced with just hanging out and meeting people and getting laid. It won't be quite like that anymore. There is a diversity of people there like anywhere. There are religious pockets of town like the suburbs to the southeast, and there's also a military base in the southeast to balance things out. I grew up in the SW, socialized in the NW, lived or worked in every part of town at one time or another. I even lived in a commune there once. The NW part of town and central are the most conducive to entertainment and dining and nightlife. It's a huge spread-out city so you have to drive 45 minutes to go from NW to SE, for example. And that can happen depending where you work and live and socialize. I don't think people get married right out of high school like they did in the early 1960s, no. But the religious among them in the SE (a huge arena of a church) are hellfire and damnation and some of them might even wait until marriage, although hypocrisy always ran right alongside that, secrecy and hypocrisy. More upscale, more sophisticated will be in Northwest part of town, just in general. Their arts and culture has expanded a lot in the last decade. They have a pretty good arts district now in Central Oklahoma City if you like the artsy crowd. I would say the usual dating requisites apply there: Ask a woman out on a date and get to know her. Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 In my mind's eye I always pictured OKC to be a small-medium sized city Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted October 29, 2019 Share Posted October 29, 2019 It's as big as Hong Kong in area. It's enormous in area. And it's all addressed on a n/s/e/w square grid. Easy to find where you're going but a long ways away. It's not very populated. The last time I lived there, I had 10 acres in a sparsely populated NE suburb. But most of the city proper is normal tract homes and apartments. Link to post Share on other sites
alphamale Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 (edited) yea I was thinking about the population more than the physical size ETA: Wikipedia says 1.4 million residents in the metro OKC area Edited October 30, 2019 by alphamale 1 Link to post Share on other sites
RecentChange Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Op - are you thinking about relocating there and wondering if the dating prospects will be any better? Where are you now, somewhere in Mississippi? My husband's family is from Oklahoma - if you are asking if an Asian doctor would have better dating prospects in OKC, I don't know.... Oklahoma is politically conservative, not racially diverse. The state ranks high amoung those who place a high importance on religion and has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. When it comes to dating - no, I don't think you are going to find a "northeastern" open minded bent, but rather more of a Bible belt one. Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 One thing I can tell you though, the more conservative a place, the more extreme the rebels, and that was me and my friends. Doesn't really apply to Garcon, though. Garcon, OKC is a nice inexpensive place to live. There is a good Chinese food place with great orange beef on NW 23rd street. There are some decent TexMex restaurants and taco holes. And there are great breakfast and cafe and home cookin places there, the best. Jimmy's Egg, Johnnie's Charcoal Broiler. Abuelo's is there for really good upscale texmex. When I was there decades ago, the Asian community I was familiar with were Vietnamese. But that was a long time ago. I have only visited since (shortly after Hanoi). I'm sure it's all changed. And also, around hospital districts where you'll be it's going to be very multicultural I'm sure. Nearly everyone in Oklahoma is at least part Native American. So there's some good lookin high cheekbone guys with no hair on their chests, not that you care. It defeats the stereotype that minorities are liberal, because Oklahoma is mostly conservative. Native Americans are not a big culture difference for the most part. Nothing to adjust to, really. No weird customs that would ever be apparent. Nature loving, a lot of us. There's lots of Hispanics there now, which is different than when I lived there. Most people I ever knew there had good ethics and were just nice responsible people -- and I knew mostly the hellions! Link to post Share on other sites
Author Garcon1986 Posted October 30, 2019 Author Share Posted October 30, 2019 Op - are you thinking about relocating there and wondering if the dating prospects will be any better? Where are you now, somewhere in Mississippi? My husband's family is from Oklahoma - if you are asking if an Asian doctor would have better dating prospects in OKC, I don't know.... Oklahoma is politically conservative, not racially diverse. The state ranks high amoung those who place a high importance on religion and has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation. When it comes to dating - no, I don't think you are going to find a "northeastern" open minded bent, but rather more of a Bible belt one. I am actively being prevented from seeking out social opportunities in Mississippi, so if Oklahoma is similar to Mississippi, then I will forgo even attempting to interview there. I have a new opportunity in Peoria Illinois so I will try to do my best there. I have a job offer in California that is in the middle of negotiations. The back-and-forth is in their court right now. I just want to be allowed into a social scene I am genuinely happy in again, and not be begging for a social life and sulking after work having just my hobbies to turn to. A lack of genuine human interaction outside work is really wearing me down here in Mississippi. Link to post Share on other sites
