Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Norman, Oklahoma
Home to the University of Oklahoma, Norman is a Comfortable, Leafy Midwestern City and Has Landed on Numerous "Best Places to Live" Lists
Named after a surveyor in the 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush, pleasant Norman is in central Oklahoma and home to the University of Oklahoma (33,000 students). It is a comfortable, leafy Midwestern city and has landed on "best places to live" lists.
The heart and soul of Norman is the University (OU), which is known for its top-rated football program. Loyalty to the Sooners runs deep, and rivalries with the University of Texas, the University of Nebraska and Oklahoma State University are particularly intense. OU also plays a large part in the city's scientific and cultural life. The National Weather Center is based there, and the well-regarded Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art has seven separate collections. The beautiful Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center has the the ambiance of a turn-of-the-century European concert hall and presents a full range of performances from OU's theater and dance departments.
The Norman Arts Council sponsors music festivals, open studios and writing workshops, and the city supports a ballet company and a philharmonic orchestra. The numerous city festivals include a Mardi Gras, a medieval fair, an arts fair and many music events.
Bars and clubs are clustered near the main campus, particularly on the north side (Campus Corner), and college nightlife is lively. Lake Thunderbird State Park is in town and its Lake Thunderbird (reservoir) has 86 miles of shoreline, nine boat launches, a marina and a swimming beach. The park also has horse stables and primitive camping sites. The city's recreation department maintains a long list of parks, pools, golf courses, and service centers.
Homes are mostly brick ranch ramblers and raised ranches.
Population: 130,000 (city proper)
Percentage of Population Age 45 or Better: 30%
Cost of Living: 25% below the national average
Median Home Price: $260,000
Climate: Norman has a temperate, humid subtropical climate. Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures are in the 20s, 30s and 40s. The area, on average, receives 35 inches of rain and six inches of snow per year. Winters are often overcast.
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? Yes
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? Yes. Norman Regional Hospital is also award-winning and a Primary Stroke Center.
Public Transit: Yes
Crime Rate: Meets the national average
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Conservative
College Educated: 43%
Is Oklahoma Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Yes
Cons: Norman is in Tornado Alley and has a tornado risk that is 420% higher than the national average. Traffic congestion is a problem, particularly on football weekends.
Notes: Some people say that the University has too much influence. There are complaints that the city, which has mushroomed 10% during the last decade, is not keeping up with growth. OU has an OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute). Lake Thunderbird is often called Lake Dirtybird because its water is murky. Home prices have increased 5% since last year.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Oklahoma:
Oklahoma gets its name from the Choctaw words "okla" and "humma," meaning "red people," and is often called the Sooner State. It entered the Union on November 16, 1907 as the 46th state, and its residents are known as Oklahomans or Okies. The capital and largest city is Oklahoma City. The state motto is: Labor Omnia Vincit {Labor Conquers All Things}.
The state is between the Great Plains and the Ozark Plateau in the Gulf of Mexico watershed. It is of the most geographically diverse states and has 11 distinct ecological regions. Oklahoma also has four mountain ranges, not to mention 50 state parks, six national parks or protected regions and two national protected forests or grasslands.
The National Cowboy Hall of Fame is located in Oklahoma City. The state is one of only two states whose capital city name includes the state name. The other is Indianapolis, Indiana. An Oklahoman, Sylvan Goldman, invented the first shopping cart.
Famous Oklahomans include baseball player Johnny Bench, singer Garth Brooks, actor James Garner and actor Brad Pitt.
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