Why do I not see western Oklahoma considered very often as a possibile homestead location. Over all it is one of the most ideal weather situations in the US. Drought is often spoken of but a minimal amount of watering on a well mulched garden bypasses that problem easily. There is an abundance of good fertile, level and accessable land. If one chooses to locate a fair distance from population centers the prices are some of the lowest in the country. Homeschooling isn't an issue in most communities. There are few regulations concerning construction on your own property and none regarding livestock in rural areas. Many folks still think of Okla. in terms of the dust bowl days. That changed with contour farming and modern practices. Some of the most productive farmland in the world is found in this area. Lime application is unnecessary as the soil in most areas is neutral to slightly alkaline. So, don't dismiss what might easily be a lot quicker way to achieve a dream. I've lived here over 60 years and know that what I say is so. The hills are a little prettier but the plains produce. charlie

-- charlie (charliesap@pldi.net), December 18, 2001

Answers

I like the mountains in east OK. Hope to be living there in a few years!

-- buffy (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), December 18, 2001.

I love Oklahoma! It's gorgeous from one side to the other! I was raised in OKC, and growing up in such a "flat" place, I always wanted to see the mountains. I visited the Colorado Rockies a few times, and loved it. Then, I ended up moving to the hilly area around Austin, TX, several years ago. Austin is a great city, and the area surrounding it is beautiful, but it absolutely made me claustrophobic! I couldn't see enough sky! I was so glad to move back here to the flat part of the country. It was like, FINALLY, I can really breathe again. I guess that's what they mean by "Big Sky Country"... good old flatland - I love it!

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), December 18, 2001.

Yes, Oklahoma has ideal weather, unless, of course, you are one of those rare persons who has an aversion to being blown away by storms and tornados.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), December 18, 2001.

Give me 4 seasons, snow storms even ice storms .You can prepare for all of that .You cannot prepare for tornatoes , they come so fast .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), December 18, 2001.

I agree with Patty and I live in Eastern Ok., it is very pretty here with the rolling hills, land is reasonable, soil is good but those tornados!!! I have lived in several states but this one has some of the worst storms I have ever experienced. Now I have also spent time in Western Ok and it has an unexplainable beauty. If you lay down and look at the sky you get an erry feeling. A little different than elsewhere, I have lived in the mountains of Utah (big mountains), mountains of CA., Ill., Wis., Ky., and now OK.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), December 18, 2001.

It would take a BIG tornado to damage an underground house very much.

-- buffy (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), December 18, 2001.

You're right about tornados. I've seen two in the last 60 years and one of them was on the ground. There was a woman killed in one near us in 1944 on Easter Sunday. In western OK you can see the storm approaching for 25 - 50 miles at least, so, you treat them like trains. Just stay out from the front of them. About anything is dangerous without common sense and it is easy to fear the unfamiliar. Weather forcasting does a super job in pinpoint forcasting, but an eye on the sky is still the best insurance in stormy weather. ,

-- charlie (charliesap@pldi.net), December 18, 2001.

OK Buffy you got me on that one but what if your NOT in your house ??????? You have to leave sometime .I give you guys credit , to scary for me.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), December 18, 2001.

amen brother !!! i have traveled all 48 states and canada. every area has its plus and minuses. oklahoma is special, but don't tell everybody, they will show up in u-haul vans.

i was born and raised in sw okla, greer county. still have family down there farming. that area has its own beauty. ever see the quartz mountains? they just pop up right out in the middle of nowhere. lake lugert is a pretty area, my dad ran the experiment station there. if you don't know what lake lugert is, then you must be one of those "ignert furners" lol. did you know the very first shelter belt was planted, and still exists, north of mangum a ways?

however, i am still, to this day, at a loss to explain why anyone would want to go rattle snake hunting. not to kill them. to catch them live, bring them back to the festival and try to win contests. i ate rattlesnake once. tasted like chicken. but i'd rather have real chicken.

yes, if you get off the beaten path, get off the interstate, there are some down right gorgeous areas in western oklahoma.

have a great day, be well

gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), December 18, 2001.

In the past I had tried finding info on OKC as my hubby has the opportunity to transfer there. It is very hard to find info! Can any of you give us an idea of housing costs for OKC area. Something within an hours drive, preferably 10 acres, decent 3 bdroom home. You get the picture. Currently we are in colorado & I think the cost of living would be very much lower in OKC, but we don't know a soul there and that makes it a bit scary. Also, besides the tornado factor can anyone give us an idea of the weather? How long & hot are the summers? How cold & long are the winters? Snow? Ice? I know it's humid! Growing season? Anything else you can think of that would be of use to a couple looking to move there would be great.

-- ellie (elnorams@aol.com), December 18, 2001.

For just about any place, go to www.google.com and do a search on the place name followed by climate - e.g. "Oklahoma climate" works fine.

For just about any information anywhere any time, use google. If you're not using google (once you know about it) you're a fool to yourself and a burden to your friends and family. Throw a lot of words into the search box - if it's too restrictive, delete them one at a time until you find what you need. Once you feel comfortable with it, look at the advanced search options.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), December 19, 2001.

ellie: If you want contact me directly. My wife or I can probably help with answers to most of your questions or can get the asnwers for you.

-- charlie (charliesap@pldi.net), December 20, 2001.

Charlie, don't give away all of our secrets! Just kidding. The land is cheap, the taxes are low, there are plenty of deer, quail, dove, pheasant. Some of us are lucky enough to have a secret morel mushroom patch. We pick wild plums and grapes in the summer. The sky is excellent for star gazing. You really could see a tornado for miles before you were in danger. Here in western Oklahoma, we have not had any tornado related deaths that I can even think of. I think it's because of the fact that there just aren't that many people out here. And we have excellent storm spotters. In the last year, there have been three familys move into our area. One from Colorado, one from California, and one from Arkansas. They have made lots of money on the sale of their property and have purchased nice homesteads out here for a fraction. This gives them the money to get set up how they wish. Two of them raise goats and sell the meat and milk. The third is a retired couple that just love the country life. Now I'm giving away all of our secrets. Hope this gives some of you a different view of the area. Good luck to everyone in their search for the perfect homestead!

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), December 20, 2001.