RecentChange Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I am actively being prevented from seeking out social opportunities in Mississippi, so if Oklahoma is similar to Mississippi, then I will forgo even attempting to interview there. I have a new opportunity in Peoria Illinois so I will try to do my best there. I have a job offer in California that is in the middle of negotiations. For what you are looking for, I would skip Oklahoma - I don't think you will find it much different than Mississippi. Illinois would be a better option, and of course California the best for what you are seeking. My in laws left OK because it was too conservative for them. In fact, the family still owns a very nice house outside of OKC - that they have offered up to my husband or his brother or sister for free - if they agree to live there. My husband and I, nor my sister in law had no interest in living there. My brother in law gave it a shot for two years but soon returned to California - just too conservative, and not the diversity one coming from the bay area is used to. An absolute culture shock. Link to post Share on other sites
Gretchen12 Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 I have a new opportunity in Peoria Illinois so I will try to do my best there. I have a job offer in California that is in the middle of negotiations. The back-and-forth is in their court right now. Sounds good! You really have to consider the quality of living. Location is part of a job's offered package. It's not just about finding a girlfriend. It's also your own cultural enrichment or access to nature, whatever you enjoy. I need to be within driving distance of an opera house and an international airport. That's my criteria. Even if you are already married, you'd still want to consider what the location can offer you and your wife. Then when you have children you need to consider where you'd like them to grow up. You're single so I think a medium sized city within an hour of a big city is ideal. In a really big city many people are lonely - you get lost in it, nobody knows you. Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Oh, it's not at all like Mississippi! It's diverse. It's educated. People are employed for the most part. Our school system won the national award one year I was in it. As far as I know, it still requires kids to get passing grades before they graduate. There is no Utopia where everyone shares your views and wants to date you, but every town has a set of people you'll fit in with. Link to post Share on other sites
gaius Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Oklahoma is like if they took Dances with Wolves and dropped endless strip malls on it. And the wind is always huffing. Never stops. It's weird. I would go with Peoria just because it's driving distance (2 1/2 hours) to Chicago, which is a very cool city. Outside of the cities Illinois is pretty much farmlands and wind turbines. Not a whole lot going on. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 Chicago is the highest-crime city in the United States! Link to post Share on other sites
RecentChange Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 (edited) Chicago is the highest-crime city in the United States! Chicago is a HUGE city. The city of Chicago has more than half the population of the entire state of Oklahoma Yes some zip codes have very high crime rates. There are also parts of Los Angeles that I would not dream of driving through. Don't go roaming around Southside and you should be fine. Meanwhile there are parts of Chicago that are very safe and clean. I have spent a good deal of time walking that city by myself with nary a worry. It's one of my favorite cities in the US a really enjoyable, full of amazing architecture, arts and culture. As for diversity, while OKC might be somewhat diverse (as in 4.5% Asian), I don't think it's going to compare to a melting pot city like Chicago - and neither come close to the metropolitan areas of California. My city of a million is 33% Asian, 33% Hispanic, 26% white (the rest being much smaller percentages). If it's social groups and a sense of community the OP is looking for, I still say CA is his best bet - he won't be an outlier here like he would be in many other states. Edited October 31, 2019 by RecentChange 1 Link to post Share on other sites
