Oklahoma Lifestyle

Playing cowboys and Indians takes on a new meaning if you call Oklahoma home. Oklahoma, the 18th largest state in the nation, has more American Indian tribes then any other state in the country.

Indian heritage is part of the state's history and it current culture. From museums with old world Indian artifacts to the state's vibrant Indian-owned casinos, Oklahoma's 39 federally recognized nations' roots are deeply embedded in Oklahoma culture.

Where there are Indians there are always cowboys. Texan cowboys crossing through Oklahoma to reach the railroads of Kansas to sell beef on the East Coast realized Oklahoma would be a prime site for cattle ranching. When they weren't working, cowboys competed in rodeos, which are still part of the state's sports culture today. Oklahoma City is home to the International Finals Rodeo and the largest indoor rodeo arena in the world. Rodeos are serious competitive sports in high school and at the collegiate level in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Real Estate

Because Oklahoma is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the nation, job growth in the state often increases as the demand for energy increases. With job growth there is an increase demand for housing. Still, because of much open land, that hasn't had a huge affect on the overall cost of the Oklahoma real estate market. Residents of Oklahoma enjoy slow real estate price growth partially, perhaps, because many experienced the drops in home values during the collapse of oil prices in the 1980s, which put a huge strain on the economy in Oklahoma. Some residents had their homes lose 30 percent of their value.

Oklahoma City, the largest city in the state, is home to Fortune 500 energy-related companies including Kerr-McGee Corp., Devon Energy Corporation, and Chesapeake Energy. The average price of real estate in Oklahoma City is lower than the average price of a home in the southern U.S. Homes in Oklahoma City averaged $125,000 in 2006, far below the $221,900 national average price tag for a home. The average sale price for real estate in Lake Hefner and Edmond, OK are both higher than Oklahoma City at $150,000 and $175,000, respectively. Tulsa, OK, the second largest city in the state, is also home to many Fortune 500 energy companies including ONEOK Inc. and Williams, part of parent company, The Willams Companies, Inc. The price for a single-family home in Tulsa was $106,600 in 2005, higher than the state average price tag of $89,100.

OK Population and Demographics

The Sooner State, as Oklahoma is called, is the 27th most populated state with approximately 3.6 million residents as of 2006. The average age of Oklahomans is 35.5 and 78 percent of the population is white, 8.1 percent American Indian and 7.7 percent black. Median household income as of 2005 is $35,966.

Oklahoma History

You can blame Oklahoma for your parking meter tickets. Don't try to fiddle with the parking meters because they were invented in Oklahoma. So was the aerosol can and the oh-so necessary shopping cart. The state capital building, constructed on top of an oil well, is a constant reminder to Oklahoma officials of how significant the energy business is to the state.