Hello my name is Marcie Billen and I’m a realtor in Norman, Oklahoma. If you haven’t been on our website before, I make videos and posts about Oklahoma: where to live in Oklahoma, where to eat, where to shop and of course, how to buy and sell a house. Let’s talk about the pros and cons of living in Norman, Oklahoma.
I’ve lived in Norman since 2007. I came here to go to the University of Oklahoma and I never left, but I’m actually from a small town in northeastern Oklahoma called Claremore and it’s closer to Tulsa. I became a realtor in Norman, OK, because I love this town! All right let’s jump right into these pros and cons! First off though, I have a bunch of other videos – some about what it’s like to live here, maybe the weather in Oklahoma, what it’s like to live in Norman, downtown Norman, parks in Norman, everything! Go ahead and check those out!
Pros
University Town
All right so the pros are first. First pro: University of Oklahoma – this is a university town. I would definitely say that the University of Oklahoma is a major plus to living in Norman, and yes, I would say that for sure as a realtor in Norman, OK. So, why? Well first of all it’s the biggest university in Oklahoma, the second biggest being in Stillwater and that’s OSU. And the University actually predates statehood. You can always catch some really good lectures, if you’re interested in that and I am because I’m a big nerd. Of course, there’s always football and game days, which is basically like a big party, especially if you’re on that side of town. It’s not just the stadium, it definitely overflows to other parts of town as well. And of course, walking around on campus is actually a huge activity that people do here on really nice days because University is kind of compact, everything is together, nothing’s really spread out and it’s a really nice place to walk around.
Downtown
Norman also has a really good downtown; it’s pretty laid back and I’ve made quite a few videos about downtown Norman, you can find them here. Downtown is actually easily walkable from the University of Oklahoma campus and we do have some amazing festivals that take place downtown as well. Plus, we have some great restaurants and bars downtown.
Small-town Vibes
Norman does also have what a lot of people call a really good small-town feel. Now the population in Norman is actually around 125,000 people, so really not that small for Oklahoma. Norman is actually the third largest city in Oklahoma. However, if you do live in Norman for any amount of time and get involved somewhere like maybe a church, or the gym, or even a club, it’s really hard to go anywhere without knowing someone and I think that’s really why people say Norman has such a great small-town feel.
Location, Location, Location
Norman is in an excellent place, meaning that we can really easily get to Oklahoma City. And of course, other towns as well, but Oklahoma City is of course the biggest city in Oklahoma and we’re about 20 miles from Oklahoma City, depending on which part you’re going to. And you’ll probably notice that I keep saying “city” because everyone here calls Oklahoma City “the city,” so once you move here, you will figure that one out. A lot of people who live in Norman do work in Oklahoma City every day, so it’s a very typical drive to make. And it’s not just I-35 that connects us to Oklahoma City; you can also get there through other roads as well.
Family Friendly
I often hear people describing Norman as family friendly. I would definitely agree with that and I think the reason why people say that Norman is family friendly is because of course, the school ratings here in Norman. And then we have great activities for families like water parks, parks in general, and we have a couple of cool museums, like Museum of Natural History which is Sam Noble, and then we also have the Fred Jones Art Museum, which is free, so even better! There’s also a lot of sports fields and a lot of organized sports activities for kids.
Affordable Housing
Home prices in Norman are traditionally very affordable, so this is especially if you’re moving in from out of state; I hear this a lot from people moving in from California, Colorado, Washington State and other places too. The average home price in Norman is around $220,000. And also, people like it here because you can easily live in the country but still be in Norman city limits. Much of Norman is undeveloped and it’s really quite easy to find a place that has a more country feel.
Cons
Home Prices
All right, the first con I’m going to address is of course, home prices. Now, I don’t just work as a realtor in Norman, OK, I do work in other surrounding areas so…what I just said was a pro – yes, homes are very affordable here in Norman. However, for the state of Oklahoma, they do seem a bit high. We often see that people would prefer to move to Moore, which is just north of Norman, or Noble, which is just south of Norman, or even out to a Blanchard, Tuttle, and Newcastle just because the prices are a little bit lower in those areas. In this case, you can get more house for your money.
Lack of Shopping
People often complain about our lack of good shopping. When I say lack, I mean they’re comparing our shopping here on what we call the south side of Oklahoma City to the north side which, is north of I-40, and of course Edmond. On the north side, they do have a Whole Foods and we do not, here in Norman or anywhere on the south side. They also have a Trader Joe’s and we don’t have that either. We do have a very small, very old mall here in Norman, and on the north side there are two malls that you can shop at that are a lot better than the one here.
Sorry, Foodies!
Norman also doesn’t have a great selection of restaurants. I’m not gonna lie, my husband and I do tend to go to Oklahoma City when we want some really good food. Now, we do eat out a lot here in Norman, and you’ve probably seen some of my other foodie videos, and if you haven’t, here’s on on some Norman’s bomb tacos! Norman is a great place, but overall if you want good Chinese food or good Indian food, or a great brunch spot, or whatever, like we do have some here in Norman, but really, you’re gonna find most of them in Oklahoma City.
University Town
Before I move on to my last con, I do have a FREE relocation guide for Norman, specifically that you can download. If you’re needing a realtor in Norman, OK, I would love to help! The last con I’m going to name is of course, University. Game days can be really hectic here in Norman, if you’re not partaking in the activities, meaning going to the game or tailgating. Students do flood the town as well, during the school year and during the summer they’re all gone. Students very rarely stay in Norman over the summer, so we’re talking about a pretty big influx of people that happens in August. It can be pretty startling if you’re used to the town over the summer being kind of that “empty feeling” that we like to say and then of course, in the fall we have all these students rolling in, which is great for businesses, don’t get me wrong!