gaius Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I spent a day walking around downtown Chicago on foot and never once ran into any kind of hostile or skanky situation. They were having a food festival at the time, really enjoyed the vibe and the food. Some really old, cool buildings. One thing unique about Chicago is that it doesn't have the big city rip off prices you normally see. You can go get some great eats for reasonable money. And lake Michigan is quite beautiful in person. I'm guessing that like in most big cities the really bad crime is generally contained to a few neighborhoods. Stay away from there and you'll have a great time! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Author Garcon1986 Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 You read certain articles about California that say there are so many laws that you may not even know that you are breaking a law. Is it true that you have to live under more rules in California than in other states? From my visit there it appears that the rules do not Affect daily life that much other than the fact that there is a higher cost of living. The articles that I read seem to have been written by Republicans that just don’t like California. I plan on moving to a city called Fresno, and I’m also slightly nervous about the wildfires there. Link to post Share on other sites
Eugeleh Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 If it's social groups and a sense of community the OP is looking for, I still say CA is his best bet - he won't be an outlier here like he would be in many other states. The nature of his job is such that options are a bit limited. Jobs in the Bay Area in his field would be extraordinarily competitive. I would take it a step further to say that jobs in his specialty in any cosmopolitan locale are hard to come by and demand an exceptional CV. Link to post Share on other sites
Author Garcon1986 Posted October 31, 2019 Author Share Posted October 31, 2019 The nature of his job is such that options are a bit limited. Jobs in the Bay Area in his field would be extraordinarily competitive. I would take it a step further to say that jobs in his specialty in any cosmopolitan locale are hard to come by and demand an exceptional CV. True on all counts Eugeleh; I have been offered work in Los Angeles but even doctors have a ridiculous cost of living there. I don’t want to slave away to just pay the taxman. Link to post Share on other sites
major_merrick Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 If you want a conservative girl, small towns in the rural South are where you should look. But if you don't want a conservative girl, there are plenty of them in cities like OKC. Pretty much any place with higher "education" and you'll get the loose types. Actually, when I was in my traveling days I had some good times in OKC and Tulsa. Banged some cute girls there too. Especially Tulsa. Outside those metro areas, you'll find a lot of the Baptist and Pentecostal faithful. For the phase of my life where I'm at now, rural South is where I want to be and it is great for raising a family. For raising hell - get thee to town, son. You'll have fun, but I wouldn't expect a steady or faithful relationship. Link to post Share on other sites
Eugeleh Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 True on all counts Eugeleh; I have been offered work in Los Angeles but even doctors have a ridiculous cost of living there. I don’t want to slave away to just pay the taxman. The problem is the same on the East Coast. Boston, NYC, and D.C. are highly competitive, don't pay all that well for physicians, and have a high cost of living. Plus you take an income hit if you plan on staying academic. Link to post Share on other sites
clia Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 I am actively being prevented from seeking out social opportunities in Mississippi, so if Oklahoma is similar to Mississippi, then I will forgo even attempting to interview there. I have a new opportunity in Peoria Illinois so I will try to do my best there. I have a job offer in California that is in the middle of negotiations. The back-and-forth is in their court right now. I just want to be allowed into a social scene I am genuinely happy in again, and not be begging for a social life and sulking after work having just my hobbies to turn to. A lack of genuine human interaction outside work is really wearing me down here in Mississippi. What does the bolded mean? How are you being actively prevented from seeking out social opportunities in Mississippi? Link to post Share on other sites
SumGuy Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 What does the bolded mean? How are you being actively prevented from seeking out social opportunities in Mississippi? Spent a lot of time in southern Louisiana last 5 years from what is said of Mississippi, he is probably consider considered “one of them” which is better than “those people”. Sure people are polite, but polite doesn’t mean acceptance. Link to post Share on other sites
preraph Posted October 31, 2019 Share Posted October 31, 2019 Chicago has the highest murder rate of anywhere. No one is even close. I'm sure there's safer places, but Chicago is known for random drive-by shootings. And the weather is miserable. Link to post Share on other sites
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