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A recent study by FinanceBuzz dubbed Oklahoma City as the seventh “most boring city” in the U.S. All this tells me is the folks at FB haven’t seen what’s brewing in our city over the past two decades, and their review from behind a computer screen was so-so at best.
The review relied on several factors, including cities’ population makeup, culinary scene, outdoor activities, nightlife, and other activities available. According to their head-scratching write-up, OKC got dinged for parks and trails, tourism, and food.
Oklahoma City is home to a burgeoning and diverse culinary scene, with several awards and merits attributed to restaurants and chefs. We are firmly part of the national culinary map thanks to the many James Beard Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of food,” particularly for institutions like Florence’s Restaurant and Nonsuch, as well as the distinguished Chef Andrew Black, who has founded several institutions across the metro area, including a chain restaurant. The review specifically calls out that chain restaurants make up 53% of our culinary scene, but when it’s Chef Black, I’m not so hurt by the figure. The sprawling nature of our city does capture lots of fast food, there is even something special there to highlight—Braum’s. Our largest local fast food restaurant provides specialty products sourced from a local farm, with rotating seasonal products and a bodega-style market in each location.
The next most perplexing item on the list is parks and trails. Central Oklahoma boasts almost 700 miles of bike trails, many newly constructed and upcoming unique nature trails that will create a connected network across central Oklahoma. The last two decades of MAPS projects have reinvigorated smaller parks across the city, with a particular emphasis on walkable accessibility in our neighborhoods. We could absolutely call Scissortail Park, and adjoining Myriad Gardens, the crown jewel of OKC parks. The crystal bridge is a horticultural institution with seasonal events, and each of these two neighboring parks host near-constant public events and festivals.
Finally, on tourism, Oklahoma City has a largely “visitor economy.” Oklahoma City welcomed 24.1 million visitors in the last fiscal year, generating $358 million in tax revenue and supporting nearly 35,000 jobs in the tourism industry.
Ultimately, if this “boring city” claim scares off folks who have otherwise slept on OKC, that’s alright. It will make it a little easier to get reservations at some of our favorite restaurants and help fight the crowds at the next Scissortail festival.
Kenton Tsoodle is the president of The Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City.
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