In the early 1900s, Ardmore was known as the world's largest inland cotton port. There's not much cotton trade going on here anymore, but it's still a place with plenty of jobs at the many distribution centers for major companies like Best Buy and Dollar General.
Ardmore is part of the area midway between Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, also called the Texoma region. It's actually just inside the Oklahoma border, and with how quickly the north Texas region has grown in recent years, it may not be that long until Ardmore becomes part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Moving to Ardmore
If you want to rent a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in Ardmore, or a house rent, you need the usual factors in your favor. A good credit history, along with a solid job history, will ensure you have your pick of nearly any place you want to live. But even if your credit is less than stellar or you have other challenges, you should still be able to find a landlord or apartment complex that is willing to work with you and make sure you have a nice place to call home. Most landlords want you to have an income that is two and a half to three times higher than your rent, which thankfully isn't too difficult around here.
The one major downside to life in Ardmore is that you need a car to get pretty much anywhere. Public transportation options are extremely limited, so most people drive to work, as well as to everywhere else around here that they want or need to get to. Luckily, because Ardmore is relatively small, commute times are among some of the shortest in the nation. Most people drive 15 minutes or less to get to work. The combination of usually mild weather and a smaller town means that you can even walk to a lot of places, so long as you stay within Ardmore and don't need to venture outside the town.
Ardmore may not be a busy, sprawling big city, but it has all the things that count. In addition to having all the shopping you need, the town also has two water parks to help you beat the heat during those long Oklahoma summers. Combined with a good employment outlook and cheap housing, there is certainly a whole lot to like about Ardmore.
Where to Live
Ardmore is small enough that it doesn't have a lot of neighborhoods in the conventional sense, but that's a good thing because it means that you can't go wrong with whichever part of town you choose. Some of the areas in Ardmore include:
Turner Falls: This area has beautiful views and tourists come to enjoy the scenic park here, so nature lovers will love this part of Ardmore along US-77.
Lake Murray: This area is one of the few places in Oklahoma where you can enjoy access to water, which you'll really like during the long, hot summers!
Gene Autry and Springdale: This neighborhood on the eastern edge of Ardmore is quiet and provides easy access to people who work at the Gold Mountain Casino.
More about Ardmore
The best thing about Ardmore is that it's a great place to live. The combination of a low unemployment rate plus extremely cheap cost of living means that actually living here is nice and easy. The slightly higher-than-average percentage of homes rented at 35 percent means that you should have no trouble finding an apartment to rent, or you could even seek out a rent-to-own house if the idea of being a homeowner one day tickles your fancy. Even if you have a less common situation like needing a 3-bedroom apartment, you should be able to find it in Ardmore.
Housing prices in Ardmore are way below the national average. You could almost buy two houses here for what you'd pay for one house on either coast! As a result, this is a great place to get a housing bargain. Compared to neighbors just to the south in north Texas, Ardmore doesn't even get you with high property taxes. You might even be lucky enough to find an all bills paid apartment, which could push your expenses even lower! If you're looking for the secret catch that makes Ardmore more expensive than it appears on the surface, you're not going to find it.