How big is Tulsa vs OKC?

I would never live in Oklahoma, but I will say driving through that Tulsa left a better impression on me than Oklahoma City did

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Originally Posted by T. Damon

Never been to either but had some neighbors here who were from Tulsa and understanding my urban snobbery distinctly conveyed that Tulsa was better in that aspect.

That's funny because it's certainly true. The weird thing about the dynamic between these two cities is that people in OKC generally have a really good opinion of Tulsa but do not have any enmity concerning the place. No jealousy nor do they even really get into the comparison game. OKC people hardly ever talk about Tulsa or dwell on Tulsa unless their is some event going on in Tulsa. Completely neutral.

The reason for this is that OKC is more obsessed with Dallas/Fort Worth. Not in a comparison way as much as much as they see those two communities as standard setters for OKC to chase.

Now Tulsa on the other hand is more like your typical second city. It's rare to get a Tulsan to say much good about OKC unless it's in a begrudging fashion. A lot more talk about how Tulsa.

The best thing about the two places is that they aren't exactly alike being that they are only 90 miles apart. In OKC you get kind of a mix of Ft. Smith, Amarillo, Wichita and DFW. Tulsa has much more a "mini" KCMO type of vibe than OKC with a component of Oklahoma prairie and Ozark Highland thrown in.

Even being an OKC person I'd pick Tulsa if I had to see one or the other.

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Originally Posted by eddie gein

That's funny because it's certainly true. The weird thing about the dynamic between these two cities is that people in OKC generally have a really good opinion of Tulsa but do not have any enmity concerning the place. No jealousy nor do they even really get into the comparison game. OKC people hardly ever talk about Tulsa or dwell on Tulsa unless their is some event going on in Tulsa. Completely neutral.

The reason for this is that OKC is more obsessed with Dallas/Fort Worth. Not in a comparison way as much as much as they see those two communities as standard setters for OKC to chase.

Now Tulsa on the other hand is more like your typical second city. It's rare to get a Tulsan to say much good about OKC unless it's in a begrudging fashion. A lot more talk about how Tulsa.

The best thing about the two places is that they aren't exactly alike being that they are only 90 miles apart. In OKC you get kind of a mix of Ft. Smith, Amarillo, Wichita and DFW. Tulsa has much more a "mini" KCMO type of vibe than OKC with a component of Oklahoma prairie and Ozark Highland thrown in.

Even being an OKC person I'd pick Tulsa if I had to see one or the other.

So what your saying is Oklahoma City has more if a smaller city influence than Tulsa? I'm quite surprised to hear this. Then that means Tulsa is probably the best city in Oklahoma.

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddie gein

That's funny because it's certainly true. The weird thing about the dynamic between these two cities is that people in OKC generally have a really good opinion of Tulsa but do not have any enmity concerning the place. No jealousy nor do they even really get into the comparison game. OKC people hardly ever talk about Tulsa or dwell on Tulsa unless their is some event going on in Tulsa. Completely neutral.

The reason for this is that OKC is more obsessed with Dallas/Fort Worth. Not in a comparison way as much as much as they see those two communities as standard setters for OKC to chase.

Now Tulsa on the other hand is more like your typical second city. It's rare to get a Tulsan to say much good about OKC unless it's in a begrudging fashion. A lot more talk about how Tulsa.

The best thing about the two places is that they aren't exactly alike being that they are only 90 miles apart. In OKC you get kind of a mix of Ft. Smith, Amarillo, Wichita and DFW. Tulsa has much more a "mini" KCMO type of vibe than OKC with a component of Oklahoma prairie and Ozark Highland thrown in.

Even being an OKC person I'd pick Tulsa if I had to see one or the other.

I've driven pass OKC a couple of times but lived in Tulsa for several years. What surprised me was that even OKC people that I met said Tulsa was the better city.

What I thought was kind of funny was after I moved away and when I told people that I'd lived in Tulsa, if they had been there before they would say something like, "oh it's clean." I'm not sure what it says about a city if the most lasting impression it makes on visitors is that it's clean.

