Thoughts on Home

Growing up as an Air Force brat means that you don't really have a home.  I was born in Germany, but the home I most relate to is Del City, Oklahoma.  I lived there when I was 12 until I left college in 91'(I went to OU in Norman).  I was just there for a vacation (strong word for what it really was) and must say I now remember why I left that place in the rear-view mirror.

Oklahoma (although I do love growing up there) is a complete shit-hole these days.  I don't remember it being like that, but as a kid you just don't see it the way it really is.  Now there are parts of OK that are really nice, Norman is one of them.  But visiting Del City was unusually disturbing.  There is trash everywhere and almost every other business is a pawn shop, liquor store, gun shop or express check-cashing operation. 

My father lives in Seattle now, but still has a house in that area.  I didn't expect him to have wifi since the house is never occupied, but usually you'd expect someone in the neighborhood to have some type of high speed I could "hack" into.  Nope, we're talking 3rd world.  Additionally, the closest Starbucks was miles and miles away.

I know that living in Minnesota warps my perspective on most other places, with our clean streets, nice neighborhoods, low crime and moderate summer weather, but even my friends that still live there think it's a complete shit-hole these days.  What's happening to that part of the country?

Did I mention it was "hotter than hell"?

Comments

[Dr. Jan]

Here's the deal... it's easy to criticize us Okies... but what's the point? We are what we are, and we are damn happy to be it. As if... any other region of the world is without fault. Minnesota is coldern a witch's tit... I rest my case. smooches, Dr. Jan (visit my podcast at uglygirlsclub.thepodcastnetwork.com)

[Michael Bates]

There are some great WiFi coffee houses not far from there -- Java Dave's in downtown OKC for example.

Del City has seen better days, but remember that it was a post-WWII suburb, built around the car, built with planned obsolescence. Most of the retail and housing stock is forty to fifty years old and wasn't built to last. Metro Oklahoma City's growth has been back into the center and to the northwest and southwest, so there hasn't been the reinvestment in Del City that would spruce the place up.

[Kelly]

I've always said that most of OKC is a hick town that's gotten too big. Del City just proves my point. But who am I? I'm just a snob from T-town...who's not been to the new and improved Brick Town.