Oklahoma City? Tinker Air Force Base

[SaveTheSeaTurtles]

Hi !

I posted a similar thread on the community board but no responses ----maybe someone on this forum can help?

My spouse just got a new job. It is near Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. We know nothing about the area or even the state itself which is a little disconcerting. I want to find real info, not the tourist blurbs....

I thought someone on these boards can help with info - good areas to live with children, etc. We will need to sell our house here in Florida and rent there until we find a new house.

Maybe there are people on the boards who live there and can give helpful suggestions?? Any help is appreciated as always!

Any help is appreciated...

 

[tchrrx]

Hi from OK! I responded on your Community Board thread and sent you a PM. Hope that I can help!

 

[brekin67]

Hi, from another Okie.
Welcome to our great state. I can only tell you there are a lot of nice eating places close to the base, and a Del Rancho that has great Chicken Fried steak sandwiches. Midwest City has some very nice schools in the area. I work for the state of Oklahoma at Department of Human Services. I have gone through there plenty of times, but don't know too much except where to eat.

 

[donalducky]

Hi I live in Midwest City and if you're looking for good school districts I would not recommend Midwest City schools even though they are closest to Tinker.The top 3 school districts in Ok are Edmond,Moore,and Norman. Edmond is expensive and far from Tinker. Moore would be the best place to raise kids and only about a 15 minute drive to the base. Norman is further away but it's nice also. The drive from Norman isn't too bad though, it's just down the interstate. Also, hate to tell you but Del Rancho closed down. If you would like to know anything else feel free to contact me.

 

[surfergirl602]

I replied to you over on the community board!

 

[surfergirl602]

Hi I live in Midwest City and if you're looking for good school districts I would not recommend Midwest City schools even though they are closest to Tinker.The top 3 school districts in Ok are Edmond,Moore,and Norman. Edmond is expensive and far from Tinker. Moore would be the best place to raise kids and only about a 15 minute drive to the base. Norman is further away but it's nice also. The drive from Norman isn't too bad though, it's just down the interstate. Also, hate to tell you but Del Rancho closed down. If you would like to know anything else feel free to contact me.

Moore is nice. And don't forget, the home of Toby Keith.

 

[DIZNYCHERYL]

Hi! We live there, 3 miles east of Tinker. We live in Midwest City limits but Choctaw schools. Do you want to trade houses??? I sent you a PM. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

Cheryl

 

[kccmommy]

I would look into Edmond and Norman. Both of them are straight highway and the commute would go quickly. There is a lot to do in Oklahoma City. It is a great place to raise a family. Good luck with your move; it should go fine!

 

[ktlm]

Hi from Oklahoma!! Norman has great schools. When you say near Tinker, I assume that means in Midwest City(MWC) somewhere? If I worked in MWC, I would probably live on the east side of Norman. 12th street (aka Sooner Road outside of Norman) on the east side goes straight through to Tinker (there is another road Porter/aka Sunnylane that goes through a mile west of the base too)- . A lot of people who work at Tinker live in Norman for the schools and make the commute. It is about 20-30 minutes depending on where you live. I grew up in MWC as my Dad worked as a civilian at Tinker. I went to college in Norman at the University of Oklahoma and drove back and forth on that road to visit my parents a lot. It's not a bad drive at all. I love living in Norman. If you want to be closer to Midwest City, Choctaw on the East side has decent schools. I have some friends who live in that area. Feel free to PM me with any questions about the area.

 

[fostrmom2mny]

Hi. Another Okie here. I live about three miles from Tinker. I would disagree about Midwest City Schools. Carl Albert is a great choice, and is at the Tinker area. I live in the Choctaw/Nicoma Prk School district which is also good.

What ages are you children? Here is more info. There are neighborhoods that allow students to attend either Choctaw or Carl Albert. One of those additions is called Oakwood East. There are some subdivisions in that area that I do not know the names of. Here is a link to the Choctaw Schools’ website.

http://www.cnpschools.org/

Choctaw-Nicoma Park Schools provide instructional services in total or in part of five incorporated municipalities in Eastern Oklahoma County: Choctaw, Nicoma Park, Midwest City, Harrah, and Oklahoma City.
C-NP consistently ranks above the state and national average in ACT and ITBS scores.

Of C-NP schools' 300 teachers, approximately 30 percent hold a Master's Degree, or above, and more than 50 percent exceed 15 hours of post-baccalaureate study.

 

[laurafergie]

Transplanted Okie here from Tulsa! You've gotten some great advice here, I just wanted to chime in that you're going to love Oklahoma. The way of life is very different from the East Coast. People are very friendly and open, and the cost of living is lower. (At least compared to where I live in Virginia) We LOVE going back "home" every year. One day I hope to move back for good. You'll love it there!

 

[Dani C]

My father was stationed at Tinker when I was born. (I lived in Oklahoma until after I finished with College at OSU.) The area does have some problems (I have yet to find anywhere that doesn't) but there are good schools, and nice neighborhoods, in most every district and if you look you can find them.

Moore is nice, Edmond is wonderful (I really miss Quail Springs Mall), and you will find that the people in Oklahoma (for the most part) are terrific. You won't be escaping from the heat or the humidity at all, but still keep an open mind and you will love it.

