4 ms·

I mean WOW the comments here are snotty against Tulsa. Relatively little discussion of the incentive itself, the fact that a single private individual is paying

I mean WOW the comments here are snotty against Tulsa. Relatively little discussion of the incentive itself, the fact that a single private individual is paying for the incentive (!!), or other dynamics of relocation to cheaper, easier towns for remote work. I visited Tulsa a few months ago to just check it out. I enjoyed it greatly. The Tulsa Gathering Place is absolutely unreal for a free public park. There is enough going on there to make it a worthwhile place to move to for a few years. A considerable amount of very high end architecture and art there. I am doing a multifamily development with similar (not nearly as generous) relocation incentives tied in through a medical district. Very interesting way to move the needle and encourage shifts in living. For most cities, this is a much cheaper way to approach affordable housing as well.

TulliusCicero 8y ago
> I mean WOW the comments here are snotty against Tulsa If there was an article about paying remote workers to move to SF, you'd get the exact same thing. I mean, obviously the specific complaints themselves would be different, but you'd still get the same rough tone and criticism.
- xfitm3 8y ago
  I don’t think SF would evoke quite the same reaction. There are a lot of politically fueled opinions and jabs at the population of Tulsa here.
Cambridge_Man 8y ago
I grew up in Tulsa as a minority. Went to Jenks Public schools. Two students in my graduation class got accepted to Harvard, and others to MIT, U Penn, and Duke. They have gone on to become successful tech entrepreneurs and professors. The graduating class after my year had 4 students accepted to Stanford. Non est ratio ad gustum ... Über Geschmack lässt sich nicht streiten ... Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas ... There is a reason why almost every language has an idiomatic expression to express the same idea. Tulsa may be a great place for you, it may be a not so great place for you. But dismissing an idea based on no real experience and innate prejudices is pretty stupid.
- tfandango 8y ago
  Hey there, another Jenks graduate here. I'm currently more towards the OKC area but definitely would love to live in Tulsa again. It's a laid back kind of place, great cost of living, plenty to do... Not for everyone I'm sure but perfect for me. I think the state of education in our state is a pretty big problem, but there are nationally ranked high quality schools like you said, Jenks, Union, Norman.
  - lester1986 8y ago
    https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/oklahoma-senior-from-jenks-accepted-at-all-eight-ivy-league/article_2dba31cc-c6bf-5920-ad7e-a55c5a615f7c.html https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/oklahoma-senior-from-j... https://www.tulsaworld.com/goodnews/how-i-got-here-how-sarah-cameron-was-accepted-to/article_7fe84dca-09dd-5fc9-a815-46e6225b3ea4.html https://www.tulsaworld.com/goodnews/how-i-got-here-how-sarah... Oklahoma senior from Jenks High School accepted to all 8 Ivy League schools Sarah Cameron boasts a long list of extracurricular activities, including academic clubs and an impressive tennis career. Now she can brag about her eight college acceptance letters, all to Ivy League schools.
microcolonel 8y ago
Yeah, I think people are just squeamish and judgemental sometimes. I'd kinda like to know what they're doing this for etc. There is an expense crisis in people's lives right now; they aren't even considering obvious ways they could spend less money because the norm is to spend outside your means. I'm down for any incentive that encourages people to spend less money for similar opportunity for a quality life, and invest the difference. P.S. For what it's worth, it's hard to tell that this is being offered by a private individual, the site doesn't have an about page or anything. P.P.S. For anyone who wants/needs to keep their guns, Oklahoma is pretty good. Governor Mary Fallin & Co. opposed the constitutional carry provision proposed earlier this year, but I suspect Governor-elect Kevin Stitt will be more open to it following these recent midterm elections. Downshot for me with this Governor-elect is that he seems to have promised to be distinctly pro-life, something I suspect will be more of a polarizing political trial and less of a successful policy direction. I think this could cause a considerable amount of time wasting in state government, taking away from more hopeful causes.
matttproud 8y ago
I was born in Tulsa and left before my teens (to us, Oklahoma was the South West/South as opposed to Midwest). Lived elsewhere in the United States, Germany, and now live in Switzerland. I have a lot of fond memories of the place, but returning there after 25 years completely shattered my romantic childhood feelings. The city was not doing great when I lived there, but it felt far worse now (husk comment earlier). You want to know where MAGA came from? All you need to do was live in Tulsa 25 years ago and compare it to today: the rust and rot. The place is sprawling; you’ll need a car. Summer is oppressively humid against biking. It is far more diverse than it was, but I have doubts about the true level of comforts minorities (all stripes from ethnicity to political) feel. I felt somewhat insulated from religion with Unitarian parents, but the prevailing religion runs strong here. I don’t think they’d accept me if they really knew what I thought today. Infrastructure is laughably in poor shape. My father tells me corruption/nepotism/patronage still drives most appointments in OK civil service. I recall fondly of the — can’t believe I am saying this — sweet smell of crude oil refinement from West Tulsa that permeates the entire town and ambient sounds of the pump jacks (yes, sporadically in the neighborhood). Food is certainly better than what it was. Folks in their early 20s seem to be pushing for more. I actually had a respectable bowl of ramen there. Growing up, there were two Chinese restaurants only. That tells you a lot! I always appreciated how direct the people were — zero pretense or two-faced behavior. A lot of small talk. You’ll have to be OK with the provincialism. Miss the intense Thunderstorms a whole lot. My parents were not especially political or conveying of class or social consciousness. I recall a few trips to Arkansas when I was young and crossing the border from OK into AR and wondering what the hell was wrong with that place. It seemed like that much of a step down. Tulsa has — or had — it’s quirky charm. Everyone knows about the South Park episode about that Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita. Well, guess what, that one in Colorado it parodied is based on an original in Tulsa. Also: in that same strip mall (yep, you’ll love Tulsa if you love sprawling one-story drags of strip malls), there was Starbase 21, a store dedicated to Star Trek franchise paraphernalia, which I think closed recently (sadly). Let’s not forget the world’s largest McDonalds in Vinita that spanned an interstate. These days, the place feels dreadfully big-boxed. I am a parent now. While nature access is OK (not great but not terrible), certainly faster to reach than in the Bay Area (sorry), I would be concerned with the schools. They have been starved to death and the school day largely cut to four days. I realize this won’t satisfy anyone’s claims for empirical remarks, but it is just the perspective of someone who knew the place intimately and returned recently. My feelings are textured.

