Hi everyone,
I have been an avid reader of this forum for about a year now and I finally decided to join in. I am hoping to move to Tulsa in the next year or so. I grew up in Oklahoma - in a small town about an hour east of Tulsa. I currently live in Indianapolis, where I've been for almost three years. I actually came here to go to graduate school. I have a Master's degree in Urban Planning and work for a consulting firm as a GIS Analyst. I must say I really love my job and Indianapolis is a really great city, but for some strange reason Tulsa has always tugged at my heart strings. I really want to move back to be closer to family and to help make Tulsa a world class city that is known around the world. I think Tulsa has so much potential.
I especially think Tulsa's downtown has lots of potential. A vibrant downtown adds so much to a city. In fact, Indianapolis's vibrant downtown was the clincher in my decision to go to graduate school here. I actually live downtown right on the canal and walk to work everyday. I just love being able to walk to work, except it's not much fun during an Indiana winter! Downtown Indy's momentum is awesome right now. They just broke ground on the new Colts Stadium, they're building a new 5-star hotel - the Conrad, a Hilton hotel, they're also building Simon Property's new HQ, plus there are lots of condos and apartments going in. Indianapolis, much like OKC started out with pretty much nothing and now both have great downtowns. Tulsa on the other hand already has so much, but sadly its downtown is lackluster.
I also would love for Tulsa to have a much wider array of public transportation options, like a commuter rail system between downtown and at least Broken Arrow, but all of the suburbs at some point. I would also love to see a light rail system. Perhaps downtown could be linked up with Cherry Street and Brookside via light rail.
Another interest of mine has to do with streetscaping. I like streets that have trees planted in the median, like much of 71st Street and south Yale Ave. Trees and landscaping do a lot to cut down on the harsh edges of concrete streets. Decorative light poles also add a lot of interest to what otherwise is a boring stretch of road. I think it is important to use streetscaping to help identify neighborhoods or districts. It provides a sense of place (i.e. this is Brookside, Tulsa, OK, USA instead of this is some place in anytown, USA - like I care it all looks the same).
Well, I will end my little rant. I look forward to reading your replies and welcome any ideas on great jobs in Tulsa.