Best of luck!

 

[bookgirl]

http://edmondok.com/

I second Norman, Moore, or Edmond as far as suburbs go. OKC itself has some nice areas as well and is also within 20-30 minute drive. (East side OKC is probably within 10-15 but has some dicey neighborhoods) Choctow, Shawnee and points east of the Mid/Del area if you are thinking rural. Basically anywhere in the greater Metro area is a 30 minute drive from anywhere else.

I can tell you that Edmond/Northside OKC houses run ave 80-100 dollars per square foot in middle class housing. Basically 3 br/1.5-2.0 ba/attatched garage can run around 120,00 to 150,000. But as some one else said cost of living is great, you can get from metro to rural in 5 minutes so you can live in the city or the suburbs or on an acreage within the same town, and the folks here still hold open your doors and say good morning. It can run to the conservative, okay it's 95% conservative most the time, but there is room for the liberal if you know where to look. Lots of small town atmosphere but enough culture and shopping to keep everyone happy. Two large malls one North OKC and one Midtown with the usual. Big box stores (only we have Sam's not costco or BJs), and chains like WM and Target, Pier 1, BB&B. Upperend shopping you really have to hit Texas but it's within 3 hours drive.

Grocery stores are the only place we run short. Not many independants and the only chains we really have are SuperWalmart, SuperTarget, Homeland, and like two Williams. There is also BuyforLess but I wouldn't shop there if it were free. We have a local discount chain called Crest (OKC, MWC, & Edmond). And really one decent sized gourmet Cresent Market. (OKC) We are slated to get a Whole Foods(OKC) and we have one local healthfood/natural food market called Atkins(North OKC/Edmond, MidtownOKC, and Southside).

Given any choice I would stick with North OKC and Edmond just because of the location to shopping, malls and entertainment. But I could be biased since I've lived in those areas most of my life. (I have lived in metro OKC and attended school in Norman, but I prefer the north side)

OH and public transportion absolutly stinks, so you will need two cars, so you may have to figure that into the budget.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

www.greatschools.net www.schooldigger.com and check out the city data forums. Good luck!

 

[disneybride2010]

My husband and I both work at Tinker. The base is a good place to work.
We have 3 children and have found the choctaw schools are great for younger kids. The middle school and high school are great for students who want to excel, but seem to lack if the student needs to be pushed more.
Our kids go to Choctaw High School and are very active and love going to school.
When we researched schools before we bought our house, we were highly disappointed because we compared the schools to those on the East coast. We both feel the schools on the coast are better geared towards education, around here most things are planned around football and sports.

This really is a great place to raise kids, ours really haven't had to deal with gangs, drugs or major peer pressure. There are some great churches and universities all over this area.

Where will your spouse be working? Feel free to email me if you want more info. denise@shutter-magic.com

 

[SaveTheSeaTurtles]

You guys are the best !!! I have been so apprehensive about this. I am worried to death about him finding a decent place (clean and safe) to live until we find a house there.

It's difficult to give up our home here - there are some great places to visit, the beach, my church and of course WDW !

No Publix in OK, I guess. I don't think that store is in the midwest at all.

Is there much snow there in the winter? We don't even own winter coats..and snow tires - I didn't even think about that until just now.
Now I guess my biggest worry is being able to sell our house here.

 

[jmrdavis99]

You guys are the best !!! I have been so apprehensive about this. I am worried to death about him finding a decent place (clean and safe) to live until we find a house there.

It's difficult to give up our home here - there are some great places to visit, the beach, my church and of course WDW !

No Publix in OK, I guess. I don't think that store is in the midwest at all.

Is there much snow there in the winter? We don't even own winter coats..and snow tires - I didn't even think about that until just now.
Now I guess my biggest worry is being able to sell our house here.

We live in Oklahoma City in a historic area, near downtown. We actually have a few military families that attend elementary school with our kids. The location is great--easy access to ALL the highways, so we are spoiled about being able to get anywhere in the city easily. Oklahoma City Public Schools are kind of hit & miss. Ours is a really good elementary with about 30% of the kids transferring in from other areas. One of the top 10 High Schools in the nation is also part of OKCPS.

No, no Publix. We have Homeland, Buy for Less, Crest, Neighborhood Market by Wal-Mart.

You won't need snow tires, but will definitely need some winter coats! We usually get snow 2-3 times a year (sometimes even ThunderSnow), but the ICE is when it gets crazy. The ice will weigh down the trees & power lines, which then causes big outages. I'll just recommend staying off the streets if it gets icy. Happens at least once a year...

Let us know when you get here. Maybe we can have an Okie Dismeet!

 

[Stinkerbelle_628]

My mother retired from Tinker Air Force Base as a civilian employee. I grew up in Moore, and have since moved to Edmond - I prefer the Edmond area by far!!

Good luck with whatever you decide! Oh, and be sure to eat at Ted's for great Tex-Mex food when you get here!!!

 

[ktlm]

We live in Oklahoma City in a historic area, near downtown.

Wouldn't happen to be Heritage Hills would it? If so, I could probably walk to your house from my office, which is in what they now call Midtown. Its neat to see how many Okies are showing up on this thread!