Hacker News Reader

Comment by mrfusion | Hacker News Reader

Thanks for the write-up. What's the climate like? Does it feel weird not being able to drive to a beach/ocean easily? How did you decide on OKC? I've always imaged Boulder would be nice if I ever moved inland?

View on HN

Honestly, the climate is not that great - we have both extremes (really host in the summer, and snow/ice in the winder), and I do really miss the beach - that is the #1 thing I miss about CA. Central Oklahoma is also fairly flat, so if you like mountains in the distance and a little colder climate, Boulder may be more your thing. The key for me is how much impact I can have here. I feel like Boulder already has a lot going for it, but OKC is on the verge of something even better. There is a lot of room here for more tech founders and more tech companies to make a real difference and not be "just another tech startup", if you know what I mean.

You left out being in Tornado Alley and otherwise nasty storms.

The good news is that at least Tornadoes come with plenty of warning (visible, audible, TV, radio, etc.).

And being hit by one is an incredibly low probability event.

I've been in a tornado warning probably 30 times in my life, and never once would anything bad have happened to me if I hadn't taken cover.

And fracking-induced earthquakes.

Boise, Bozeman or Missoula are mountain towns with young tech/startup cultures where you can still have a huge impact.

I am sure there are many places where this is the case, but the OKC area is where I live :).

Yeah, the midwest is a step too far for me. I've got to have some mountains... some... something.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Oklahoma/@35.856529,-97.81... randomly grabbed from outside of Oklahoma City. Looks mind-numbingly boring.

Ft Collins in Colorado looks like a calmer, more affordable place than Boulder.

Most of the midwest looks like that - even in Colorado. Here's a streetview I randomly grabbed just outside Ft. Collins: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fort+Collins,+CO/@40.33618...

That's more than 70km outside of town, to the east:-) Get closer and you get mountains.

The spot you chose is also 70km outside of Oklahoma City.

West/N.West of OKC is very flat. The further you move east the more terrain you have including the Ouchita Mts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Oklahoma#mediaview...), the Arbuckle Mts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbuckle_Mountains#mediaviewer/...), and the Wichita Mountains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wichita_Mountains#mediaviewer/F...).

Now none of these hold a candle to the spectacular geography of Western Colorado, but they offer nice reprieve from the office for nature lovers. And plenty of lakes for those that prefer swimming, sailing, etc.

Here is one from the town I live near:

https://www.google.com/maps/@46.2468,-114.177067,3a,75y,254....

The view of the thousand foot granite cliffs a few miles up in the mountains is blocked by the trees growing along the blue ribbon trout stream.

shhhhhhh... you are giving away my secrets.

I just looked them up, the climates look pretty dismal? 9 month winters basically?

Clearly you aren't a skier ;) I can't imagine seeking out a mountain town if you don't enjoy some sort of snow sport but the winters aren't as bad as all that and last maybe 4 months.

I moved to the Missoula area from Seattle. Summer is hotter but drier, winter is colder but drier and sunnier and I can ski powder most weekends.

I've come to enjoy a 20 degree dry day more then a 40 degree and drizzling day like we would get lots of in Seattle.

Boulder's not cheap. There I saw an ordinary split-level house for sale at $1.5 million. 10 miles away, closer to Denver, the same house could be $300K.

But real estate is much more reasonable once you get out of Boulder. You could get a decent house in Longmont for $300k, and the commute into Boulder would be reasonable.

At least Boulder's rent is about 50% of the bay's

Reply on news.ycombinator.com