TulliusCicero 8y ago

> I mean WOW the comments here are snotty against Tulsa If there was an article about paying remote workers to move to SF, you'd get the exact same thing. I mean, obviously the specific complaints themselves would be different, but you'd still get the same rough tone and criticism.

xfitm3 8y ago
I don’t think SF would evoke quite the same reaction. There are a lot of politically fueled opinions and jabs at the population of Tulsa here.

Cambridge_Man 8y ago

I grew up in Tulsa as a minority. Went to Jenks Public schools. Two students in my graduation class got accepted to Harvard, and others to MIT, U Penn, and Duke. They have gone on to become successful tech entrepreneurs and professors. The graduating class after my year had 4 students accepted to Stanford. Non est ratio ad gustum ... Über Geschmack lässt sich nicht streiten ... Les goûts et les couleurs ne se discutent pas ... There is a reason why almost every language has an idiomatic expression to express the same idea. Tulsa may be a great place for you, it may be a not so great place for you. But dismissing an idea based on no real experience and innate prejudices is pretty stupid.

tfandango 8y ago
Hey there, another Jenks graduate here. I'm currently more towards the OKC area but definitely would love to live in Tulsa again. It's a laid back kind of place, great cost of living, plenty to do... Not for everyone I'm sure but perfect for me. I think the state of education in our state is a pretty big problem, but there are nationally ranked high quality schools like you said, Jenks, Union, Norman.
- lester1986 8y ago
  https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/oklahoma-senior-from-jenks-accepted-at-all-eight-ivy-league/article_2dba31cc-c6bf-5920-ad7e-a55c5a615f7c.html https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/oklahoma-senior-from-j... https://www.tulsaworld.com/goodnews/how-i-got-here-how-sarah-cameron-was-accepted-to/article_7fe84dca-09dd-5fc9-a815-46e6225b3ea4.html https://www.tulsaworld.com/goodnews/how-i-got-here-how-sarah... Oklahoma senior from Jenks High School accepted to all 8 Ivy League schools Sarah Cameron boasts a long list of extracurricular activities, including academic clubs and an impressive tennis career. Now she can brag about her eight college acceptance letters, all to Ivy League schools.

