I Believe in Tulsa!
Why Tulsans believe in their city:
Low cost of living and high quality of
life:
- Tulsa has 3rd shortest commute among 65 metro areas, with 20.88
minutes average one-way (Source: U.S. Census Bureau's 2005
American Community Survey)
- Median home price is $109,000 (Source: Money Magazine,
2008)
- Property taxes are 2-3 times lower than the national average
(Source: Money Magazine, 2008)
Sunshine 227 days a year
125 parks and more than 180 miles of trails (including
40 miles of picturesque Arkansas river shoreline), and 11 publicly
owned community centers.
The world-class, Cesar Pelli-designed event center in
downtown listed among the top 2008 projects by
USArchitecture.
- The arena has 565,000 square feet for sports and entertainment
venues.
- Tulsa is competitive for national sport tournaments and offers
a second arena, plus a conference center and ballroom in the
Maxwell Convention Center, now under renovation and due for
completion in 2009.
A new downtown baseball stadium to support Tulsa's Minor
League Baseball Team, the Tulsa Drillers, an affiliate of the
Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball, will be ready for play in
2010.
Host city to the Professional Golf Association and
Ladies Professional Golf Association majors, the Big 12 Conference,
Conference USA, NBA and NCAA games.
TYPros, the city's biggest young professional group,
lists more than 4,000 members - young professionals in their 20s
and 30s who have chosen Tulsa for its quality of life, low cost of
living and the new energy that is spurring
development.
City Hall is a building of advanced technological
capabilities that will show the world that Tulsa is serious about
competition for jobs and workforce.
- Nearly 1,000 employees and offices for 10 departments have been
consolidated into the new City Hall to create savings in
maintenance, rental, and operational costs.
- The building was purchased at 25% of original cost with no tax
increases, and the City receives lease revenues from existing and
future tenants.
Public-private partnerships make progress
possible:
- The new $178 million BOK (event) Center (funded through a
special county sales tax and private sponsorships).
- The George Kaiser Foundation donated $12.4 million donation
plus $2.4 million from the City of Tulsa new River Parks
development.
- Tulsa Community Foundation pledged $1 million to beautify
select Tulsa-area gateways, highways, and core city
thoroughfares.
- The Gilcrease Museum boasts the largest collection of western
art in the country. It is now managed in partnership with the
University of Tulsa.
- Through another public-private partnership, Billy Casper Golf
was awarded the contract to manage the City of Tulsa's two 36-hole
municipal courses, resulting in an annual savings of $800,000.
- "Mentoring to the Max!" initiative: the Mayor's Office
and Bank of America (through a donation of nearly $100,000) have
supported after-school programs.
- Health and fitness is promoted through the Mayor's Fitness
Challenge - more than 40 local partner organizations with health
and fitness objectives, and a new partnership with Foundation
Healthcare to create a new web-based mayoral initiative, Tulsa
Million Miles.
Tulsa Ranks in the Top
Named one of the 10 outstanding travel destinations in
North America by Fodor's Travel (2002)
Among top 10 southern cities (Source: Southern
Living)
5th best place to live in the U.S., selected among 2,000
cities for a combination of economic growth, quality of life,
education and employment opportunities, and environment
(Source: www.Relocate-America.com,
2008)
9th most livable U.S. city (Source: 2008 MSN Real
Estate Most-Livable Bargain Markets list)
A city of prosperity marked by its listing
as:
- 12th most favorable place to build personal wealth (Source:
www.salary.com,
2008)
- 5th most affordable U.S. city to live in (Source:
www.salary.com,
2006)
- 2007 income per capita was more than $40,000, a growth rate of
5.3 percent
- More than 12 percent of Tulsa households have incomes of
more than $100,000 per year.
- Cost of doing business is 8 percent below the average of 381
metro areas.
- Cost of living is 10 percent below the average of 381 metro
areas.
Top travel spot and the most affordable destination
(Source: American Automobile Association (AAA),
2008)
Top real estate market (Source: Expansion Management
Magazine)
Ranked in the top ten "Best U.S. cities for Jobs" by
Forbes (2007)
In the top 20 "smartest cities" (Source:
Bizjournals.com, 2006). Tulsa's
smart status comes from its technology centers, colleges and
suburbs that also place emphasis on quality education.
Internationally tuned in and home to the best Sister
Cities program in the nation (2006; sister cities are: Celle,
Germany; Zelenograd, Russia; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Utsunomiya,
Japan; Amiens, France; Tiberias, Israel; Beihai, China; Kaohsiung,
Taiwan)
Tulsa Economy & Workforce
Annual GDP is $32 billion
Balanced economy that includes energy,
telecommunications, manufacturing, aerospace and
transportation.
- Strong aerospace industry. Mayor Kathy Taylor secured $10
million in State Opportunity Fund dollars to Tulsa and funding
incentives in infrastructure to retain and expand aerospace
business in Tulsa.
Tulsa Metro Chamber named Best U.S. Chamber of Commerce
in 2008
The City and Greenwood Chamber of Commerce leadership
are working together to revitalize areas north of the historic
Greenwood Business District, and develop plans for promoting
business and homeownership through the North Tulsa Economic
Development Initiative.
Entrepreneurial spirit. Tulsa was built on the
entrepreneurial spirit of pioneers and wildcatters. In 2007, the
Mayor's Entrepreneurial Spirit Award was founded with the
sponsorship of Spirit Bank in Tulsa to provide mentoring resources
to dozens of new start ups, and provide cash to the top
entrepreneurs with the best, most innovative business
plans.
Tulsans Honor the Past and Plan for the
Future
One of the largest heritages of art deco art and
architecture in the U.S.
Preserve America community.
Host to the 2008 National Historic Preservation
Conference, which will attract more than 2,000 experts across the
country and the planet
Intrigue of the open highway - Route 66 - is celebrated
in Tulsa. The Route 66 Cyrus Avery bridge over the Arkansas river
is where "East meets West."
One of four cities recognized by the Mayors' Institute
on City Design as a host for a new pilot program for design
excellence.
Collaborating to create and implement a 30-year
comprehensive plan (PLANiTULSA.org) that will represent the vision
and include the voices of all Tulsans.
BeGreen: Tulsa is:
TreeCity USA and has been designated as such for more
than a decade
Recipient of "Blue Skies Collaborative Partnership
Award" for its environmental efforts, including creation of its
first Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan.
Committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the
U.S. Conference of Mayor's Climate Protection
Agreement
Reforesting through the ReGreen initiative, with a goal
for planting 20,000 trees by 2010
BeGreen initiative launched in 2008. It is an umbrella
of initiatives focused on energy conservation, recycling and green
strategies through fostering behavioral change
Leads in Education
A national leader in early childhood education and the
place to be for families with young children.
One of only eight cities in the U.S. to participate in
the first phase of a National League of Cities Program "City
Leaders Supporting Afterschool and A New Day of
Learning."
In a battle against high dropout rates and gang
activity.
-
- In 2006, Mayor Kathy Taylor held "Building a Safer Tulsa" Gang
Prevention Summit, which gathered law enforcement, government
officials, educators, community and religious leaders
- In 2008, Tulsa received Colin Powell Foundation grant to host
Keeping Our Promise Dropout Prevention Summit.
Affordable higher education:
-
- Tulsa has 7 universities offering a variety of undergraduate
and graduate degrees.
- Tulsa Community College offers 2 free years of tuition for area
students with a GPA 2.0 and above.
- Tulsa Technical College offers a Pathways scholarship.
