How many of you posters... (2024)

I used to live in Houston. That was not fun at all. As you well know, DRIVING is a high pressure experience.

I Don’t live in Stillwater, but live in OKC. If I was you, I’d pick Tulsa over OKC if the decision is just between those 2 cities. I know everyone living in Tulsa would agree with that. And probably 50% of the people in OKC would agree with that. The reason I have mentioned this is because living in OKC is 20 to 50 times better than living in Houston. If you’ve tolerated Houston for many years, a Tulsa experience would seem like Heaven and OKC would seem like a HUGE upgrade!!!!

NOW —- Your choice between Bartlesville and Stillwater is an interesting one to me. Why not Stillwater if it’s between those 2 places??

Reasons for Stillwater over Bartlesville:

1. OSU Ballgames. You can buy season tickets and go for an hour or other short time period and not feel like you have to stay at the game the whole time to get your money’s worth. Buy season tickets to OSU softball and/or baseball, and go when you feel like it. Think about seeing our Tennis teams, our wrestling team, our soccer team, etc. etc. and you don’t have to drive a long ways and you can leave on a moment’s notice to go home in case you need something. Much better than living an hour or two or three hours away.

2. Medical facilities. I have no idea which is better. But you need to consider the future. Perhaps you can do some research and see if Bartlesville or Stillwater has a clear advantage here. Do you have specific specialized Doctors you need? Good gracious that’s a big reason to choose one place over another.

3. Location to better medical facilities: Bartlesville only has Tulsa. Stillwater is equal distance between Tulsa and OKC, so that would double your choices.

4. Cost of living today does not equal Cost of living in the future. I would think Bartlesville will be cheaper than Stillwater in the long run. Probably so now also. But the small difference in local prices is not enough money for you to make a decision on this reason. So if I was you i’d FORGET the small differences in cost of living between those two choices.

5. Guthrie, Oklahoma might be a decent choice for you. Close access to Stillwater an Close access to OKC. Rural living also. Much better than the hustle and bustle of Traffic in Edmond Oklahoma. So if you’re thinking about Bartlesville, you might as well expand to some small town just outside Tulsa or OKC.

6. I’d get out of Houston as fast as I could if I were you. But i already did that many many years ago.

One other thing I forgot to mention.

If i lived in Stillwater I would attend lots of OSU symphony concerts and recitals and special guest performers. I’d be attending several of those and OSU will get artists and performers there far greater in number than Bartlesville.

Heck, I like jazz bands and I’m sure OSu has jazz band concerts a couple of times a year. In addition, there will be special other things going on at OSu that are NOT in Bartlesville.

So the choice between Bartlesville and Stillwater would be a no brainer to me. Family reasons would be the only reason I think to choose Bartlesville over the variety of entertainment you have in Stillwater.

PokeFlyfisher said... (original post) Unlike Bartlesville, Stilly is strategically located an hour away from either of the state’s two largest metropolitan areas, OKC and Tulsa. W...

MrMcC said... (original post) I attended junior high in Bartlesville. Excellent place to live, but I would prefer Stillwater because it is a fairly long drive back to OSU events. ...

Or freeway

PokeFlyfisher said... (original post) Exactly! I wish the McKnight Center would have been there when we lived in Stillwater!

I live in Stillwater and the city is growing with a building boom of housing and City beautification and walkability improving. With American Airlines incoming and outgoing flights at the Stillwater Airport and new business and industry coming to Stillwater it will only get better.

The city received some grant money to remove old dilapidated or condemned buildings and provide or assist building new replacement structures.

I am happy here and plan on staying. I have been here for five years. Traffic can be a problem especially when students are on campus. I only go to campus for games now. There is always some construction going on and now they are redoing Perkins Road and this is supposed to be ongoing to some extent due to all the potholes and bumpy roads throughout the city.

City dwellers have assess to the OSU Recreation center for a reasonable fee.
I used to go to Stillwater Medical Center but I decided to go to OKC Mercy for my medical needs. It would be helpful if there were more medical providers outside of SMC in Stillwater.