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Originally Posted by az_202

By looking at the votes, it seems like people prefer Tulsa over Oklahoma City. I thought OKC would be more entertaining since it is a bigger city.

No city punches more below its weight than Oklahoma City. If it wasn't for having the NBA, Oklahoma City would be better compared with Wichita. It's really quite sad. Tulsa feels and acts like the bigger city in the state. It's significantly more urban and progressive.

The best way to sum it up is that Tulsa is a small "big city" and Oklahoma City is a big "small town."

With that said, both are in Oklahoma and that is a significant drag on both of them. Tulsa however, if it was a little farther northeast and in Missouri, would be significantly more popular and well-liked than it is. It's a situation like southern Mississippi, which is actually pretty nice, but is tarnished by its state's horrible reputation. I am currently trapped living in OKC and I honestly don't want to live in Oklahoma period, but if I had to, I would prefer Tulsa to OKC by miles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by az_202

So what your saying is Oklahoma City has more if a smaller city influence than Tulsa? I'm quite surprised to hear this. Then that means Tulsa is probably the best city in Oklahoma.

It's true. OKC is a pass-through town. Tulsa has bigger influence and is the cultural center of the entire state. OKC has the basketball team, but if you want to go to any other cultural events (good concerts, art museums, etc) you have to go to Tulsa. Tulsa is also light years ahead of OKC in terms of shopping. A lot of this has to do with the fact the early in the state's history, Tulsa was more prominent than OKC. Also, OKC feels much less urban today because the city demolished most of its art deco architecture to build parking lots. Tulsa left much more of that in place.

I really don't think either city is an urban utopia though. My praise of Tulsa in this aspect is only compared to Oklahoma City.

^ Meh. I wondered when you were going to chime in with your over-exaggerated nonsense.

I love Tulsa but I prefer OKC.

I'm not sure how Tulsa has the bigger influence or was more prominent than OKC. Tulsa may have had more oil money back in the day but OKC had just as much wealth. OKC has always been the bigger city, has the bigger economy, is the state capital, home to a major AFB, at the crossroads of 3 interstates, and has seen continued growth while Tulsa has seen slower growth. Both cities didn't escape urban renewal but downtown Tulsa is plagued with more parking lots than downtown OKC. I like Tulsa's geography more, Tulsa is hillier but OKC has hills as well and I feel OKC has more to do. Lots of options in terms of dining, shopping, culture, activities, events, sightseeing, etc. I love it here.

Last edited by KayneMo; 05-21-2017 at 06:02 PM..

Both are lovely in their own ways!!! Oklahoma has great people!

I think Tulsa has the edge right now, but Oklahoma City I think is quickly gaining with large amounts of new development in and around the downtown area.

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Originally Posted by Northeasterner1970

I think Tulsa has the edge right now, but Oklahoma City I think is quickly gaining with large amounts of new development in and around the downtown area.

OKC does have economic momentum on its side. It's not booming, but its growing steadily. Tulsa is for the most part stagnant these days. Within ten years, OKC could catch up, though I am not holding my breath. There are some very big obstacles the city faces that are unique and that I doubt it will ever be able to completely overcome. One of them is it simply has a very negative national perception, like Detroit except it doesn't have the history or old charm to fall back on. Oklahoma City is probably one of the few places in the country that is perceived worse than Detroit.

Perhaps the biggest thing holding the city back is how socially conservative the state (and to some extent the city) is. It truly is in the heart of Trump country. The Southern Baptist church runs everything here. I could probably tolerate Oklahoma, even with all its negatives, if it wasn't for this factor. Oklahoma conservatives don't truly want "small government", they want theocracy.

Tulsa is held back by many of these things as well but it has a very progressive urban core that punches above its weight and that helps give it the edge. In 2017, I can't think of a single "cool" place that is as conservative as OKC.

Are OKC and Tulsa close enough that their CSA's would merge???