South Midtown?

[Tulsasaurus Rex]

The Press Club pushed three or four tables together to accommodate all of us, nearly every seat taken by somebody born and raised in Tulsa or somebody who has lived here long enough to qualify for honorary lifetime status. The age demographic skewed a little toward the “young professional” crowd, but with a few gray hairs spread around, too — most notably on my own head.

After a few minutes of small talk, somebody mentioned house hunting, which naturally prompted a question about what neighborhoods were being considered.

“I’d like to stay in South Midtown,” the house hunter said, mentioning a few specific possibilities that were all south of 51st Street.

“Excuse me,” I interrupted. “Did you mean to say south of Midtown?”

No, she insisted. South Midtown.

So I asked these friends and acquaintances of mine how many of them were familiar with such a place and where I could find it. Roughly half of them had never heard of it before, while the other half declared that there is indeed a part of Tulsa known as South Midtown. A couple of them even claimed to live there, although the boundaries seemed rather vague.

After listening to them try to describe it for a while, I proposed defining it as “pretty much any part of South Tulsa developed before 2005.”

“Well,” one of them objected, “maybe before 1995. It’s hard to say.”

This was actually the second time within a week that I had heard someone use the term South Midtown, the first coming with directions to a business near 81st Street and Yale Avenue. Of course, being the Midtown snob that I am — is Midtown snob redundant? — I assumed this was just a business trying to appropriate some caché, the way places on South Peoria Avenue stretch the definition of Brookside.

But maybe there’s something to this South Midtown thing after all. As suburban development inches ever closer to the Red River, the older parts of South Tulsa are taking on a unique character of their own, still not as traditional or as walkable as parts of Midtown itself, but not as squeaky clean and spread-out as the newest subdivisions along 121st Street, either. The architecture and development patterns are recognizably late 20th century, not early 21st. And over time, that difference is only going to become more noticeable.

As a human body grows, cells split and divide. So, too, a city. What we might be witnessing here is the emergence of two distinct areas where there used to be only one — South Midtown and New South Tulsa. Or maybe we should call them South Midtown and North Plano.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/michael-overall-does-tulsa-really-have-a-south-midtown/article_4dfd145c-11f5-5512-9b36-c489cd33a7b4.html

How 'bout it, TN? Does this neighborhood exist? If so, where is it?

[SXSW]

I know realtors are trying to sell the neighborhoods around Southern Hills and Lafortune Park as "south midtown".  To me everything south of I-44 is south Tulsa, with the older parts generally north of the Creek.  I'm a big fan of the neighborhoods along 71st between Yale and Lewis, really hilly and forested with a lot of unique homes.  Though hardly any walkability like the rest of south Tulsa.

[Breadburner]

No Midtown Past 51st....Or Yale....

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

No Midtown Past 51st....Or Yale....

I agree. I remember seeing someone's listing on Airbnb at ~55th & Memorial calling it a "midtown" home. That neighborhood has none of the charm, walkability, character or history of midtown. Midtown is basically synonymous with Old Town. I like the definition of 1940's neighborhoods and earlier. Those are the neighborhoods and areas designed before cars were ubiquitous and when location was a premium so there was a lot of walkability.

If there is a "South Midtown" it is Brookside and the neighborhoods around Edison. Anyone who calls something south of 51st midtown just sounds like they're trying too hard to be cool and it comes across as cringey. Like building maintenance men calling themselves "engineers".

[TulsaGoldenHurriCAN]

No Midtown Past 51st....Or Yale....

Although White City is just east of Yale and is one of the definitive classic Tudor/bungalow-style brick house neighborhoods with a pond.

[Conan71]

Although White City is just east of Yale and is one of the definitive classic Tudor/bungalow-style brick house neighborhoods with a pond.

White City??!!

That’s just racist!

[Breadburner]

Although White City is just east of Yale and is one of the definitive classic Tudor/bungalow-style brick house neighborhoods with a pond.

I will allow it....

[Dspike]

I've never heard the term before the World article, but I think it makes sense to have a new regional name. Most commenters seem to be focused on what is midtown. Here's a different angle. South of I-44 or 51st is now 7-10 miles of growth. There are significant differences in the 70s-80s growth (i.e. near Woodland Hills) and the 2000-2010 growth (i.e. near Tulsa Hills). What was "South Tulsa" in the 1980s is no longer the furthest South development in town.

Distinguishing between those two growth spurts make sense. Not sure what proper names would be, but "South Tulsa" and "Far South Tulsa" or "Midtown South" and "South Tulsa" could make sense. We seem to favor literal names (i.e. Inner-Dispersal Loop, Broken Arrow Expressway, "North Tulsa," "West Tulsa," Riverparks, etc).

[Tulsasaurus Rex]

This does raise a fun question: What should different neighborhoods of South Tulsa be called and where should their borders be drawn?

I think some of those names already exist. Southern Hills and Tulsa Hills are used for neighborhoods in addition to a country club and a shopping center. Most people know what I mean when I say Shadow Mountain. Some people know Coke Bottle Mountain and Signal Hill. Any others?

[SXSW]

Most, if not all, of the 70's and 80's neighborhoods from 51st to 91st in south Tulsa have names.  Just go by those similar to the midtown neighborhoods.  For example the neighborhood I grew up in is Minshall Park, which surrounds the park of the same name between 71st/81st and Yale/Sheridan. 

[joiei]

I tell people that I live in Lower Midtown,  51st and Yale is the closest major intersection. They all just laugh. 

[carltonplace]

South Midtown sounds needy and desperate as if they need validation to live in South Tulsa. Either own where you live or move to midtown.

[DowntownDan]

South Midtown sounds needy and desperate as if they need validation to live in South Tulsa. Either own where you live or move to midtown.

This.  If you want to separate old south Tulsa from the newest sprawl, it should be South Tulsa and Far South Tulsa.  That's how Dallas does it with the northern sprawl.  There is North Dallas (stuff north of LBJ) and Far North Dallas (stuff north of the 121 Turnpike).  That's a rough estimate from when I lived there.

[AquaMan]

My neighborhood is called Southside. It includes Lee school at 21st and Cincinnati. It was developed around 1910. So am I living in old South Tulsa?

[Conan71]

South Midtown sounds needy and desperate as if they need validation to live in South Tulsa. Either own where you live or move to midtown.

Big Jamoke-spewing laugh.  Thank you Carlton, I agree!