Tulsan’s will never stop taking shots at Oklahoma City – Their long held sense of superiority will not allow it.

At one time, years ago, they held an edge. But the last couple of decades have seen Oklahoma City race ahead of Tulsa on many fronts and that, they will never acknowledge.

I used to live there, and Steve, I agree that it has many wonderful attributes. However those aren’t enough for them. Tulsa is and will be a bratty little sister, one we constantly have to pat on the head, understanding that she will bite us at her first chance.

Denver and KC are way too cool to be classed with Tulsa, not that Tulsa isn’t cool. You are comparing apples to oranges there. How about Little Rock and Albuquerque instead?

Come on, Steve, don’t we want to give them a fight they can *win*?

How about… Fayetteville?

Now, now, Brian, we’re trying to help Tulsa through this whole thing. Let’s be supportive. I think they would enjoy being in the position of holding themselves up over a St. Louis or a Denver. Dream no small dream, right?
Consider this to be like an intervention: our loved one isn’t going to like changing this bad habit, and there will be a lot of screaming and cursing, threats and mean things said (watch the A&E show Intervention to get a better understanding of all this). In the end, this can all work out far better for everybody if we stand strong, show we love Tulsa, and help them through this.

I think Wichita has it!

In the 1950s, a national magazine declared Tulsa to be America’s Most Beautiful City.

Also in the 1950s, Tulsa buried a brand-new Plymouth in a time capsule, to be opened fifty years later.

In the 2000s, the city fathers found ruin and decay and destruction, the result of half a century of neglect.

And the car was in pretty bad shape, too.

Write-in vote for Joplin.

I live in Tulsa and I never hear anybody making “pot shots” at OKC. Granted when you go to a Tulsa blog (Tulsanow.org) there will be some on there that will take shots at OKC (and vice versa at okctalk.com) but it’s a rarity. I visit Tulsanow and okctalk on a regular basis because I love reading about the growth in both cities. I think it’s this “rivalry” between both cities is dumb. Cant we just get along. lol.

Amarillo?

Steve,

Howdy friend,

This post really should be in the general news section.

I have lived in more states than I can count on 2 hands, for work, family, and well, I just wanted to live there.
I’ve now had the pleasure of living in OKC for a full 2 years now.
As you know I am involved with many community and civic boards working to improve life in OKC and OK in general.

Your articles and perspectives have always been very illuminating.
As a chronicler of all things past, present and future, I believe you are second to none!

I appreciate the effort, time, and gumption you put into this day after day.

This city should be thankful to have a watchman like you on alert.

Thank you very much
Eric Dawson

I know!! I know!! Galveston. Oh, wait. I have a better one. Bartlesville!!! hahahahaha.

I’m with you, Steve. I love Tulsa. Fantastic architecture, and um, awesome people. I hear they’re all Oklahomans, JUST LIKE THE FOLKS DOWN IN OKC.

There is something psychological going on, however [comma]. Tulsa is like the big sister who was voted football homecoming queen. Little sister did well if she was on the band queen court. But, alas, little sister grew up and into an amazing woman, surpassing everyone’s expectations. Instead of reinventing herself, big sister continues to compete with someone who is not her most threatening competition. Look north, east and west, Tulsa. Not south, lest you start to look like the 2009 equivalent to Springsteen’s Glory Days video.

@BRIAN – Funny!
@CGHILL – Even funnier!!

I think we can tell from these responses that OK Citians (?) have no probably ragging on T-Town.

Brad, I think what you’re seeing is the ragging is on Tulsa’s constant ragging. I doubt there are any of us who don’t admire Tulsa’s beauty, it’s skyline and its culture.
The “we’re so much better than OKC thing,” however, (and yes, it goes way beyond the online community), is really getting to be a poor reflection on Tulsa and isn’t helping it move ahead. I’ve heard far worse than what Kathy Taylor stated. But that was the moment that seemed appropriate to mock this attitude once and for all. Any Tulsans who wish to go out and respond to this by making fun of Oklahoma City, putting it down, are simply feeding the image we’re mocking.
My suggestion: pick Kansas City and move on.

No, Steve, Kansas City is too cool. I picked Wichita in your poll because it’s smaller than Tulsa and easier for Tulsa to pick on. And I think that Chaz hit the nail on the head.

Steve, I think your taking what Kathy Taylor said a little to far. I don’t really like the lady and what she said was dumb. But your making a debate about Tulsans picking on OKC because she compared our ice skating rink to yours. Really? There is no denying that Tulsa’s city leaders are trying to play catchup with all the great things OKC is doing and yes I’m sure the are jealous. As a Tulsan I love my city but that being said Tulsa isn’t doing anything near the great things OKC is. Tulsa could have been working on some amazing things right now if only the citizen’s would have passed to continue the sales tax from Vision 2020 for the River Sales Tax. I’m obsessed with everything OKC is doing (that’s why I read your blog) along with Tulsa. I don’t know why I’m writing all this out I think it just frustrates me that you look at Tulsans as stuck up people (not your words) and that we look down on OKC.

Brad, this has been building up for a couple of years, at least. If it were just the online community, well, heck, that’s one thing. But this weird “let’s find a way to put down OKC at every occassion bit” has been soemthing I’ve encountered in person.
I’ve met a lot of great Tulsans, too. But this weird vibe still persists. Taylor’s comment was stupid and meaningless, and yet it captures the essence of what’s going on here; it’s not enough to have a great winter festival addition to downtown Tulsa, but let’s also use the occasion to show how much better we are than OKC.
It’s just goofy.
Again, I love downtown Tulsa, there’s a lot I and other envy. But there isn’t a “let’s brag about what we’ve done and show how much better it is than Tulsa” vibe going on.
Now, all this having been said, are these some of my more serious, thoughtful posts? No, of course not. I am the first to admit, this was a bit of a juvenile break from weeks of pretty serious discussion this site. And as Ann Onymous said (I think that’s a fake name), it would have been nice to see this sort of discussion thread on the more consequential I.M. Pei post a couple days back.
If I’ve offended you, Brad, please excuse this as an OKC guy who simply decided enough is enough, let’s make fun of this goofy attitude some Tulsans have about us.
We’ve got a lot to learn from Tulsa and I’d hate to lose your voice from this site.
-Steve

tulsa is cool. tulsans are cool. that said, from someone who lives in stroud, i can tell you that steve speaks the truth. tulsa has a nervousness about its condition that okc does not, and it manifests itself in the kind of behavior described.

they should relax, because oklahoma city spent half a century in slovenly decline before finally deciding to wake up and be respectable. tulsa has only really started to slip since changing from the commission form of government to the ward system (a tragic mistake for them). now they are fighting the same north/south rivalries that held okc back for so long. that in a nutshell is their problem. fix that, and you’ve fixed the city.

@david ball: Sensible enough, though the ward system works well enough here in OKC; I’m guessing that the population-growth patterns have messed up the old north (Wards 1, 2, 7, vs south (Wards 3, 4, 5) rivalry: Ward 3 now reaches to Bethany, and Ward 7 makes it into the southside oil patch. (Ward 6 is in the middle. For now.)

Not having followed Tulsa politics for all that long, I must ask: was Tulsa really better run under the commission form?

There is, of course, no smiley in the above text; this is the result of the WordPress default that assumes an 8 followed by a right parenthesis is an attempt to simulate an emoticon.

I think I am the only WP user in the Central Time Zone who has turned off that function.