microcolonel 8y ago

Yeah, I think people are just squeamish and judgemental sometimes. I'd kinda like to know what they're doing this for etc. There is an expense crisis in people's lives right now; they aren't even considering obvious ways they could spend less money because the norm is to spend outside your means. I'm down for any incentive that encourages people to spend less money for similar opportunity for a quality life, and invest the difference. P.S. For what it's worth, it's hard to tell that this is being offered by a private individual, the site doesn't have an about page or anything. P.P.S. For anyone who wants/needs to keep their guns, Oklahoma is pretty good. Governor Mary Fallin & Co. opposed the constitutional carry provision proposed earlier this year, but I suspect Governor-elect Kevin Stitt will be more open to it following these recent midterm elections. Downshot for me with this Governor-elect is that he seems to have promised to be distinctly pro-life, something I suspect will be more of a polarizing political trial and less of a successful policy direction. I think this could cause a considerable amount of time wasting in state government, taking away from more hopeful causes.

matttproud 8y ago

I was born in Tulsa and left before my teens (to us, Oklahoma was the South West/South as opposed to Midwest). Lived elsewhere in the United States, Germany, and now live in Switzerland. I have a lot of fond memories of the place, but returning there after 25 years completely shattered my romantic childhood feelings. The city was not doing great when I lived there, but it felt far worse now (husk comment earlier). You want to know where MAGA came from? All you need to do was live in Tulsa 25 years ago and compare it to today: the rust and rot. The place is sprawling; you’ll need a car. Summer is oppressively humid against biking. It is far more diverse than it was, but I have doubts about the true level of comforts minorities (all stripes from ethnicity to political) feel. I felt somewhat insulated from religion with Unitarian parents, but the prevailing religion runs strong here. I don’t think they’d accept me if they really knew what I thought today. Infrastructure is laughably in poor shape. My father tells me corruption/nepotism/patronage still drives most appointments in OK civil service. I recall fondly of the — can’t believe I am saying this — sweet smell of crude oil refinement from West Tulsa that permeates the entire town and ambient sounds of the pump jacks (yes, sporadically in the neighborhood). Food is certainly better than what it was. Folks in their early 20s seem to be pushing for more. I actually had a respectable bowl of ramen there. Growing up, there were two Chinese restaurants only. That tells you a lot! I always appreciated how direct the people were — zero pretense or two-faced behavior. A lot of small talk. You’ll have to be OK with the provincialism. Miss the intense Thunderstorms a whole lot. My parents were not especially political or conveying of class or social consciousness. I recall a few trips to Arkansas when I was young and crossing the border from OK into AR and wondering what the hell was wrong with that place. It seemed like that much of a step down. Tulsa has — or had — it’s quirky charm. Everyone knows about the South Park episode about that Mexican restaurant Casa Bonita. Well, guess what, that one in Colorado it parodied is based on an original in Tulsa. Also: in that same strip mall (yep, you’ll love Tulsa if you love sprawling one-story drags of strip malls), there was Starbase 21, a store dedicated to Star Trek franchise paraphernalia, which I think closed recently (sadly). Let’s not forget the world’s largest McDonalds in Vinita that spanned an interstate. These days, the place feels dreadfully big-boxed. I am a parent now. While nature access is OK (not great but not terrible), certainly faster to reach than in the Bay Area (sorry), I would be concerned with the schools. They have been starved to death and the school day largely cut to four days. I realize this won’t satisfy anyone’s claims for empirical remarks, but it is just the perspective of someone who knew the place intimately and returned recently. My feelings are textured.