SierraPoke2 said... (original post) When we lived in OKC I always thought Stillwater would be a good place to retire. Lots of Cowboy stuff handy and most college towns tend to be ...

I'm not sure I'd call Stillwater Centrist. The second term mayor is demonstrably liberal and I believe every member of the city council is a registered democrat. In 2020, Stillwater was one of the first Oklahoma towns to lockdown. The mayor proclaimed a lockdown after 1 person in Payne county tested positive, though the big corporate box stores were allowed to stay open the whole time. Even the outdoor playgrounds were wrapped in caution tape and roped off as too dangerous. Additionally, the university has become more liberal over the last few years. (I have multiple family members attending and they talk about what they are learning...I won't get into it, but it's not anything like the practical education I received many years ago.) So you have the power structure and the school as liberal, but the surrounding communities and non-school population are mostly conservative.

Property tax on houses increased 7.2% last year. The cap is supposed to be 5% per year, but the city passes various bonds seemingly every year and they add that on top of the 5% tax increases. Our mayor and council also raised Utility rates this last year, on top of the maximum tax increase on property taxes. It's getting borderline expensive to live here. My wife and I have started looking for a new place to retire, as the current rate of increases will make life less comfortable as we get older and our incomes become fixed.

All of that said, it's still a nice town. The non-politicians that actually maintain the town do a great job. The community development people are very helpful. If you need the police, they'll be there in a few minutes. Power goes out in the middle of the night, someone is probably already on the way by the time you call in. Pretty decent variety of restaurants and a surprising number of activities for kids and families. And all of the OSU stuff, of course.

If we could slow down the alarming increases in cost of living, and maybe get a little more representation for the blue collar, non-university population, I'd say pick Stillwater. But after seeing how much a single politician can affect your economy, your personal income, your daily routine....I'd avoid towns that are 100% blue politically. Find a place with lower property taxes and that has a more balanced political structure.

TrueAnalyst said... (original post) I used to live in Houston. That was not fun at all. As you well know, DRIVING is a high pressure experience. I Don’t live in Stillwater, but li...

ApesTogetherStong said... (original post) I'm not sure I'd call Stillwater Centrist. The second term mayor is demonstrably liberal and I believe every member of the city ...

PokeFlyfisher said... (original post) If you’re a fly fisherman Tulsa puts you much closer to all the beautiful trout fisheries in the Ozarks plus the Lower Illinois is right in y...

Johannes53 said... (original post) Ape didn’t attack or demean anyone in his civil post. Predictably, you were Johnny on the Spot to attack him as you do practically anyone who ha...

Come on, man. He was exhibiting his politics, plain and simple. Sperling's has for years compared cost of living between cities. He started talking about property taxes after basically telling us that none of us who were wearing masks when the pandemic began would want to be within 100 feet of him. Lockdowns, property taxes, implying that Stillwater is a blue city, etc.

Stillwater's cost of living compared to Norman is that Norman is 2.1% higher. OKC is 5.2% higher. Tulsa is about the same as Stillwater. Bartlesville is 5% cheaper to live in than Stillwater. Houston has been mentioned in this thread. The cost of living in Houston is 15.5% higher than Stillwater. Overall, Stillwater has all kinds of ideal attributes that now includes top tier cultural activities. It is guys like you and him who continually will say things like he said that fall right in line with your usage of words like woke that line up with your politics. And both you and he will do it as a way to provoke. You know it will be responded to because that was his intent just like it often is your intent. Come on, man.

If you're a fan of banks, chicken restaurants, weed shops and Mexican restaurants that all taste the same... you're gonna love living in Stillwater!

Seriously though, it is a fine place to live. Food scene is getting better and better. Having the McKnight Center does bring in some acts most towns this size would never get. Plus being about an hour away from both Tulsa and OKC gives you access to everything there as well.

You'll learn quickly that summer time Stillwater is the best Stillwater though.