In not the most exciting story ever, Midwest City, Oklahoma was founded as a city to support Tinker Air Force Base and is currently Oklahoma’s seventh largest town, as well as a major source of its economy. Very suburban and hard-working with logistics and aerospace companies, Midwest City has remained the same in many ways for the past 69 years, mostly in that it knows how to party all night and be ready for work in uniform in the morning. It’s got shopping, dining, and plenty of suburban offerings like soccer practice and dance lessons, but before you start to panic, rest assured that you’re only a few minutes away from the more urban offerings of adjacent Oklahoma City.
As with any town centered around an Air Force base, Midwest City is cost-effective but also a bit quiet
In not the most exciting story ever, Midwest City, Oklahoma was founded as a city to support Tinker Air Force Base and is currently Oklahoma’s seventh largest town, as well as a major source of its economy. Very suburban and hard-working with logistics and aerospace companies, Midwest City has remained the same in many ways for the past 69 years, mostly in that it knows how to party all night and be ready for work in uniform in the morning. It’s got shopping, dining, and plenty of suburban offerings like soccer practice and dance lessons, but before you start to panic, rest assured that you’re only a few minutes away from the more urban offerings of adjacent Oklahoma City.
As with any town centered around an Air Force base, Midwest City is cost-effective but also a bit quiet. Part of the Oklahoma City metro area, or rather completely surrounded by OKC, the selling point for many is that Midwest City is close to the action but not stifling for those who need room to run around and chase kids or study for pilot’s exams. It’s effectively considered one military-centric neighborhood, which can be a bit off-putting for those not actually involved with the military, but they’re a welcoming bunch and you should fit right in, in no time!
So where do those free-spirited individuals rest their heads in the city “Where the Spirit Flies High?” Good question:
Closer to the base, apartment living—and even housing in general—becomes scarce aside from on-base living options. The farther east you move, the quieter the neighborhoods become and the farther from city amenities you’ll be, but you’ll also be closer to the Choctaw area, which features quiet acreages and single family homes in beautiful country surroundings. If a tranquil country escape is on your list after a hard day at work greasing jet engines, east of Midwest City is a good spot. Single family homes out here will start around $1000 and the few apartments will go for around $500.
West side living is typically the norm for many reasons. Living on the west side puts you in great proximity to downtown Oklahoma City where you’ll find cultural and nightlife offerings, ranging from the Civic Ballet to NBA Thunder games to the rowdy clubs and pubs in the Bricktown entertainment district. The military base has plenty of young recruits and officers coming in and going out all the time, and for those young’uns out on their own for the first time, this area is a good halfway point between work and play. Furthermore, the area is seeing more and more new apartment buildings with rents averaging around $600 for a 2bd or $750 for a smaller single-family home.
The northeast corner of the Midwest City near Forest Park and North Douglas Boulevard is another coveted living area. Here, you can be minutes from everything OKC offers, the Midwest City Airport for a quick escape when it doesn’t offer enough, plus Rose State College and all the happenings and necessaries of daily life. Additionally, the cost of living here, like the rest of Oklahoma, is so easy on the wallet that your jaw may drop. We’ll help you pick it back up, though, because that’s what Midwesterners do, you know.
There is a very classic American, blue collar vibe to the city, and we mean that in a Footloose 80’s movie sort of way (the actual city Footloose was based on is only a couple of hours from here. Really!). People here work hard for a living and pride themselves on being good neighbors. Tinker AFB is the largest employer in the state, so many of your neighbors will be active military personnel and their families, but don’t be a stranger if you don’t fall in that category! Lesson: it may be a bit noisy around here with the kids and families and airplanes and suburban chaos, but the perk is plenty of potential friends to meet and front row seats to watch the jets take off, which is every bit as awesome as it sounds.
Now that you know what makes Midwest City tick, get ready to spread your wings and find the perfect crash pad! Just watch out for jets.
